Just started Fluoxetine- not sure about it

[amiable]

Hi, I'm new here :). I've been struggling with anxiety and depression for a few months now, and I started seeing a psychologist a month ago. She and I agreed that I needed to take something to help me calm down a bit. So my doctor prescribed me 20mg of fluoxetine. I was hoping he would give me something to help me sleep better, as I have trouble getting to sleep at night, and have been waking up early feeling anxious every day for the past 6 months. I've been taking it for two weeks, and so far it's not really helping my sleep, but my mood has improved a little bit.

My doctor thought fluoxetine was a safe choice, and said that the only side effect he thought I would get would be a dry mouth. Well, I got that but I'm also feeling REALLY tired and weak, to the point of feeling light headed. I have very little energy, I tried doing a really light gym workout last week and I was shaking. I'm also getting headaches nearly every day.

For the first week I had almost no appetite, but I kept eating small amounts anyway. I've lived with bloating and minor digestive issues for the past year now, which I believe is IBS. But just over the past few days it seems to have gotten worse, my stomach hurts every time I eat. I know appetite loss and nausea are side effects, but has anyone noticed fluoxetine impacting on their actual digestion?

Overall, it's just making me feel really sick. I know it could be the anxiety talking (because I didn't really like the idea of taking antidepressants), but I'm wondering if fluoxetine is doing me more harm than good? Do my side effects sound normal for the 2 week mark? I'd appreciate any advice :flowers:.

[Otter13]

Hi and welcome. :) I was on fluoxetine for years. It can take a couple of months for the side effects to settle down so maybe give it a little longer before you decide. That said, I had to stop taking it because it started giving me really bad heartburn, so bad it used to wake me up at night. I do miss it though, it was brilliant for helping me control my emotions. It won't help with sleep directly but if it helps with mood then better sleep can be a knock on effect. I wish you good luck and hope that you are feeling better soon. :)

[amiable]

Hi Otter, thanks for your reply. I think I will give it a bit longer before I decide, otherwise I'll always wonder if it could've helped me. Heartburn sounds awful, I'm sorry to hear it gave you that. Did you find it difficult to come off? That's another one of my worries... :unsure:

[Otter13]

Hi Amiable. :) I didn't have any trouble coming off and I was on the 40mg dose. It's different for everyone though. With most of the ssris you have to give it at least 6 weeks before it settles down and starts working. Good luck! :)

[Speranza]

Hi,
I had awful headaches on and off for a few weeks, and I do think my sleep is affected - but after a few weeks I felt so much better that I don#t care.

[Emphyrio]

Fluoxetine does cause GI issues and lack of appetite in the first few weeks. As its half-life is so long, it takes longer than other antidepressants to reach a steady state in your system. I had pretty bad GI issues for 2 years which I suspect was prozac-related - however, I had also taken it for years before then with no issues. I suspected that maybe my metabolism had changed and thus I didn't need 20mg any more.

I've started prozac again as it really helps the depression and has very mild side effects (cognitive) in comparison to other meds I've tried. This time, however, I'm only taking 5mg/day.

[Bramwell]

My GP, who WOULD NOT prescribe Diazepam/Valium for anyone, put me on Prozac in 2012, and at the same time gave me Diazepam too, and gave me a 2nd prescription for Diazepam a month later to combat insomnia caused by Prozac. I still have most of the Diaz tablets as I felt better within a couple of weeks on Prozac and didn't need the Valium. If a drug's gonna work it will, but the side-effects can be seemingly unbareable. Good luck.

[amiable]

Thank you all for the replies :).

Emphyrio, I've noticed it doesn't have cognitive side effects too, which I'm grateful for. As much as I feel like my mind has become my own worst enemy lately, I still value the ability to think clearly.

That's interesting to hear Bramwell- if you don't mind me asking, was your anxiety quite bad before you started taking Prozac? Because for me it's the anxiety that has been causing my poor sleeping for months now. I'll wake with heart palpitations, my body seems to be stuck in that 'fight or flight mode', which is really frustrating. My boyfriend has been telling me I should try sleeping pills or something. He thinks it's strange that I'm so tired but I can't sleep- I tell him that's the unfortunate reality of anxiety :(.

[hardy har har]

Hi amiable.
Adrenalin like heart pounding after awakening can be taken care of with alpha or beta blocking anti-hypertension agents like Propranolol.
These meds smooth out any sudden sympathetic influx to heart muscle.
Tell you primary whats happening and he/she will surely set you up.
You can go of of them after you have gotten a good anti-anxiety response from the Prozac.

If your male, better you go with alpha. Beta will effect your arousal.