20mg Fluoxetine, feel worse. Please help

[h0rse]

Hi everyone !

I suffer from panic and GAD since 4 years.
my fears consist of fear of going crazy and I suffer from pretty severe derealization and depersonalization all the time. I became somewhat stable and 5 weeks ago I decided to give medication a shot, since I didn't want to leave the house and the dereaization was still there. I started out very slowly with 5mgs Fluoxetine a day. Since 15 days i reached my dose of 20mg and I feel MUCH worse. The unreal feelings are at its worst and I feel completely out of it, like I'm not myself anymore. Beforehand i was afraid of going crazy, now I feel like I already lost my mind. I know its being said that with most of the SSRIs it can be worse before it gets better, but I feel like I did a huge mistake with starting those pills. Please reassure me that I'm doing the right thing....is this "normal" what I feel with anxiety ?

Thanks in advance
h0rse

[theablac]

HI h0rse , I have been on fluoxetine 20mg for the second time and I have been taking them for 11 weeks , the side effects were awful for the first 8 weeks and I thought about giving them up , I suffer from panic attacks , anxiety, and agoraphobia so I know something of what you are going through . This site is great as you can talk to people who have been through or are going through the same as you , the side effects of fluoxetine are terrible and there are many of them , stomach pain , much more anxious than usual , shakes , panics ,and more but if you stick with the medication I am certain you will get the benefit and will get right , Fluoxetine is one of the slowest medications of its type to work but when it does its one of the best , it can take up to 12 weeks to work but it doesn't usually take that long , the last time I took it , it was 5 weeks , I know you will feel terrible and you will think of giving up but stick with it and you will get there I assure you , just take one day at a time and if you have a bad day just think tomorrow is another day and it has to get better ,We on this site are here for you and will advise you on the side effects and how to get through them and if you just need to ask if others have felt the same or just to talk we are always here and willing to help if we can , You are not alone we have all felt worse before starting to feel better and having someone to talk to is a great help , if you have friends and family who will talk to you this is also a bonus and if they read this site they will be aware you are not on your own feeling the way you do and they may get tips in how to help you . Take each day as it comes and keep in touch if you want to and if there is something I can help with I will and if I can't I will try to find someone who can . TRY TO STICK WITH THE MDICATION YOU WILL GET THERE I ASSURE YOU IT'S NOT EASY BUT IT'S WORTH IT TO GET YOUR LIFE BACK xx

[h0rse]

Hey,

Thanks a lot for your answer. You are very kind. 12 weeks ? whoa, that's a lot of time to wait. but I guess i have to stick with it and see what's happening. I have no other options left, without medication I was an anxious wreck. Now I'm even worse, but maybe in the long run I will improve. Thanks again for your kind words, they mean a lot to me. I'm happy for finding these forums, they are very helpful. take care and all the best for everyone out there suffering from this sh*t.

[theablac]

HI h0rse, Hope you are feeling a little better today and I do know it takes a long time for fluoxetine to get into your body and stabilise but when it does you will feel loads better I assure you , fluoxetine is one of the best medications of its kind and when you settle down with it it's great , the side effects all take time to disappear but they will and then you will feel good and enjoy your life again , try to take each day at a time and don't think about weeks , each day is one day closer to getting better . None of the side effects are easy to take but feeling anxious is one of the worst but with time it will ease off and then it will gradually disappear , We on this site are all there for you and will try to help with any questions , Take care and keep in touch and let me know how you are , a few weeks ago I felt just like you but now the anxiety has subsided and I feel a lot better and I can now think straight and concentrate on getting right and helping others who need a little support . xx

[TweetyBird2]

I agree Theablac, H0rse, hang in there, because I'm living proof also, that the anxiety and jittery feeling side effects really do go away eventually.
I found this forum when I was feeling horrible from the Fluoxetine and I can now say, it's totally manageable and all but gone, and the calm good feeling I'm feeling now from the Fluoxetine was worth going through the start-up side effects.

I read somewhere that the worse you feel in the beginning, the better the medication will work for you. So hang in there. xx

[h0rse]

Hi guys,

thanks again for your reassurance. Today I don't feel that good but not that bad either. My head feels weird and I have an upset stomach. Like sometimes I get the urge to vomit, but nothing happens. The worst part is I can't think straight. I feel confused and hazy, hard to describe. But I will stick with it, as you say. I need the Fluox to work. I'll keep you posted. I hope you are doing all right. Happy Easter !

[theablac]

Hi h0rse, Sorry your not feeling great but both Tweetybird2 and I have been through everything you describe and the confusion and haziness are all part of the side effects the way I looked at it was if I was having side effects then the medication had started to work , I know that sounds daft but its the best way to look at it , Just a few weeks ago I didn't think I had the strength to carry on with the medication I felt that bad but with the help of this site and the great people on it but I stuck with it and I am so glad I did , Today I can say I am looking to the good times and I know you will too very soon , Keep in touch we are here for you and talking to those who have been through it really helps because they know what they are talking about .xx

[Janine]

They are both so right, you do feel so very dreadful a lot of the time and different side effects come at you and you think that you will never feel normal again but you will, it is not an easy road but just keep going a day at a time. It was finding out from people on here that it was normal to feel this way that kept me going.

[h0rse]

Hey guys,

Thanks a lot for your input. Today I feel even worse. I feel like vomiting all the time, my head feels strange and I'm afraid to lose my mind.I guees it's part of the anxiety tricking me. Anyways, this is really horrible. I'm now about 18 days into 20mg and feel worse than ever before. But since you reassured me, that this is normal, I will stick with the Fluox. I expect the sideeffects to be there for another month or so. But I hope it will be more manageable than today. Happy Easter again to you all. Take care

[theablac]

Hi h0rse , The way you are feeling at the moment is normal for this medication , I know what you mean about feeling like your losing it but this is how the meds. affect your brain but you will soon start to feel better , I found this side effect to be distressing but if I can get through it you can , you do feel worse before you will feel better but take one day at a time and you will get through , the feeling of wanting to be sick or feeling sick is one of the most common side effects but I don't think you will be long now before that one eases off and then you will start to find the other things are easier to cope with , Keep in touch we are all here for you and we will try to help you through , xx