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stopped Fluoxetine after 5 days,awful side effects.1 week later & still ill

Posted , 49 users are following.

claire64797
claire64797

I was on 20mg for 5 days. On the 4th day I was completely hyper,bad dreams,sweating,uncontrollable shaking which ended in an awful panic attack which I had never had before. 2 days later after another attack I ended up in A&E and apparently its a bad reaction.

Anyway I've been off them 6 days now and not feeling much better-nausea,dreams,anxiety,sweating. After taking them for such a short time shouldn't these side effects have stopped now? Thank you

2 likes, 151 replies

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  • carl58303
    carl58303 claire64797

    Posted

    Hi Claire

    Yours is an awful story!

    I hear that you went to A&E but don't read that you have been back to your GP. Surely that has to be your next step? I think even after five days you have to taper off Flu - but I don't know. Your GP will.

    Hope it stops soon!

  • claire64797
    claire64797

    Edited

    Hi yes I stopped it after the 5 days. A&E just said it needs time to get out of my system but my last dose was Friday night so I thought I'd be feeling better by now.I start feeling better for a couple of hours then it all comes back again,beginning to feel like I am going mad.
  • danilo45459
    danilo45459 claire64797

    Posted

    Hi Claire,

    I found this on wiki: "The extremely slow elimination of fluoxetine and its active metabolite norfluoxetine from the body distinguishes it from other antidepressants. With time, fluoxetine and norfluoxetine inhibit their own metabolism, so fluoxetine elimination half-life changes from 1 to 3 days, after a single dose, to 4 to 6 days, after long-term use. Similarly, the half-life of norfluoxetine is longer (16 days) after long-term use."

    In what regards the side-effects you experienced, I must say that I also had a really bad week due to small/moderate panic attacks coming all the time. In think in those cases we should be able to take anxiolytic to calm down. Unfortunately I didn't have one, and so I had to stay at home, not working most of the time, until the bad anxiety attacks went away.

    Talk to your GP. Starting with a lower dose and with the help of an anxiolytic, you can handle the initial phase.

    Best,

    Danilo

  • claire64797
    claire64797

    Posted

    Thank you. Don't really understand the half life business! Does that just mean 5 doses will take 4-6 days to pass through?

    A&E gave me diazapam which if I'm honest didn't have much effect except minimising the shaking a bit.

    I see the doc in 10 days but don't want any more medication,it was for chronic fatigue rather than depression and without sounding flippant,I'd take the fatigue any day! Just want this to stop now

  • Shancan
    Shancan claire64797

    Edited

    Hi Claire. Found your post and realize it is some months ago I am hoping u are feeling better. I am going thru the same problem. Was on only 10 mg of flu for 5 days and my body went crazy! (Still is) inner shaking, pounding heart, unbelievably anxious. Hard time eating and feeling sick to my stomach and unbelievably dizzy. I went on the drug because I have been dealing with vertigo for the last 6 years. Biggest mistake of mylife! I have never felt so bad. And am now on clonazepam to help calm me down. Haven't been to work in a week. Please tell me you are doing better now ... And how long did it take to feel normal again?

    All the best,

    Shannon

    • john831631
      john831631 Shancan

      Posted

      Hey I'm in the same boat as you. I was on 10mg for 5 days then quit. Been off for 2 weeks exactly. And for some reason I was doing ok until last night where I felt like i did when I was on the meds (waking up often, with a deep fear of nothing specific, depersonalization). How Are you now? And how long did things take?
    • Shancan
      Shancan john831631

      Posted

      Hey John. Sorry you are going thru this. It is a drug that is made for a good reason ... But not made for everyone. It actually took me 11 days for my symptoms to subside (rapid heart rate over 110, shaking, muscle spasms, insane anxiety, and I dropped 12 pounds) on the 12th day I got a migraine and everything started to slow down. Still took a few weeks after that for everything to be back to normal. i completely cut out caffeine and ate insanely healthy (and a banana every day ... I read they were good for anxiety ... May sound silly but I do think it helped) in the end my doctor thinks I had a mild case of seritonin syndrome. I have been working with an ENT doctor and have just wrapped up the last of my tests (his thought is I have Ménière's disease ... Which makes more sense for my symptoms) I will find out in a few weeks. So for me coming off the symptoms of fluoxetine it was cutting out everything bad like coffee, alchohol, and making sure I got lots of sleep ... At least for a couple of weeks. I am now back to my morning coffee and evening glass of red!! I hope you are feeling better soon! Let me know how it goes.

