Fluoxetine

[spagbol11]

I’m just wondering if anybody has any experience with fluoxetine.
I was on mirtazapine for nearly 2 years after the birth of my second child. I felt I was numb taking mirtazapine and was sleeping my life away and went to my gp and came off them, hoping to start fluoxetine- however the withdrawal made me really sick for about 3 weeks so I stopped altogether. Since then I have been back to my gp who put me back on fluoxetine 20mg and I’m on week 3, however I’m feeling really low,anxious and quite overwhelmed with daily life. I’m back at the gp tomorrow at 8.30am to see how I’m getting on.

I want to know how long till I start seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Any advice will be helpful xx

I have been on various doses of fluoxetine a long time, it is my 'go to' AD and it always kicks in for me very quickly despite it apparently taking a while.

I can understand wanting to get off Mirtazapine, I was prescribed that, took one, and nearly crashed the next day, was totally out of it.

There are other alternatives if fluoxetine doesn't work out for you - citalopram perhaps as that is supposed to be better for anxiety whereas fluoxetine is more for depression. Good luck with the GP.

Thank you for taking time to reply.

I will have to just see how I get on with it, I’m suffering with both anxiety and depression, I just can’t snap out of it. It’s driving me nuts.

Il see how I get on at GP

Thanks again
X

Sending you op, have anxiety and depression also, and take fluoxetine long term. I was lucky in that it's worked for me brilliantly, obviously still have ups and downs but can generally cope with life in general.

From what I remember, took between 4 and 6 weeks to start noticing the effect, so you are still in early days. I did have a few side effects at first ( mainly hot flushes and sweating) but nothing major and they wore off after a few months.

Good luck with the GP, as pp said, there are many options if fluoxetine doesn't work out, but one way or another there is light and you will get there x

Gosh came on here to post a msg about Fluoxetine and saw this thread. Am on day 11 and having some difficult side effects which seem to be getting worse rather than better. I have been very dizzy (although I have been suffering from vestibular migraine which makes me quite dizzy anyway) but I actually had a funny turn and thought I was going to pass out earlier and my chest went very cold. Headaches and nausea and felt very anxious and agitated after the dizzy spell. I have had the awful flu in the last month so I suppose it could be related. Have previously taken citalopram and don’t remember having such side effects with that. Just wondered if I should plough on as it’s early days or are these signs that it doesn’t agree with me? Any advice appreciated. Hope you are ok OP.

Meant to add I go very hot or very cold and have been prescribed the fluoxetine for severe anxiety. My vision has also been going quite blurry. Thanks.

I have been on fluoxetine for quite a few years - the doctor has changed my dosage depending on my mood and i now know the signs to look out for if I need to increase them. I hope they work out for you and best of luck x

Hi all thank you so much for your replies, yes I have felt a bit jittery and no appetite but have pushed on, I’m just hoping I can see the light soon.
Panna— i would try and keep going, I know it’s difficult as I feel the same but I’m going to give it 6 weeks, I will see what the doc says today too. I’m quite nervous about going, I hope I don’t breakdown and start sobbing, fingers crossed.

Thank you all for taking time to reply x

Hope all goes well with your Drs appointment Spag.

Would really appreciate anyone’s experience of side effects. Don’t know if I can keep on taking them or if they’re not agreeing with me. I know it’s early days but I’m almost unable to function I feel so grim.

I've taken Fluoxetine in varied doses and with a couple of breaks for15 years. I'm currently on 40mg daily for anxiety and depression.
When I first had it and following each break from taking it (and restarting), I've always had side effects - the most noticeable being restlessness and anxiety in weeks 2-4 (and some fantastic hot sweats !)
Each time, by weeks 5-6 onwards, I've felt more settled, calmer, less overwhelmed. Months and now years down the line, I feel at my most level-headed and the "good" days FAR outweigh the "bad" ones.
I've never been prescribed another AD so can't compare but pushing through those first 6 weeks, you should feel whether it's right for you
All the best x

Thanks Caribari I really appreciate your response. I have to do something about the anxiety as it was unmanageable but don't know whether my reaction to the Fluoxetine is 'normal' or extreme and whether or not it is the one for me. It's early days and I will continue but don't know whether it will improve or just disagrees with me. Take care.

Panna - my doctor told me today that I’m in the midst of the chemical changes in my brain-which is why I’m feeling a bit meh- she has said il feel better soon, and sometimes you can start to feel worse before u get better, hope your feeling better soon xx

Thanks Spag hope we’re both feeling the benefit very soon and that the side effects soon ease x

Yes me too

Im on 40mg at the moment, it took a few months for me to see the light at the end of the tunnel; mood wise, I never gave them a good chance to kick in properly before I assumed they weren’t working and hated the side effects and stopped taking them but with some help of my doctor I stuck to it and managed to feel better. I still get a lot of side effects though, ie; shakes, muscle spasms, nausea and no appetite to name a few, but I found some perspective and realised ultimately these side effects are better than feeling like a failure and finding no will to live and nothing you do is good enough and thinking the world and everyone else would be better off without you . Hands down would rather a few side effects then to feel like that again. I hope it works out for you.

Thanks so much for your reply.
Today I have felt better than in a long time, I have been trying to push myself to be more positive and today is the first time I’ve actually felt ok. I’m going to stick it out, can I say I totally know where your coming from with everything you have said

Hiya
Fluoxetine has worked for me. I don't think any AD can completely sort you out, but it can help you function and get you into a better state of mind where you can start to look at things a bit more optimistically. Good luck xx

I was on fluoxetine for 6 years and it was great for lifting my mood, giving me some spark and motivation to get out and live life. Took about 6 weeks of nothing, then it kicked in with a bang on morning like winning the lottery, although the euphoria wears off after a short while leaving you feeling more balanced and normal.

Side effects for me were difficulty sleeping, blurry vision, dry mouth, slight muscle weakness but by far the worst was sexual dysfunction. Everything felt numb down there and it became very difficult to climax or enjoy sex which eventually brought on relationship difficulties.

I tried Mirtazapine which whilst great for anxiety, didn't help with the depression at all. It just left me zombie like, numb all over, perpetually fatigued, unable to think clearly at work and most of all, really irritable and short tempered. Oh, and I craved carbs so bad I put on a load of weight.

I tried a course of Fluoxetine a few years ago. The lack of appetite was a bit shocking. I could barely face food and I do like my food and cooking. It was the effort of making food and the most I could eat some times was half an avocado for lunch!

It’s working for me, I now feel better than ever, but it did take a few weeks maybe a month or two to feel right. Stick with it, definitely don’t just stop. I stopped taking them as I thought I was ok to and I felt so low.