Fluoxetine Nightmare

[May182]

Hello!

I struggled with a change in job about 18months ago, i took on much more responsibility with little training.
I dealt with the anxiety 'ok' for a while. I met my boyfriend in work and he is my rock. However due to office politics things became difficult and 'friends' started to form opinions of our relationship i.e im too attractive to be with him so therefore ppl assumed i must be using him.
This caused me extreme anxiety and panic which i pushed aside daily to get through my day.
Finally with the combination of work stress and this i had a panic attack in work and walked out.

I have been on Fluoxetine for 15 days and for the last 2 i havent been able to get out of bed.
I am so down, my mood is awful and i feel guilty for feeling this way.
Yes anxiety is a big issue for me but never depression before.

Im terrified i will never feel better or function normally or carefree again!!

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks

[theablac]

HI MAY182, I have been on fluoxetine this time for 9 weeks now and I can tell you that you will start to feel better , the medication takes a while to get into your system and start working properly they say up to 12 weeks but you should start feeling better before then , the side effects of the medication are awful and can make you feel dreadful but when the tablets start to work they are one of the best , I was on these tablets before for anxiety ,depression and agoraphobia and they helped me no end once I had got through the side effects , the first time I took them I started to feel better after about 5-6 weeks but this time they have taken longer I am just starting to feel the benefit and all I can say is take one day at a time and keep reading what others have to say on this site its a great help to know you are not alone in your feelings , You are lucky you have a good boyfriend that will help you through this , your [ friends ] I say this tongue in cheek are not being so good for you at this time when they are commenting about your relationship , your boyfriend sounds like he will do anything to help you and if he reads some of the anxieties and side effects others have had on this site it will help him to understand how you are feeling, its very hard when you feel anxious and depressed when others are making comments especially if you are suffering the side effects too , I am not trying to be an agony aunt I am just trying to say you have enough on your plate with your illness because that's what it is and you need people close to you who want to understand . Keep taking the medication it will take time but you will start to feel better soon its hard I know ans so do the others who have been through it but we are all hear to answer questions about fluoxetine and its side effects .LOOK AFTER YOURSELF

[Janine]

It is normal to feel like this and you may find that it will last for a while yet although you will have better days or feel even worse, it can a very rocky road for about 6 weeks while your body adjust to it and you start to come out the other side, when you do you will be able to think straight and clear again, it is really hard when this happens and you sound like you are going though a lot of things, you will come through it and there is help and support if you need it. xx

[Elliott]

I have sympathy for what you are dealing with. I took Lexapro 5mg only one time and could not carry on with it after that. So you are doing well compared to me! I would agree that you might have to wait a bit longer for the drug to kick in and the adverse side effects to taper off. On the other hand, if you are just reacting badly to that particular medication you may want to discuss switching to a new one later, after you have given it time to work.

That said, I am a little alarmed that you are feeling depressed when you never have before, while on Prozac. New and unusual moods are something to tell your doctor about, so that the best option can be decided. I had a friend who never had panic attacks and a certain medication gave them to her. Not good. I would say don't rush into any decisions but determine if the benefit outweighs the risk.

[theablac]

HI MAY182, I just wanted to see if you feeling any better and to ask how you are , the people on this site are a great help and there is always someone ready to answer any questions you might have about side effects or your tablets how they make people feel , the people on this site have been through what your going through now and are always there to help . If you need any help just ask someone will answer you , I hope you are feeling a little better and the medication is starting to work but if your depression is still bad do talk to your doctor they may decide that the medication is not the right one for you or they may ask you to give it a little more time ,