      All the best,

      Shannon

    • john831631
      john831631 Shancan

      Edited

      I'm doing good now haven't had any Prozac related symptoms since. I think it's finally out of my system!

      John

    • peter94206
      peter94206 Shancan

      Edited

      Hi Shannon, I know this was a long time ago but I'm experiencing the same exact side effects! I was prescribed Prozac for occasional panic attacks but honestly I'd rather fight through the occasional attack than ever take this again! I took a 20mg Thursday, a 20mg Friday (had the worst panic attack of my life in the middle of the night), took a 10mg Saturday but stopped after that. It's now Tuesday and I still have these horrible side effects. Any advice?

    • dale3388
      dale3388 Shancan

      Edited

      Hey shancan! I know this was a long time ago but what you described is EXACTLY what I’m currently experiencing! I’m on day 4 of 10mg and I’m not taking any more. I can’t stop feeling like I’m shaking, I feel constantly starving like my stomach has suffered from a sever stomach bug, I can hardly eat which worries me because I want to put on weight not lose it, I felt really angry the other day like I’ve never felt before and I have no energy and am always tired even after lots of sleep. I’m sorry everyone else had to go through this it’s horrible! I’m hoping this passes sooner rather than later as I miss looking forward to eating not feeling ill at the thought or smell of food! Deadly stuff...never again. 
    • Becbenmm
      Becbenmm dale3388

      Posted

      Hi, I was just wondering how you are feeling now?

      I'd taken fluoxetine for 5 days and I am day 4 of being off them. it has been one of the worst times in my life. I never thought I would feel this bad in a million years!

      Do you have increased anxiety as well?

      Take care

    • Becbenmm
      Becbenmm peter94206

      Posted

      Hi Peter.

      how long did it take for you to be back to normal?

      I am really struggling. 5 days of fluoxetine has triggered an enormous amount of anxiety. Just wondered how long I need to keep going for?

      Thanks

      Rebecca x

    • tiffany37829
      tiffany37829 peter94206

      Posted

      i feel the sane way honestly. i stopped taking it after 5 days and i was on 10mg. it was awful with the dark intrusive thoughts, the crying spells, .... its currently day 3 for me and im just praying i go back to normal

    • Becbenmm
      Becbenmm tiffany37829

      Edited

      Hi,

      I'm on day 13 of being off it, and I'm still not right yet. Hoping this ends soon as it's so horrible feeling this way x

    • karissa40683
      karissa40683 Shancan

      Posted

      hi Shannon, i am going through the same thing. i was taking fluexotine for 5 days. they made me start shaking and feel weak which caused a major panic attack and hospital trip. its day 7 of being off them and i am still shaking, non stop panic attacks, feeling weak. ive never felt like this before. please tell me these symtpoms will pass?

    • karissa40683
      karissa40683 Becbenmm

      Posted

      how are you feeling now. im day 7 and still feeling horrible and shaking so much

    • g30932
      g30932 peter94206

      Edited

      Hi Peter,

      I know this is a late reply as well but my daughter (22) has had a bad reaction to Fluoxetine - suicidal thoughts, rapid heart beat, thinking she would die in her sleep, violent outbursts etc. We ended up in A and E. She still feels panicky and spaced out. She had 20mg for 3 days, then dropped to 10mg for 4 days on Drs advice but then stopped as couldn't cope with side effects. Now off for one week. When did you feel better?

      Gill.

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