I was on fluoxetine before for a few years and it worked well. I came off of it like a year and a half ago and only recently decided to go back on it again. I have been on it for just over 3 weeks so far and it’s not helping me at all yet. I’m getting worried that maybe it won’t work this time around. When i started it 3 weeks ago i would get waves of feeling normal which lasted only a few minutes but now i’m just feeling indifferent and have been for the last two weeks.
yes, it will....... just give it time..... and dont think in weeks, more like months...second time around for me took much longer than the first. I started back on 20mg and I have felt no need to increase the dose at all...... the side effects were quite brutal restarting on 20, but slowly improved after about 16 weeks. hang in there!!!
Same hereI was on fluoxetine for about 12 years went off for about a month ' havent felt the same as i did before on it I'm going to keep on it I'm only on 20 mgs but my psych doctor wrote me a script for Xanax to help me thru the anxiety that I've been having. I'm hoping that I can feel as good as I did before
I'm going to stay on it & hope for the best
GOOD luck to you!
did you notice yourself slowly getting better each week or did you only start improving after 16 weeks?
Hello I have been on fluoxetine before, and like you came off them, I had a lot of illness in the middle of the year, I new that the feelings I had were signs of depression, so I was put on fluoxetine, just like you I would have a glimse at the light at the end of the tunnel, but then go back to having low mood, I have been on 20m increased to 40m Friday week ago, I then had the bad side effects again, like no apetite or sleeping. I have been on the fluoxetine for 5 weeks next Tuesday, and each day I am getting signs of feeling better, I just think that 4-6 weeks is for some people but for others it takes longer, you will start to feel better but it does take time, I am enjoying my food and sleeping better, and feeling more positive about everything, but I am not out of the woods yet, but because it worked before we need to give it time.
it took a good 12 weeks before the fluoxetine started working for me this time around (second), but was absolutely worth it in the end. The side effects were absolutley horrendous, those first 3 months but I opted to try and power through after reading the experiences from others on here. best thing i ever did. That was nearly 3 years ago. I still get the very odd blip. (Im currently into week 3 of the latest blip, but the longest since the fluoxetine started working), but if i can get 11 good months out of 12, ill take that with bells on!
I have to say, the first 8 weeks on it were absolutely brutal.... but by about week 12 I started to notice some of the side effects fading very slightly, and sleep was improving a little. By about 16 weeks I started to notice my mood had improved a bit and knew i just needed to keep taking it and do therapy and resume my life..... it was a very hard first 6 months for me, but i also had a lit of life changes going on at the time also.... i kept a journal for about 9 months or so of all my symptoms and things related to the drug to measure where i was at and how far i had come. I still have bad days, like recently, when one of my beautiful pups was run over and killed right in front if me 3 weeks ago.... it sent me into a tailspin of emotions and not sleeping and panic and anxiety..... fortunately My therapist will see me most days, and so i think because of the therapy my life resumed to homeostasis a bit faster than if i did not see anyone. IMO, therapy is essential when also being on and type of mind drugs.
its so hard to be patient when you're feeling this low. I'm sorry about your dog that must of been tough. i know this medication can help me though as it did in the past but theres always that worry in the back of your head that maybe it wont work this time. i remember last time it did take a long time before it worked
Yeah i remember the last time it took a long time to work as well so i guess i just need to be patient. Thats good that you are improving. i will stick it out and give it enough time to work.
which weeks would you say we're your worst when starting fluoxetine? also yeah i would take 11 good months for sure too.
Today has not been such a good day for me, I didnt feel much like food, and bit of low mood, its horrible when you have a good day and then not a very good one, you feel a bit like back to square one, few side effects today. I was on this drug for a number of years but two years ago Doctor wanted me to try slowly to come off, it was the worst thing I ever done. How long did it take you last time to feel better, because it was so long ago I cant remember, but I think it was a while, I just hate these one day ok next day not, but I have spoken to many people and they have been the same. So I will just keep battling on.
I think it definitely took over two months anyways, probably longer than that. I was in a hospital for a month for my anxiety/depression when i first started it. I was on it for like 4 years and then i came off of it cold turkey so you can imagine how much suffering i caused myself by doing that. You say you increased from 20 mg to 40 mg a week ago? I've read that a dose increase is the same as starting all over again so that might be why you are feeling bad again.
