Feeling worse after 6 weeks on Fluoxetine.....is this normal??
Posted , 38 users are following.
Hi
I started 20mg fluoxetine 6.5 weeks ago, and increased to 40mg 2 weeks ago. I am starting to feel worse the past few days, anxiety is awful, low mood and no energy at all. Is it normal to feel this at this point? as I thought I would be improving, not getting worse. Should I stick it out or come off?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Donna xx
0 likes, 104 replies
Toughgo donna30993
Posted
hi Donna . i am on week 4 and again i had to come home from work ..... just to much . My job is a very stressful one and probably part of the issue with my depression . i had a couple of great days last week but now back to feeling down a foggy . any words of advise ?
dena50428 donna30993
Posted
i am on week 5 and had a few bouts of dizziness and nausea todat much loke in weekn3 but I didnt change my dose at all and I am inky on 5mg. i need to increase to 10 but scared. I am also on a small dose of olanzapine. I dont know what I am so afraid of. these drugs just scare me but I know they help. I just wish they would hurry up and work already.
amber75783 dena50428
Posted
I was scared at first when i started fluoxetine too but it gets better. I felt worse before feeling better but hang in there! the side effects will subside and also reach out to your doctor and describe to them how you are feeling.
sarah39243 donna30993
Posted
Hi, I started fluoxetine 5 weeks ago, and upped my dose from 20mg to 40mg last week. I guess I'm looking for reasurance...... I FEEL SO DESPERATE AND SCARED
How long does this med take to work?
Could someone please give me some hope?
dena50428 sarah39243
Posted
Hey there! I know how your feeling, in fact a lot of people go through this when starting antidepressants because they can ramp up your anxiety and cause some start up side effects that make it seem like you will never get better and yeah it really sucks. BUT...I am here to give you hope. It does get better. It can take up to 12 weeks to reach a balance. And whenever you change dose it kind of starts over again. I am 10 weeks on a low dose and feeling a lot better than I was. I still have some anxious moments but it is getting better. So as hard as it is, try to relax, try meditation, treat yourself kind... distraction of any kind and keep telling yourself it gets better and this too shall pass. I color, I watch tv ....and I do small projects around the house... at first I had to force myself to do anything but now its coming much easier. Good luck and let me know how you are coming along.
sarah39243 dena50428
Posted
Thank you so much for your kind and reassuring reply.... I was diagnosed with anxiety and OCD 8 years ago and have been on mirtazapine and clormipramine previously. These meds both worked to a certain degree, but my GP feels fluoxetine will give me the best results.
It just seems to be taking so long to get any relief..... I start therapy tomorrow, after a 3 year wait on the NHS, so fingers crossed ..... take care x
dena50428 sarah39243
Posted
You are welcome! I was diagnosed with major depression, anxiety and ocd. I have had it since my teens and I am 50 now. I started lexapro when I was 45 and it worked well for a few years and I thought I could go off of it. I relapsed 5 months later worse than ever. I tried mirtazapine and had a bad time with it. Tried lexapro again and it didn't work. Tried celexa and zoloft, no good. What I have noticed is that it takes even longer for the meds to work your second time around but they do, it just takes time for your brain to rewire. And wow a 3 year wait? I am currently on a wait list of about 5 months. I thought that was bad. So for now I am reading all I can about anxiety and doing a cbt workbook I got on Amazon. I also joined a prozac support group on facebook and that really helps me too. I think you would like it there. Quite a few people have ocd and get on good with prozac. I think your therapy will help you also and you will get relief soon with both the prozac and therapy. It is a rough ride but we can do this!!
sarah39243 dena50428
Posted
Could i have the facebook page name please? ...... anything to help me at the moment would be great!!.... PS. we're exactly the same age, so probably dealing with hormones aswell 😦 x
dena50428 sarah39243
Posted
oh yes no doubt perimenopause did a number on me. Now I am post menopause. The name of the support group is Prozac Fluoxetine Support Group so just search that in facebook and I will see ya there!
sarah39243 dena50428
Posted
FOUND IT!!..... Thanks for that xxx
suzanne68414 donna30993
Posted
Hi
I'm 3 weeks into taking fluoxetine for anxiety, really struggling with not sleeping sweating, body tremors and shaky, dry mouth and horrible taste. Feel so low and no energy, 1st few weeks felt OK but feel I'm getting worse. Is this normal? Want to keep going but struggling. Any advise?
dena50428 donna30993
Edited
This is normal. It can be a bumpy ride up to 12 weeks but some people start to feel better and side effects lesson around 8 weeks. I would say keep going and if things do not improve by 12 weeks or become unbearable do see your dr for advice. I know how hard it is and you are stronger than you think you are, you can do this!!
amber75783 donna30993
Posted
i've been taking fluoxetine since august and early this morning i woke up experiencing panic and anxiety. has anyone else experienced this? i have been awake since 4:00 this morning
dawn92966 donna30993
Posted
Hiya. I'm on week 7 of fluoxetine. The first couple of weeks I felt great but now gone back to bad anxiety and intrusive thoughts. Will it ever end. Also not sleeping. Also started to feel really down. Now sure if that's normal on this medication
leah84 donna30993
Posted
hello. i know this is an old forum but wondered if it was still going. im 0nly 1 week into fluoxotine but feeling worse not better. can barely function with crippling anxiety. im hoping maybe an increased dose or time will help. is the low before the high very common...or just in a few cases?