Just been prescribed Fluoxetine (Prozac) - Anyone else taken this?

[tid]

I was prescribed Fluoxetine today after 10 months of ups and downs (mostly downs). Counselling helped a bit, but lately I'm just not making any progress and have actually reversed a bit.

I had been thinking about trying medication anyway, but now that I have them and have read the potential side-effects, I'm a bit scared.

Has anyone taken this drug recently and willing to share experiences?

[purpleturtle]

Personally, i think it should be in the water!

I was first prescribed 20mg a day in September 04. They did make me tired to begin with (first week or so), but I'd been so knackered with depression anyway that it didn't make a great deal of difference. And I rapidly began to feel a LOT better. I'm coming towards the end of a 6 month run now, and slightly concerned about how I'll cope without them. We'll give it a go.

[mummytosteven]

hiya - have taken it twice, without much problem with side effects at all.

time 1 - felt agitated for first few days, no other side effects

time 2 - mildly dodgy tummy on and off for two weeks, no other side effects

I would say it took abouyt 2 weeks to have any effect, a couple of months for it to have a big effect (improvement)! ime it slowly shifts life little by little from the unbearable to the bearable, in quite a slow and subtle way. no personality changes or anything like that.

[colditzmum]

One side effect I remember is feeling very cold for a couple of weeks, and having a very dry mouth. After a few weeks though I really did start to feel better.

[KatieMac]

Hiya Like Mummytosteven, I've taken it twice.

Both for relatively short times (9m & 6m)....I didn't have many side effects (ate a bit more - I think, that's unusual I think it usually goes the other way)

I stopped taking it easily....and both instances of taking it were quite separate. (ME first time and Ectopic Pregnancy 2nd)

Good Luck
KMc

[Chandra]

You are a fortunate one, I took them for 3 m and cleared the depression beautifully. I was a bit too smiley in the first couple of days, afterwards was normal. I was fine for several years, then I got PND and have been prescribed several things and to be honest... nothing works as well as prozac, you end up using ADs for a considerable shorter time.

[PiccadillyCircus]

I was prescribed them a few years ago and they helped with my depression a lot. I think I was on them for a few months and had no problems coming off them either.

[Evesmama]

didnt make me feel any different other than my nose was always cold??????

[alibubbles]

I'm taking it at the moment. I only take it about every three or four days now, or when I feel that black cloud on my shoulder.

It is brilliant for PMS, they prescribe it in the USA for this. I may need to up ny dose as my DS ( 17 yr old teen, now a fully qualified level 2 ski instructor) comes home from Canada today. DH and I have had the house to ourselves as DD is at Uni in Paris, so it is going to be different having another adult around!

Hopefully he will get a ski job somewhere for the rest of the season, he lives in ski boots, so I don;t think he'll be around long!

Good luck with the Prozac, I can only take the branded rather than the generic, gave me less side effects, mainly mega headaches.

I came off it easily enough before, but my doctor days take it for at least a year this time. Whatever you do don't take Seroxat if prozac doesn't work.

[miam]

Hi tid. I take 20mg each day (1 tablet) and have experienced no side-effects, except the rather pleasant one of initially losing some weight! They work incredibly well for me, I notice a big difference in my mood if I forget to take them. I hope they work as well for you. x

[expatinscotland]

I was on 20mg/day and had no negative side effects at all. Felt better after about a week.

[paolosgirl]

I've been prescribed Fluoxetine in the past and didn't realise it was Prozac

I found it wonderful - just enough to help lift me and to clear that awful brown mist that descends. I also didn't have any problems coming off it at all. Hope you feel better soon

[tid]

Wow. Thank you all for your input - I really appreciate it. I think I've spent too much time reading websites that are designed to scare you off. I've been so worried about this.

One more question - is there a good or bad time of day to take them?

Thanks again to each and everyone of you!

[KatieMac]

I remember I took them in the evening....when I took them in the morning I was a bit queasy so I couldn't eat my breakfast, but at bedtime it didn't matter as I wasn't eating then anyway

[tid]

Thanks KatieMac. Yours sounds like a good plan.

