Strange Fluoxetine side effects

Hi, I am now into my 10th week of taking fluoxetine and I never even realised there were so many side effects of the medicine. I looked on here to confirm that I wasn't making the side effects up and thankfully, it looks like I am not alone! Phew.

Most common ones I noticed were:

Agitated and fidgety

Trouble sleeping

Dizziness

Yawning (all the time)

Tiredness in the afternoons (now better as I take them at night before I go to bed instead of in the morning)

Very weird and vivid dream (so much so that I was sometimes struggling to figure out if I had actually lived them or not!)

I had the most terrible time the first 6 weeks of taking these. You definitely hit rock bottom before you start to feel better. Please persevere though, they have worked wonders for me!!!

I must admit, there are still some side effects that I am seeing:

Random bruising and bruising easily (my legs in particular)

Feeling lethargic (once I have done some form of exercise this does subside)

Weight loss and loss of appetite

Forgetfulness and being very very clumsy

I hope these will wear off eventually as the course continues.

I am definitely in a much better replace than I was. I am no longer suffering my random anxiety attacks, I feel like I can now actually go out in public on my own and I have even started to look at going back to work. I also feel much better knowing that people are going through the same thing.

Hello I'm new to this just signed up but basically I have been prescribed Fluoxetine 20mg today.... I have 14 tablets, one a day and then I have to go back for a check up. She told me that there wont be any changes in the first 2 weeks as it takes a long time to effect the body!? if you guys are saying this looks like I should be expecting something to happen Any one got any advice or tips on what to expect or how they coped in the first two weeks?

Also she gave them to me as a suffer from severe depression and sever anxiety and have self harmed in the past 2 weeks.

Hello all. I can't believe it's been 5 years since I started this thread! Thought I'd drop in and give an update on my Fluoexetine experience

For anyone new to Fluoexetine it'll be a little worrying to start with, when you're faced with at all the potential side effects when you're already feeling vulnerable. But not everyone's the same. You may not experience the same effects as others. Hang on in there and give it a few weeks. If nothing is changing for you, go back to the GP and have a chat. I tried a few different SSRIs until I found one that worked for me. And listen to them about coming off them too quickly (if you decide to), it can be a big step back if you suddenly stop taking them, for your body to adjust. You should come off them gradually, should you decide this.

I started to take Fluoexetine for anxiety attacks, and low feelings that I had at the time. It took a few weeks for my exacerbated feelings to level out, and I eventually felt a lot calmer. I think I stayed on them for a few months until I got to a place where I felt pretty good and confident to stop taking them all together (gradually). So now, I'm no longer taking any medication..

It may not be a 'miracle instantly feel better' wonder drug, but essentially for me Fluoexetine eventually did it's job. It wasn't the easiest of journeys, but I needed to give it a chance, and the GP was there for me if I had concerns. It's not easy when you're feeling low, but as I say hang in there and give it a chance to work, and hopefully it will, for you. If not, stay strong and go back to the GP and they'll find an alternative.

I hope this helps anyone a little. I'd better get ready for work!

Best Wishes to you all

Gaz

Hi everyone how long does it take before these tablets kick right in where I'm back to normality again just been put on these today by gp

I still don't feel 100% and I am still suffering some side effects and I have been on then for 7 weeks but I feel a million times better than I did. You can't just rely on the tablets to make the changes, you have to try and help yourself too. I tried to make sure I exercised (even though I felt drained and tired) and also tried to make sure I had a healthy diet and drank loads of water. I also tried to make sure I had something to do each day so I wasn't just sat in wasting my days and waiting to feel better. It's completely different for everyone and also depends on why you are on the tablets but you need to bear with it and hang on in there. I have just returned to work on a phased return and it is lovely to feel more like my normal self!

I have started fluoxetine and been on it about a week, got to go back after 14 days to see gp. Have not felt too bad, felt a bit jittery today and it makes me feel tired in afternoons but going to ride it out as I'm sure I'll feel much better once they properly kick in. I'm only on 20mg in a morning and I take 10mg of amitriptyline at night. Hoping it helps as I'm fed up of low mood, being irritable and moody and being anxious!

I'm am awful taking tablets as I worry about side effects but so far I have stuck it out, I'm determined to get better.

xx

Hi everybody, have just found this thread. I have quite severe OCD, which is obviuosly an anxiety disorder as well as morbid depression which has been brought on by the OCD. I have suffered with this all my life (I am now 35) and 4 weeks again I suffered a major relapse and am now going through one of the toughest times in my life. I am virtually house bound and have constant anxiety which feeds the OCD, but more worryiningy is the depression which is with me all day every day and something which I have never experienced before. The GP has prescribed me fluoxetine which I started 2 weeks ago (20mg) for th first week and the 2nd week has put me up to 40mg (I think they are planning pushing me up to 60mg). I am trying to help myself as well as enrolling on a cours of CBT. So far I have failed to see any sign of th fluoxetine working, other than a few side effects and a worsening depression. However the threads in this forum have motivated me to stick with it for the next 4 weeks, even if it just gives me a slight edge in helping me deal with the depression and OCD that would be a bonus.

Hi I am new to this even though I was on 10mg of fluoxetine over 6 years ago - starting in 2000 and when I first started I started at 5mg and 10 days later went to 10mg. I never had any side effects but I was resistant to taking it and thought it was a stigma. I went on and off because people I was around were really new age and kept telling me I didn't need to be on it. (I was also prescribed 50mg of Trazodone at night to sleep. Ths all worked beautifull untill I kept going on and off and each time I really got worse and didn't realize until a series of traumas almost put me in a mental hospital. I could no longer tolerate the fluoxetine at any dose. Finally after several years of thinking I was losing my mind and having all sorts of paranormal experienced(which I did not ask for and I don't "dabble"in that sort of stuff). Seeing psychiatrists, indian medicine women, Reiki and any other alternative treatment you can think of (yes I was trying to meditate, do yoga and hiking etc. finally a month ago I found and MD who does hypnotherapy and really knows his stuff. There is a lot to "unconscious resistance" and I am finally scratching the surface - been trying to get back on flu for 6 months. I am having to go back to 5mg and take valium as I am just starting again. Your posts are helping so much. i did ramble a bit but I will be so happy to expose my resistance so this will work for me once again. Thank you all for your bravery in posting!

Hello to all,

I've been on fluoxetine for over 15yrs @ a dose of only 20mg a day. However, they have been a necessity for me and the medication has helped me with my condition (Depression with anxiety). Over the last two days I began to take my Prozac (fluoxetine) once every other day as I now want to come off.

I just wondered if anyone on here has experienced or knows of someone who has tapered off Prozac? I have not discussed this with my doctor at the time of writing this, but will be doing soon.

Any advice/experience on what to expect would be very welcome and appreciated.

Many thanks.

Daz.

I am so pleased to find this site - it has put my mind at rest that what I am experiencing as a new user of Fluoxetine is apparently quite normal for many of you. I was originally on Sertraline which worked superbly well but eventually caused 'Restless Legs ' which was quite distressing. GP changed me to Fluoxetine, 20mg but I felt like I'd gone backwards by several months. After 3 weeks GP doubled my dosage and I do now feel a little better but sleep all the time, day and night. I'm still waiting for motivation to eat, go out, housework, shower & dress etc to return. Reading your posts I can now be hopeful that this will happen if patient !