What does it feel like if Fluoxetine is actually working?

Chloe I’ve been the same as you I was on 40 meg for about 4 years and then I just stopped taken them cos I wa son a good place , but honest to got 6 week after not having any I was ill hit me big time I didn’t know what was going on I felt so rock bottom then I went back to my doctor and we worked out I should never have just stopped taken them the way I did so am now back on them, started at 20mg was so depressed and the awful thoughts I had was hell for about 3 weeks I don’t know how I coped then back at the doctors he told me to increase them to 40 mg what I was originally on and I feel like am back on the side affects again but today have been a calm day , but I haven’t been able to sleep properly or eat and been off work as it’s been a masstive struggle .... I really feel your pain your not alone xxxxx

It’s such a rubbish place to be in but if nothing else, this has made me realise that I do need to take them long term. I’m ok with that. Just not ok with the fact I’ve got to start at the beginning, again. I won’t return to this awful place ever again though. Lesson learnt!!!

Going back to the GP tonight. Hopefully going to get him to increase them my dose to 60mg. Even if it’s just until I start to feel myself again. Then I’ll return to 40mg as a maintenance dose. Hope you’re havinf another calm day x

Hi Hopeful

Yes I’m still available on this forum and am glad I’ve been of some help to you.  Suffering with anxiety is not pleasant at all and I know taking meds can seem a little daunting especially if you’ve read others posts who may have struggled with them.

Everyone has a different experience on these type of meds, so where one person may suffer greatly and get every side effect going, another person may sail through relatively easy and have a few side effects.  If you’re unsure then you could speak to your doctor and ask for the smallest dose possible (I know on Citalopram you can take 5mg so not sure with Prozac … but worth asking).  Personally I didn't suffer too badly with side effects much at the start because I was already greatly suffering, so anything heightened went by without much notice really.  I was too ill to notice.

The meds usually heighten your symptoms that you’re already suffering with which often last around a few weeks to maybe a month.  Its worth taking it really slow and let the side effects lessen before increasing your dose.  Each increase does fire up the side effects again, so don’t add more to those you’ve already got - and so by waiting it out before going up will eliminate a double helping.

For me personally taking an SSRI medicine changed my life around, as it does many others, but of course you can’t tell if they’ll suit you until you’ve been on them many months.  When you start them you won’t notice any improvement for maybe 3 months or so and you’ll doubt they’re working like everyone else does.  But they are in the background.  So don't compare your personal journey on them to someone else.  You can get a rough idea, but it won't be identical.

Throughout recovery the anxiety will come and go and often people think when it returns that they’re having a relapse or the meds aren’t working.  They are - and this is just the normal path you’ll take.  This pattern will continue throughout recovery with the anxiety lessening until it stops.

Yes you have typical symptoms - waking up nervous, fretful sleep, upset tum, racing thoughts and feelings of hopelessness.  All these are only produced because you have anxiety - without anxiety these symptoms wouldn’t be present.  Many people worry about the symptoms and fight them which only produces more anxiety - the very thing we’re trying to escape from.  I’ll send you a link via private message explaining these.

I was never in denial about anxiety / depression - I just didn’t know what was wrong with me.  I was given many labels by the Psychiatrist which frightened me and made me worse, and it wasn’t until years later with help of a book and the SSRI medicine that I realised I just had anxiety.  I don’t write ‘just’ lightly though because it was a tough journey, but at least I had an answer to what was wrong with me.

Remember if you had epilepsy or a heart condition you wouldn’t think twice about taking medicine for the condition - its no different with SSRI medicine.  Yes you may feel worse, but with patience it will help you.

For me, 16 years of being ill was wiped out within 6 months of taking SSRI’s.  Best thing I ever did.

I’ll message you.

K x

How long were you were on an antidepressant that worked for waking with anxiety to stop

It was 6 months before the I started waking with no anxiety.

