Fluoxetine -NEW TO THIS

Hi there,

I'd like to congratulate you for taking the issue of anxiety and depression seriously and getting treatment. There is still a lot of stigma surrounding these conditions and the amount of people suffering in silence is still rather large compared to the amount of people receiving treatment.

I'm not a doctor but I have done extensive research on SSRIs as well as having been treated myself so I feel that I can help you. 

A lot of the side effects that people experience with SSRIs are mild and usually occur in the first few weeks of treatment. They occur while the brain and its serotonergic system are adapting to the drug and tend to subside after the first few weeks when the antidepressant/therapeutic effect begins to surface.

Your doctor will likely titrate the dose over the next few weeks allowing your body to get used to the medication. In this way side effects are minimized, and you can hopefully expect minimal side effects throughout the first few weeks while the drug takes effect.

Some people may however feel more depressed or anxious in the first few weeks but it is important to persevere with this as eventually this should subside and the positive effect should begin to surface. There is the chance of sexual side effects including low libido, impotence etc, and they can stay for as long as you take the medicine but not everybody experiences them and they will stop with discontinuation of the medication.

However, if you do experience any worrying side effects or worsening of your condition please consult your doctor. Side effects to be especially wary of are suicidal thoughts and tendencies, thought might I say that these are more of a concern in children, teenagers and adults under the age of 25.

Lastly, might I just say that having anxiety or depression can make you cautious and nervous about a whole range of things, and I think that you should perhaps refrain from analysing or reading too much into the side-effects.

Most people benefit enormously from these medications and the amount of people experiencing severe adverse effects is minimal compared to the amount of people whose lives have been changed by SSRIs.

I hope that I have helped and I'm sure you will be fine but always make sure to consult your doctor if you experience any worrying adverse effects, worsening of your condition or simply if you have any unanswered questions.

Lastly, don't worry yourself excessively with the side effects leaflet as it is exhaustative and contain all the possible side effects including many which are very rare and thus that you are unlikely to experience.

Good luck and well done for getting treatment

Hi, I have just joined this site as am struggling a bit, I am 4 weeks into taking fluoxetine and i think i had every side effect listed in the leaflet which came with the tablets. It was horrendous, I thought I was properly going mad, the GP warned me that the anxiety could increase to begin with, but i didnt think it was go as it did. I would go as far as to say it was like full blown panic attack. I had terrible thoughts, but nothing that i was going to act on, just horrible thoughts popping into my head. I have not stopped yawning for 4 weeks, and feel tired all the time. My appetite disappeared totally, i thought i might lose a bit of weight, but it came back again. The side effects are definitly settling down for me now, but i went through two weeks of hell. I think i reacted particularly badly to them but i have kept taking the tablets as i am hoping the positive effects will kick in soon. Sorry if that all sounds terrible to you, but it is an honest reply to how i reacted to these tablets. All i can say is that it has improved dramatically, i am still yawning all the time and feel very tired, but the other really horrible side effects have gone