Awful Fluoxetine side effects

[Gareth]

Hi all,

I’m a GAD soldier, with around 25 years hard-won experience, really serious in past 15 years. I’ve had one period on SSRI meds before (Citalopram, 40mg, for 6 months in 2005/2006), which was very effective for me.

I’m back on an SSRI for the first time in 13 years, this time Prozac to help me cope with work pressure and the creep up of GAD that has been coming for a while now and which I notice is turning into depression as it starts to wear me down.

I always found this board very helpful back in 2005/2006 so I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on the symptoms I am getting with Fluoxetine, which is nothing like I remember Citalopram being 13 years ago.

The doc told me that Fluox was quite gentle side-effects-wise so I should be spared anything really horrible when coming up on this medication.

I am on day 15 of 20mg of Fluoxetine. Jeeeeeeeez do I feel ill… sicker than I ever thought possible from a med like this.

I can only describe it as feeling like I’ve been heavily poisoned.

I’m going to list symptoms in the order in which they are interfering with me / concerning me.

Can anyone share experiences that might reassure that this can happen with this med and I just need to wait it out a couple more weeks?

• Fatigue/tiredness (total systemic fatigue/exhaustion. I am just dragging myself around on pure willpower alone)
• Weakness (mostly arms but over whole body)
• Headaches (can be quite severe)
• Inability to concentrate (it’s so hard to work)
• Muscle pain, especially neck and shoulders
• Aching feeling all over
• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Feeling of being very cold and shivery
• Raised glands in neck (sore spots on either side of my neck)
• Sore throat (not hugely painful or swollen or anything, more relentlessly uncomfortable)
• Zero motivation/avoiding work/avoiding anything physically or mentally challenging
• Nausea (especially in morning)
• Insomnia (this one comes and goes)
• Random stabbing pain in joints (wrists, knees in particular)
• Weak voice (weird one, feeling of weakness when trying to speak)
• Some confusion (but only when very tired at night)

Thank you friends,

Gareth