Anxiety
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hi there,
I'm now into my 3rd week of taking fluoxetine for really bad physical symptoms of anxiety. At first it made me feel worse for the first week or so (I actually thought I was going to die!) but after that I started to feel a bit better with some minor side effects like tremors- but it was manageable. However, yesterday I had a bit of a set back when I was at work, I started to feel a bit weird again so I thought I'd better eat some
Breakfast, then I started to cry for no reason at all. Afterwards I was ok throughout the rest of the day but then last night I started to feel dizzy and had a panic attack- again, struggling to find out what the trigger is. I took diazepam last night to ensure that I would get some sleep but I was awake at 6am this morning with anxiety which is what was happening a few weeks ago. I feel really disappointed as I thought the fluoxetine was working and I feel like I'm going to go back to square 1 again. Just wondered if anyone else has experienced this on fluoxetine or in general?
0 likes, 33 replies
andrea49412 jade46676
Posted
jade46676 andrea49412
Posted
Thank you Andrea, yes I'm hoping it will get better soon. Did you have any bad side effects when you upped the dose?
andrea49412 jade46676
Posted
Hi jade - I have suffered with anxiety for well over 10 years x unfortunately I had every side effect on list x I've gone from 20 mg to 30 mg then now to 40 mg x I was terrified of going to 40 mg it's only been two days so not sure yet x everyone is different x I've been on fluoxetine for 4 years and used forget to take them so back on them x so I had withdrawal then starting side effects x it's been terrible a real rollercoaster x you will get better tho x keep busy and active but nothing too stressful x Ive been off work for nearly 3 months and still waiting for my stress control course x
katecogs jade46676
Posted
Agree - your body is still adjusting so you will be up and down for a while yet. 3 weeks is early days still.
Set backs (blips) are common through recovery, so be prepared for this yo-yo-ing.
Stick with it and you'll begin to feel better in time.
It does get better.
K x
jade46676 katecogs
Posted
Thank you- it's quite reassuring knowing that there's still time for the tablets to work. It's weird I almost felt normal up until yesterday! But I need to learn to accept that I will have bad days x
carol62649 jade46676
Posted
Hi Jade,
it seems that what you are going through now is quite normal, its not going to be a smooth ride on flouxetine. So many posts say the same, and you have been taking it a very short time. Anxiety is a side effect as im sure you know, your emotions will be all mixed up as the med starts to find a stable level, and many strange sensations will come and go.
most people say not to expect quick results, give it 6 to 8 weeks. stay on the one dose for a while, then reasses. Keep in touch with your Dr, eat well drink lots of filtered water, be kind to yourself. Bear with the ups and downs as most of us here have been there too.
Ive only just had three anxiety free days, in many months. Im now on 40 mg just on 10 weeks and so hopeful the meds will give me back my life!
best wishes🌺
jade46676 carol62649
Posted
Thank you Carol, it's strangely comforting to know that I'm not on my own with this as sometimes it can be very lonely. I'm sorry that you are also going through the same. How do you feel on 40 mg? X
carol62649 jade46676
Posted
Hi jade,
i dont feel any worse, i did have a couple of headaches, still feel very low. On the bright side i think the anxiety is less, just feel edgy. I havent had to take a quarter of a valium in five days now. My main issue is health worries, and hormones have gone haywire! So many odd symptoms going on, strange thoughts, memories from decades coming up. Im glad you are finding all the posts helpful, remember we are all in this together!
🤗🌸🌺
jade46676 carol62649
Posted
Yes carol, I agree, things from my past are appearing in my head which I'd never think about before. I guess it's stuff I av
jade46676
Posted
Lord_Cauldarse jade46676
Posted
Hi Jade.
I started week 4 yesterday, and to be honest week 3 was not my best week! I started off suffering severe anxiety and panic attacks, which landed me in hospital a few weeks ago. Started taking the fluoxetine (40mg), and pretty quickly began to suffer the usual side effects that everyone else describes in theses forums (massively increased anxiety and frequent panic attacks, insomnia, sweaty feet (!!!), loss of appetite etc).
During periods of reduced anxiety between these attacks I would come into these forums, for reassurance more than anything else that everything I was experiencing was "normal", and this helped me greatly - and continues to do so!
