Prozac lingering symptoms, help

Posted , 3 users are following.

Hello all, last week I started taking Flux for my anxiety, as prescribed by my GP and recommended by the mental health worker (I am not 18 yet so I still fall under camhs care), I lasted four days on the pills until the symptoms of nausea, headache, panic attacks and constant shaking became too much, I was (and still am) unable to eat properly, so on the morning of the fifth day we called the NHS Helpline and they suggested I stop taking the pills immediately, It has been three days now since I last took Prozac but the nasty side effects still don't seem to be subsiding, every morning I've woken up to excruciating sickness and hunger pains due to not being able to eat, does anyone have any idea why the symptoms are still happening after such a short time on Prozac? Does it take this long regardless?

any help would be fantastic, please share your experience!

-Courtney xo

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • Posted

    I came off Prozac a year or so ago but did it very slowly. The thing with Prozac is that it has a long 'half life' - ie it stays in your system for quite some time - certainly if you only took it for four days the side effects should be short lived, and you should feel better by the end of the week. What dose were you on?
    • Posted

      I was on 20mg, which I think is the lowest dose? But many people my family have spoken to about my experience over the last week have said that they had a very bad time on Prozac and that they were started on other medications first...

      I don't think I'll be trying any others for quite a while now lol!

    • Posted

      It really is very personal. I had very few side effects - some slight nausea but it went after a week or so - certainly not the side effects you described.

      Hang in there though, I'm sure you'll get rid of the prozac out of your system soon. 

      Good Luck.

    • Posted

      Anna's right, Prozac has a longer half-life than other meds like Citalopram, just wait another few days and it should get a lot better. Interesting to read your adverse effects to Prozac, Ive literally just started a prescription on them. I really hope it does not get worse for me. Will you try a different medication now? One of my friends has bi-polar and he was given Diazepam and Citalopram... I was thinking that maybe Diaz would suit me better but I dont want to tell the doctor "Can you give me Diazepam" because he might get suspicious.
    • Posted

      Thank you, that gives me some comfort! I think I will try and get along with just my CBT techniques for a while now before trying medications again.

      I hope your symptoms do not get as bad as mine were, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy! All I have to say is give them a try, my aunt took Prozac for 15 years and said they really suited her with no side effects at all, so I hope the same goes for you! If not you can always ask your doctor for a different medication even if you don't suggest Diazepam outright. Hope all goes well smile

    • Posted

      Thank you too, you give good advice smile. And I agree with you that CBT alone is probably the best option. I read a lot of people's posts who say they were on this or that med for months or years, and they realised it was not the long term solution. Behavioural therapy is. So you're on the right track, hope all goes well with you too smile

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