Problems with Fluoxetine?

[rnb972]

Just sharing my experience and seeing if anyone has ever been through anything similar?

So i was put on 20mg Fluoxetine for one month and found no improvement so the dose was doubled to 40mg per day. At first I had the odd headache but nothing serious. After 2 weeks of taking 40mg per day, one night i wasn't feeling too good..i was shaking a lot, palpitations..and i was sick once..then went to A&E with the palpitations..had all the tests etc. and they just said it was anxiety, i went to the doctors again the next day and the dose was halved back to 20mg and now they're slowly taking me off them and referring me to the mental health team instead.

Anybody else had anything like this? If you need to know also, i'm 20 years old and female. Thanks in advance!

[Fry]

I've never had a reaction like that, no.
It's good that they're taking you off it though, clearly doesn't agree with you. (Or you, it!)

[Steel Maiden]

I can't find anything in the BNF (British National Formulary; I have a hard copy) that shows side-effects like that, but I think that it was the fluoxetine that did it. Are you going on any new meds? Were you on any other meds with fluoxetine?

[Fry]

The BNF is available on-line, anyway.
I'm sure A&E knew what they were doing, hence the after treatment being to halve and so forth eliminate the medication.

[rnb972]

They haven't mentioned putting me on any other meds..I honestly wouldn't expect any of them to work because i truly believe its just something i need to figure out myself so the only thing they've mentioned is having me assessed by the mental health team. My doctor thinks that its CBT that i need..which again i'm not convinced about because i don't see that anybody can change the way i think! Thanks for the replies so far! :)

[random.swirls]

I had similar to a degree but with me my blood pressure was through the roof, I was very sweaty, very very jerky my legs wouldn't stay still and a few things like this.

I also went incredibly manic and whilst this could be linked to the above I have since gone high on another another Anti Depressant.

Anyway I was suffering from Serotonin Syndrome and was admitted to hospital and given fluids and something to stop the shaking.

[BrightRed]

Correct me if, I'm wrong.. but I heard that in some people who are taking fluoxetine, it can cause/increase anxiety, which could explain your heart palpitations

[bleeding black]

I went on fluoextine when I was 12, and was on it for quite some time. It really helped me for several years, and i got no side effects at all.

I'm sorry you had such a bad reaction, some medications I've been on haven't agreed with me at all either.

As always different people respond in all sorts of ways to medication, and you shouldn't be put off by someone's bad experience.

[Susu.]

I had hot sweats and very disrupted sleep on fluoxteine, it was also the catalyst for my self harm to begin as opposed to it just being thoughts... so yeah, i'm not the biggest fan of it! I took myself off it because ultimately it wasn't helping my - it controlled my emotions and stopped me getting so blue but it was just a band aid on a wound that was festering - not actually helping with the problem, just controlling the symptoms a bit

[rnb972]

thanks for your replies. I have to admit, since i've been on it my suicidal thoughts and self harm have increased dramatically so i'm just waiting now, i don't really want to be taking medication anymore as i feel i want to treat the actual cause of the problem not just the symptoms i'm experiencing etc. thanks again!

[Fry]

I like your attitude :)
SSRI's are known for the increase in feeling suicidal etc.

[Wandering]

Never had that....it made my skin itch though...and made me yawn a lot!