prozac

[madness88]

hi, iv just been prescribed with fluoxetine.
im worried bout takin it though, i know it takes a while to kick in and in that time my mood will get worse.
has anyone experienced this. or had really bad side effects?

[Ice.Maiden]

Yes hun - this drug takes a course to kick in. Your doctor should monitor the use after that, and hopefully, once you start to feel a little better, he can wean you off them gently. xx

[madness88]

thanks for the advise. im just scared of takin them. sounds silly i know but its the side effects im worried about. i feel like just testing one out to see what happens x

[Fay Mousse]

You probably won't notice any effects whatsover after one tablet.

Be prepared to be on them long term if you have clinical depression - you're body doesn't create enough serotonin on its own, causing feelings of depression.

If you have reactionary depression caused by external factors such as bereavement, then you may be on them for less than a year.

Many people have no side effects at all, but it is good you are prepared for them.

Good luck with it all.

[andy-hughes]

Any antidepressant can cause side-effects. You can scarfe yourself silly reading the leaflet that comes with your tablets, but that's just the drug companies covering themselves in absolutely every eventuality, most of which won't happen.

If you find you have any side-effects - nausea, loss of libido, and so on after about three weeks, then have a chat with your GP, but in nearly all cases, these effects, if they occur at all, subside after a short period of time.

Hope they help you.

[mandimoo]

i felt queasy for the first couple of weeks taking them and then after that it was like i was dazed all the time. i had just started a new job (like my first day) and i found it very hard to retain new information for the year that i was taking them and i felt a bit paranoid on them (probably because people were looking at me like i was stupid cos i couldnt retain what they were trying to teach me)! i stopped after a year and immediately felt better. in hindsight, im not sure i really needed them so perhaps this is why they had the adverse side effects. what i really needed was to be out of the relationship i was in. the pills didnt cure that, but the break up did!

[Sasha13]

I took Prozac for 9 months once. Had no probs coming off them and absolutely no side effects whatsoever. The only thing I would say is make sure you take them with a glass of water as the one time i didn't they burned my throat.

Can't recommend them highly enough, they were fantastic and were a massive help to me.

I think the moral of the story is everyone's different. Take them, and if you get side effects, go speak to your GP about them.

Lots of luck, let us know how you get on. x

[Denise_uk]

Hi madness88. Fluoxetine saw me through a very stressful time a few years back, also with no side effects and no problems when the time came to stop taking them. They took a couple of weeks to get into my system and once they had I didn't feel spaced out or dazed on them, just less uptight and 'on the edge' about things, and more able to handle things on a day to day basis. I'd say give them a try and see how you get on. Good luck. x

[Postdog]

I'm with Sasha - helped me a lot and I had no problems coming off - I was in a better frame of mind by then anyway.

I reckon if they put Prozac in the water supply there would be a lot less crime.

[madness88]

thanks guys for all your help. i will give them a go. wots the worst that could happen.
thanks again xx

[Eve.]

Don't worry if one drug doesn't suit you as it took me a while to find one that really suited me and will probaboy be on them for life.

I have a chemical imbalance and the way I see it it's medicine to put the balance right in my system, like if I had a headache I'd take a painkiller.

They can take a while to kick in and if you're worried about any side effects then go back and have a chat with your doctor so you can both get a solution right which works for you.

If you're having problems then also try and find positive ways of improving your moods yourself.

If you give us some more information about why you were prescribed it, or just post a new question then you may get some ideas to help with that as well :) x