FLUOXETINE UPDATE .....HOPE

Hi Carla

Glad your coming through the worst the side effects are awful but im glad to say all but a dry mouth they have all gone,, its so great to have a site like this where we can all get advice and support it helped me through the worst times in the beginning, good luck and keep in touch sharonxxx

HI love,

so glad they have worked for you too, its amazing how life can look good again and you start enjoying all the things you didnt think was possible i know they are not for every one but they have turned my life around and i couldnt be happier love sharon xxx

Yea I feel a different person really, aloy more relaxed and calm, I can actually pay attention to whats going on aroind me and I love playing with my litrle girl again I can pay attention to what she is doing and her behaviour, glad theyve worked for yiu and I will offer my full support to to whoever needs it.

How long did it take for you to start feeling better?

hey honey

im sure they will help you, this site is awesome for support and encouragement it helped me through the worst, its been six months now and ive never been happier, i hope this gives you hope, keep in touch and let me know how your doing love sharon xx

Hi pmen,

I have been on flu for nine weeks and it has helped so much with my obsessions related to my health. I was constantly researching conditions and spending money on cures this has all stopped I still have some anxiety and a few side effects aches and pains and headache but much improved. I hope it works for you

LInda xx

Hi Linda it's good to hear of someone else with health related anxiety. I am in week 9 of flu, I have had a great few days but a rubbish day today. I think it is a gradual thing, with setback days.  Like you, i can't wait to feel normal all the time again, it feels like such a long time since I didn't think about this awful anxiety thing

jo xx

Hi Jo,

I know how you feel I had a bad day today had chest pains so was goggling conditions.

I am better though I had real anxiety over my eyes and since taking flu can now wear mascara again and not wear sun glasses all the time for fear of getting something in them. Hope you have a better day tomorrow

Linda xx

Hi Linda How are you feeing today? I had a great weekend last weeked but the last 2 days have been awful again.  I thnk you and I are around the same timescale taking flu 9/10 weeks can you give me so assurance that his this only a "blip" and I will start to fee better again?

many thanks Jo x

Hi Sharon  can you give me some reassurance please - I had a great weekend last weekend and I thought I was well on the road ro recovery but the last 2 days have been awful again   I am 9 weeks into taking flu  - i this just a "blip"?

thanks

Hi Jo

It is a blip I felt awful yesterday anxious with 

Chest pains today I am okay. You will get there I have taken a lot of assurance from Sharon's story. I think other meds maybe give a faster results but u do think flu is better in th long term. I am 10 weeks tomorrow and it's been hell at times but I am slowly getting better you will to. Together we can do it 

Linda xx

Hi Linda

Thank you so much for your quick and encouraging response.  When you have bad days you think you're not making any progress but last weekend I felt completely normal - today horrible again.  Hoefully with yours and everyone elses encouragement we will get though.  I will keep posting.

Many thanks again

Joxx

..... just one more question, how much longer do you think the "blips" will keep coming?  I'm thoroughly sik of it all now !!

thanks

Jo xxx

Hi Jo,

I'm not sure but I've read about 12 weeks

Or longer but I know how you feel it's scary at times when you feel so anxious.

I am sure it will even out eventually as it has for many others.Please feel free to message whenever you want.

We're all in this together. It's hard for other people to understand. I have tried everything and paid for counselling and hypnotherapy and various herbal remedies.

This is the first time I have felt strong enough to let all that go and trust my gp

And other people's advice to try medication.

I am glad I did as I can see some light at the end of the tunnel 

Linda xx

Hi Jo,

how ow are you doing today. Hope you feel better ?

Linda xx

Hi Linda 

i wasn't very good this morning but felt better from mid afternoon.  Overall I am better but I just wish it was more continuous if you know what I mean. My husband has been great and he keeps telling me it will pass, sometimes i don't think it ever will!! How are you today? 

Jo xx

Hi Jo,

I am not as good as other days but I think it's because I am trying to eat mor healthy and stop consuming so much high sugar and fat foods which I seem to be craving. My partner has been great to very supportive at my worst moments. It's strange the way the feelings and anxiety levels change so quickly. How many weeks are you now and what doeseage.

linda xx

....sorry to hear you're not feeling too good today, the up and down thing is terrible isn't it, you never know how it's going to be from one day to the next, sometimes one hour to the next .  I'm on 20 mg that I take in the morning but because I usually feel better at the end of the day I think I should probs be on 40mg, taking 20mg in the morning and 20mg at night but I'm too scared of increasing my anxiety even more if I do.  Have you thought about increasing your dosage at all? 

Jo xx

...... Sorry forgot to say I'm 9 and a half weeks.

xx jo

Yes doctor suggested 40mg but I just wanted to try 12 weeks at 20mg

i don't want to increase the dose fo4 the same reasons as you.

i do feel as though my anxiety is at a manageable level now with some really good days. I am still off work though that's 10 weeks and I am still now ready to go back.

have you put on any weight I have put on a stone

x

I lost a bit of weight in the first few weeks as I didn't feel like eating but I got my appetite back I ate loads and put most of the weight back on!  Like you I have been eating quite a lot of sweet things, buns,  biscuits etc I am usually a bit of a healthy eating freak! Are you sleeping ok? 

Xx

Yes I do sleep but i have vivid dreams.

