Information on Fluoxetine

Hi Badplace,

Welcome to the forum, hopefully you will find it very useful and get some advice to get you thru to the other side.

The side effects you are describing are pretty common. The first 3/4 weeks on Flu is when the body is adjusting and when the effects are at their worst. But dont panic, this will pass and then you should start to feel the benefits. I suffered sleepless nights and anxiety attacks for the first 4 weeks, and it didnt help i was interviewing for new jobs during this time but thankfully this has gone now and im sleeping normally and the anxiety levels are lower.

I have been on 20mg of Flu for 17 weeks now and seeing a counsellor to talk thru my issues. I highly recommend any form of counselling if you feel up to it. Obviously everyone likes to deal with things in different way - i found this to be good for me.

One great piece of advice when taking Flu is to avoid alcohol - many people, myself included, carry on drinking while on Flu and i learnt the hard way that its not a good idea. Got too drunk and forgot to take my pill.....woke up feeling so low and my mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts. Its advisable to keep off the tipple for the first 12 weeks if you can, its for your benefit.

Any questions, feel free to ask

All the best

Hi Hightower,

Thanks for the reply, it was much appreciated. I have already booked a counselling session for next week. I am currently of work principally due to the sickness, which as you suggest is a common side effect. My anxiety levels seem to be much worst in the mornings and as the day progresses it seems to improve. Did you take anything for the sickness?

Many thanks

Badplace

Hey BP,

No worries, any help i can offer jsut shout.

I hope the counselling goes well, be as open and honest as you can...its all beneficial.

There are considerable side effects on Flu....Sickness, sleep trouble, dizziness, increased anxiety, reduced appetite etc...but they all eventually subside to a tolerable level.

When are you taking you pill? I find it best to take it straight after breakfast as it makes me ill on an empty stomach and made my mind race when i took it at night so i didnt sleep.

I was fortunate not to get sickness as one of my side effects so cant really offer much advice on that front.

But myself and a few other sufferers take a multivitamin/vitamin complex with as many B vitamins in as possible, especially B12.

All the best

Hi Badplace

Welcome! I too suffered from the sickness, don't really think there's anything you can take to help. I just sipped water all the time. I was extremely thirsty for the first 4 weeks taking it and that didn't help with the sickness. Mornings do seem to be the worst time for most people at the beginning especially. I take my pill with my breakfast otherwise it seems to stick in my throat and give me a bad taste all day. The lack of ability to concentrate will get better, i couldn't even watch the telly, i was so aggitated, i just wanted to walk around the house but you can't do that all day and night.

Hope things settle down for you and the sickness subsides soon

Take Care

SamB x

Hi SamB,

Thanks for the reply; your information is much appreciated. As this illness is completely strange to me the more information I can obtain the better. On reading many of the replies from other suffers it would appear that the number and range of side effects are many. Hope you are feeling well yourself

Thanks

Badplace

Hi, all

Just thought I would post an update on my progress or lack of it. Still feeling very sick both at night and during the daytime, also still feeling very anxious and nervous; I am now taking the Flu tablet for 19 days with little sign of improvement. Am I expecting an improvement to soon or must you be on the drug longer? Currently my doctor has given me some Diazepam tablets to help me over the difficult times, which I take only when absolutely necessary. Any information that fellow suffers could give me would be of great help. Also had a recent appointment in the hospital which informed me that all my tests where clear, some good news.

Hope all my fellow suffers are feeling better than me.

Badplace

Hey BP,

Cheers for the update....day 19 already - is it going quick or slow for you? Congrats for still going either way; its not easy but you will get better, just keep on going pal.

From my recollection from day 25 onwards it all got easier and the storm had past so one more week and im hoping the same will be true for you.

The hospital tests being all clear is a great sign, less to worry about and more to be positive about.

Are you getting any counselling at all?

all the best

Hi Badplace

Sorry to hear that things aren't good but it is still early days for you. Don't think i felt the full effect of flu till about 3 months but i did start to feel better after about 6 weeks. You really do just have to give it time. You are probably making yourself more anxious because you so want to feel better, want the tablets to work immediately, well i think that was the case for me. I wanted a miracle and was told the tablets aren't one and that you have to help them help you. Hope that makes some sense.

