Start Of Week 5 - Gone Backwards?

[devoncliffs]

Hello,
I am new here but have been using this really helpful forum over the past 4 weeks, and it has been really good to hear everyone's stories and read their posts.

This is my first time posting.

I have been taking fluoxetine 20mg daily for 4 weeks and have just entered week 5.

First two weeks I definitely noticed the side effects and mainly felt nauseous for half of each day.

Week 3 improved and anxiety began to subside.

Week 4 improved again, and I began to feel happy and positive for the first time in a while.

However i feel week 5 has been a strange week, and just generally feel quite low, and have lost the positive and happy me, I was beginning to regain.

Does this sound normal. I really felt this was working, and taking it week by week, it was getting much better. But this week I dont feel great, as I feel I have moved back a week rather than forward.

Looking for some reassurance. Thanks all

[PunkyFish]

Hello,
I am new here but have been using this really helpful forum over the past 4 weeks, and it has been really good to hear everyone's stories and read their posts.

This is my first time posting.

I have been taking fluoxetine 20mg daily for 4 weeks and have just entered week 5.

First two weeks I definitely noticed the side effects and mainly felt nauseous for half of each day.

Week 3 improved and anxiety began to subside.

Week 4 improved again, and I began to feel happy and positive for the first time in a while.

However i feel week 5 has been a strange week, and just generally feel quite low, and have lost the positive and happy me, I was beginning to regain.

Does this sound normal. I really felt this was working, and taking it week by week, it was getting much better. But this week I dont feel great, as I feel I have moved back a week rather than forward.

Looking for some reassurance. Thanks all

Hi

It can take six to eight weeks before you begin to feel the full benefits of the medication. I'm on this medication and it took me about three months for me to get to somewhat a normal happy mood and this included a dosage increase from 20mg to 40mg during the six week mark as I was still having anxiety, which I was advised to do by my doctor.

My first few weeks it was up and down for me. There were days when I was feeling good and less anxious and then there were days when I was low and felt that the medication was not working. But I was told in the first few weeks that this is somewhat normal. The medication does eventually even out.

For me at week five I was still having anxious and low days so I think it may be early days yet for you. However it's always best to contact your doctor if you have any concerns. Three months after being on this medication I no longer have the low days, I am able to deal with things much better, I'm more happier and my anxiety is so much less. This sort of medicaton takes time I'm afraid to balance out your emotions. You will hopefully get there so take it by a day by day basis and maybe have a chat with your doctor about how you are feeling.

All the best.

[panic_down_under]

I am new here

Welcome to No More Panic

However i feel week 5 has been a strange week, and just generally feel quite low, and have lost the positive and happy me, I was beginning to regain.

This isn't unusual, unfortunately. With antidepressants it can be a matter of one step forward, two back for a while.

It is still early days. Antidepressants typically take 3-12 weeks to kick-in and fluoxetine tends to take longer than the others because of its very long half-life - ~6 days for fluoxetine, ~16 days for its active metabolite norfluoxetine which does a lot of the heavy lifting. It can take over a month just for plasma levels to stabilize to a steady-state initially and after dose increases/decreases.

[Panicer]

Hi devoncliffs

I just started week 5 at 20mg yesterday. I had lots of side effects for the first couple of weeks too but actually felt a little better, possibly the placebo effect?

Weeks 2 and 3 were hellish, with my anxiety raised and it was pretty much constant throughout the day. I considered stopping the medication altogether but the last couple of days have been a little better?

I've found the encouragement and advice on this site really excellent. As we're at the same point on the medication, how about we keep each other updated on our progress whilst trying to encourage each other.

[Roman]

Hi Panicer, I'm a little bit behind you (3 weeks today), but interested in keeping in touch to give each other support! I've had a horrible week so far.

[Lord Cauldarse]

Hello Devoncliffs.
First post for me too - found this forum whilst looking online for reassurance regarding the exact same issue!!
I'm due to start week 5 tomorrow. Im on 40mg fluoxetine.

Like you, I thought Id turned a corner. I'll try not to bore you all to tears, as we are all trying to move forward, not reminisce about the negatives!

Basically after recognising that I was perhaps sliding into what I thought might be anxiety issues/depression brought on by stress, I popped in to see my GP who prescribed fluoxetine. It worked brilliantly for me about 5 years ago when I had similar symptoms, hence the reason for me recognising it was coming back.

This time round though has been a whole new experience, nothing like the last time.

Week one (20mg) was hellish. OMG. The occasional emotional episodes morphed into full blown panic attacks within a few days. I ended up in A&E twice, fearing for my safety! After the hospital got in touch with him, my GP then upped the fluoxetine to 40mg along with beta blockers and a box of 5mg diazepam to be used as and when required during the very worst attacks. It was really that bad. Stopped going into work.