Yes you are probably right about the increased dose, but Thursday and Friday I felt pretty good, the low mood had lifted and I was able to eat and enjoy some food and started to sleep better, but Friday night I didnt sleep well and I could tell that the low mood and the fuzzy head had come back, Last night I hardly slept at all, and for two days have felt very down, no appetite, and not really interested in anything. Now when I have a good day It scares me to what will follow. I cant remember being like this the last time I was on it, but the Doctor did say to me that you will still get some days when you dont feel so good.
I started off on 20mg too and went up to 40mg nearly 4 weeks ago. When i first went up to 40mg i felt good for a few days like you as well. In the last week i've started having sleep issues as well. I guess going through all this will give us a lot of patience.
I think you are the same as me, its strange how you get a good day and then have the low mood again, its a horrible feeling makes me not interested in anything, last night I did sleep a bit better, but still wake up a few times, I thought today was going to be a good day as yesterday evening I felt a little better, but this morning not so good, I feel nervous and shaky, How long have you been taking Fluoxetine now, its 5 weeks tomorrow for me, most people I have spoken with dont seem to get better in 4-6 weeks like the info states, until this drug is fully in the system I think this is why each day is different. I want each day to be a good day, and just to feel motivated to do something.
im only counting the days that ive been on the 40mg dose because a dose increase is just like starting the medication all over. ive been on the 40mg for 27 days. i read that weeks 2-3 are the worst. Im in my third week now and im definitely feeling worse for wear.
what a pity that you are not feeling so good, its so up and down, I cant remember being like this last time, but as its years ago, I probably cant remember. This morning I dint feel so good but then I could slowly feel the mood lifting, and had some lunch and a meal tonight, but who knows what tomorrow will bring, every day is different. i think the illness in itself is stressful, and that makes us anxious, I keep saying you will get better just to remind myself, very hard though. I hope you start to feel better soon, I had awful side effects the very next day on the increased dose, I am still shaky, but I can cope with that, its when I cant eats the worst it messes the whole body up.
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I hope you will get better soon too. I remember the last time i went on fluoxetine it was like this as well. It just takes time for it to work. Here's a timeline of recovery that i found whilst browsing through this forum.
So I found this online when I was looking into the same questions as you regarding timeline.
Note : I did not write this I got this off another website however sharing to maybe help you and others out.
Week 1: This week can go either way. Some find almost immediate improvement while other see the side effects (see weeks 2-3) after the first day.
Weeks 2,3: These are almost always the most difficult. Anxiety and depression can get worse than before the medication. Side effects kick in, these can include sleeplessness, nightmares, diarrhea, nausea, hot flashes, excessive sweating (especially at night), dry mouth, muscle twitches, overall muscle weakness and pain, zero appetite, and very negative mental outlook. My advice is, take these one day at a time and try not to get discouraged, not every day will be bad and better times are ahead!
Weeks 4,5: Some improvement. The side effects lessen to some point, and there are moments when you start to feel normal. Typically evenings are the best and mornings the worst. Many start playing around with dosage at this point because they are told that the Prozac should be working, my advice: hold the course!
Weeks 6,7: More improvement. Maybe 50% to 70% better than before starting. There are often blips where you feel just terrible for a few days, but not usually over a week. Some side effects lessen, but also you may get new side effects. Hang in there, you are getting ready to turn a corner!
Weeks 8-10: Even more improvement. There still are blips, but they are less severe and shorter, maybe 1-2 days. Not normal yet, but getting better day by day. The side effects are usually 75% or so gone. Light at the end of the tunnel!
Weeks 10-12: Maybe this is wishful thinking for me (I'm not here yet), but this is where most see the best results. Some quotes from this time period: "best in months", "Amazing", "Feel good", "brilliant". Again, this is for the people for whom the prozac did work, not everyone, and for those who stuck to their original dosage. For some, this happens at 7 weeks, for some, 3-4 months. But, from what I have read, 10-12 weeks is the payoff time.
That is brilliant, I try to keep a diary of each day, but that is very interesting. Do you go to work, I would never be able to cope with that. Yesterday was good after lunch, and this morning I feel not to bad, so will just keep going along until I am 100% and can enjoy life again, like wanting to go out places, even if just for a meal, thats what I miss, just sat about all day, but I try to do a few jobs just to keep me going throughout the day. This time of year doesnt help us. keep me updated with how you are.X