Fluoxetine/Prozac, has anyone taken this?

[ManyYearsLater]

I have been prescribed 10mg capsules by my GP to help with my decades long ocd, social anxiety, general anxiety and depression which is now become completely out of control during my perimenopause journey (I can't take hrt right now due to endometriosis).

I won't lie, I am petrified of antidepressants. I have asked for the lowest dose so I can go low and slow. She said 10mg capsules were the lowest dose. I would have preferred a tablet form so I could have halved them and worked up that way but she said they didn't come in tablet form which I though was strange as it states on the NHS website Fluoxetine comes in tablet, capsule and liquid versions.

Has anyone tried this? Did it help and did you experience any unwanted side effects?

I was on fluoxetine when I was 17 for clinical depression. I was absolutely fine on them and had no side effects at all. I've tried quite a few different antidepressants and got awful side effects off most of them but the fluoxetine are very mild compared to others. I should think you'll be fine, especially on such a low dose and they should hopefully really help with how you're feeling.

I've taken them on a few occasions and they have definitely helped lift my depression. Side-effects wise, they do cause slight digestive issues for me, but I get used to those. And the last time I took them I had a few days at the start where I was a bit dizzy and lightheaded but that passed quite quickly - and I went straight onto my normal 20mg dose so didn't build up gradually like you are.

Thank you, I am going to try them this weekend, so fingers crossed.

My DD16 has been on fluoxetine for a year now and this drug has turned her life around. Started on a very low dose gradually building to 20mg a day.

In the beginning she became a bit hyper and talkative but this settled down after a month. No sickness or anything like that.

We feel we have our DD back after almost three years of her suffering terribly with her mental health after a traumatic event. She has had talking therapy alongside the anti depressants and regular reviews with her psychiatrist.

I wasn’t aware 10mg was even a dose. I was on 60mg for years without issue except eventually slight jaw clenching. This stopped when I reduced to 40mg.
I wouldn’t worry at all, take it and see if it helps.

10mg is very low dose. It’s known to have very few bad side effects.

Aim for 20mg

Meaning very little side effects.

That is very reassuring, thank you.

I took Fluoxitine for a short-ish period when I was really low. I tried sertraline and citalopram first but both made no difference and had side effects I couldn't manage.

Fluoxitine worked almost overnight. It was like someone turned the lights on and I could see clearly again. I had a short set of CBT sessions alongside and took Fluoxitine for about 6 months. I would have stayed on them longer, but I got pregnant and wanted to come off them before the baby was born.

That's really good to know HappyAsASandboy
I hope that I only have to take it for a short time but then again, if it agrees with me I may stay with it for longer.

I have been on 60mg for years for ocd it doesn't cure it completely but makes it more manageable no side effectsx

I've been on 80mg for 9 years now for depression and generalised anxiety disorder. While the anxiety still lingers, it's much more manageable now.
It does make me quite tired but I also have a 2 year old 😂
Hope this helps! x

That's good to know, my life long OCD has really gotten out of hand recently, think perimenopause is making it worse.

Thank you, that's really helpful 🙂

Have you tried it yet @ManyYearsLater ? Please could you feed back when you do? It would really help. I'm the same, really scared to try anti depressants. But fluoxetine is the next 'in line' for me, after I couldn't tolerate citalopram or sertraline.

I'm on 20mg and it's changed my life. I tried other medications when younger to no real benefit. This one was my absolute saviour. I had a few side effects the first fortnight but other than that, hugely helpful for me.

I haven't yet plucked up the courage, I've been stupid and have been doom scrolling people's negative side effects stories.
How stupid am I because I really do need to take something, I can't carry on being anxious and scared of everything.

Were the side effects enough to hold you back or were you able to carry on with your day to day activities? It's the fear of the side effects holding me back.

Sorry for slow reply, no, completely able to do everything I needed to, but I yawned a lot and felt pretty spacey. Nothing anyone saw on the outside (I asked) other than a friend thought I was a little quiet that week. Have you started yet?