Strange Fluoxetine side effects

Im on my 4th week already starting to feel better don't get me wrong I still have my off days I'm not an angry and paranoid as I was sleeping better which helps your feel sane I started these for anixty and pmt up to the 3rd week side effects were bad felt worse than what I ever did but this has now passed you just have to bare with it good luck

Hi I am on week 7 feeling better most evenings but still anxious in a morning. Feeling hopeful that the tablets are starting to kick in. Did anyone else find that flouxetine took longer than 6weeks for full effects to start.

Hi, I am in the middle of week 2 and feel awful, I can't sleep, I feel nauseous, restless and completely on edge. I need to know that this is usual side effects,. It is so worrying, it's worse than I felt before. Now I am scared to continue with them in case I have problems coming off them.

Julie77683 I felt the same don't worry it is a side effect and should pass within a week or so stick with it I'm on week 4 and starting to feel back to my usual self the side effects have been worse the wait for me good luck x

Hi there. I agree with Pickles. If you look back through the thread or read other sources online, you'll notice a familiar pattern of increased symptoms (and possibly side effects e.g. nausea) for the first few weeks. I know it's incredibly difficult to feel positive about taking Fluoxetine when you feel lousy, but they gradually kick in and you start to feel the benefits. For me personally, it took a couple of months until the exacerbated anxieties subsided. Always discuss serious concerns with your GP though. Best wishes and hope you feel better soon. P.S. David, I've not heard anything on Fluoexetine for a tremor. I hope it's helped you.

Thanks Pickels/Gaz. I am feeling a little better this morning after a very long walk with the dog and after very little sleep surprisingly awake, but I am sure the tiredness will kick in again this afternoon. Hope I get some sleep tonight It is really helpful knowing that you are not alone and that most people have the same or similar side effects, its just at the time they panic the hell out of me!. I am going to persevere with them as I really want to get back to my old self. I have the docs tomorrow so will discuss the side effects and my concerns.

thanks again both.

Hi everyone, you are right, these posts really do help and i'm glad to see that i am not, and have not been, the only one going through some terrible side effects. I'm on day 8 of 20mg fluoxetine and have seen so many side effects over the past few days. It's hard to focus on anything other than what is going on with my body and i'm becoming preoccupied to the point of not being able to do anything else. General physical symptoms I've had (from about day 5) include tingly sensation over whole body, especially lips and tongue, pins and needles often, which subside very quickly, small muscle twitches, insomnia (but then i had that before anyway so i'm not sure if it's the drug or me), one day i was very restless, hyper even, i've had slight blurred vision, increased anxiety, unable to concentrate, shakes) basically, you name it, i've had it. i don;t know how much of it is now imagined, or increased because i've read up on it and am focussing on it too much??! The past couple of days have also been really bad in terms of worsening orgainal symptoms. ive felt low, like i dont want to get better, like i can't see an end, like i want to end it. but these thoughts do pass quite quickly. it got to a point though where i was literally shaking and unable to function, scratching at myself all day. So today i went back to the gp. they havent changed anything with the meds, and are saying, as i expected, that this is relatively normal and to stick with it. they've signed me off for 2 weeks though, which they were goin to do before, but i didnt want it. however now, i guess it was necessary. So i just wanted to share my story. any thoughts would be appreciated. it's nice to know you are not alone. L xx

I have put the tablets on one side and am trying to deal with my anxieties in other ways, I can't bear the thought of these side effects!

I have a friend on similar tablets though, and she is a different person after a month of taking them...and really recommends . So when the time is right I will start...

Keep going all of you...and thanks Gaz for the tips and encouragement!

Hi all

I hope today is one of your better ones. As i maybe said before, i've been on this drug for just over 6 years now. Yes, it seems a long time to be ill, but that is the nature of the beast of mental illness.

Everyone will react in different ways and with differing side effects and maybe, if after about 3 months, you find that you are feeling no better than when you started, it would be a good idea to go back to the doctors and try a different drug - fluoxetine is not for everyone.

I would say to those of you who are starting out, it is a scary process but believe me, it is worth it in the end.

Just think - the symptoms of this horrible illness have probably been building up for some time (2 years in my case) before the last straw is reached. Therefore, the drugs are also going to take some time to work. In my case i was on 20mg for 9 weeks and asked to be upped to 40mg from then on. The packaging (and doctors for that matter) says 4-6 weeks for effects to be felt (this may happen for some of you) but for me it took 2-3 months, maybe cos my dose changed, who is to know.

To add a positive to all of this, i would urge you not to be afraid to take fluoxetine - it is not addictive - and in the long term you will reap the benefits. This forum is excellent and i have been a member for over 5 years. We are all in the same boat and its a great place to offload our fears and worries and prove that we are not alone.

Useful tips i've learnt over the years

I would say that counselling on a 1 to 1 basis has helped me greatly but this is not for everyone.

If you suffer with nausea, a natural remedy would be ginger - you can buy ginger teas that i've found very effective.

Try reading a book (that was recommended to me by a friend who i met on this website who has now weaned himself of the flu. Its called 'Depressive Illness - The curse of the strong' by Dr Tim Cantopher. Its available in paperback and very useful for those starting out on the road to recovery.

I am now very slowly weaning myself off the drugs. I have learnt so much from the people on this site and you can beat this illness. Go with the flow - if you have up days, excellent. If you have down days, let them pass - things will level out.

Sorry this tome has been so long and i wish you all my best wishes.

MP

I was so happy to find this discussion. Not happy you are having the same problems, but man am I TIRED! I get plenty of sleep, so I didn't understand. Now I get it. I was on only 10mg for 3 weeks and I was fine. Moved up to 20mg and I am so tired and unmotivated. After reading this I will try to take it at night. Maybe I will function better at work next week. I was practically falling asleep at my desk! Thank you all for writing all of this. Hoping this will help!

The same happened to me but it only lasted a week or so

Hello all. After being on 20 mg Fluoxetine daily for 2 weeks, symptoms of low mood and anxiety are still there as well as nausea, lack of appetite, a tingling sensation and difficulty sleeping. The feelings of isolation and being worthless just seem to nag away at me when I go out for a walk or to the shops, just like before medication started, has anyone felt this bad with this medication and gone on to feel better?

Yes George

The 1st few weeks are definitely the hardest. Fluoxetine is a powerful drug but stick with it as things will improve with time. You are doing the right thing, getting outside and walking in the fresh air will give you a boost eventually. You just have to wait for your system to get used to the drug. Its not a miracle cure but worth it in the end. Well done so far.

Best wishes.

Thank you for the encouragement mp, I want to continue on this medication in the hope it helps to ease this low mood, all starting after people I spent a lot of time with passed away within a short period and having an argument with another friend who had continually abused my kind and sensitive character. So the depression is connected with being lonely, but when you feel anxious and low its very diffcult to make new friends, I just hope fluoxetine will help to get me back to my old self, my GP said it would and there are some positive comments on this forum.

Best wishes to all.