Miam - the weight loss side effect is about the only one I'm not afraid of! Can I ask if it's significant? Should I have that chocolate biscuit tonight or just a drink of water?

I've noticed there is no warning about alcohol...is the occasional glass of wine OK with ADs?

[mummytosteven]

oh yes, occasional glass shouldn't be a problem. ads like prozac can make you drunk a lot more quickly (or might not) so best to take it easy till you have the measure of the combined effect. best not to have too much alcohol anyway tho in combination with ADs, as alcohol is a depressant anyway.

[edam]

I know it can be controversial, but my mother and sister have both taken Prozac and both credit it with saving their sanity. Seriously.

[bitdowntoday]

Hi tid,
I got prescribed fluoxetine over 2 years ago now and they basically saved me. Suonds a bit dramatic, but they did. They didn't have the great weight loss effects that some members have talked about but they started working after about 10 days (I was on 20mg) and gave me my back my old self. I haven't had any of the side effects mentioned, except a drop in libido ... double
I did have a rough time coming off them - I came off them cold turkey in mid January of my own accord, but don't let that put you off taking them in the first place. For one thing, everyone reacts differently and it could have been a psychological thing with me, rather than more physical side-effects I was feeling and believe me, coming off them has been much easier than suffering with the depression I had before. I got a bit (well, a LOT) weepy a few days ago, but got some wonderful help, support and advice from Mumsnetters and am feeling loads better these last few days.
I was advised that the longer you are on them (up to about 2 years), there is evidence that you are less likely to need them again in the future.
HTH

[Gwenick]

I started taking it last Friday (so 1 week ago)

I had a dry mouth the first few days but that's gone now - and my sleeplessness is even worse at the moment (I'm lucky to feel tired before 2.30am at the moment and still takes 1/2hr or more to get to sleep - and then have to be up in the morning with the boys .

I'm not worried about weight loss either - am hoping to shift 2 stone before the end of the summer - although it's not really affected my appetite in a 'big' way I realised the other day I'm not snacking as much and having much smaller portions.

Other than that no other side effects

[colditzmum]

I have been on prozac a few times, ankept taking myself off them after 3 months. The last time I went to the gp, he told me that I was causing my depression to come back because I wasn't giving them time to work.

So, the last time I took them, I stayed on them for 7 months, and that was 18 months ago, and I haven't felt the need to go back to the gp yet.

My point being that maybe if you take them for long enough the first time, maybe you will end up needing less off them in the long run.

I swear I owe my sanity to prozac, it helped me bigtime!

[colditzmum]

Hi gwenick, I am glad you saw your GP. Unfotunatly th "appetite suppresant" effect seemed to wear off with the others (after about 3 weeks)!!

[Gwenick]

My Dr. told me I'd be on them for 6 months - and although I'd probably 'feel' a lot better before then it helps you to 'relearn' how to 'feel' happy again (not his exact words but you get my drift) and if you don't stay on them the full time the chances are you'll be back on them again.

[Gwenick]

colditz - I don't mind that - I'm getting used to not snacking now so I (hopefully) won't feel the need to - besides a lot of my snacking was comfort eating to make myself feel better.

I just hope the sleep thing improves - it seems to have got worse the last few days - really can't be good for me to get around 5hr sleep a night everynight (and DH thinks I've totally lost it sliding into bed at gone 2.30 )

[colditzmum]

gwenick, when are you taking it? Taking it in the morning rather than at night can help with the sleep thing.

[Gwenick]

I'm taking it as soon as I've fed the boys so around 9am.

[colditzmum]

Ummm. It will wear off. I had the opposite problem, I couldn't stay awake and couldn't get out of bed either. My partner had to wake me when he left for work to make me take my tablet so that I could get out of bed.

It does get better, I promise. The fog does lift in the end, and everything becomes a lot clearer.

Sorry, that sounds really trite