Week two has been the best so far. The anxiety reduced quite considerably, I was down to maybe 6 or so attacks a day in week 1 to about 3 in the entirety of week 2! Also, these 3 attacks were no where near as bad as I had experienced, although bad enough to still cause a bit of distress.
I honestly thought I'd turned a corner heading into week 3, thinking I was well on the road to recovery. Then bang. I was floored with what could only be described as two of the worst attacks I've had to date. One was when I was miles from home, the second at my desk at work. (Not ideal for a 48yr old senior member of the staff). Having said all that, that was the only two incidents last week, the rest being fairly manageable. Evenings are always best for me, and that's been the only consistent mood type from the start.
As I said, I am now just starting week 4. I am very apprehensive, half expecting things to start getting better from now on in - but equally as scared that I am going to be caught out again! I have noticed one significant change in the last week, hoping someone with a bit more experience can confirm this is normal! Whilst for the most part I have felt better, i have been getting a lot more "irrational thoughts". An example being a crack in the plaster on one of my walls is really getting to me because we spent thousands on some building work a few years ago - keep thinking there is some underlying catastrophic reason for it - which in turn sets off a "blip"!
So to summarise - at the start of week 4 I feel ten times better than I did 3 weeks ago in terms of the despair and overwhelming grief/panic. The side effects are starting to wean, except for maybe the insomnia and irrational thinking and no appetite. The anxiety and jitters are still there, but much more manageable. When I feel a wee anxiety episode coming on I simply sit down head in hands, breathe and close my eyes. I keep telling myself that this is normal and it's only the meds fighting back. It seems to do the trick! 10, 15mins and its backing right off.
I still like to come in here and read how others are doing, it gives me a lot of reassurance things are going the right way. I will pop back next week and let you all know how week four goes....
As they say - chin up folks, we can beat this awful illness.
jade46676 Lord_Cauldarse
Posted
Thank you- I'm sorry to hear that you've been having such a bad time with the anxiety! It really is just awful at the time, if I compare myself to a couple of weeks ago to before and When I first started to the fluoxetine, I am doing better, however yesterday and this morning has been fairly bad and today I feel jittery and a little unsettled with muscle aches all over. The restlessness of it all is just awful.
It is so reassuring that I've found this forum today and I can talk to people who are experiencing similar issues to myself. I've had mild bouts of depression and anxiety in the past but this is something completely different and I never knew you could be physically ill with anxiety! I just hope that I'm going to get better eventually and that I'm not going to feel like this forever, the thought of that just makes me exhausted and not want to carry on. I badly want my normal life back not just for me but for my family 😔
kim31778 jade46676
Posted
Jade...I can relate. I've been suffering with anxiety forever. Now, it's morphed into depression. I think I would much rather deal with anxiety than the crippling depressive feelings, but they're equally no good. With mine I've been feeling disassociated and spacey; blank thoughts in my head, total apathy and not wanting to do anything. I've been on fluox/prozac now for ten weeks and though I've had some relief on certain days, there are the majority which are still hard. I'm encouraged that others suggest hanging in there; that the med takes time to work. Like you, I'm so ready to get back to myself for me and my family; am a single parent. Best wishes.
jade46676 kim31778
Posted
Thank you for sharing that with me Kim, It's so hard isn't it with children as they don't understand. My husband is finding me difficult to deal with as he doesn't understand having never really suffered with the Symptoms I'm getting. I'm just so glad I started this chat with people so I can get my thoughts out instead of bottling them all up. Let us know how your doing soon. Take care x
kim31778 jade46676
Posted
Thank you Jade...hope you are feeling better...I'm having more off days than decent ones...not sure what to do; absolutely depressed daily...I pray you find successes with the medication....I'm going to hang in there a week or two then taper b/c not sure anything will help.
jade46676 kim31778
Posted
Oh no I'm sorry to hear that Kim, yes try your best over the next week or so then I would go back to gp and see what options there are. I know it feels like it's never going to end, but do things at your own pace and take each day at a time. I've had a few good days recently but I am expecting there to be another blip soon which does worry me. Stangely enough, although that may happen, I think the fluoxetine may be working and I'm getting better at dealing with the anxiety but I hate the dizziness that comes with it and all the physical symptoms that can stop me functioning. I hope you do start to feel better, please don't hesitate to write to me on here if you need to talk. Take care. Jade x