Fluoxitine 8 weeks and nothing

[Tardisbrain]

Hi, I'm suffering extreme stress and anxiety 24/7 for tge past 3 months. I will have been on fluxotine for 8 weeks tomorrow and they don't seem to be doing anything to help ease any of my symptoms. I know I've heard some people can say it can take up to 12 weeks but should I not be feeling anything by now? I have psychiatrist next wed and seemingly my cpn and psych don't agree it's the right meds for me. As it was meds that caused the switch to be flipped in my brain 3 months ago I'm extremely scared of trying new Meds or upping. I'm so worried.

Thanks for reading

[Jadedflower]

I have been on them for more than 10 weeks and don't feel any different.
I'm scared to stop in case they are making a small difference

[Tardisbrain]

Well I'm the same as I can stay out of bed now but I think that is more my will power. I still have my symptoms. I'm getting exhausted. I hope you start to feel better soon

[Jadedflower]

I used to stay in bed till after 12 trying to put off getting up when the anxiety will start. Now I get up cos got to face it whatever time I get out of bed
Like you I don't know if it's the tablets or my will power. I am constantly tired with it all. They say there is no magic pill that we have to help ourselves. Well I find that very hard. So just keep taking the tablets .....

[HalfJack]

It took me a while to get any benefit from them.
I did them whilst doing CBT, so I could really tell when they started helping because the exercises I was doing became a little easier to manage etc. But I didn't notice a big change and in the end they weren't the right meds for me.

Increasing the dose could be done gradually perhaps? I'd assume that would be a lot easier than switching medication and worth a try I guess?

Changing medication is difficult but potentially really beneficial, although personally it's never caused me big big issues to do that. I've not experienced any issues on meds that lasted longer than 2 weeks. So it's easy for me to say that.

Do you mind me asking why you flipped 3 months ago? Did you change meds?

[Tardisbrain]

I wasn't on meds but I was starting to get some symptoms of stress and so the doctor gave me setraline. I don't know what they done to me but they have ruined my life. Had to come off them after 3 days and just got progressively worse. Biggest mistake of my life.

[Jadedflower]

Do you mean you got worse because of the tablets.How did they ruin your life ? So after the setraline you went on fluoxetine ?

[Tardisbrain]

No I was on setraline, the first day I went Cockeyed, extremely spaced out and got derealisation. The 3rd day I was vomiting, couldn't stand for long and had around 30-40 anxiety attacks and a few really bad panic attacks so I had to stop. Those symptoms kept getting worse even off the meds. It was like getting injected with an anesthetic every 10 seconds. I almost collapsed at the doctors a few days later and they gave me mirtazapine which I had to stop after 3 days as they made my derealisation worse and I felt on the verge of passing out constantly. I decided I needed to stay off meds as they obviously don't agree with me but after another 4 weeks of pure hell I had to try something, that's where fluxotine came in as they are supposed to have milder side effects. I've now been on them 8 weeks and although some things have slightly changed I'm still living in pure hell.

---------- Post added at 19:19 ---------- Previous post was at 19:17 ----------

I'm talking my eyesight has cleared up very slightly but still sensitive. Not very much in the way that I have nearly every symptom under the sun and I'm now basically agoraphobic. My children are suffering as well.

---------- Post added at 19:21 ---------- Previous post was at 19:19 ----------

Ps. I used to have panic attacks about 10years ago and thought I was staring to get them back so the docs gave me those meds and said they should help significantly. It's not until now after speaking to my cpn that I was told those where symptoms of stress.

[Jadedflower]

My god you have been through a lot. Makes me think there's no such thing as a safe drug. I'm in my 12 week of fluoxetine still don't think they do much. I was expecting a light bulb moment but it never came. More fool me

[Tardisbrain]

Yes I feel like I'm living in some sort of personal hell. I have psychiatrist on Wed and I'm really worried. The biggest mistake in my life starting meds, I now need to be on them to help me through and I have the worst fear of them. I really don't want to be upped or changed, I'm petrified. I was hoping these would work