Someone suggested to take flu at night to help with sleeping. Do you sleep okay

X

..... Well I go to sleep no problem but I wake up quite early each morning - bout 6ish but my husband says he does as well so this might not be too far away from "normal"!  At the start I  just couldn't sleep at all - it was awful.  I think I might give it a go taking it at night and see how that goes. It still worries me that I might have some awful illness and it's not just anxiety but that could be my health anxiety coming out and probably makes me worse.  I am waiting to go for councilling/cbt, I was like you researching illnesses on the Internet and that made me a whole lot worse.  I just don't get how I feel great one minute and anxious the next, have a great weekend last weekend and this one not very good????? Let's hope for a better day tomorrow.

xxxxx

Yes I wake up early to.

I am worried about my jaw at the moment 

I know it's just tension but my anxiety transforms it into something awful

I grind my teeth a lot it makes my jaw and ear sore

X

we need putting in a big bag and shaking up don't we!!!!!!! 

I will check in with you again tomorrow, we will get each other through this, in a couple of months, hopefully, we will look back and laugh.  I notice it took Sharon quite a few months to get back to continuous normal so hopefully it will be the same for us.

xxxxxx

We will get there night

Xx

...night xxxx

Hi Jo,

How are you doing. I am not to good today and seriously considering going

up to 40mg as very anxious

linda xx

Hi Linda

After a really bad night on Saturday night (very little sleep) and a rubiish morning Sunday I decided, rightly or wrongly and I'm not advocating this to anyone, to increase my dosage myself to 40mg.  I am now taking 20mg in the morning and 20mg in the evening.  I don't know if its a "mind over matter" thing but I had the best nights sleep last night that I've had in ages and I do fell better with no additional side effects - I just hope that this is a permanent feeling an I don't go "down hill" again.

jo

xx

Hi Jo,

how ow are you ?

I increased my dose to 40 mg this morning after seeing GP yesterday.

Linda x

Hey jo ,

Yes i think its a blip i had lots of them right up to around week 16 now im pretty much blip free lol i would actually worry about feeling so great because i knew a bad day was coming, hang in there love keep in touch love sharon xx

I to have health anxiety gradually feeling better in week 9 but still have bad days and like linda start googling when getting pannicky as side effects are getting better but have dry eyes and worry something is wrong just want to feel normal again but with hope from you all im sure it is worth it.

Sue

IHi Linda

I am now anxious over my eyes in week  10 juist need to stop worrying and take one day at a time but its so hard.

Sue

Hi Susan,

It is hard but I'm sure we will all get to a good place eventually. I feel better on 40 mg but not perfect by any means. My dry mouth is better I had dry eyes but I think that's caused by anxiety as they are much better on flu and I'm not obsessing over them as much. Hope you continue to improve.

Linda x

Hi Sharon,

I was wondering if your still on fluoxetine? I've been on flu 5-6 weeks and I still am very up and down and have negative thoughts. I feel irritated/hateful some times is that normal? I still feel dispersonization and zoned out. I just want to be happy again and not worry about every little thing. I recently found out I'm pregnant so I don't know if it's the meds or hormones.

Hi Nicole I know exactly how u feel honey I was so spaced out in the early days totally disengaged from everything I didn't know if there was ever going to be light at the end of the tunnel boy how my life has changed I'm happy loving every minute of my life it took about 16 weeks to really take effect Nicole but please hang in there I'm now back to my old self I'm never unhappy I spend weekends doing things I love like taking my beautiful granddaughter out I have a wonderful new boyfriend and a great job 12 months ago I didn't even want to get out of bed it's a long road love but you will get there if u need to chat message me any time good luck Sharon xxx

Hi, Sharon. I guess I just need a little reassurance. I've read other posts and know that you didn't start really feeling better until about 16 weeks of flu. I am on week 14. I have been slowly feeling better with lots of ups and downs. Last week was really good and I thought that I was  about over the ups and downs, but 2 days ago I felt really low and this morning having  anxiety and am wondering when this will finally level out for good. Please give me some hope.

Hi sharon did you ever get a bad stomach like bloating at the top along with feeling like you cant breath xx

I did. The bloating is from the meds. and the can't breathe feeling is from the anxiety.

Hi Jo

I know its been a while but how are you feeling now? Ive been on 20 mg for 5 weeks now and still feel so low and fearful and wondered if the increase helped as im worried about increasing it too ? Sonia xx

Hi Sommie im so afraid that after 4 weeks on 40 ng it will never work i need klonooin for the anxiety right now Im so discouraged i need sone support

Hi kathy - i know how you feel , ive struggled with anxiety and depression for as long as i can remember and there isnt alot i havent trie

But just dont want to give in with these as ive heard positive feedback from people on here about sticking with it for a few months . I want to feel that this could be the one but then font know how long to go with it as also cant bear the thought of another day like

this if its not the one for me . I feel as though i need to up my dose but its the corpse like state im in every morning on just the 20mg - if there was a ticking time bomb infront of me in the mornings then i still wouldn't be able to move . Are you in the uk as i havent heard of the anxiety meds you spoke about. Is this your first antidepressant ?xxx

Hi Jo

i came across your posts and just wanted to know how you doing? I know you have posted a while ago, but was hoping you are around for some positive encouragement. Thank you..