Fluoxetine 20mg for 9 Weeks

Treatment and medication
1

Hi Guys.

I am on Fluoxetine 20mg for 9 Weeks now & hear is my Journey so far. 

I was on bupropion, citalopram, cipralex, remeron, venlafaxine, nothing worked.

Week 1 – Started on Flex & no side effects yet. 

Week 2 – No signs of improvement & no Side effects. 

Week 3 – No signs of improvements, I see some signs of side effects (level of side effects -  3/10) 1 being best & 10 being worst. 

Week 4 – No signs of improvements, finally side effects are here, I feel drowsy, lethargic & sleepy all the time also also have restless legs when i sit down(level of side effects -  4/10). 

Week 5 - No signs of improvements, I feel drowsy lethargic & sleepy all the time, also have restless legs when i sit down (level of side effects -  5/10). 

Week 6 - No signs of improvements, I feel drowsy lethargic & sleepy all the time, I walk like a zombie , also have restless legs when i sit down (level of side effects -  8/10) 

Week 7 - No signs of improvements, I feel drowsy lethargic & sleepy all the time, I walk like a zombie, also have restless legs when i sit down(level of side effects -  9/10) 

Week 8 – I feel some signs of improvements, not sure if they are, I felt normal, calm & not too sleepy for 1st 3 days of the week. 

Rest of the week I feel drowsy lethargic & sleepy all the time, I walk like a zombie L (level of side effects -  9/10) 

Week 9 –I felt normal, calm & not too sleepy for 1st 3 days of the week. 

Rest of the week I feel drowsy lethargic & sleepy all the time, I walk like a zombie, also have restless legs when i sit down (level of side effects -  9/10)

Week 10 running…… I still have some hope…. That’s what driving me to be on it

 My Advice based on my journey – 

Accept the fact that is takes 8 to 10 weeks to see any improvements in that way you can build up some patience. 

I have been through many forum & found most of them had peek side effects around week 6-9, you will also get suicidal thoughts so plz be careful & ask for help if needed. 

Now I need some advice from guys who had similar journey like me & what to expect in coming weeks. Will I see any improvements ? Am I on the right track ?

Will keep you posted..

Thanks you guys, Hope we all get our lifes back.

2

I have been taking flouxatine at 20 mg for 3 months now at least and my symptoms only got worse. I am exausted no matter how much I sleep. What I can suggest in probably energy drinks. yes they are short energy but they will help the tiredness

3

Took my son 6 months to recover on Fluoxetine - they're not an overnight fix, and is impossible to see any sign of improvement within the first month.  Recovery comes in patches too - 1 day good / 1 day bad, a few weeks good - a few weeks bad or even a bad morning followed by a good afternoon.  It can be different from person to person.

The point is, on all SSRI's you have to give it a long, long time for the meds to work and have much patience.  You wouldn't expect a broken leg to heal in a week and probably not in a month either.  After your broken leg has healed you'd also expect to feel some discomfort for some time to come.  And so it's the same with depression / anxiety.

Count recovery in months, not weeks.  Treat each month as 1 week - that's how slow it is.

I had 15 years of depression and it also took a good 3-4 months before I saw any sign of improvement, and after that I continued to recover for many more months.

Doctors misinform their patients all too often about recovery time.  

You just have to start your medicine and then wait.  And when you've done waiting ..... be prepared to wait some more.  Increasing your dose won't hurry recovery either - it doesn't make it any easier.  You'll still have to go through the same long process, and if anything taking a higher dose than you need only adds to the problem.

These meds WILL work if you just let them.  Recovery will come to you in it's own time.  You will never feel like you're recovering either, but that seems how the meds work.

You will get there.  Lots of patience xxx

4

Thanks for the reply smile

Sorry that your symptoms are getting worse, hope you get well soon.

unfortunately caffeine & energy drinks doesn't get along with me so well so it's not an option for me sad. I love to do yoga & hit gym, but with this side effects it's too hard to push myself. today was not a bad day, I was clam so it's better than having side effects.

5

Thanks for sharing your experience & It gives me hope & drives me towards end of the tunnel. I am so happy that you are doing well on these medicines, take care bye.

6

How are you holding now? I realized it's been a while since your last post.

7

I'm on week 3, will be 4 weeks on Friday. I've had increased anxiety like a mofo started getting jittery today like I couldn't sit still and chugged a lot of coffee. Seen a glimpse of hope today for a few hours, hoping its going to get better soon.

8

Would be interested to know if the fluoxetine finally helped? I'm on week 8 and I have fount it so difficult and confusing.

Thanks

9

hi, its a excelent comment for everyone is starting in this meds, so Thank you very much. im on week 8-9 / 20mgs of prozac for anxiety/ week 7 was good, now im on awful days with spikes of anxiety, loss of apetite, agitation. How did you cope this symptoms? what about your experience week 8-10?

10

Hi Victor

That’s normal and is how recovery works. The anxiety and all other symptoms will come and go as you get better.

Recovery can take many, many months and I found as each month passed I notice small symptoms had lessened. Some people take 6-9 months, some a year, but try not to watch your recovery, just let recovery come to you in its own time. Everyone is different and recover in their own time.

11

Hi All, I find myself in week 5 of my fluoxetine journey and reading these posts is providing me with some much needed comfort. I was having a couple of good days and then all of a sudden I was hit with really bad ringing in my ears which is stopping me from sleeping. This is listed as a side effect for the meds but im wondering if you have experienced this and whether it cleared up? Im really worried it wont go away 😦 Thank you,