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FLUOXETINE UPDATE .....HOPE

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sharon_22416
sharon_22416

Hi

I thought i would just write and share my experiences to give a little hope to those who have just started fluoxetine and are suffering from the awful side effects... Hang in there! i am 6 months in now and i cannot believe how my life has changed, im laughing every day, i love my job im enjoying my wonderful children and my beautiful granddaughter, im moving house and i just feel my old self again, my friends are so happy for me they said i got lost for a while but they have been so supportive, and say that its great to have me back ! something i didnt think would happen 5 months ago believe me i had no motivation and suffered every side effect felt totally disconnected from the world, i have been where you are now! this site has been my life line and people who came through the other side gave me hope so by sharing this post with you i hope it will give you the encouragement and strength to carry on with the tablets, good luck to everyone and thank you all who have replied to me when i needed advice and reassurance. good luck love sharon xxx

32 likes, 334 replies

334 Replies

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  • Dmc23
    Dmc23 sharon_22416

    Posted

    Hi Sharon iv recently been started on fluxotine 20mg one a day im on day 8 and have started getting side effects the agitation and irritableness is really taking its tole. How long does it take for side effects to fade out xx
    • Georgiacory2000
      Georgiacory2000 Dmc23

      Posted

      Hi Dmc23

      Sorry to jump in but I have just got to the 8 week mark on Fluoxetine, i have only just started to feel my normal self in the last two weeks, before that i experienced terrible anxiety, irritability and just not feeling great in myself! Keep going, the side effects do wear off and you will start to feel better very soon!! Hope this helps!

    • Dmc23
      Dmc23 Georgiacory2000

      Posted

      Oh really that long? That's good that there is light at the end of the tunnel iwill stick it out but struggling to sleep which is now adding to a subdued mood during the day. What dosage are you on x
    • Georgiacory2000
      Georgiacory2000 Dmc23

      Posted

      Hmmm mm yeah the sleep issue was a problem for me too in the first couple of weeks, I would wake up with sweaty hands and feet and my heart would be racing, very uncomfortable feeling but it soon dissapered, the initial side effects are enough to put anyone off but if you can put up with them for a little longer it will be worth it, I feel the best I have in a long time! I also found camomile tea helped before going to bed to keep me calm...just a thought if you can stomach the taste!!
    • Georgiacory2000
      Georgiacory2000 Dmc23

      Posted

      Iv just realised I put 8 weeks, sorry I was meant to say 6!! I blame the tablets!! Lol
    • Elka47
      Elka47 Georgiacory2000

      Posted

      Can a doctor from internal med give a prescription like this or only with the a good psychiatrist?
  • felinelover
    felinelover sharon_22416

    Posted

    Hi is anyone still out there struggling with fluoxetine?  Im at week 15 and still having some awful days.  I keep wondering if I will ever come good.  I don't want to increase dose because the side effects in first few weeks were so bad and I worry if they will start again if I up the dose.  I've lost so much weight because my appetite is not good
  • ccmg1143
    ccmg1143 sharon_22416

    Posted

    I have been on Fluoxetine for 10 months now. I was very pleased with the results when i started it, my OCD got so much better, and i did not wake up from anxiety early in the morning where i could not fall back asleep. One of my phobias that i used to experience went away, and i wasnt as nervous. My friends and family noticed, and i was a lot calmer. But I have just realized recently that i may need to up my dosage. I am currently on 40mg and feel that i have become immune to it. I don't know if it is the hardships i am dealing with in my life (my mother being sick, and my boyfriend and i breaking up) but my OCD has returned in full force, and my anxiety is at an all time high. I am nervous to up my dosage because I did gain some weight from prozac and feel as though i will gain more if i go higher. Does anyone have any experiences with weight gain or can relate to anything I am saying? Thanks so much!!
    • felinelover
      felinelover ccmg1143

      Posted

      My problem has always been with weight loss so I can't advise.  Before you up the dose for Fluoxetine could you take a temporary medication to get you over the bad times.  I take Ativan as needed and although it's highly addictive as long as you only take 'as needed' they aren't a problem.  I understand fully about the anxiety, what hell we got through.  I read a book by Claire Weeks called 'Complete Self Help for your nerves'.  It has helped me so much because she says that medication is important but not too high a dose, you have to find your own inner voice to reach the recovery stage.  Although the book was written some years back, it is still so relevant for people with anxiety. 

      If you aren't sure, talk to your doctor, but doctors always want to       increase the dosage and if you want to avoid the weight increase you could ask about the Ativan.  Good Luck and keep in touch

  • Obx
    Obx sharon_22416

    Posted

    Sharon, how are you today?

    Are you still on Flu?

    I'm at 12 1/2 weeks...feeling better, but still not "there".

    So ready to be 100% again!

    • Meeps
      Meeps Obx

      Posted

      Hi Obx,

      Today is beginning of week seven ...last few days seems to alternate between  periods of being very tired or 3-4 hours of  tight chest and heart palpitations...around bedtime feel the best. Think I had a couple of good periods  last week. I am on 40 mg. I am trying to hang in there. Hoping the good times will start to expand. Can you tell me a little more about your progression and side effects improvement/ changes? I am so hopeul for some major improvement in the next few weeks.

    • Littlebluedog
      Littlebluedog Obx

      Posted

      Hi obx I am on day 11 of fluoxetine how are you getting on I hope I will be more normal in a few weeks so anxious at the minute and spaced out a little
  • Littlebluedog
    Littlebluedog sharon_22416

    Posted

    Hi everyone I am on day 11 of flu very anxious and spaced out does this feeling pass in a few weeks I really want to be back to normal again thanks
  • karen76145
    karen76145 sharon_22416

    Posted

    I was on 20mg for 2 mo. then 40mg for 6mo. and I think I am finally leveling out, hopefully for good this time. I was having the same thing, anxiety and then switching over to flatness and depression. I started a new job last week at a garden center which requires a lot of steady work. Not terribly hard, but steady and I am tired by the end of the day; a good kind of tired. I really think the extra exercise helped me to turn the corner. 
    • felinelover
      felinelover karen76145

      Posted

      Hi Karen,

      I will probably have to go up to 40mg as after 6 months I still have bad anxiety and don't have an appetite at all.  Just wondering how you went with side effects (and for how long) when you upped the dose.  Do you feel it was the right thing?  I still can't decide whether to just change meds.

      Thanks, f l

       

    • karen76145
      karen76145 felinelover

      Posted

      I've been on 40mg for 6mo. and it was just a couple of weeks ago when I started working again that the side effects went to almost zero. I don't know how much sooner I would have felt better if I had more exercise earlier on. I had been getting slowly better, but it made a big difference once I got busy. If you've been on the same dose for 6mo. and feel little improvement I would probably go up, but maybe by only 10mg at a time so the side effects might not be as bad. I would go up before I changed meds. since changing will set you back even more.
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