Just been prescribed fluoxetine for the first time

[Caramel]

Hey everyone,

I have been prescribed fluoxetine for the first time and I am scared because of all the awful things I am reading about people going through on here!

I'm gojng though a really bad patch at the moment where every waking moment is filled with panic and anxiety and I'm findng it very hard to eat because I feel so sick all the time. Will the drug make it worse?

I'm also still on a very low dose of stupid Venlafaxine (about 17mg), which is proving hell to come off, so will the Fluoxetine help?

What time of the day do people generally take it?

Sorry to ask so many questions, but I'm just all over the place at the mo :weep:

[aggiecuttler]

hello i take fluoxtine, i am on week seven at the moment, i took it for 13 years and then stopped last year have now restarted, yes it takes a while for it to work but once it does work you will feel so much better, this is your first anti depressant so its a bit scary but not as scary as the anxiety and panic attack. Feeling sick can be a side effect but not for everyone, any side effects petter off in time, i take my tablet in the morning it can sometimes either make you more sleepy or sleepless so taking at night would not help sleeping i would recommend taking in the morning when you get up.
its not unusual to be nervous this is something new but the tablets will help you stop worrying so much and leave you more level headed please keep posting so we can see how you are doing catherine

[Caramel]

Hi Aggie, thank you for taking the time to reply :) Your good advice has made me feel better.

I have started taking them, so I will keep you posted! it's not my first antidepressant - I've taken Venlafaxine and Citalopram before over the years, and they didn't really help too much unfortunately, so I'll see how it goes. :)

[Whiskey]

Hi Caramel, im on day 21 of fluox, I take it in the mornings. I have had side effects but I just take it a day at a time. I have found if I sleep well the next day is not so bad, also forcing myself to eat little and often to maintain my blood sugar also makes me feel so much better than if I eat nothing. I also stop drinking stuff with caffeine in it 3 days ago and have noticed im not shaking so much and sleep better. I hope yr doing well.:)

[Katie22]

Hi Caramel, Im on week 3 of Fluox, I have had some side effects, but I take mine at nite, and it helps me to sleep, does'nt alway work for everyone taking it at nite though. And keep posting, see how your getting on with it.
:)

[Caramel]

Hi guys,

Thank you so much for all your comments :)

Well, I'm taking mine at night but I do tend to feel a bit 'pingy' after taking it and by the morning, the anxiety kicks in again, so I'm considering switching to mornings. I'll leave it a little longer and see how it goes before I decide.

I tend to start off feeling really anxious and panicky in the morning and then it starts to die off a bit as the day goes on, but I still feel constantly on edge.

I am eating a bit more now, but I'm still having to force myself to do it. I'm also still finding it quite difficult to make myself get up in the mornings, which I find really upsetting because I've never felt like that before.

I have suffered with GAD and panic attacks for over 30 years now, but never like this. I had to give up my job teaching back in August, and I think not being able to work and being on my own all day are all contributing to this at the moment.

I just want the old me back!

[Whiskey]

I know how you feel, im soooo annoyed that ive got in this state again. Ive suffered with anxiety and panic attacks since I was 16, first experiencing it during me gcses, my friend had to drag me into an exam once because I was going to leg it!! I had it again 10 yrs later when 26 and that time I took a antidepressant called paroxetine/seroxat which I found was amazing but I did have side effects and it did take time to feel better. This time around (again 10 yrs later!!! hmmm pattern?!!), it started in sept last year just the odd panic attack here and there but I gradually stopped driving. Then jan, feb and march I noticed I was getting more anxious at work, losing sleep having palpitations, freaking out in queues and running out of shops, panicking on buses and getting off before my stop then I had panic attacks every day so I decided enough was enough and went to doctors 3 weeks ago and was put on fluox and signed off work. I have also found mornings difficult to deal with but the last 2 days have been fine. Unfortunatly, my boyfriend booked us a holiday as a surprise for tomorrow as he thought it would help me unwind but instead it made me hugely anxious and after lots of thinking and talking about it ive decided its best I don't go at the moment to have time to adjust to my meds and chill out. Ah well....I am positive all this will be worth it. Hope everyones having a nice day x

[Caramel]

Hey Whiskey - thank you for your message. It does give me hope that this morning anxiety will fade eventually - sometimes it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

It's such a shame about your holiday, but only you know what you're ready for at the moment. It sounds like you've had a pretty rough time of it too you poor thing. :hugs:

I've never been able to be free of this unfortunately, and there was never a trigger, I think I was just made this way. As the years have gone on, it's got worse and worse, to the point where I'm now agoraphobic. I'm on the waiting list for some CBT so I hope that will help, but I'm just so worried that being like this all my life now means that it's so ingrained, it will never go. :unsure:

[Whiskey]

awww I feel for you. Everyone can change and CBT sounds brilliant. You work hard and don't give up. Hopefully the meds will give us some respite from our anxious thoughts and feelings, a bit of time out to be able to re-evaluate and move on. :)

[Caramel]

Thanks Whiskey - keeping everything crossed!