paulcoI am a mid 40ish year old male, who was just put on Fluoxetine for depression and anxiety issues. I have been on them for a week now, and have experienced the nausea, increased anxiety, tiredness and dry mouth – that I was warned about. What else can I expect before this levels off?
Fluoxetine - what side effects can I expect to experience before things level off?
- Posted:
- 4 Aug 2012 by paulco
- Topics:
- depression, anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, fluoxetine, mouth
Details:
Responses (5)
endlessPred4 Aug 2012
Hello paulco. Welcome to the site.
With SSRI meds it take time to adjust and time for full effectiveness. Often side effects go away fairly soon. If they stay bothersome you need to call you psychiatrist. Not all work the same and each person reacts differently. There are others to try if this is not a good fit. Generally the doc will give you something for nausea if too difficult, and the rest will settle soon.
Give your doc a call as he has all your medical records and can decide if this is going to work for you. I am sure others will weigh in with their responses soon. gum, hard candy will help.
pamee5 Aug 2012
Hello paulco, I took Fluoxetine one time and my psychiatrist took me off quickly as it caused my anxiety and panic to soar out of control. He then put me on pamalor to calm my depression and anxiety then months later he put me back on SSRI's. For the dry mouth suck on ice chips or sugarless candies. There is also sprays you can get at a drug store for dry mouth. Best wishes to you.
pamee.
5 Aug 2012
Thanks everyone for your suggestions! I did contact my doctor, and she told me that these symptoms are typical and should diminish within another week or so. So, I will carry on with the hopes that the side effects will lessen - but today's nausea has been the worst! I did read somewhere else that usually the worst nausea occur after the first week - and today is my seventh day...
endlessPred
5 Aug 2012
Glad that the doctor confirmed what others have said. Appreciate your Speaking with the doctor. Hope your symptoms subside soon. Let us know should you have other questions.
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I took this medication a few years ago and had the same problems. but I had to be switched to a different medication because I started having suicidal thoughts, and I started to see things that weren't there and had really crazy dreams and I couldn't sleep! The side effects that I had were rare, but they can happen so please be aware of them... just thought you should know...
I suggest you see your doc, remind him what happened last time and have them switch you. Does your current doc have your full medical record? It helps to be your own advocate by asking questions about any med and letting the doc know of past experiences. There are so many meds that something else could be tried.
Please do the call as soon as possible so they can start weaning you off this one and get you a new one. Do not just stop, as you can have a bad reaction even though has not been too long, ok? Stay in touch.
If things get worse please go to a hospital. They can help you with these side effects.
Suicidal ideation is always a severe reaction that needs reporting. As a matter of fact, all anti-depressants have that listed as a serious side effect. The reason being, when depressed, one usually has less energy and doesn't care much about anything. When the symptoms of the depression start to get better, anyone with a confused mind might think of suicide and now have the energy to attempt unless they seek help for that scary, permanent solution for a temporary problem. The individual is still not thinking clearly. This has been explained to me several times to me by my Psychiatrist. But I was suicidal to begin with. I chose ECT to help alleviate the intractable depression and help me more rapidly than meds alone.
This is not to say that you will experience this reaction, but if you start feeling worse or need to talk to someone quickly, go to the ER. I have and that trip saved my life on more than one occasion. Then again, I've been dealing with severe bipolar disorder for 43 years...
Just sayin',
Sweet Hippie
I totally agree with endless!!!
So do I, I believe you brought up suicide, merely explaining the pathophysiology behind your statement. That's all. Also would suggest sugarless hard candies as some people have reactions to added sugar with psych meds.
Peace recovered,
Hip
Peace to you too Hip... and I understood what you were saying... I just wanted to make people aware of the side effects that I had with that particular medicine so that people know that it can happen and if it does they need to let their Doc know so that their meds can be changed... Also... I want to tell you that you give really good advice on this site and you seem to be a very caring person who thinks about others and cares about the people on this site! Just thought that you should know that!! :)))
You do also, and thank you.
Hippie Chickie
Thanks!!! and you are very welcome!! :))