terrified to take fluoxetine :(

[ddonaghey1989]

my dr prescribed me 20mg fluoxetine months ago for GAD. i never took them ive been trying to do this on my own its not going well as a vomiting bug has knocked my confidence and im feeling really wobbly on my feet its so scary. so basically i dont know where else to turn. thw stories on here of nearly everyone saying how terrible the first few weeks are have completly freaked me out so what else can i take :( im afraid of side effects of meds esp ones that mess with the brain
im so scared and lost i dont know what else to do :(

[tezza]

Hi
I Know how you feel.
I was feeling the exact same severe anxiety and weak legs etc
I am really sensitive to anti depresents and I managed to talk my doctor into prescribing fluoxotine in liquid form so I started at with 2mg and after 4 weeks now at 6mg it seems to be slowly working for me keeps the side effects to a min
I personally think dosage is so important as we are all different, just as alcohol affects people differently so does medication you have to listen to your body
please read this report (cant post link )but if you search Google Prozac in low dosage 5mg v 20 mg v 40 mg and look for student doctor
Ive Refused anti depressants for years because I
cant tolerate the side effects That's why so many give up
my wife has talked me into the benefits ( she is on citalopram) once you get it in your system and I think its working for me
I hope this helps and I wish you and everyone on no more panic a successful recovery
Regards Terry

[amiable]

I was prescribed 20mg of fluoxetine back in September, and I was so afraid to take them at first too :unsure:. And I have to be honest, the physical side effects in the first couple of weeks did effect me. Mostly I was really tired and felt physically weak. I'd been having trouble sleeping for months due to anxiety, so was already quite fatigued. BUT these wore off after the first couple of weeks, and as my anxiety lessened my sleeping has improved.

I found my mood was beginning to improve already after the first week, so I stuck with them. I was seeing a psychologist for CBT at the same time, and with her help I was able to work through my anxious feelings and challenge my negative thoughts. My thinking also became so much clearer, and I suddenly could see how ridiculous and untrue some of the thoughts I was having really were :blush:.

Two months later (wow, it feels like so much longer) and I am 10x better, and feeling like my old self again. I'm already starting to wean myself off the medication, first by taking one every 2nd day, then after a couple of weeks of that every 3rd. I find I'm sleeping better on the days I'm not taking them (anti-depressants are a stimulant after all).

Remember that antidepressants are not a cure, they are just a way of managing your symptoms while you treat the cause. Try not to think of them as the enemy, or that you've failed to get better on your own and will now be on anti-depressants forever (those were my thoughts, caused by an anxious/depressed state of mind). Think of them as a helping hand in your recovery. Good luck! :hugs:

[ddonaghey1989]

what were the first side effects u had? ive yet to talk to someone who hasnt. was it anxiety u wer put on them for? my days are just awful now feeling unbalanced and panicking. weak jelly legs ive been getting now too. im just expecting the worst now starting these :( my mum, auntys and granny is on antidepressants and thats for depression. they had no side effects and keep telling me to go on them but i dont know what to do im so afraid of feeling spaced out and things. will i feel these symptoms within hpurs of taking the first one x

[XME]

I've been on Fluoxetine for about a month now, on 10mg. I've been feeling about a million times better! I've been really chipper, actually, after two years of depression and anxiety. It only took about two or three weeks before my mood improved, it's amazing!
As far as side effects, I've been a little bit drowsy, and I get tired very early and sometimes fall asleep around 7 or 8pm! Sometimes I feel like I took allergy medicine and need a short nap, but mostly it's just the evenings. I'll take that in return for feeling chipper!!
I also have always suffered from car sickness, and lately my motion sickness is much worse and lasts longer after I get out of the car. Hoping that doesn't last! But even that isn't too bad. :)
So I don't think you should be scared of it. It might be really good for you and help a lot. :)
PS: I was on a different medication a few years ago that was really bad, so I know what you mean about feeling spaced out. I haven't had that at all, I've actually felt more alert! And just as creative as usual, not like my brain's in a box like on the other stuff

[nomirawr1]

I recently started on Fluoxetine about 3 weeks ago.
I too was pretty terrified of starting them - which led me to hold off asking for something for a LONG time.

I started on 10mg (half a 20mg tablet) for 7 days first, then only bumped the dose up to 20mg if I felt ok about it.
I realize everyone is different, but I personally had very few side effects. I had a couple of minor side effects, but its hard to tell whether those were due to the new drugs, or because I stopped taking the old drugs, or for some other reason. I had minor headaches, insomnia and a bit of fatigue. At 3 weeks now, I experience the odd restless night, and that's about it.
Currently, I feel great - my anxiety is pretty well under control. I still feel anxious occasionally, but no where near to the extent as before. I have WAY more energy, and inclination to get out and do stuff, I've stopped trying to eat away my anxiety, etc...

If you start at a small dose, 5-10mg it will help ease you into it, and if you feel like you need to, a small dose is much easier to stop.

[ExPerson]

Honestly, once you're over the rough two week patch you get somewhere in weeks 2-5 then there's nothing to worry about. They improved my mood no end and allowed me to function as a normal human being again. I still take them, although feel as if I could stop any time really. I don't even notice a difference when I take them now - that's been from about the 6th week onwards for about a year and half. This has been my experience, and is not far from that of at least two other friends. The side effects are rubbish for a 2-3 week period no doubt, but just try to treat it like you're unwell and that you knew it was coming. For me, it was a miniscule price to pay for the benefits I received.