People experience with fluoxetine

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I’m 10 months postpartum, and have significant PND and anxiety. I tried starting back on sertraline 50mg (took it pre-pregnancy) however I was unable to tolerate the starting side effects (shaking, dizziness, headaches, gastro issues, panic attacks).

I then tried Escitalopram (small dose) and unfortunately I couldn’t tolerate this either (similar symptoms to above but mainly dizziness so felt I couldn’t drive).

I then had 6 weeks of trying natural treatments - counselling, CBD, magnesium, ashwanganda. Unfortunately i got very unwell in the last couple of weeks and now i am under perinatal mental health (previous referrals declined).

I have been started on Fluoxetine (Prozac) 10mg and I am 5 days in. I know the starting side effects can be bad for many people for afew weeks but I feel I am particularly sensitive. I find the dizziness and shaking the hardest part to deal with as feel I can’t leave the house, feel clumsy and unable to do normal daily tasks. I am needing support from family to look after my baby through this time.

Is there anyone else who experienced this and things got better ? Or anyone who had these long term side effects whilst taking it? I am currently taking a month off my self employed job so I can adjust to the medication but worried I’m going to feel worse when I increase the medication to a “therapeutic” dose on Friday. I know I need medication but finding the right one to suit me is very important. Even though I know we all react differently, hearing others experiences with Fluoxetine would be helpful. Thanks

I found benefits on 10 mg when I went up to 20 mg. I couldn’t stay away or drive so I went back down to 10 mg and found with staying on it longer I have continued to have increased benefits. My GP said to try 10 mg for 6 weeks before suggesting increasing it to 20 mg.

I’ve tried many antidepressants over the past 20 years and not liked any of them and it put me off wanting to try anything else but I decided to give fluoxetine another go and 8 months in it’s literally changed my life. I’m on 10mg and the first 2 months I was a bit wobbly and felt a bit weird and had an upset stomach and my anxiety increased at times but I just kept telling myself it’s the medication doing its job getting into my system. All of that decreased after about 2 months and now I don’t have any of it. I just feel calm and happy and I can deal with my emotions much better and I’m a better more patient mum

I was prescribed fluoxetine for anxiety I had, on two separate occasions. The first time I went onto it, I don’t remember it being so bad - I had bizarre dreams and would grind me teeth at night, felt little
bit spaced out at times but otherwise the worst part about it was that it just took longer than I’d hoped to ease the symptoms of my anxiety. Took around 6 weeks, but once it worked it changed my life. Was on it for a couple of years then phased it out as my situation had changed.
Then about a year later the anxiety came back, and my doctor prescribed fluoxetine again. It was awful. It worsened my anxiety so much for a good few weeks, I would wake up and lay in bed in despair, I could barely get up in the morning. I’d sob first thing and my husband would rub my back but the anxiety and depression felt like a physical ache all through my body, as if I was bruised all over. Really bizarre, and horrible. It was very tempting to not
continue, but I did and once again when they began to work they were miraculous. But looking back
i really should have gone to my GP and asked for
something different when it gave me such bad side effects the second time around - if it hadn’t been for my husband I would have lost my mind, it was so so horrible. So if you get anything like this bad a side effect, go speak to your doctor instead of riding it out and feeling like hell for 6 weeks.