Good that you're test results are clear, that must be a weight off your mind.

I'm okay at the moment, had a few good days, had a few shaky ones last week but hopefully on the up again now.

Keep posting.

Sam x

Hi Badplace

I know what you mean re the sickness/nausea. You could try buying a herbal tea that has a good quantity of ginger in it. I recently had a nausea headache for a long time (yet another flu side effect) and bought some lemon and ginger tea by Heath and Heather and i think it helped.

If you have trouble sleeping try any of the Lavender products, gel, massage oil etc either on your pillow or on your skin. Sometimes this works for me. Lavender is meant to be a relaxant. Boots sell a range and so do Holland and Barrett.

I've been on flu for just over 13 weeks, 4 of them on 40mg. I too occasionally take diazepam although it doesn't react too well with 40mg.

I don't want to take any other chemical solutions for the side effects caused by flu so i try natural remedies where possible.

Your mood will level out given time. We are all here for you for support. Keep posting.

Best wishes.

I seem to recall someone recommending Lakeland Plastics crystalised ginger for nausea (post chemo level) so that may be worth a try.

I am rather hoping I do get the loss of appetite side effect as I need to lose weight!

Hi Lellym.I definately lost alot of weight the first time of taking Flu.But once I started to feel happier again and started socialising it all went back on,and some.You must stop calling yourself FAT.I have alot of cuddly,well rounded friends and I find they are nicer,more compasionate mates.In fact one is a right little minx when it comes to her hubby...but we will not go into that..certainly not on this site. :choc:So stop worrying about your weight and av another bit of chockie.It supposed to be good for depression...Thats my excuse and Im sticking to it love.Take care.xxxx

Hi All,

Thanks for all the information to date, it always good to hear from fellow suffers who have experienced anxiety and taking Fluoxetine as there medication.

Currently have not made much progress after 3 weeks but keep hoping that thing will improve. I was wondering if I might ask some more questions about past experiences with this illness. Please forgive me if these questions are silly.

1 Can anxiety actual make you feel sick on its own and can the nausea

come and go?

2 After eating my sickness is okay for a short period of time then my

nausea start at the neck of my stomach. (Have had the camera down 3

time, which found nothing wrong which is good news)

3 My sickness is mostly accompanied with quit a lot wind.

Any answers or suggestions the above questions would be very much appreciated.

Hope you all are making progress with your own problems.

Best regards

Badplace

Hi Badplace

Of course your questions aren't silly. They are very relevant.

Can i ask YOU a question? Have you had the nausea/sickness for the whole 3 weeks or does it come in waves?

Actually another question. What dosage of flu are you on?

I'm now on 40mg and yes i get a lot of wind now. I know it sounds odd but i can't remember what feelings/side effects i was having at week 3. All i know is that it took 4/6 weeks before things settled down a bit.

Speak soon buddy

Hi all.I wonder if alot of your nausea and wind etc could be due to Irritable bowel syndrome.As we all know stress,anxiety and worry etc can manifest itself in many different ways but alot of people suffer bowelprobs because of it.My husband has actually had the cameras up and down and in the end they diagnosed IBS.He gets alot of stress with his work and obviously his \"NUTTY WIFE\" and on bad days he suffers with nausea,diarrhoea and indigestion.Just a thought.Hope it helps.Take care.xxx :idea:

Hi Meganpooch

Thanks for your reply. Please see below answers to your questions;

The sickness comes and goes during the daytime and also during the night. It usually wakes me up, at which point I also sweat very heavily, I suppose this is the anxiety kicking in. I am currently on 20mg of Fluoxetine.

I had a doctors appointments today and she informed me that it take 6 weeks before I will see any benefit from the medication. Prior to starting my medication I had nausea which when I was discharged from hospital they said it was due to my anxiety.

Best regards

Badplace