Starting fluoxetine

[RND2011]

Any advice regarding starting fluoxetine would be greatly appreciated.

I have been taking fluoxetine for 5 days to help with panic attacks. I have felt reasonably OK until this morning when my anxiety has been worse than ever.

I have heard that fluoxetine can make symptoms worse before they get better and it is worth riding them out. Can anyone give me hope that this is the case because this morning I feel a bit desperate.

Many thanks

[JaneC]

Hi RND, fluoxetine doesn't suit everyone but personally I find it fantastic. The first time I started it I had no probs but the second time was quite difficult - I had some horrible PAs in the early stages and wondered if it was ever going to work. But it did.

I would certainly advise trying to tough it out if you can for a few weeks to see how you are. I've been back on it for just under two years now and once settled on it I had no PAs for ages. I had a couple of minor ones which didn't really go anywhere recently when I was under particular stress, but have ben back to being fine again. Good luck xx

[Geoff2301]

Funnily enough, I just started on fluoxetine 5 days ago............they've also added olanzapine to it. I did take it some years back for quite a long time and it did keep me on a reasonably even keel so to speak! Didn't experience any side effects at all when taking it. Worth noting that it is generally slower than most of the other AD's to take effect so you might need to be patient for 4-6 weeks.

[RND2011]

Thanks for both of your replies. I've had such an anxious day I'm really beginning to wonder whether I've made a mistake. I will try to tough it out though - there seems to be quite a few people on the forum who agree it is worth it in the long run

[M155anthr0p3]

Ride it out, it's hard but it will get better.