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20 weeks now on fluoxetine undecided if to up the dose

Posted , 11 users are following.

abi28
abi28

Just looking for some opinions on what people would do.

As a lot of you may know due to all my frantic posts on this forum I have been suffering with anxiety and depression now since the beginning of jan and I had a breakdown which led me to start 20mg of fluoxetine and 80mg propranolol still on both.

I'm not going to say I'm not any better because I am so I'm hopeing this means the fluoxetine will help I'm just undecided to up the dose or not. It has been very up and down and I have not had one day where I have felt no anxiety and I have woke up every day with anxiety. The negative thoughts and feeling sick bother me the most and I am still suffering with both not all day but on and off each day sometimes better then others.

I think the main thing bothering me is that I feel I should be better by now and very undecided if I should up the dose I keep thinking maybe I'm not better because I need that extra dose or maybe I just need to give it more time I feel like 5 months is a long time and my gp just said I will leave it to you.

Thanks everyone

0 likes, 33 replies

33 Replies

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  • danny06999
    danny06999 abi28

    Posted

    Same here 5 months at 40 mg. Have had good weeks and bad ones a good month then bad 2 weeks. I don't know what I'm to do either 2 doctors wanna lower me to 20 mg and one wants to up me to 60 mg. I don't know either.

    • abi28
      abi28 danny06999

      Posted

      It's so frustrating isn't it I don't know what to do for the best I just feel like I'm just waiting and waiting and wondering when will this hell be over

    • julie92859
      julie92859 abi28

      Posted

      Are you better yet abixx I on 20mg about 17 weeks feeling lost at mo
  • Em_lisa
    Em_lisa abi28

    Posted

    Hi abi28

    I've been on 30 now for a month but started my fluoxetine journey 3 months ago and to be honest I've seen some improvements but feeling very similar to you !!!! Up and down on was told to up to 40 but I've suffered major side effects with each jump .. if ur going to up what are they thibking of upping you to?

    • abi28
      abi28 Em_lisa

      Posted

      I have moments of feeling my old self and forgetting about anxiety but I'm just not there and as soon as I feel a bit of anxiety I go into full panic thinking it's coming back, this is horrible, I can't keep living with this etc etc. When I last saw my gp she didn't mention a mg to go upto but she said it seemed like I wanted to stay on the 20mg

  • lookingonwards
    lookingonwards abi28

    Edited

    There lays half the problem with all of us with depression and anxiety...  we have decided how long it should take for us to recover... and if it is not up in "our made up timeline" then we feel it is not working. 

    No matter that people say over and over again that this takes time... people all have a different idea of how long time actually is! Ask a young child to wait for one minute until they can have an icecream it feels like forever!

    That being said.. you said you are noticing improvements which is great... If you have been on since Jan then maybe you do need an increase just to top you up.

    Make sure you do not play Doctor on your own and do seek medical advice for the best way to do this.... do not allow your Doctor to just increase you to 40mg... start off at 30mg and then work your way up.

    You more than likely will have some side effects again and around the 2-5 week mark feel some anxiety.... but remember you have had this before.

    I am unsure why people go into mass panic about doing an increase when reality is we have all coped with depression and anxiety and we are also more aware of how these tablets work as we are doing an increase not the mystery of it being all new from the start!

    No matter what... remember that you are a strong person... you started these tablets to feel better... and sometimes with feeling better (just like weight loss) comes some hard work first. 

    Also remember these tablets are not to flat line our emotions... my Doctor tells me all the time that if I was supposed to be an emotionless robot I would have been born that way. These tablets once they kick in properly are there to make us operate just like everyone else and to have up's and down days just like everyone else... the difference is we will know they are just a crappy day and be able to handle them better.

    Last but not least my Doctor upped my dose around the 8-9 week mark as I felt like I needed more...  

    You deserve the best quality of life you can give yourself so if it is a bit of work with a dose increase..... 

     

    • abi28
      abi28 lookingonwards

      Edited

      That makes sense because I have read people say it took them a month and they felt better it frustrates me and I think something isn't right because I'm not better yet and it's been 5 months.

      I think the thing that scares me is because I felt suicidal and I don't want to feel like that again because it was really frightening.

      I have been getting great advise in this forum it's great to speak to people who have recovered or who are recovering because sometimes I feel like people don't understand unless they have been through it.

    • jo56870
      jo56870 abi28

      Posted

      hi abi - did you increase your dose after? jo x

  • karen60759
    karen60759 abi28

    Posted

    Hey Abi, sounds like things are a bit better than a month ago, but like LF said, you shouldn't be so scared to increase, it's certainly not as scary as starting and you will be more aware of the side effects and be able to deal with them.

