Fluoxetine, very jittery

[BlueVelvetine]

Hi all, looking for some reassurance from those who have used/are using fluoxetine. I’m on day 3 and had horrendous diarrhoea (tmi, sorry) earlier today and feel highly agitated/jittery. Is this normal? Honestly feel I could jump out of my skin….

Looking for a bit more advice. I’m day 15 on fluoxetine and although the major agitation seems to be easing I have a kind of internal trembling feeling that persists through the day. Has anyone had similar? Unsure if it’s anxiety related or a side effect of the Fluoxetine that will take time to settle? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks x

Help anyone? Getting really worried that this awful trembling won’t leave ☹️

Sorry you're still suffering. It's really hard when you're waiting for side effects to go away, and not being sure if they will or not. I know I get fixed on monitoring those things so closely I probably make myself more anxious. I think it's worth speaking to your gp tomorrow, and in the meantime is there anything that distracts you - going out with a friend for a walk, something active that can release some of that jittery energy, basically anything to break the focus? Easier said than done I know 💐

Thanks so much for replying @BusyLiz10…I really do appreciate it . I think I’m getting more anxious as was on another AD for about 3wks but had awful side effects and needed to stop. Had a week before starting fluoxetine. It’s the awful trembling I’m struggling with. Think if I knew for certain it would go then I could deal with it a little better. This anxiety lark is no fun

Are you still finding it difficult to eat? Because you could be dealing with low blood sugar, partly the medicine, partly not eating.

Meanwhile, whenever I've started a new SSRI, I've always started on a really low dose, working up. It sounds as if you went straight in at a full dose?

Hi @lborgia…I’m able to eat a little better now. Appetite still not back to normal but getting there. I was told to start on 20mg which in hindsight maybe was a little high. Did you have the internal trembling feeling on starting treatment? Did it eventually level out? Thanks in advance x

Hi @BlueVelvetine, hope you’re doing ok. Everything you’re describing sounds familiar to me from the last 7 weeks or so of being on fluoxetine. Obviously it’s different for everyone so please do speak to your gp of you feel the side effects are too much, but I can honestly say that in the last week I have started to feel like my old self again which I thought would never happen - my husband says it’s like having the me of 5 years ago back. Am keeping my fingers crossed it lasts!

Hi @Iorderedyouapancake that’s great to hear you’re feeling so much better! What a lovely thing to hear from your husband
I had a couple of days of feeling a bit calmer but have woken this morning to quite intense agitation. I am on day 19 so not quite at the 3wk mark. Did you happen to have good and bad days before things settled? I really don’t want to start over on a new medication. X

I’m not good at all today….feel as though every little thing is amplified. Honestly thought I turned a corner in the last couple of days but today is quite literally one of the worst so far….have not left my bedroom and I can see the worry in my child’s face. Heading into my 3rd week I really thought things would be better….
My GP prescribed me Diazepam (2mg) then Lorazepam (1mg) as faster acting and don’t stay in system for as long. I have been taking 0.5/half tab lorazepam in the morning but this morning I took the Diazepam (1mg/half tab) by mistake so now feel I can’t take the lorazepam which I think would help. Anyone happen to know if this would be ok?
Sorry, clutching at straws here as desperate to feel better xx

Anyone? I’m so sorry to keep posting but this is the start of week 3 of fluoxetine and I’m still having more or less the same symptoms/side effects. Am I expecting too much too soon or would a dose increase help? I was made redundant last year and really need to get back to normality so that I can start working again. Keep waiting on the sense of calm others report but it’s not coming.

I've never taken fluoxetine but had similar with sertraline. The med which really helped me was mirtazapine, and when I started it I didn't have the same high anxiety and could sleep at night.

I'm really sorry to hear you're still struggling, it must be awful feeling like this for so long.

Do go back to your GP if it's too much.

Thanks Green Tea….I’ve read that fluoxetine is a stimulating SSRI so possibly why I feel so wired. Did you have to come off the sertraline before starting mirtazapine or was it a straight swap?

Fluoxetine made me horribly agitated. Like @GreenTeaBlackCoffeeAndRedWine, I switched to Mirtazapine, and that has worked miracles. In hindsight, fluoxetine was way too activating for me - I needed something more sedating, to calm me down. Mirtazapine has been brilliant - I sleep really well and am much, much calmer now.

@BlueVelvetine Fluoxetine was terrible for me. Made mild/moderate symptoms of depression into severe anxiety and depression within about 10 days. Took me months to recover (obviously I had underlying issues to start with) Please see your GP. Sertraline was much better for me. I know we're all different though. because I know how difficult it is and I know the thought of changing meds again is not a pleasant one.

Thanks both, I think I need to change…I feel completely lost 😞
Re Mirtazapine….was it difficult to swap?

@BlueVelvetine a few years ago I swapped from days of trying different SSRIs straight to Mirtazapine. It was a blessed relief as it helped me sleep and eat and did great for my mood quite quickly. I was impatient with ssri's at the time because I was so physically unwell from weight loss and sleep deprivation, so I couldn't give them long enough. But it sounds like you've given them a good few weeks so discuss with your gp. My only issue with mirtazapine was it's sedation and I didn't stay on it very long in the end as things physically got better enough for me to use other methods to improve my mood at the time. However I've heard from many reviews that the sedation gets better the longer you're on it and the higher up the dose you go. Other people don't like the weight gain but I needed it at the time and you can be disciplined with diet to manage weight worries. Hope you find something that works for you soon. There are other options too - discuss with gp

Ah so I came off sertraline a few months before starting mirtazapine, the sertraline put me off meds and I became really anxious about them so I didn't try them again for a while. So not sure how easy the swap would be.

I came off fluoxetine and didn’t start Mirtazapine until a few months later, so I can’t give any advice about a straight swap. What I will say though, is that I stopped fluoxetine abruptly, and had no adverse effects at all (probably because it wasn’t helping me and was actually making me worse ).

Thanks all….I have a consultation with my GP on Monday. When he prescribed Fluoxetine he said side effects should only last a couple of weeks and that most report a positive effect on their symptoms by the 3rd or 4th week. This Friday will mark 4 weeks on these. I’ve had a rough morning but better afternoon but only because I’ve taken Lorazepam. I can’t go on taking these indefinitely…..I’m also getting a dull ache in my liver area. Anyone else experience this?