New Fluoxetine User - how long until it works?

[Kimb82]

Hello,

I have been taking Fluoxetine for just under a week now for depression but I also have BED. I was previously on sertraline but don't feel this was of any benefit to me. My GP has started me on 20mg per day. From researching this medication, I can see that as well as helping depression, for some it had a positive effect on regulating eating and on weight loss.

Since taking flouoxetine I have had the feelings of nausea, headaches and tingling feelings in my hands. I do feel slightly better in my moods and almost hyperactive at times. I realise that I need to persevere though. Unfortunately, I have still been binging but my research also leads me to believe that patients with ED are normally on a much higher dose.

I understand that everyone reacts differently to AD but I was wondering if anyone would mind sharing their experiences on this with me and what symptoms they experienced and when e.g., days, weeks and how effective this medication is.

I would also be interested in hearing experiences of how long it took for binging / cravings to lessen / stop whilst on this medication. As someone with BED and weight issues this is obviously a concern for me and an area that causes the anxiety and depression but I would like to be realistic in my expectations.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I would truly appreciate any feedback or advice.

Kim

I've med hopped for months on end before I settled on one but generally ADs have similar timelines. Side effects generally subside in about 2 to 3 weeks. If they don't then they may not stop and you will have to decide if the benefit outweighs the side effect. Most will take a minimum of 6 weeks before you feel the full benefit of them. If you don't feel any better after 6 weeks then they will usually up your dose a few times to see if that helps. The one I finally settled on took a good 3 months and 4 increases of dosage before I really started to feel more normal again. The dry mouth is murder and every time I increased it I had a few days of random dizzy spells while I got used to it but I was actively suicidal before I started it so I consider a bit of dry mouth a fair trade off.

Don't be afraid to think outside the box. If you're not having any luck with the usual suspects then consider some of the older ADs. They're not commonly prescribed anymore as they aren't as refined and they have more side effects but the reason they are still around at all is that they work. Amitriptyline is effective but if you read reviews by people who have taken it, most say it's horrible, like being poisoned. I tolerate it easily, far better than Sertraline or Citalopram which are the most commonly prescribed ADs.