prozac diary

[louise29]

im a newbie on here and have seen that someone a few people have started diarys on their medication-what a great idea!

i am going to start my own as i think it will help me to see either an improvement in symptoms/mood or a decline, in which case i shall change medication again!

i was prescribed citalopram a month ago, took one tablet and will never touch them again, im sure i had a bad reaction to them, am on my 3rd day of fluoxetine-here is the run down so far:

day 1
took at lunch time with some food as have been told if you take them on an empty tummy they can give you severe indegestion type pains in your chest, which as a panic attack sufferer i dont need any extra pain in my chest!!! had no side effects at all until around 5 hours later when i had an almighty panic attack, had to go lay down and every time i thought i was ok i got up but then would have another so decided to stay in bed all afternoon and evening, i was exhausted but couldnt sleep, a touch of jaw clenching and insatiable thirst (i did have a hangover so this may have contributed to be fair!) slept ok.

day 2
i decided that i would take my tablet on an evening, around 7 to 8 as i felt so wiped out with the first and decided that if it takes 5 hours to kick in i will be feeling exhausted and have the side effects while im in bed-job's a good un! had another huge panic attack while we was out in the day but this is nothing new. on the night i felt really spaced and that feeling of disorientation or depersonalisation whatever its called, that is the thing i hate the most because i feel like i constantly have to tell my self that i am really here etc and that starts the irrational thoughts which leads to several attacks one after the other
i took the tablet at half 7, and watched a good film with my son (alice in wonderland if your interested ) it made me forget about everything and i actually felt normal and happy!! im not sure if its the tablets working already or if its a placebo effect but i most definitely feel better, things dont seem so grey. 5 hours after taking it i decide to go to bed but feel wide awake and like i want to chat to someone, not about anything in particular i just feel in a great mood, i decide to go to bed anyway and have a little trouble dropping off but nothing more than i have experienced in the past.

day 3
get up around 10 with a massive sore throat and head ache and feel all bunged up, not sure if its a side effect or if im getting a cold as my daughter has been ill. feel ok all day, even manage to go out to a family gathering, felt panicky at some stages but just followed the self help techniques and they passed really quickly, i found also that walking about when i feel like this really helps, its like im using up some of that energy. have a feeling that i have had a good day and am really happy. tempting to stop taking prozac as im thinking if they dont work immediately but im feeling better then maybe i dont have postnatal depression after all? but then i think if they are helping and i stop im running the risk of feeling ill again even if it is just a placebo effect, at least i feel well eh? take my tablet at half 7 tonight.

i will update tomorrow how i feel, fingers crossed the sore throat doesnt get worse!

[sarah jayne]

Hi, i started taking it recently aswell, i will have been on it 2 weeks on wednesday and im doing ok so far, no nasty side effects except an upset stomach and no appetite but ive lost some weight which is good lol. The real test will be tomorrow as im going on holiday for 2 weeks, im not looking forward to it at all
If you ever need a chat pm me !
sarah x

[louise29]

aaw thanks thats really kind
im sure therell be plenty of times ill need to chat!
i lost my appetite completely before taking these tablets but it seems to be coming back today i am already at slimming world trying to lose weight so dont need to be one of the rare ones that actually gains weight on this drug!!

mind you im still eating less than before, so maybe it has lowered my appetite? i am going to start to follow my diet properly and hopefully even if my appetite does come back i wont gain weight, thats the theory anyway!

ive started taking cod liver oil, evening primrose, vitamin b and a multi vitamin to try to improve my mood so im not sure if this is boosting the effects of the anti d and thats why i feel a lot brighter?

good luck on your holiday, are you there with kids or is it an adult holiday?

lou x

[louise29]

day 4
feeling quite rubbish today, full of cold and so is my daughter
my throat hurts, blocked nose and ears and aching joints etc. took some ibuprofen which has made me feel a bit better, lost my appetite today aswell but think thats just cos i have a cold. not sure if im getting any more side effects or if its just a head cold, so putting the light headedness down to this cold. could not fall to sleep last night so have decided i need to take the tablets in a morning, but am unsure how to do this as i had one at 7.30 last night but obviously dont want to take one now as its only been 15 hours since my last dose and dont want to make myself ill? i might just do it gradually, ill take one at 5 today i think then mid afternoon tomorrow and do that gradually til i get to the morning-not sure if thats the right way to do it though???

[KK77]

day 4
took some ibuprofen which has made me feel a bit better

I would avoid taking ibuprofen (or other anti-inflammatory meds) Louise as there could be an interaction with fluoxetine. Try to stick to paracetamol which is safe.

I answered your other question here: http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthr...448#post675448

[louise29]

oh right ok, i had read that about citalopram but didnt know it was the same for prozac. i best stock up on paracetamol!! thanks for your reply, im just scared that if i miss one tonight then take one tomorrow im going to feel rubbish and i have to work tommorow, i wish id just started taking it in the morning from the start now

[KK77]

oh right ok, i had read that about citalopram but didnt know it was the same for prozac. i best stock up on paracetamol!! thanks for your reply, im just scared that if i miss one tonight then take one tomorrow im going to feel rubbish and i have to work tommorow, i wish id just started taking it in the morning from the start now

Prozac is a very long-acting med so you should be fine missing one dose. Just don't make a habit out of it!

[louise29]

well i only just got that last message about it being long acting and i decided to take it at half 5 instead of half 7 and i cant stop yawning! i could just be tired though my head feels really fuzzy but thats probably to do with the fact i have a cold.

im going to miss tomorrow evening's tablet and take it wednesday morning instead when i dont have work to go to.

i could just go to sleep but i bet in another 2 hours ill be wide awake!

[louise29]

day 5
feel quite ill today, but cant tell whats a cold and whats side effects. have to cancel work and just go out for a stroll in the sun, feel a bit better after this. dont take my anti d tonight, waiting until morning to take it. really tired.

day 6
slept like a log last night, didnt feel as groggy when i woke either, although i still feel ill, definitely a cold though cos coughing and sinuses really painful but sore throat has gone took tablet at 7.45 with a cup of tea and a banana as ive been told to eat when you take them, felt a bit wierd 2 hours after taking it, was really hot and like i had pressure in my head but that could have been anything not necissarily the tablets so ignored it and it went away. feel full of energy, have cleaned the house!!! so far so good, i do feel like they are working already, i am able to shrug things off a bit easier and everything doesnt seem as dark!!

[louise29]

day 6 continued
started having intrusive thoughts again for some bizarre reason, maybe cos ive changed the time i take anti d? managed to ignore them but took some doing. had that feeling of depersonalisation and its always then that the irrational and wierd thoughts creep in seems to have worn off now, think ill just get an early night hopefully ill feel better tomorrow