HI - I'm looking from some advice from people who have taken Fluoxetine for a while. I have taken it for 5 years and for most of that time its worked pretty well for me - though it did take months to kick in at first. I had decided to try and taper off it and had gone down to taking 20mg every other day and then every few days. I thought I was doing well and then my old symptoms came back (depression and anxiety) and so I went back up to 20mg / day. Straight away the side effects started - rapid heart beat, shaking, nausea, no appetite, very low mood - so I thought I would just hang in there as I had been through it before and knew that they eventually worked. However that was 9 weeks ago, and although I have felt better in patches, I'm still expereincing side effects - occasional trembling, morning anxiety, night sweats and no real noticeable improvement, so I just don't know what's happening - has anyone else experienced this from simply upping their dose to previous levels - is it just like starting over? I want to keep taking them as I can't bear the thought of taking someting else ( I have tried seroxat and citalopram before and experienced intense side effects with both of them). I know my doctor is just going to recomend going up a dose, but when I tried this before I just got extreme anxiety and couldn't continue, so reluctant to take that advice, let me know what you think.
Hola Karen, llevo tomando 20 mg más de 4 meses y hace 8 semanas subí a 40 mg. Todavía tengo efectos secundarios, exactamente los mismos. Estuve tomando fluoxetina durante más de 4 años y tomaba 20 mg cada dos días, luego me olvidaba de tomarlos. Eso me empeoró, así que tuve que volver a tomarlos. Todavía tengo ansiedad por la mañana y acabo de volver al trabajo. Dale más tiempo. Mi médico ha aceptado darme otras 4 semanas con la nueva dosis y si no hay mejora tendré que pasar a otra medicación. Es muy difícil, pero lo lograrás.
Hello Andrea! So happy to hear from you and that there is someone else out there going through this, so do you think going up to 40mg just prolonged your recovery? I've read that increasing the dose is just like starting over, which is why I just want to stay at 20mgs, yes I want to give it more time but it's just so hard feeling like this, though I've definitely had some good days recently, just the past few days have been really crap...hopefully just a blip..
Estoy segura de que es un bache x también voy y vengo. Mi médico quería que subiera a la dosis máxima de 60 mg, pero dije que no. También me preocupan más efectos secundarios.
RIght ok, I think doctors feel like they need to do something and it's obvious to say increase the dose but I don't think these meds actually work that way, it's about getting a stable dose established in the body which will eventually be recognised by the receptors and I guess the ups and downs we're having plus the side effects still being there show the body hasn't stabilised yet...I've been reading through a lot of posts and many of the ones reporting success stories mention not seeing results until week 12 on the same dose, so worth hanging in there and if I think back honestly it has probably taken that long in the past to get positive effects...just the night sweats starting to really bother me, just woke up drenched again, don't remember having this before, have you experienced that ?
Hola Karen, sí, tuve los sudores nocturnos, ahora ya no los tengo x. Pensé que estaba empezando la menopausia muy temprano 😊. X sí, la marca de las 12 semanas parece ser el momento en que empieza a estabilizarse.
OK, yep I was thinking the same, I'm 40 now so it would be a bit early at least you're over them now! how long did it take? it's so good to chat to someone going through the same thing [hugs]...I really think you should try and hang in there and not switch, as it shoulds like a lot of the side effects are wearing off for you - I read somewhere that once the side effects wear off you just feel like to did to begin with - and THEN it starts to work...it's just so slow!! I'm in work now - just going thorugh the motions really until the afternoon when I usually start to feel a bit better, not too much anxiety this morning yet x
Hola Karen, yo también tengo 40 años jaja. Los efectos secundarios casi han desaparecido para mí, aunque la ansiedad sigue aquí. No tengo tantos ataques de pánico, solo me siento bajo de ánimo a veces y ansioso mientras estoy en el trabajo. Ahora duermo bien, sin embargo.