I am on an old antidepressant nortriptyline going to stay on it for 12 weeks just finished 4th. They just checked my blood levels and moved up to 100 mgs did you go from depressed feelings to anxiety a few times a day. I have had some good periods and sleep okay, i’m Going to stay with it this time

I took an older tricyclic antidepressant for 16 years before being swapped to an SSRI - thats when I recovered.  Yes throughout recovery on the SSRI my anxiety and depression fluctuated throughout the day, but as I recovered this got easier.  Mornings were the worst and by the evening I'd feel anxiety free (this was during recovery).

Which one did you take?  It didn’t work for you

I took Anafranil which is a try-cyclic.  

I went up to 100 mgs 2 days I’ve been on them for 30 days now. I seem to only have dry mouth. I went to church today the first ime in 5 months yippie 

Did the tricyclic work at all for you

Hi Lynn

Yes I recall having a dry mouth when on the tricyclic meds too - something that wore off though.  Hey glad you were able to get out - thats brilliant!

No, the tricyclics didn't work for me at all - was on them 16 years and all that time I had anxiety / depression still.  It was only when I had my meds changed to SSRI's did I recover - that took 6 months.

They work for some people just as SSRI's work for some too - we're all so different and my doctor always said its just a question of finding the right meds for each of us.

I have only been on them for 33 days I will give it a 12 week trial and see how I fair. It’s still way to early to know. When I was much younger I was on Amitriptyline and it worked for a year and I went off of them. Didn’t need anything for about 9 years then I went on sertraline 50mgs for 23 years and worked beautifully until last summer when it stopped working. I have tried Prozac and Lexapro which have not worked. 

 

It might take longer than 12 weeks ....... it could be 4 months.   By then you should see small changes but I doubt anxiety free (that can take a bit longer).  I know when I restarted my same meds it took much longer.

Sometimes people try meds, don't see any changes after 3 months and change meds.  This then causes withdrawal from one and start up symptoms from another which takes longer to settle.  They then don't see any improvement on the second meds and again changes - causing yet more problems.  You really have to give one meds many, many months.

Often people also don't recognise recovery within them - they expect to be anxiety free.  It doesn't work like that.  Changes could be sleep improvements, appetite better, headaches eased, maybe feeling slightly more at ease ........ and these changes can go unrecognised.  Anxiety is often the last symptom to disappear (it was for me) and that was at 6 months.  During recovery though the anxiety did ease and would come and go throughout each day (mornings being the worst).

Taking meds and recovery has to be done slowly - really slowly.  You can't hurry this.

K x

Did you ever get racing thoughts from anxiety?

Yes, you definitely can get racing thoughts from anxiety. Anxiety is know to be one of the main causes to racing thoughts. I hope this helps.

Yes, agree what Angela says.  Racing thoughts are part of anxiety - they're a side effect.  Its something to try not to worry about because as the anxiety goes so too will the racing thoughts.

K x

Hi hopeful67,

I apologize for replying so late. I hope you get the chance to read this:

I was prescribed anti depression medication a couple of years before things got pretty bad.

Yes, I was in denial and did not take the meds. However, two years later, I got to the point were major depression took the best out of me. All of the sudden, I was throwing up constantly, unable to sleep at all for about 4 days, lost interest in the simplest things and tasks of life.The anxiety was just horrible. I couldn't  be still in one place. Just constantly pacing.

The time when I posted this message, was around the time when I was at this stage. I totally agree with you regarding katecogs. She was very, very helpful and inspirational during this time. I always found hope in her messages. THANK YOU KATECOGS!!!

I went through 3 or 4 different meds before my doctor prescribed me Prozac 40 mg. I had the blessing to have a very good psychiatrist. He actually found out that my depression was caused, in part, by low thyroid and sleep apnea. Once I started on Prozac, started taking thyroid meds, and began sleep apnea therapy, I began to see improvement.

My best recommendation is to talk to your doctor and make sure there is nothing underlying with your overall health. Also, keep in constant communication with your doctor regarding how you are feeling in a weekly basis.

You will be just fine. The negative thoughts, and feelings that you will never recover, are just another symptom of the illness. Keep on! You will soon be back to normal, and even better.

