A timetable for recovery on Fluoxetine / prozac

[Arose]

Hi Kenney, how are you feeling today?

Aspire- that's great news! If only we could feel like that every day!

I had a bad night. I think it's because I've cut down from 80mg to 40mg after my stupid error. I had racing thoughts and adrenaline rushes, intrusive thoughts whilst watching tv last night, and also in bed. I kept waking up to this horrible anxiety and had really weird dreams.

I really hope the 40mg will work. I think that the only good days I've had were on the 80mg! I'm also not sure how to count it now- shall I go from the last time I took 40mg BEFORE I started taking the 80mg, or should I count from after i started taking 80mg? I'm so confused

[Peachypips]

Hi all.

Arose- sorry you are having a hard time- if it was me I would just ignore the days at 80mg and count as if you had been on the 40mg the whole time. It must be so frustrating- I KNOW this will settle down in the next few days though so just keep going through each day. It's like walking through treacle. Waking up with that horrible anxious feeling is the worst feeling in the world.

Blue and Kenney- hope you are coping with your blips. I can't wait until the day when we don't have them any more.

My update- 9 weeks 4 days on Flu, 67 days, 13 days on increased dose of 40mg. I am still struggling a lot with the side effects of the increase. It's interesting that a lot of people seem to not get any side effects with an increase, but I have had it just as bad going from 20-40mg as I did at the beginning. I have diarrhoea in the morning and stomach cramps with intense nausea. I wake up with the horrors, I have a tight feeling in my head, my legs are shaky, I have tremors in my hands and feel jittery. My eyes are dry and I swing up and down in my mood all day every twenty mins or so. Just thought I would detail them for people in the future who might read this.

However, I am not as bad today as I have been the last 12 days, although I am still suffering. Hoping you are all keeping on keeping on and are not suffering too badly. So glad to have met some others to walk the journey with.

---------- Post added at 11:58 ---------- Previous post was at 11:55 ----------

Forgot to say- YAY to Aspire- so so happy you are feeling better. Also I have been wondering- Blue- do you have blue hair? And Kenney- are you a man or a woman???!!!!! I am a 38 yr old mother of two young boys and work in perinatal mental health. My intro over!

[kenney4lyfe]

hey everybody, yes peachy I am a 30 yr old man lol. Aspire I'm so glad to hear you're doing so well, seriously i'm so happy for you. Arose i'm sure you're still freaking out about the dosage issue, but those are all side effects of 40mg, you're in middle of the side effect battle, just remember, you're going to be okay. Speaking of side effects, Peachy, the updates you give are amazing, as I approach week 11 i'm debating with myself if i should just and up my dose to 40mg now and start fighting the side effects as well, because like you, i know i'm going to eventually go up to 40mg in the upcoming weeks. Any opinions? keep fighting.

[Bluehair05]

Hi all.

Let me introduce myself... I am a 48 year old mother of two sons and I work as a Hairdressing lecturer in a college.... I have turned a few people's hair blue (intentionally!!) But am blonde myself.

I have lectured for 17 years and have had many bouts of anxiety and depression in this time usually managing to soldier, on but this time has been the worse for a long. time.

I have been off work for a few days now and feel so much better already, I am under a lot of pressure at work and am a perfectionist that adds a lot of pressure by trying to get everything right. People at work know I will always help them and that adds to the load and I am deputy in my section and my boss has high expectations of me because I usually deliver. I don't think I've been working to my usual standard lately nd that has made my anxiety worse, I had been struggling to get up and drive the 40 minutes to work without having a meltdown, then to perform in the class room was all too much.

I managed to work for 10 weeks on fluoxetine with all the side effects but enough is enough, I am taking some time off firstly to rest and then to think about how to lighten the load but manage financially. I don't spend but time focusing on me so it's interesting.

