What to do? Advice Needed

[Giraffe11]

I have been on fluoxetine in the past for anxiety and panic, just 20mg and they worked wonders. After 18 months I tapered off and was fine for three months until I developed migraine with aura which kicked off my panic and anxiety again.

My GP put me back on Fluoxetine & started me on a migraine preventative called Pizotifen. The latter helped the migraines brilliantly, but I then found out through my own research that it could be hindering the Fluoxetine as the Pizotifen is a seratonin antagoniser.

So, after 6 weeks on both meds I came off the Pizotifen. That was 2 weeks ago. So in total I have been on the Fluoxetine for 8 weeks now... I'm still feeling pretty awful. I wake up with intense anxiety every morning and am often sick. I then gradually get better throughout the day, but then dread going to bed wondering what the morning will bring.

My GP wants to see me in two weeks to discuss our options. Do we stick with Fluox or change to something else? I honestly don't know what to do or think for the best. I'm also taking Propanalol, which I think is the only thing keeping me together at the moment.

[ruthb1]

hi,

i was a bit like you, i wason fluoextine for a number of years and like tou they were my miracle wonder pill and after a number of years i came off them.

long story short i changed meds to mirtazapine was fine on them but caused weightgain and didnt feel the same effect a fluoxetine so asked my doctor if i could go back on fluoextine.

well that was the beginning of May and i can honestly say i have never felt so awful, the anxiety and panic attacks were awful and insomnia for days on end. i could carry on and after 2 weeks doctor took me off them as i was really going downhill.

i have gone back on mirtazapine and havent had anywhere near the side effects i had with fluoxetine.

My doctor couldnt understand why fluoxetine had worked with no side effects before and now i was awful on it, to be honest i pushed to come off it otherwise i think he would have made me stay on them for longer.

ifyour not happy on them speak to your doctor .


hope this helps

[Giraffe11]

Are you feeling better now you're on the mirt hun?

I just don't know whether it's simply the Fluox not working for me properly after 8 weeks, or whether the Piz really did have an effect on it, so in theory I've only been on the Fluox for 2 weeks (stopped the Piz two weeks ago!) ...

I've no idea whether to wait it out or try something else :-(

[atki]

from reading what other people have put its around 12 weeks we should wait for improvement. im just starting week 8 x

[ruthb1]

hi hun,


ive got to say, personally I feel a lot better on mirtazapine. not 100% but about 80 so its a start. it has subsided my panic attacks and im not pacing the floor and up all night like I was which is a great help. Its trial and error what works for some may not work for others I knew it was making me ill, so much so my blood tests have just come back and I have low vitamin d, now im not saying that fluoxetine did that too me, but because of the symptoms I was suffering on it, it probably made me lower inmyself as I wasn't getting the correct nutrients etc. doc has now put me on meds for that also with regular blood tests.

[Giraffe11]

Ah I'm so glad you're feeling better :-)

I've had a pretty rough morning, but feeling a bit calmer now. I'm waiting for my gp to call me back, I'm going to ask to try Pregabalin - been reading the forum on here and people seem to be having a lot of success with it.

---------- Post added at 15:07 ---------- Previous post was at 14:36 ----------

Scrap that, she just rang and won't prescribe it.

Said that maybe to try taking my fluoxetine at night instead of the morning, so that when I wake in the morning I'm not immediately in a panic.. But I didn't think it worked like that. She said try it for a couple of days and if it has no effect to maybe try 40mg again, but one at night and one in the morning instead of bam all at once which is what made me feel light headed and detached before..

Not a happy bunny!

---------- Post added at 16:15 ---------- Previous post was at 15:07 ----------

Just sitting jotting down a diary of my Fluoxetine/Pizotifen to see how it compares with the Betterdays Diary. It's so hard as I don't know if the Pizotifen was affecting the Fluoxetine - Fluoxetine has always worked for me before, it was a lifesaver.

Anyway, here it is, albeit from memory & my kitchen calendar!

Week 1 - started Fluoxetine & Pizotifen for migraine. No bad side effects just the horrendous migraine still and anxious all day long.

Week 2 - same as above.

Week 3 - anxiery has subsided this week. Still feel on edge but nothing like I was.

Week 4 - away on holiday this week & anxiety back again sadly.

Week 6 - Dr upped me to 40mg. Took for three days and felt spaced out, giddy, detached and generally shit. Anxiety slightly less though I think. Stopped the Pizotifen on the pharmacist's advice as he thought that the Pizotifen's effect on the seratonin might be blocking the effect of the Fluoxetine... We will never be sure, but could it be that I'm now in effect back to week 1 with the Fluoxetine?! Also advised to go back down to 20mg Fluoxetine.

Week 7 (Week 1 without Pizotifen) Horrendous. Utterly horrendous. Such bad anxiety, have had suicidal thoughts which really frightened me. Checked in with my GP who has given my Propanalol to take as and when.

Week 8 (Week 2 without Pizotifen) Anxiety actually subsided for 3 days, felt wonderful! Daughter's birthday however & parties brought it all back.



Week 9 is tomorrow ...

Going to take my 20mg Fluox tonight as my GP suggested in the hope I won't feel anxious on waking. I don't have much faith to be honest!

[ruthb1]

ahhhh hope you feel better soon hun, my doctor told me to do the same hunto take at night but didn't make any difference for me. hope it works for you .xxx let me know how you get on xxx thinking of you xx

[Giraffe11]

I'm so glad you're feeling better & more yourself.

I'm just annoyed about the Pizotifen really, that I have been on Fluox all those weeks and they have been doing nothing - But then a small part of me says what of it's simply the Fluox not working this time? Although I have no reason to think that really, they have worked before and were particularly wonderful for my panic and anxiety two years ago.

It's just so hard knowing you'll wake up in a panic every morning .. I think tomorrow I will just get up & not lay there.

Thanks for replying, helps to not feel so alone xx

[ruthb1]

your not alone , I beat myself up thinking why hasn't fluoxetine worked for me this time and my doctor thought the same, but thinking about it 4 weeks on, when I went on fluoxetine 1st time my anxiety wasn't high so maybe I could cope better with the with the side effects, 2nd time I was in a high anxiety state and fluoxetine really heightened my anxiety. xx that's why I said to the doctor, take me off them, probably the best thing I have done.

[Giraffe11]

How long were you on them second time around hun? Xx