Yes work is when I'm really challenged, just difficult to concentrate and be motivated when I feel like crap, but it can be a good distraction so I force myself to go in...anyway this morning my anxiety really escalated, like it was in week one, and so I thought this really isn't right, this dose isn't working so I just decided to take 2 tabs at lunchtime (when I ususally take mine) which my doctor recomended I do last week...and now it's 2 hours later and I actually think I feel calmer so hopefully the effects won't be as bad on increasing - how was it when you increased? x
Hola Karen - cuando lo aumenté fue malo, pero no tan malo como cuando tomé la primera dosis por primera vez. También han pasado 9 semanas desde que tomé mi dosis más grande. Pensé que para ahora estaría normal, pero no lo estoy. Es frustrante, además las hormonas también tienen algo que ver, me canso tanto en la tarde pero no puedo dormir.
ok I'm starting to feel a bit agitated now, but not too bad - what dose were you on before? I've never been on 40mgs so I'm hoping it will make the difference as my body won't be used to it, are you on it for depression or anxiety? my doctor said flu takes longer to work for anxiety..I have a bit of both as I don't believe that you can be anxious and happy?? though my doctor thinks the anxiety is the bigger issue and has diagnosed me as having general anxiety disorder..it seems to come and go for me - the past few years I've been great and then bam! it comes back , think hormones could be playing a part as well - I went on oestrogen gel last year when I had a bit of a blip as it is known low oestrogen plays a part in depression and anxiety, and after a couple of months on it I felt great - had the best summer! which is why I thought I didn't need the prozac anymore and started to come off it - BIG MISTAKE! so now I'm still on the oestrogen gel but it's not doing anything whilist the prozac is not working...I read yesterday that folic acid and b vitamins are also really important in helping the prozac to work, so make sure you take those...
Gracias Karen por tu respuesta, muy útil. Estoy en 40 mg, nunca antes había estado en 40. Llevo más de 4 años con fluoxetina. El verano pasado dejé de tomarlos, muy mal para mí. Terminé con ataques de pánico, ansiedad, llorando, etc. Estaba en 20 mg, el médico me da 3 semanas más y si no hay mejoras, tengo que probar otra pastilla. Él sugirió que fuera a la dosis máxima que es 60 mg, le dije que no.
So what symptoms have you still got? If you're tired in the afternoon maybe you should get your thyroid checked as well? Are you having any therapy ? I'm starting some next week, hoping that will help too, guess the medication is only one part of the treatment for this illness, you're lucky you're sleeping well at least, I'm falling asleep ok but then waking at 3am drenched in sweat and not able to go back to sleep 😞And then my kids come and jump on me at 6am...it's not wonder I'm frazzled really, if I could get my sleep back it would be great...
Hola Karen, todavía tengo ataques de bostezos / ataques de cansancio, no muchos efectos secundarios, solo ansiedad al ir al trabajo y durante el trabajo. También tengo dos hijos pequeños y dolores de cabeza, pero no estoy segura si son efectos secundarios. También he perdido peso. Los médicos me revisaron la tiroides el año pasado.
Right we definitely have a lot in common! Maybe this is all part of a mid life crisis or something! Can so relate to the anxiety at work, I used to enjoy going to my job and having some me time, but I work in advertising and it's such a sexist/ Agist industry that it's just ground me down to the point where I just started to despise what I did and the company, so last week I handed in my notice! I've got 3 months left so I'm taking the summer off to spend with my kids and get myself better, then I'm hoping to go back to studying and maybe working part time...money might be a struggle but my partner should be able to support me, I just think life is to short to be doing something you hate, I think my anxiety come out when I'm in a situation that makes me unhappy x
Hola Karen, bien hecho por tomar acción. 👍🏽 I trabajo medio tiempo, me encantaría dejar mi trabajo, pero tendríamos dificultades financieras. Sí, tenemos mucho en común. Me estoy recuperando, pero muy lentamente. Soy tan impaciente y quiero volver a la normalidad lo antes posible, pero lleva tiempo.
So slow I know, beginning to forget what's it's like to feel normal, thou this evening I've been pretty good, definitely think going up to 40mg has been right for me, hope I don't crash down again tomorrow morning, and really hope I don't get the night sweats 😥😴
Hi Andrea, how are you feeling now? I've been on 40mg for a week now and it's been a bit of a roller coaster, mostly been feeling better, but then got a bad dose of gastroenteritis and it's left me pretty flat, wondering if it flushed the meds out of my system or something? So anyway just taking one day at a time x