    I also think the propanol could be an issue - do you take that every day? Because it should help your anxiety but clearly that isn't the case so it might be making you depressed certainly not helping, I know the odd time I've taken diazepam it's made me relaxed but also makes me a bit depressed a bit like alcohol because it's not supposed to be an antidepressant, that's what the fluoxetine is for, may be talk to your doctor about that as well, here for you x

    • abi28
      abi28 karen60759

      Posted

      Hi Karen things are better I haven't had a big blip for a while I'm just not where I want to be. Increasing does really scare me I don't want to feel as bad as I did before and I don't want to start from the beginning again.

      Yes I take it every day the doctor told me to take it every day. At my next review I will question about it because since iv been taking it I have never felt like it's really helped me.x

    • danny06999
      danny06999 abi28

      Posted

      I tried the propanol as well and it made me feel depressed as well. I have the chlonazapam and use it occasionally but it makes me wanna sleep. I'm with you Abi I'm just ready to start feeling better.

    • danny06999
      danny06999

      Posted

      I've had blips I'm in one now. And have been told to take the fluox in the morning instead of the evening. And am hoping it works.

    • abi28
      abi28 danny06999

      Posted

      I must say my blips are not as bad as they used to be iv not a really bad one for a while. Just have a bad day rather then days but I'm never good just ok and not back to my normal self

    • abi28
      abi28 danny06999

      Posted

      Yes a little Danny, I am managing to go out and do things again with my partner like I used to. I'm not there yet but getting more times of feeling like myself not had one day with no anxiety yet but having the odd hour about not really thinking about anxiety

    • danny06999
      danny06999 abi28

      Posted

      Hey abi. Hope all is well. Just wondering how your getting along? I'm at 5 months and 1 week myself. And although I've had good days, weeks, a month, today has been quite rough. Felt down, anxious and crying spell almost like back to square one. I'm better than I was but not anywhere back to normal as of lately. But better. Have you gotten any better?

    • abi28
      abi28 danny06999

      Posted

      Hi Danny,

      Nice to catch up, I am feeling exactly the same, its over 22 weeks for me and although some things have improved like I am getting out and about a bit more I still sometimes feel like I'm going back to square one which really knocks me back.

      What mg are you on Danny?

      I'm due a review soon and going to see what my GP says about my dose because I'm still only on the 20mg and I understand this is a very low dose.

    • danny06999
      danny06999 abi28

      Posted

      I'm on 40 mg. I started another post where Ron said it took him 6.5 months to recover on 20 mg. It's such a slow process. Do you take your spot in the morning?

    • abi28
      abi28 danny06999

      Posted

      It's horrible and very frustrating. I'm quite glad I haven't hoped my dose but some of the time I think I need a higher dose.

      I take mine with my dinner at 2:30pm then I take a 80mg propranolol at 6:30pm.

      I really struggle with negative thoughts, worries and feeling sick.

    • danny06999
      danny06999 abi28

      Posted

      I started taking mine in the morning. But I think I'll switch that back to evening. Too many side effects in the morning after I take it. Think I'll just go back to the evening. Perhaps.

    • danny06999
      danny06999

      Posted

      Me too. I'm glad I've stayed at this dose as well and have given it time, I just wish it would pick up. I have appts with both my gp and psychiatrist tomorrow. My gp wants me to lower down and my psychiatrist wants me to go up or change all together. I don't know what the right answer is. I would like to just stay put or try lowering. Going up I'm afraid I would have to wait another several weeks or more and feel all the bad side effects again. I know from the posts I've read that a lot of people go through the long spell of waiting it seems. I guess that's one thing everyone has in common with fluoxetine. I don't know what to do. I know I don't wanna go all summer feeling this way.

    • danny06999
      danny06999

      Posted

      I can't tell when I'm hungry. Do you have that problem?

    • abi28
      abi28 danny06999

      Posted

      That's a bit of a tricky one then my GP said to me it sounded like I wanted to stay on the 20mg so at my last review that's what I did. I have another review booked in a few weeks time so will see what she says then.

      I feel like I'll never be able to get on with my life and do the things I want to because of all the negative thoughts and worries I have.

      No I don't get that I have changed by diet though and eating much healthier to see if that helps.

    • kevin_70955
      kevin_70955 abi28

      Posted

      Hi Aby28 just curious if you ever upped your dose and have you gotten better, I am in a similar situation thanks Kevin
    • julie92859
      julie92859 kevin_70955

      Posted

      Hi Kevin just wondering how you are doing - I am at 21 weeks and feeling rubbish had a little bit of an improvement for a few days a week or so ago but it all rushes back
    • kevin_70955
      kevin_70955 julie92859

      Posted

      Hi Julie I am still on 10 mg Fluoxatine and have been doing better. I was up and down and at about 20 weeks started to be mostly up and have been feeling much better for the last month. Hopefully no more blips hang in there I know it takes time.
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