Fluoxetine side effects - a message of hope

[BLM]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum! I just recently signed up after finding this thread which has helped me immensely! I'm experiencing a lot of the same side effects as a lot of others. My doctor switched me from citalophram to 20mg Prozac on 2/2 and I'm now on day 10. At the beginning I had indigestion, trouble sleeping through the night, and increased anxiety. As of the last two days it hasn't been as much anxiety as it has of just feeling blah. Loke my body is still in anxiety mode, but my mind isn't. My mind is in a no care zone. While this might seem like a good thing, it's not. I still can't find myself being either happy or sad. Has this happened to anyone else?! Thanks in advance

xo Britt

[Zoe01708]

hi Blm
Saw your post and was wondering how you doing now?

[leanne1403]

hi i have suffered panic disorder,depresion and panic attacks,over the past 31 days ive been trying to cope with being put on prozac.i feel i have had it worse tan ever,i am housebound and suffering so bad with the panic anxiety,nothing has changedso far if anything i feel worse,i am on 40mg,,,,,plz help

[neileo]

hi i have suffered panic disorder,depresion and panic attacks,over the past 31 days ive been trying to cope with being put on prozac.i feel i have had it worse tan ever,i am housebound and suffering so bad with the panic anxiety,nothing has changedso far if anything i feel worse,i am on 40mg,,,,,plz help

leanne, I'm so sorry you are going thru the prozac blues. A good many of us seem to hit the wall then go backwards from around weeks 4-6. It will get better and you will not feel this way forever! Do you have anything else to take like a beta blocker that would help you cope with the anxiety while the prozie kicks in?

I am going through a real bad time the last week or so and the only thing that I can find comfort in is these boards and reading how others have been where we are and have fully recovered! I'm just into week 8 and I'm definitely running low on patience.

Please keep checking back in here, it will help give your mind something to do and we all can help support one another. Hope you start feeling better soon!

[Hayl89]

Hi, I'm Hayleigh.
I have just been prescribed Fluoxetine for depression and after reading peoples experiences of the side effects I am really nervous to start taking them!

[Jeancarlo123]

I'm on day 21 today and still feeling hellish! I am on it for panic and anxiety.....xanax is my best friend right now because I don't know how I can cope...I pray for better days soon...I have to be at work like this...I don't want to give up.

[Roman]

Edit

[panic_down_under]

This is my second time on fluoxetine and I am having a horrible time at the moment. Wake up with dread and hopelessness and really have to struggle to do anything.

For reasons which aren't that clear, side-effects seem to become progressively more severe each time antidepressants are stopped and restarted and they may be different too.

Also, having some toilet issues the past couple of days (should this be happening 3 weeks in?).

Unfortunately, yes. For some the side-effects begin within an hour of taking the first pill, for others it may take a few weeks. A delayed onset may be more likely with fluoxetine due to its long half-life. It can take 4 weeks for fluoxetine plasma levels to build and stabilize and several months for that of its active metabolite.

The enteric nervous system, the mini brain which controls the gut is by far the most serotonergic organ of the body, making and using about 50 times as much serotonin as the brain so can be more affected by serotonergic antidepressants than their target organ is at the beginning.

For constipation, increase the amount of fibre in the diet and also your water intake. Stool softeners can make things easier too. For the opposite problem, over the counter remedies containing loperamide such as Imodium usually help with diarrhoea.

[Roman]

Thanks so much for the quick and helpful reply!

[Tigger62]

Hello,
Wow, if I had known of all these side effects with fluoxetine I'm not sure I would have started them. Im on day 4, taking 20mg fluoxetine for depression which I have lived with for 17 years. I have all the side effects everyone else on here has experienced - nervousness, anxiety, edgy energy, panic, zero appetite..luckily I am off work and am being cared for by my family. If there's anyone still on this forum that had similar side effects, could you please give me some words of encouragement? When did you start feeling better?