Thank you, katecogs, for your sound counsel on this forum. I am 12 weeks on fluoxetine, two on the higher dose of 40 mg. Probably experiencing some side effects, though nothing like the side effects when starting the medicine initially. I feel comforted to read that even after this much time I may still be adjusting to the medicine and the recovery is day-to-day. Like all of us I just want to be 100%. From your posts I'd guess it's a long road.

Which medication worked best for you please

Hi Mrs_susan,I'm not sure if your question was for me or Kate. I am on Prozac, 40 mg.

Poppy x

kate was on citalopram

Hi Mrs Susan

Yes, I was on Citalopram 20mg

Hi Poppy

Yes the side effects do wear off over time - 12 weeks is a good time, you've come a long ways already. It can take 3 months, 6 months and know some people take 9 months to recover. It seems a long road but when I look back to my recovery the 6 months seems small now compared to the years I spent being ill.

Throughout recovery you'll probably encounter blips where you'll feel anxiety again - this is normal and these blips get easier until they finally stop.

But just keep going, through whatever is thrown at you. All those feelings, thoughts and emotions. It does get easier.

K x

Thank you. Kate. I do know that I am quite a bit better than I was before the meds. I go to therapy too, which helps me sort the odd thoughts I've experienced. The anxiety makes me feel as if I need to be constantly monitoring my body to make sure I'm ok. I have lots of butterflies in my stomach too, which might be a side effect? Would be lovely to have these things go eventually, and the blips too. I have really found this forum to be like a lifetime through this process. Never experienced anything like it.

Poppy x

Lifeline. not lifetime 😄

Hi Poppy

I think recovery starts with you being aware that you feel better than you were, even though you still suffer with anxiety. Therapy is good - and its better than when I first had it back in the 1980’s.

All thoughts are a side effect of anxiety - each of us have our own thoughts to contend with and they come in any shape or form. I had many, and each of them seemed scarier than the last one, but when you have anxiety it seems as if your mind just goes searching for something to latch onto. You deal with one thing and another pops up. Its because these thoughts come fired with anxiety that they stick in your mind - if you didn’t have anxiety you wouldn’t have these thoughts. Anxiety causes the thoughts, the thoughts cause more anxiety, and the anxiety causes the thoughts. As your anxiety heals so will the thoughts go away and won’t bother you.

Butterflies is anxiety too. Yes all symptoms are all caused by one thing - anxiety. As it eases, all symptoms will too. The blips will cease to happen too, but they will come and go as you recover. I even got to a point when I used to feel just flat and not right, and realised that it was a blip but without the anxiety. My body was just going through the motions. That eventually stopped too.

No, nobody knows what anxiety is truly like until they have it. You can't explain it to people who've never experienced it either because words are just not enough. That's why people don't understand why we can't just go out, enjoy ourselves and that'll make it all better.

I'd never experienced anything like this either until it hit me - and I had no idea what was wrong with me and was terrified I was mentally deranged. I was given all sorts of 'labels' but was years before I discovered it was anxiety. Anxiety is very powerful and takes you through all manner of weird and wacky feelings, emotions and thoughts.

Though I suffered for years and wouldn't want to be in that place again, I do strangely feel somewhat grateful for the experience now as its made me more grateful for my health and happiness.

Recovery was always something that happened to other people, not me. But it does happen for us all. Anxiety is not a lifelong condition - you can get there too.

K x

"It seems as if your mind just goes searching for something to latch onto". Well said. That's it exactly. It's wonderful to have someone understand. I do feel that I'll get well, and your posts give me confidence and hope.

Poppy x

Yes - anxiety likes to play tricks on you, and when its rife it'll pick up on all manner of scary little thoughts. These thoughts generally wouldn't bother you at all if you hadn't got anxiety, and the thoughts would just flit in and out of your mind without you really noticing as they don't come fired with anxiety. Its the anxiety that goes searching for them and its the anxiety that makes them stick. Your mind will already be tired from the constant bombardment of constant and inner thinking, so these scary thoughts will stick to a tired mind.