Sorry for going on, thanks for listening. xxx

[Peachypips]

It's lovely to know a bit more about you guys. Blue- you must have real strength to work all that time through the side effects. I don't know how you did it! Hats off to you. I haven't been at work since mid-October; I have been on medication since my eldest child was born and severe anxiety was triggered postnatally. He is now 9. I was on Sertraline for years and it was brilliant, but then I came off as the doc said I was better and had a massive relapse. Then I tried to go back on sertraline but for some reason it didn't have the same effect, so I went on Citalopram. This worked to some extent for the next three years but I put on a lot of wait and feel sick and sluggish all the time. I decided in Sept to try and switch back to sertraline but had a really bad relapse and ended up in hospital. There they switched me to Fluoxetine and I came home after three weeks on it. I'm very hopeful that this is the drug for me and early signs are very promising despite it being a truly horrible process!

Kenney- if you are still not seeing any benefit at 20mg I would wait another week then go up. However, if you think this is just a blip then maybe hold out?

For the first time today in three weeks I managed to fall back asleep after my usual very early wake up. I still woke up with the horrors but I lay on my back and tried to breathe deeply and practice some of my mindfulness techniques. I managed another hour's sleep after this! Woke up again at 7:45 feeling crap but at least I managed to go back to sleep for a bit.

The four of us have gone to Cornwall for a few days- we live in Devon and a friend of ours has a lodge in Cornwall which they have let us have for free. We took the boys out of school for today and Monday so we can have a long weekend. I'm hoping a change of scenery will give me a boost! Have a great day and much love to all. Jo xx

[kenney4lyfe]

Yeah I think I may go up soon, even the doctor said I should, we'll see. It's great to hear all of your stories, I am a 30 yr old man from Boston USA and I do construction for a living. About ten years ago I had GAD and minor depression so I was put on Prozac 20mg, no side effects, was 100% in a month... yeah I was one of those lucky people. I thought nothing of the medicine, quit cold turkey and was fine for 10 years.. then I started getting severe panic attacks out of nowhere so I was put back on the 20mg and well, here I am lol. I hope all of you have a great weekend and try to stay positive, we can beat this.

[Bluehair05]

It's great to hear your stories...

Peachy- you are doing amazingly to have been through so much with young children and pack up for a few days away. I live in Devon too and Cornwall is my favourite place , have a great weekend the weathers looking great. 😊

Kenney- I have read that sometimes when you return to fluoxetine it can take a bit longer to kick in, so maybe it won't be long till you feel better.

Can I recommend a book to you all that I have found helpful on this journey and refer to a lot.

It's called ' A life at last, anxiety and panic free' by Paul David. Definitely worth a look.

Have a lovely weekend. xxx

[Peachypips]

Morning all.

9 weeks 6 days on Fluoxetine, day 69, 15 days on increased dose of 40mg.

Yesterday was a much better day. I think I'm progressing out of the worst of the side effects although they are still there. Anxiety and depression still very much there in the morning and then hitting me after every meal for some bizarre reason. I am dreading getting better and then having blips already!

Nice to meet you Kenney!

Blue- I'm in Woodbury near Exeter. Are you close? Cornwall is my fav place too. I'm trying to persuade my husband to move here!

[Arose]

Hi everyone

I'm on day 37 of 40mg and have had 3 not so good days. Today is quite bad, I just feel miserable and despairing. No anxiety, just a dread feeling.Wish it would do one!

I forced myself to go on the bus into town yesterday- I had anxiety and derealisation but luckily no panic attacks. The thought of leaving the house today fills with me dread. I'm so fed up. I've probably delayed things by taking the 80mg for a week or more, I just hope the 40mg will work as I have noticed all the good days I had were whilst I was taking 80mg!

A bit about me - I'm 26, from South Wales, I live alone with my little cat. I've never worked and have a looong history with agoraphobia/anxiety/depression. I started going to an art class 2 months ago and I've met some lovely people there, the woman who teaches it suffers really badly with anxiety herself, so we talk about that and have bonded quite well.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

[kenney4lyfe]

Hey everybody, so I had a follow up with the Doctor and for the 2nd time he said I should go up to 40mg... well, I said ok *sigh* I start week 11 in a day and I'll start the 40mg tonight, I'm ready for the side effects, bring it on. I'll keep everybody updated on my progress. I fully understand this may be another 8 or so week process, but I've come this far, why not fight some more to get back to my old self. Everybody keep fighting.