5 days on Fluoxetine - I feel like I'm in hell. help!!

Mental health
1

I've been taking fluoxetine 20mg for 5 days now and the side effects have been getting worse - I hate it! First 2 days I had an upset stomach, felt sick and lost my appetite, now I'm having palpitations, hot flushes and insomnia. I feel like stopping, I feel so much worse than I did before, I can't relax and feel ill. I know they're suppose to make you feel worse before you get better, but I literally can't take these palpitations any longer.

Anyone on here suffer from palpitations from they're meds? 😞 Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Xxx

2

Arya. I would see your GP ASAP. They may very well be side efects you have to go through before they get into your system properly. However, I wouldn't take the risk with palpitations. Best to make sure.

3

Well I've seen a cardiologist and she said my heart is fine, and she told me when I start these I might get palpitations. Xx

4

Right, that's good then. Seems you have to just get through a bad phase till they get into your system, it could take a few weeks. Only you can tell whether the side effects are worth it, hopefully they will lessen over time.

I take Citalopram & have been very fortunate to have had no noticable side effects.

5

It doesn't help that I have health anxiety over my heart either, so this is torture for me right now.😞

6

It is a viscious circle isn't it? I can empathize with you on the anxiety thing. I suffer with it a great deal & was put on Propanalol about 18 months ago & I can honestly say it has worked for me. Depression & anxiety usually have to be treated separately. Have you seen your GP about the anxiety?

7

You should be making your way to your GP if you havent already done this.

Its them you need to talk about but like anything things can get worse until they get better and its no different when I go into hospital to get well and they do procedures to me that make me scream in pain.

Prozac take up to 4-6 weeks to seetle in and you have only been on them for 5 days.

These side effects should pass but i feel you havent given them a chance as its far too soon yet.

with Anxiety your going to have heart pulpatations anyway , and u lose your appetite .

I would nto recomend you just deciding to stop them without first consulting your GP, and if you havent seen them up to this point nor made an emergency appt I suggest you do this today.

the nausea can be relieved with a tiny little drug that I take.

That can be stopped .

To relax I suggest you sit down turn some soothing music on and put your feert up , then close your eyes , do not be distracted by anything , turn your phone off and start to do some breathing techniques

Breath slowly and long through the mouth, hold that breath as long as you can and then exhale the air through your nose and repeat several times for the period it rewires all that distress and worry.

It is up to yourself what you do, but if you want it to be better then its important to listen to all these good people in here with the advice they are giving you.

And if you want to do it your way then thats entierly up to you

We dont want you to be feeling like this

I have had to take up to 30 pills a day I know all those symptoms and the side effects that you are having.

But i truly dont feel you are being fair to the drug that is a mind altering drug to stop the depression and u need to give it time my dear freind

PJ

8

Thanks both for your replies.

My GP knows everything, he knows how bad my anxiety/panic attacks are and depression, been dealing with it for awhile now. I wasn't going to take my meds today but after talking to my friend who's been through the same thing, with side effects etc, it made me feel a little better. I just got to learn to relax and just ride it out, its hard when you have health anxiety over every little thing. I'm trying some breathing techniques today now, so I don't get myself into such a state. I know you've got to get worse before you get better, I guess I have to think of the positive result rather than the negative to get me through this. 😊

9

Thats a great start Arya

And when your mind is clear please say a little prayer for me and my carer(dearest live in freind) as we are to be left out on the street from next wensday if the Housing Association gets its way with what they did to us in the courts 5 weeks back)

Its frighteneing and we simply dont have the finances for 2 of us to be rehouse together on the pvt market.

And I am pretty unwell .

And at times when you are feeling rotten yourself try doing what I do.

Come in here and give support to another who is hurtiing and on the floor with anxiety

this is great therapy to do and it will also take the ephisis off your own problems and boost your own confidence and u will get there in the end

The anxiety may remain but at least you have ways tyo conquer it now

Hugs

PJ

 

10

I'm so sorry to hear that, sounds really unfair especially when your going through enough already. I will keep you both in my prayers.

HUGS.

11

Hi Arya. I think, taking into account the number of side effects you are suffering from that you may in fact be allergic to Fluoxetine. So personally I would advise you to go back to you GP and see if he can come up with an alternative. Don't stop taking it until you have been to see him though. There are numerous numbers of medication for anxiety and depression. I suffer from Bipolar Disorder and my GP tried me on five different medications before he found the one that really suited me. So don't be afraid of returning to your GP (with a written list of all the side effects you are suffering from to make sure you don't miss anything!

Take care and good luck.

12

Hi Gwen smile

I don't think I'm allergic to it as I took it when I was 18 for over a year and it worked really well. The thing is back then I was just dealing with panic attacks then nothing more. Since the death of my grandfather almost 2 years ago, I've been diagnosed with PTSD, OCD and GAD. I tried a number of different drugs last year and none of them worked, so my doctor and phycatrist decided to put me back on fluoxetine which helped me a lot back then, I remember getting hot flushes and loss of appetite and panic attacks then, but because I've had such an awful year and have been crippled so much by it all, I don't like feeling ill. So its making me 1000x worse. I feel a little better right now, my doctor told me that my side effects are normal and everyone reacts differently too it and I have had a little health anxiety starting meds again as I thought it was causing all of my problems when I know now it wasn't. Sorry I'm rambling now lol!

13

What I mean is I think what's playing into it more is my anxiety about the medication and fear of side effects. X

14

Because I'm constantly thinking about it all the time see. smile x

15

Arya, thanks for your reply to my post. Although your grandfather died 2 years ago. If you were very close then all your problems could be caused by grief.  Everyone takes a different amount of time to grieve for someone, and loss can cause anxiety and depression. I really do think your GP needs to research other possible meds that could help.  In the meantime keep taking the fluoxetine but make a GP appointment a.s.a.p.

16

I went and he said my symptoms are common for the 1- 2 weeks because its building up in my system but told me if I'm still not feeling right after 2 weeks to come back and discuss other options. smile x

17

thats great news that you have made the effort Araya to get to see your Doctor .

Im so glad you were able to achieve that one thing today.

he is quite right to I feel in the advice he gave you to wait for another 2 weeks.

I hope for you it will settle down.

Im sorry you are going through all this.

We are all here for you on the good and the bad days

X

Hugs

PJ

18

Thank you so much smile

I feel a little better now that I've eaten a proper meal too as I haven't eaten properly in 3 days. He told me to eat little but often.

I've been doing some mindfulness too, because I think I am thinking about things too much which is giving me anxiety then I end up creating these sensations myself - hence the palpitations. So I just need to chill basically. Or at least try lol.

Hope things are okay with you PJ.

HUGS.

19

Arya

Your doing all the right things

seing the Doc, eating a little and looking at ways to deal with all the negative and destructive things that anxiety brings to the forefront of our minds.

And increases everything to disproportionate sizes.

You have had a successful day and thats cause you have made the decision I need better out of this situation and yo deserve the best of life as we all do.

Use this forum as much as u can

Somedays are for giving out to others and some days are when we are able to pour our hearts out and recieve from those loving, compassionate and understanding bro's and sisters that make up this amwsome forrum.

I should be on the floor in sheds of panic.

But here i am calmish and doing ok.

I may be a total wipe out tommorow but what is important is the now.

yesterday has gone and there is nothing i can change , its all about the now

be blessed.

PJ

20

Hi I used to be on fluoxetine but they had the same effect on me.  I stopped them quickly and the doctor put me on sertraline which works for me.  

It's often a case of trial and error and I know 5 days isn't long but maybe you should go back to your doctors.

Bev x