Day 28 of Fluoxetine

[Harmonycrumb]

Hi there. I'm on day 28 on Fluoxetine 20mg and i'm going through hell! The symptoms got bad after the first week.
I'm constantly anxious/panicky, I can't eat, I can't sleep properly and I just feel like I want to crawl out of my own skin. I want to be in the house but out of the house at the same time. I feel like i'm going insane.
You know that feeling you get in your legs sometimes when they feel like are so restless they want to go for a run on their own? My WHOLE body feels like this. It's horrendous.
I was on Fluoxetine back in 2004 and I didn't have any of these symptoms.
I'm not sure how much longer I can stand all of this. I just can't keep still. I want it to just stop!

[pretoria]

Hey there Harmonycrumb!

Sorry to hear you are feeling these aweful SE's, hmm you should be starting to feel better by the fourth week though it is not uncommon for SSRI's to take up to three months before you start to feel the full benefits. My suggestion would be to return to your GP and reavaluate your dose or the SSRI you are on. Maybe you need to go down to 10mg or maybe switch to an SSRI such as Sertraline. You need to explain all this to your GP :/

I've just started Fluoxetine and not feeling the full SE's yet, worried myself that after the first week it will then hit me :/

I had some luck on Sertraline last year (suppose to be an easier SSRI to go on and it also targets dopamine receptors) I had bad SE's for the first two weeks but after that I started to feel better and by my second-third month felt pretty good :)

Hope you get it sorted, let us know how you get one :)

Nathan x

[Supersal1984]

I had this, but I went down to 10mg. speak to your GP. It will pass eventually though, sometimes it can take a long time.

[Janine]

I felt exactly lke you and thought it was never going to work, I hit rock bottom a few times wth the side effects and it was five and half weeks before I started to feel a lot better and apart from an odd little blip am now at just over 10 weeks and feel me again, just take it a hour at a time or even minute at a time, it is hard but worth it in the end. this website helped me so much knowing it was not just me and that others were going through the same or had come out the other side. Four to Five weeks was really bad for me.

[Harmonycrumb]

Thank you so much for the replies everyone, I really do appreciate it :)
I saw the doc this afternoon and she wants me to try another two weeks to see if there is any improvement and she has authorised me using Diazepam whenever the feeling gets overwhelming.
Did anyone find anything that helped the agitation? Such as long walks or relaxing music etc???

[littlemissjo]

I would love to know the same question. I find it hard to keep the focus off my thoughts and the anxious feelings that rise into panic?

[Harmonycrumb]

Same here littlemissjo. I can't settle to anything for more than 10 mins without getting too agitated to complete it. It's brought my life to an almost complete standstill for the moment.

[sunshine1]

i started fluoxetine the second time round a few months ago and totally relate to how you aare feeling. I didn't feel anywhere near ok untila bout 5 and half weeks. First time around had no side effects. Try and stick with it for a few more weeks.!

I found that some relaxation was good and anything to distract myself.walks were good but not on my own! try to cut down on caffeine and get plenty of rest too.
Let us know how you get on x

[Harmonycrumb]

Day 29 and so far today is a little better than yesterday, but only marginally. In my therapy group today I looked like I had ants in my pants because I just couldn't sit still! Luckily everyone was really understanding. Lol. I'm not feeling so sick either. I'm actually managing to get a tiny bit of solid food down rather than build-up shakes. So let's hope this upward trend continues. I'm not sure I could handle another day like yesterday.

[Janine]

Glad you are having a little better day even if it is only a little bit, I had really bad days like you had yesterday. Good you have been able to eat a little bit, reading Sunshines post she was 5 and half weeks too same as me so just hang in there you will feel better.

Janinexx

[electrical_stormgirl]

It took me about 6 weeks before I felt better- hang in there :hugs:

[Harmonycrumb]

Guess I shouldn't have spoken so soon. Yesterday evening/night was hellish. Worst agitation yet. I was literally crawling around the room at points in a bid to get rid of some of the energy.
Today the agitation isn't at its worst but the nausea has come back ten fold and my head is racing with all sorts of thoughts, including some scary ones.

[pretoria]

Sounds like you are having a rough time of it :/ I suggest giving it till the 6th week and if you don't feel you are improving I would consider going back to your GP and reviewing your Meds/Dose, some SSRI's are more suitable than others with some people. You may be quite intolerant of Fluoxetine but may respond better to another SSRI such as Sertraline or Citalopram.

Try the 'Cranzac' method
http://depression.about.com/cs/sideeffects/ht/cranzac.htm
(Of course get an ok to do it from your GP/Pharmacist) as it may help with the side effects.

I know it seems like a really rough patch right now but hang in there and by the 6th week (or sooner if you feel you can't manage with this drug) then go see your GP :bighug1:

Nathan x

[Harmonycrumb]

Riiiiight, well for now the SE seem to be changing from agitation to a racing mind and some sort of verbally hyperactive mania. This is a very odd journey. Very VERY odd indeed. But my sense of humour *seems* to be resurfacing which is good. I can't speak for tomorrow, but today things seem a little better.

[littlemissjo]

This is it, one day at a time. It is odd, I find it odd that the very thing something is supposed to help you with does the opposite! But I read everyone's journey everyday and its helping me know that I'm not mad and I'm not alone, and I'm definitely doing well. Day fourteen today - I'm counting down twenty eight days to go and I should be feeling better in time for Christmas!!

[KCam11]

I definitely understand what you all are going through. I started Fluoxetine again after going off for a few months about 5 weeks ago. The first week was fine, second week was hell! I had racing horrible thoughts, couldn't eat, felt sick all the time. Now Im going on week 6 I think and I haven't had a full panic attack where I needed to leave the place I was in about 2 weeks. Im still fighting the insomnia and occasional upset stomach and I always feel a bit anxious but Im hoping it'll go away in the next two weeks or so! Hang in there!! If you can stick it out and weather the side effects, it really does help!

[Harmonycrumb]

I had a massive relapse of symptoms and completely lost it and the doctors have weened me off of Fluoxetine and have now put me on Quetiapine which SO FAR seems to be okay apart from the fact i'm now sleeping 12 hours a day minimum. I'm hoping that will wear off though.

[leanne....28]

hi im on day 17 and after a good few days i ad a lil creeping feeling of panic anxitey about t time dont know wot caused it as i ad a lovley day with family i tock a diazepam and it went away hopfully these days r far and few beetween