r/Fluoxetine

I'm (24F) coming here because I'm at a loss and want to hear other people's stories and experiences to see if anyone can else has experienced anything similar.

I've been on and off different meds for years and have had on and off bouts of depression. I'm diagnosed with MDD and recently suspected of struggling with OCD, so I tried Prozac for the first time.

Within a few days I felt good again. And then, I felt AMAZING. I was so inspired and motivated. I finally wanted to do art again. I didn't hate my job and I wasn't overwhelmed and I wasn't working myself into these constant awful thought spirals. It was early on and I really wasn't trying to get ahead of myself, but how could I not at the same time. I've been dealing with this particular bout of depression for over a year now. I've been seeing two therapists and have seen two different psychiatrists during this bout alone. I was feeling like all of my research and hard work was finally starting to pay off. I had worked so hard to do as much as I could before resorting to meds but it became necessary for me and finally I was seeing real results!

And then it tapered off. I started feeling bad again. I was taking the same meds, but after two weeks of feeling great I just started to feel blah. My psychiatrist recommended that I should up my dose from 20 to 40 mg bc of the potential OCD. That I may need more but it seems like this is the right med for me. We upped my dose, and I got worse. I was holding out hope for a while that my inspiration and motivation would come back, but I was crying more and feeling very overwhelmed over minor things. My partner could see I was getting worse and urged me to stop taking the medicine after I confessed I was researching institutions to check myself into. I was feeling scared of myself and panicked and like I needed more serious help.

When I relayed all of this to my psychiatrist and she seemed so confused. At this point, she was already on her way out of the practice and decided to decrease my dose and set me up with someone else within the practice who may have different recommendations. I have also been given IOP and PHP resources.

Unfortunately, because of the way my prescriber wrote my script, I wasn't able to get the refill I needed to properly taper off my dose before going out of town so I went from 40mg to 20 for less than a week to now nothing. Now I feel maybe the worst I've been yet this round. I'm so fatigued and no amount of caffeine can touch it. I dread doing anything and it's really impacting my daily functioning. I've only been off for about 5 days now, so I know the withdrawals are hitting me, but this is so awful.

I just don't understand what happened. Did I not give the meds enough time to work? Should I have stuck it out? Was my initial benefits some kind of placebo? I feel that if placebo was enough to help me I would have come across that a lot earlier in this journey. Did my extracurricular activities (regular cannabis smoking, one time use of 🍄‍🟫) ruin the opportunity I had with this drug? I would love to hear if anyone has had similar experiences and what worked for you or any advice you may have.

TL;DR Prozac worked great for me at first but the good effects tapered out and wore off after about 2 weeks. Increasing my dose made me feel even worse. Have you heard of anything like this?

Im 26 and I have been on remeron and prozac since I was 15/16. The doses have gone up and down a few times over the years. But I tapered off remeron successfully last year (its been about a year and a half). And now i want off the prozac. I have been bad at taking it consistently *despite having a pill caddy with a space for everyday of the month on it* and a couple weeks ago I had a bad panic attack and realized it had been 7 days since I last took it. So I decided fuck it, ill just start coming off it now. So since then ive been taking my 20mg capsule 1x a week. Im approaching week 3. Ive started to feel off, a bit disconnected and very sad and irritable. Along with some GI symptoms. Im a full time student with no income so I dont have any insurance and out of pocket my psych is 100 bucks. So I cant do it with their help. But my thought process is to just do this for a month or 2 and then stop and push through the discomfort. It took me a year to taper off the remeron because my psch kept having me reinstate the last dosage when symptoms got too severe and I just felt like I was on a roller coaster. So at some point I just took a week off work and stopped taking it and pushed through all the symptoms and it got better after that 1 week. But I also know prozac has a MUCH longer half-life so the symptoms wont be just a week. So I guess im asking for thoughts and recommendations for a situation like this. I don't wanna do any permanent damage (if thats even possible). But I just want off of it.

I’ve been on fluoxetine about a year and the last 3 months I’ve put on loads of weight. I usually have a couple of coffees a day and a few beers on my day off but I’ve done this even before being on fluoxetine and had no issues before. I walk about 8 miles a day for work so I don’t think lack of exercise is the problem. Anyone else having this problem or have any tips to combat it?

I don’t understand how after being on the same dose of this medicine for 5 years I’d only just now start having brain zaps. ⚡️ I take 40mg and I haven’t been missing doses or anything. I can’t stand the feeling of the zaps! They’ve been happening intermittently for a few weeks now & my pcp ordered an MRI and also wants me to have my eyes examined just to rule out some things I guess. Anyone else deal with this??

3 weeks on 40mg - Severe anhedonia and constant existential anxiety. When does it really kick in ?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some insights or shared experiences from anyone who has been on a similar combination or dosage.

A month ago, I was on Prozac 20mg, but my psychiatrist increased my dose to 40mg because I wasn't seeing any improvement. I have also been taking Olanzapine 5mg alongside it. It has now been 3 weeks (21 days) on this increased 40mg dosage.

My main struggle is a deep, constant existential anxiety : an overwhelming dread about the very concept of existing, living, and being aware of my own presence.

On top of that, I am experiencing severe anhedonia. I feel absolutely no pleasure in any activity, have zero appetite, and have no desire to live or exist. My only constant wish right now is just to be unconscious and sleep to escape it all. It’s deeply exhausting.

I'm also experiencing a strange and painful paradox : while I am terrified of my own existence, I simultaneously feel completely disconnected from life and detached from reality, like I’m not really here (derealization/depersonalization maybe ?). It feels like my brain is shutting down to protect itself from the anxiety, making me feel like a ghost in my own body.