Week two (now on 40mg). The usual side effects are now well and truly kicking in. Insomnia, sweating feet(!!) shaking and unrelenting anxiety, you don't need me to tell you about those! I also started developing these irrational thoughts, for example, a crack in the plaster on one of my walls and I was convinced the house was falling down! The panic attacks however were becoming less frequent. I was starting to learn how to push through them, let them pass. I realised they were going to happen, so I just let them. Basically I stopped worrying that they may or may not happen. I even managed to go out for a meal with my family (albeit a bit rushed!)

Week three; Really starting to feel better now, or so I thought. The side effects were starting to subside a little, and I think Id had maybe two attacks half way through the week. One caught me completely off guard, miles from home. Half a diaz tablet and 20 mins sitting in the car and I came back round. I have no idea what triggered it. Even though it was a pretty serious attack, at that point I realised it was manageable. I even started going back into work for a couple of hours in the afternoon. I took a long deep breath and explained to my colleagues I was having mental health issues and panic attacks. Their reaction and support was brilliant, which in itself was a good therapy!

Week four has started off brilliantly. I hadn't had any more attacks since the early part of week three. The side effects are now becoming an inconvenience rather than debilitating. Except for the irrational thoughts. Im still getting them, and when they pop into my head its like a sudden fear that seems to linger for hours. If I could just stop overthinking worse case scenarios. They are fast becoming my biggest concern at this stage. Yesterday I thought my business was going to go under simply because we didn't do as well this year as we did in previous years. This almost brought on an attack, but I was able to push through. We had tickets for a show we purchased months ago, and whilst I think I would've preferred to stay at home, I forced myself to go last night. There was no issues and I actually had a pleasant evening albeit a bit jittery to start with. This morning I spotted another crack in the wall at home (we had a lot of major renovations done a couple of years ago), 7hrs later I'm still thinking about it. Iv had 2 x half diaz tablets today already as its completely playing on my mind!! I know its probably (hopefully) just the meds doing their thing, but I just wish it hurry up. Anyone else get these thoughts? And do they go away eventually?

Week 5 starts tomorrow. Whilst for the most part I feel physically better, the mental injuries seem to be dragging on a bit. I'm hoping these sudden exasperated irrational thoughts could be the start of the mental healing process, my brain chemicals starting to balance out as it were. Whilst they are not new symptoms, they have certainly come to the forefront and are steadily getting worse. This afternoon I booked a builder to come in and look at these cracks in the plaster! But even the thought of this has me starting to "climb" again.

I have been advised it can take 6 weeks plus before any sort of normality is restored, hoping and praying its not long now. At the risk of sounding too negative, I honestly thought Id turned the corner but these irrational thoughts have certainly pushed me back a little. I just hope they don't morph into anything worse like the original issues that sent me to the doc in the first instance. I'm determined to stick it out though and report any developments. I am convinced that fluoxetine is indeed a wonderful medication if given the chance to do its thing.
I don't however remember it being such a rocky ride the last time. I have heard though that it can get worse with each period of depression if not managed correctly. The last time I went through a depression I simply stopped taking the meds after about 6 months, thinking I was completely cured!! I will be a bit less cocky this time I think...

[Panicer]

Hi all

Roman sorry to hear your week's going badly. As I said above week 3 was pretty hellish for me too. However I've definitely been feeling a little better over the last 3 days, so stick with it and hopefully we can all come through this together .

Lord Cauldarse that sounds like really positive progress. You sound much more experienced in this journey than me having been through it before. One of the other fluoxetine threads on here I subscribe to, suggests anywhere between 6 to 12 weeks seems to be the time it takes to start feeling the real effects of the drugs and I've also heard the second time around can be tough but if they worked the first time they should hopefully do the same again. I can relate to the worrying thoughts, sounds like classic anxiety catastrophising to me, which I'm also very guilty of.

[Panic sufferer]

Basically after recognising that I was perhaps sliding into what I thought might be anxiety issues/depression brought on by stress, I popped in to see my GP who prescribed fluoxetine. It worked brilliantly for me about 5 years ago when I had similar symptoms, hence the reason for me recognising it was coming back.

Hi Lord Cauldarse,

i am on a different SSRI, but had the same experience, i.e. 5 years ago: little side effects, this time: whopping side effects. Insomnia, sweating, diarrhoea, dizziness, tremors, I went thru the card. It is all the more unnerving when you weren't expecting them. I know it's a cliche, but hang on in there is all I can say: I'm now moving into end of week 5 / start of week 6 territory, and the side effects have largely damped down. The medication is beginning to really kick in and take the edge off the anxiety and I am able to do things in terms of work, and just generally travelling distances with confidence, that would have felt unimaginable a fortnight ago.

[Roman]

Thank you Panicer! Things a little better today, not sure how much is to do with it being Friday. How are you doing?

[Panicer]

Hi Roman

Not been great today but trying to stay positive. Strangely my anxiety has been a little better this evening after being shocking early on today which is a complete reversal from the usual? I know most people seem to find the evenings better so maybe mine is changing to the norm? Friday evenings are always the best hope you're having a good one?