fluoxetine and diazepam

[scamp]

Hi there,
struggling on week 4 of fluoxetine, went to GP and was given 2mg diazepam. I'm so disappointed, I took a diazepam at bed time, woke anxious at 5 and took another, still off the scale anxious this morning but sleepy. it calms down in the afternoon so won't take any more. I just despair, there's no relief.

[LAURA48]

Hi Scamp

think I have replied to one of your posts before. You will be fine - you are definitely have start up side effects - I was the same - the anxiety is really heightened on the start of prozac - but it is early days and it will start to get better very soon. 2mg of diazepam is quite a weak strength and unfortunately this seems the dose the GPs prescribe,

Please keep with it. I have had to up my dose of Venlafaxine and the anxiety has been a bugger! but I need to stick it out - it is not easy - and quite frightening - trying to keep a bit more busier is the key - hard I know but it does pass the hours at this horrid stage.

You can pm me if you wish

Laura x

---------- Post added at 09:56 ---------- Previous post was at 09:52 ----------

Just looking through old posts - you have just come off Cit? do you think you are having withdrawal from that because I have just come through horrendous withdrawal from as came off much too fast and I see you have been on Prozac before - may I ask how long ago?

[scamp]

Thanks Laura,
I was just on Citalopram for 2 days. before that was on Fluoxetine about three years ago for 6 months, then 6 months a couple of years before that.

I'm worried I'm having a paradoxical side effect to the valium now! I feel worse. I'm not so bad in the afternoon and evening. The worst thing is I have to carry on even though my business has just gone bust and I can't pay the mortgage. I can't cope very well.

[Emphyrio]

Yeah - keep with the fluoxetine for at least 2 months if you can as it doesn't show its full effects in the first few weeks. There are alternatives to the valium if it doesn't work - having a 30 minute brisk walk in the morning does wonders for me. You can also try little things like chamomile tea and the herb valerian - they have a mild calming/sedating effect with no side effects.

I started taking 20mg fluoxetine around 5 weeks ago, and after about 3 weeks I felt like I was going to lose it with the tenseness/agitation. I've been on it twice in the past and never had side effects like this time. I'm still on edge/agitated but I'm better than I was a week or two ago, and will wait until 10 weeks when its supposed to start kicking in for OCD and intrusive thoughts before making any decisions.