really woried :'(

[Rochelle121]

Hello
Just abit of advice.
I used fluoxetine in the past(didnt taper)
It worked great.
But this time the side effects seem instant! Has anyone been on flouxetine more than one or twice and found that it has been successful 2nd 3rd time round but with worse side effects? Or have I just forgot how bad it was first time?
Im so scared this med wont work and I need it too because nothing else has recently. I was on sertraline but came off and it didnt work again so back to flouxetine.

Thank you xx

[Electric_Worry]

This is my first time on Fluoxetine/Prozac, so I can't advise you on what going on it again is like, however the side-effects showed up pretty quickly for me. I must have gotten the nausea, anxiety and heartburn within the first three days. There's a good chance you've forgotten what it was like. I encourage you to stick with it though because there's a chance it will work. I'm on my 28th tablet today and although it hasn't kicked in yet, I'm not giving it up at this point..

[Rochelle121]

Thank you for replying.
Im really really hoping it does work as I feel completely at the end of my rope at this point.
I just hope since its worked before. It will work again.
Pretty much all im clinging to atm!
Good on you for sticking it threw because my anxiety is through the roof!

[BusyMom12]

Hi Rochelle ,
I'll try to be brief with my history right now but I was put on fluox for peri-menopausal anxiety (extreme debilitating, non functioning anxiety) and initially went off after 6 weeks to start bio-identical hormone therapy. When I bottomed out again a couple of months later I dropped the hormones because my levels had changed and they wanted to add more. I went back on the Fluox and did great for over 2 1/2 years. The first year to year and a half I still had just a slight edge of anxiety with my cycles. I took an amino acid supplement called L-Theanine ( 200mg 1-2 times a day as needed) that the hormone lab had told me about when my cycles came around and it worked amazingly at those times when I needed a boost. I preferred adding that when I needed it instead of going up on the Fluox. Then for about the last 9 months or so that I was on the Fluox , I realized I had continued to improve even though I had felt great before. I had more energy , more drive and had not even needed the L-Theanine even though my cycles were still like clockwork. I was doing so well and felt that I wasn't even taking anything that I thought I could go off of it. It took about 2 months for it to get totally out of my system and I bottomed out again. I went back on the 1st of November 2013 but kept messing with the dose , at first thinking I needed more for it to work the second time around ( I went on 30 Mg) , when my anxiety was unbearable I went to back to my original dose for the 2 1/2+ years of 20mg. I was much better but still not totally without anxiety fast enough to suit me. So I kept messing with the dose , even crushing and dividing 1/2 of a 60 mg tablet to try to gradually increase. It wasn't until I finally found this forum and realized that every time you change the dose it brings on side effects and gets you out of whack and talked to my pharmacist who assured me that 20 mg works for the majority of people, that I stuck to the 20 mg and finally leveled out about 2 months ago and now feel wonderful. After learning more about the Fluox and going through what I did , it just kills me to see people's Dr.s up their dose before they even give it a good 8-10 weeks.

I , too , was in that same place where you are, scared to death it wouldn't work but it did. The side effects did seem worse the second time around but it's hard to say if they truly were. When I went on it the first time I had always been one of those organized, had it together ,helped others , moms that never skipped a beat , even with 5 children all 2 yrs apart and a particularly hard to deal with special needs child. I literally bottomed out over night and thought I had , had a nervous breakdown. So the anxiety was so new to me that I may have not realized that part of what I was going thru was side effects. I have to say if I had known , it would have been harder to stick with it. It was hard enough the second time around even though I knew it had worked before. My advice to anyone is to try the 20 mg for a good 8-10 weeks minimum and if you can get the L-Theanine , take it. When I was on the higher dose and my anxiety was at it's extreme peak it wasn't enough to nip it but other times when I just wasn't settled , didn't feel good with anxiety at times it was like flipping a switch when I took it. Some times I would just realize 30 min to an hour later , that I no longer felt anxious after taking it. If you've been on the Fluox for 8-10 weeks and have seen improvement but not quite yourself yet , I would still give it 2-4 more weeks before changing the dose. I would hate that lasting edge of anxiety and would have to remind myself of how much better I was since it had all started and that would help me to be more patient. I hope this helps, hang in there, it just takes more time than we want to give it.

[Rochelle121]

Thank you busymom.
Im sorry you have been through the mill but admire the fact that you were able to hold it all together will 5children and one being disabled.
Your story is very encouraging as im worried at the prospect of going through hell again re side effects for nothing! But your story brings alotof hope and somthing Will refer back to in my darker moments.
Thank you.

[Deepthinker]

Busy mom, thank you for the informative and encouraging post! I, too, still have that lingering driving anxiety, but am going to stick with the fluox. I do feel better with each passing week, but it is a slow gradual process. I can't wait to try the L-Theanine. Rochelle, it will get better soon. I have heard of much success being on fluox more than once. I read on this forum where one person talked about how they went on it for three to four months every year to get through a certain season; winter, I think. I can't remember the name of the thread right now, but if I can find it, again, I will post it here.

[NZGirl]

Hi Rochelle,
I started my 3rd go at fluox in October after the worst panic attacks of my life. It did cause lots of side effects this time and I was scared. But it has worked again. I'm still on them, and this time may stay on. One weird thing. My pharmacy changed me to a generic and within a week I was freaking out again. Spoke to my doc, she put me back on fluox proper. Bam, 5 days and I'm back in side effect hell. And I'm only on 20mg. So my advice is, they do seem worse than the first time but they pass and it still works. Don't mess with the dose if you can help it. And expect some side effects with any change of dose or brand. They settle, although you might be worried that they won't because that's what these conditions do to us. They do still work and I'd been feeling great up until my med change. Good luck and hang in there... again :)

---------- Post added at 05:39 ---------- Previous post was at 05:31 ----------

Ps its only a short time before the good far outweighs the bad. Its worth it. Take each day as it comes and keep reminding yourself that you know it works. Let that be your rock, that's what carried me through the side effects.