Without the anxiety the thoughts won't stick, won't feel scary and they'll just disappear to the back of your mind and won't bother you.

Anxiety is a clever little demon 😈

kate out shopping with friends and feel like i want to cry did that ever happen to you

Lynn

I never had a problem going out of my house, in fact I preferred to be out anywhere other than at home, but yes I did want to cry and I did. I often cried at work, home, the doctors, on the cat ..... Its a very emotional condition.

did you ever have anxiety where your chest got tight

katecogs that's a perfect explanation of anxiety. People will say, "you'll worry about anything". But they don't understand that I don't want to my mind just does it. lynn67615 I wanted to tell you that when I've got anxiety, I cry. Sometimes I have to leave work because I know the flood gates are about to open. Then sometimes I'll go a week or so feeling good. I just look forward to the day when I have lots of days anxiety free.

No not really.

Yes that's so true - we don't want to worry but we don't have any choice in it. Anxiety just does it for us. There really is no point worrying about the thoughts, trying to control or fix them, because they're a side effect of anxiety. Fix one thought and another will replace it. Its like trying to get rid of a runny nose when you've got a cold. There's no point as the runny nose will stop when the cold stops. Same for anxiety - the thoughts will stop when the anxiety stops.

did you have somedays that were worse than others yesterday afternoon and evening were good today anxiety is awful all day

kate tomorrow will be 8 weeks on pristiq need some encouragement to shoulder on. BEEN feeling better in afternoons and evening. SCARED

Hi Lynn

Yes definitely had some days worse than others. My anxiety fluctuated throughout the day too.

Thats good signs to have feeling better in the afternoon and evenings - this is exactly how I recovered. Despite every morning I'd wake feeling terrified, my evenings I felt calm, relaxed, positive and quite happy - this spread into the afternoons, then the mornings and finally started waking up like this too. This took me probably 3-4 months (from the start of feeling like that) - but in total recovery was around 6 months.

The signs are there. Just keep going.

K x

katecogs,,I've red most of your comments ,,and because of you ,,you have saved my life ,,Thanks from the bottom of my heart ❣

hi steveoo

Hey so glad I've been of help! ❤ Anxiety, these meds, recovery is all a crazy game, but we can all get through this.

Best wishes K 😉

Hello Kate

I just started on Fluoxetine for 1 week and having anxiety every morning and throughout the day. I've read comments and people are different but I just wonder if you can give me some advises on when things get better and if the side effects get less and less everyday based on your experience? Thank you

Hi

Everyone’s different with their meds but generally it will take many months - it took me 6 - and some people take longer and some not so long.

You probably won’t notice yourself getting better because it usually happens so very, very slowly, and its not relief that you start feeling either - that comes eventually.

Don’t compare your recovery to anyone else's either - what they experience may not be the same as you, and their recovery is unique for them just as yours will be for you.

It can be tough on the meds and the first few weeks and months are often quite difficult for many, but just keep persevering and carry on - whatever you feel, it does get easier.

You won’t think you’re getting better as you’ll see nothing for a long time, but that’s generally what happens. Just keep going.

The side effects don’t get less and less each day, and not even weeks - its more like tiny wee changes each month (which you probably won't notice for a few months).

When you do begin to start feeling better you will experience setbacks (blips) which feels like its all come back again. This is perfectly normal and does not mean you’re ill again. Some people rush to increase their meds when this happens but that doesn’t help as the meds don’t work like that (they don’t give you instant relief). Again just keep pushing on. There’ll be many ups and downs which is normal. It does get better, but its a gradual process.

Don’t go looking for relief - it will come eventually. Instead you take anxiety with you as you recover, so let it be next to you and don’t try and shake it off - as that’s one battle you’ll never win. It will leave you in its own time.

It will ease in time - though you’ll never think it will. Its just the way anxiety works, always making you think the worst.

Keep on with the meds, let the months pass and be prepared to have lots of patience.

K x