Hi
I started 20mg fluoxetine 6.5 weeks ago, and increased to 40mg 2 weeks ago. I am starting to feel worse the past few days, anxiety is awful, low mood and no energy at all. Is it normal to feel this at this point? as I thought I would be improving, not getting worse. Should I stick it out or come off?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Donna xx
Hi Donna, yes this normal especially after you've increased the dose, you get some side effects again, I've been on 40mgs almost 5 weeks now, after increased from 20 at 10 weeks, and it still hasn't settled for me, though I've been on it before so it takes longer, I do get some really good spells, and then the symptoms come back again, which has happened this week, bad morning anxiety which is so awful! But I know these meds work they just take a long time and can be very up and down in the first week weeks/ months so just hang in there x
Hi Donna,
yes I think it is normal, the increase is a little like starting the drug all over again - the side effects are there. I would recommend that you stick it out, give it some 12 weeks to feel better, and hopefully also after 8 weeks or so you will start getting some good days too. I know it is so discouraging when one feels worse taking the medication than before it, it makes such little sense, but sometimes they make you feel worse before you get better. I am happy I stuck with mine, now at 10 weeks I am feeling much better, not perfect or 100% recovered but I would say already better than before the meds. Of course blips are still there sometimes, but I am hopeful. Have you had any good days yet or at least couple of hours or so during some days? When is the anxiety the worst? Mine was always the worst in the mornings, afternoons I started feelling little calmer in weeks 5-6.
Luci x
Hi Karen
Thank you for this reply. This gives me hope that things will improve in time. I dont understand though why I am still having these affects 2 weeks after increasing the meds, as I read that it usually only lasts a few days? I had a meltdown at work today, tears the lot....but I must say i actally feel better for it. Well, a little better anyway.
Donna x
Hi Luci,
It sounds like you are feeling better today, which I'm very pleased to hear!
The thing I don't understand is why Im feeling worse everyday 2 weeks after the increase, as I thought it would be getting better after a week of increase? Even my mood is low, I burst into tears at work today as my workload is horrendous, but I did actually feel slightly better afterwards and my collegues were very supportive and understanding.
I think I am going to try and hang in there for at least 12 weeks of taking these meds, as you suggested. I'm so glad I have found this forum as I have nobody else I can talk to that truely understands how I'm feeling.
Donna xx
Hey, if you read through the posts on this forum you'll see that this med takes a good few weeks and often months to fully work with ups and downs all the way, it's because you have to wait for the receptors in your brain to accept the increased seratonin instead of fighting it by shutting down - which is what causes the increased and intermittent anxiety, so for now just try to accept its short term pain for long term gain, and try to cope with it through relaxation, excercise or therapy by coming on these forums - that's what I'm doing anyway x
2-3 weeks after an increase is usually when side effects start to kick in... it is perfectly normal. Just push thru them knowing things will slowly improve over time.
There is nothing to understand, it's how this medication sometimes works, it makes you feel worse before you get better. If you try to read a little about how SSRIs actually work, what changes they are making in the brain and how confusing it is to the brain at first too, it could help you to make more sense of it - it certainly helped me...in short the brain is confused too with these new serotonin levels that it does not produce but it takes the brain long time to understand what it needs to do...it even temporarily stops producing its own serotonin (because getting it externally from the meds but it thinks it is its own) and that is what causes the low moods, until the brain learns again that it still needs to produce its own...for everyone the process is different but in most cases it just takes time....
Happy to hear you will still give it a go, it is really too early after the dose increase, you will get better eventually!!!
And good that your colleagues are supportive. We all need to ask for help sometimes and there is no shame in being vulnerable at times. Everyone is.
Yes the forums are amazing. I am so grateful too. I would feel completely crazy if I didn't have others for support and knowing they go through the same.
Luci xx
Hi looking forwards- hope all is well? When did you see improvement after increase to 40mgs? I'm almost at 5 weeks after increase and have had some good weeks but the past couple of weeks have been pretty tough, especially with anxiety and the night sweats have come back..still hanging in there but need a bit of encouragement x
Thank you lookingonwards, this makes me feel better knowing i should hopefully improve and its just the side effects of the increase :-) xx
Thanks Luci,
You're advise and support is helpine me get through these difficult days so much. My husband doesn't have much sympathy/patience with me, not because he's a bad person, just because he doesn't understand as he is a very laid back, worry free person (the opposite to me)!! so I'm just glad I can speak to people on here that have been there or are going through the same thing.
Donna xx
I can not remember but it was for sure longer than 5 weeks.. more like 12 weeks or more. Even now after about 9 months of being on them I still have a random blip day.. keep on with them though... one day you will just realise that you are not even thinking about the tablets and living life! Night sweats sound hormonal...
Thanks LF, had a really good day today so hopefully the good days will soon outweigh the bad 🙂 There would be no rainbow without rain!
As my Doctor says... even when these tablets have settled you could still have a bad day or 2 as it is part of being human. The difference is you will shift from them and realise they are just a crappy day.
I understand what you are saying Donna. Not everyone understands what we are going through. Also for men as our partners it is frustrating because their natural tendency is to want to help and they feel powerless in this case and it is hard for them too...they always just want to give you solutions and don't understand that just patience or talking or being there is the help. I have also learned with my friends who I can talk to about this and who not...some people just have no capacity to understand, they think it is just a matter of having to make more effort to 'cheer up' or get busier not to think about the lows, and it is not so simple, and then I feel even more like a failure if I cannot take their advice on! So these forums are really helpful, to talk to people who go through the same and understand. I am grateful for it.
Yes Luci I completely agree! unfortunately my husband and family don't understand and think I should "just pull myself together" but like I told them, if it was that simple nobody in the world would suffer from anxiety/depression. Unless you've been through it, nobody understands and that's why this forum is such a help to me. xx
Hi lookingonwards, hope all is well, I just wanted to ask if you can remember getting palpitations/ tremor / slight ringing in the ears after you went up to 40mgs? I'm starting to notice this more as it's been really troublesome in the past week along with a crash in mood,been feeling nauseous all day as well, just seems at the moment I'm experiencing alternating good / bad weeks (I'm almost 7 weeks on 40mg now) and I'm getting worried out whether these are Prozac side effects or something else, could well be hormonal too as that can also cause these symptoms, respect your opinion having been through this too! Thanks
And I'm deffo not pregnant either!
What age are you if I may ask?
Ringing in the ears on occassion....for sure nausea.. and heart pulps... especially when trying to sleep! The alternating good and bad is very very normal!! I had a blippy day on Friday even... but it has come good.. I knew it was just some stress from work.
Hormones are a huge part as well!
Hi everyone I'm 21 and been on some journey so far with my anxiety .. I have been on a few antipsychotics and have recently been on one for 3 months however it was giving me low mood and no energy and did a bit for my anxiety but I decided to switch . SO FAR I've been on fluoxetine for 10 days and I CAN SAY these past 10 days have been torture . I am having obsessive thoughts all the time !!! My mind is having so many fixated worrisome thoughts that are v intrusive for example the thought of looking at another women inappropriately in pool changing room and her approaching me about it ... there crazy thoughts .... and I'm straight btw . But anyway these thoughts are really. Bothering me ... I'm also stressing about bumping into certain people whilst out and that I will have a panic attack and they will see it .... and I am fixated on bumping into a particular individual because I might have a panic attack again.. all these things have started severely since I started the antidepressant as If my anxiety and thoughts are worse ... and I didn't have these on the antipsychotic but it gave me low mood .. so far I have noticed more energy and my mood is fine but my thoughts and anxiety is hay wire .. what will I do ? Continue with the meds. ? It's day 10 fml