1. Community
  2. Mental health
  3. Fluoxetine

Fluoxetine day 9 dark cloud over head + other side effects

Posted , 5 users are following.

matthew22087
matthew22087

Hi everyone, I've taken fluoxetine 20 mg before a couple of years ago and it worked fine, recently started again.

I'm currently day 9 of Fluoxetine... Started with 1 day of 5 mg then increased to 10 milligrams from day 2 and on day 7 onwards I've been taking 20 mg. 

My side effects are extreme anxiety in the morning and a sense of panic and dread throughout the day. As if there's a dark cloud over my head :-( I also get nausea and brain fog and really bad fatigue.

My thoughts are also very negative and hurtful towards me and I end up ruminating and getting stuck in negative thought loops. I generally feel WORSE than before starting the meds. I feel a sense of angst and misery.

I've been seeing everyone in the forums say it takes a few weeks for the side effects to go away some say 4-6 weeks, others say 6-8 and I've even seen someone say TWELVE weeks!

Which is it? Should I increase the dose? Change meds? :-(

Would really appreciate any advice or encouragement. 

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • lucy76391
    lucy76391 matthew22087

    Posted

    Hi there I’m on day 15/16 I think and it does get better. First week and a half I was the same as you horrible thoughts and feelings,

    Constantly focusing on the negative but slowly now day by day things are turning around. Hang on in there. I’m on 20mg a day 

  • dawn70425
    dawn70425 matthew22087

    Posted

    Hiya Matthew 

    Don’t worry it’s normal to feel that way, every one of us are different so what works for one person is different for the next, so all what you are reading is what each of us have been through how’re self... not always have quick the drug works for all of us...

    Every time you increase your tablets, you can tend to go back wards again for a few days..

    And the first two weeks can be more worse for you, then b4 you started taking this drug.... we’ve all been through all the symptoms that u are having now, so sorry you’ve got to just keep going...

    I started on 20mg, then 40, and now I’m on 60mg after 4mths, and feeling good these days.. so things will get better, BUT not straight away, as can be a very slow working drug, bear with this while you can.. good luk x 

    • Star586
      Star586 dawn70425

      Posted

      Hi 

      I am on 15mg per day iv been wrking my way up. I am on wk 5 and i promise you i had eveey side effect i felt awful but it does get better. Dont get me wrong im not quite singing in the shower just yet but i can see changes in my mood massively. I hope your ok.  Listen to dawn and pam they are both lovely wnd really know what theyre talking about xxx 

    • dawn70425
      dawn70425 Star586

      Posted

      😘😘😘 you are a wonderful lady star, thank you for your comments... not be long b4 your singing in that shower 😁😁😁 big hug 🤗xx

  • sjay_66388
    sjay_66388 matthew22087

    Posted

    Did u experience this the first time you went on it?
    • matthew22087
      matthew22087 sjay_66388

      Posted

      No the first time I went on it was a little bit better. For the first few weeks my mood got worse but then I improved after about 2 weeks. This is the first time I get anxiety as a side effect and this feeling of dread/fear
  • matthew22087
    matthew22087

    Posted

    Hi everyone, thank you so much for being supportive.

    Update: Today is day 10 and my mood is a bit better than yesterday but still low and fighting negative thoughts. I think yesterday was one of those severe dips that people say can happen in waves from time to time during the first few weeks. At least I'm a little more functional and manage to get bits of work done. I'm just going to ride this out and stick with it till week 8. If I haven't improved by then I'm going to look into my doctor increasing the dose or changing over to something else. Been reading about Vorioxetine...

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.