It’s been 21 days on this exact dosage, but I’m still feeling very anxious, empty, and detached. I know antidepressants take time to build up, but waiting while feeling this level of distress is extremely difficult.

For those who have taken Prozac (or the Prozac + Olanzapine combination) :

- How long did it take for you to feel a real shift in anxiety, anhedonia, and existential dread ?

- Did improvement come gradually, or did it feel like a sudden change ?

- Is it normal to still feel this level of emptiness, derealization, and anxiety 3 weeks after stepping up to 40mg ?

- At what point should I consider talking to my doctor about switching treatments ? Could Prozac simply not be the right fit for me ?

(Note : I'm in touch with my prescribing doctor and am not looking for medical advice, just personal experiences and reassurance while I wait for my next appointment).

Thank you so much for reading and for any context you can share.

I've been taking fluoxetine for a while and I've noticed a really concerning change with alcohol.

Before starting fluoxetine, I never had problems with blacking out. I could drink and I'd obviously get drunk, but I wouldn't completely lose periods of my memory.

Now, the last 3 times I've drank I've ended up completely blacking out. I'm not talking about being fuzzy on a few details - I lose significant periods of time and have ended up in random places without remembering how I got there. I've also apparently done/s said things that I have absolutely no memory of.

It's gotten to the point where my girlfriend is completely over it, and honestly I don't blame her. I don't want to be this person when I drink.

I'm currently on 20mg fluoxetine. Has anyone else experienced a dramatically lower tolerance / blackouts / completely different behaviour when drinking after starting fluoxetine?

I'm not looking for people telling me "don't drink on Prozac" - I already know, and I'm probably going to stop drinking altogether. I'm mainly interested in whether anyone else had this specific experience and whether it changed after stopping/reducing alcohol or changing medication.

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who's experienced something similar.

Lately been tapering and feeling like my short term memory is really bad. Lately been feeling like my mind is pretty blank and having emotional blunting . Depersonalization and anxiety every morning. Did anyone improve after getting off?

Hi everyone.

I've been on prozac now 12 days. 20mg daily

Smartwatch showing resting heart rate as low as 45 when just sitting still. Normally only that number when sleeping. Heart rate will elevate with moving, eating etc. It's really freaking me out.

Has anyone had anything similar? I don't even feel better, I feel worse. My anxiety is awful, and I'm tired all the time

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thank you.

My life has been a sh*t show (mentally) for a while now. Single mom of a high needs autistic 7 year old, PMDD, unmedicated ADHD, C-PTSD, OCD, anxiety and binge eating disorder. I wake up anxious and that's usually how most days are from start to finish. I feel like my nervous system is completely shot. I told myself I would never try an SSRI again after escitalopram because it quite literally made me want to jump out of a window which terrified me so my doctor got me off of it immediately. The tapering off that was horrendous. 12 days straight up brain zaps with every step I took. I could hardly function.

That was all terrible but what if fluoxetine will be different for me? I feel like my life is a shell. Apart from taking my child places, I'm housebound. I used to love going out. Last year when she was in school I never went out to do anything for myself and if I did I was terrified the whole time and would often get panic attacks needing to take an Uber home straight away. I'm sick of the panic attacks I have every week. This is one of the main reasons my doctor wants me to try fluoxetine. I of course read horror stories of how it worsened panic attacks for people, my doctor prescribed me some Ativan to use while I'm starting.

I'm just rambling at this point I'm sorry.

Should I take it 🥺 I'm scared lol

Edit: I took the medication shortly after posting this and it's probably placebo but I'm feeling quite calm. Even if it's placebo it's something good I guess 😂 fingers crossed this is the one for me.

Edit# 2: This is probably placebo but I feel really good. I've gotten more cleaning done than I have in months my house was in such disarray. I'm really hoping this isn't serotonin syndrome? I was diagnosed with bipolar 2 in 2014 but my current doctor doesn't think I have it. I agree with her. I'm just a bit nervous about that. But hey, a win is a win I'll take it lol. I will keep an eye on this though.

Lately been tapering and feeling like my short term memory is really bad. Lately been feeling like my mind is pretty blank and having emotional blunting . Depersonalization and anxiety every morning. Did anyone improvise after getting off?

Hi. I was on fluoxetine at 60mg a couple of months back (for anxiety) and it was helping but making me extremely tired and apathetic. I went back down to 40mg and then, when that didn't work, my psych added 150mg of Bupropion. On his advice I've increased the dose of fluoxetine to 60mg again. I am at the end of the second week of the dose increase and have been jittery all of last week. The symptoms are much more noticeable than previously. Guess I'm looking for some reassurance/hope that this will settle over time

Tw: masturbation and mental health topics
Okay I started about a month ago at 20 mg and I’ve noticed I cannot masturbate like at all? TMI warning but I’m used to doing it like every day sometimes multiple times a day and now I can’t do it, it doesn’t feel good and nothing even gets me turned on. Thankfully I’m experiencing way less anxiety and my >!suicidal!< Ideation + depression has been way less than usual so I suppose it’s not a big deal if I can’t goon but I’m just curious if that’s a normal side effect? Idk if this is necessary information but I’m female and 13

32m I stopped taking my prozac randomly just because I was feeling fine and just kind of forgot. And then I had a surgery coming off so I stayed off even longer because I didn’t want to take it because of the sedation. And now yesterday I took a 20mg pill and now today I’m feeling all weird and wavy in the head and dizzy kind of and my face is like cold and tingling somewhat and it’s scaring me. Should I take another pill today or should I just stop taking it completely. I don’t want like serotonin syndrome or something to happen?

I'll keep this as short as possible because i want people with similar experiences/diagnoses to interact with this post

I'm 25F and I've been officially diagnosed with several anxiety disorders, major depressive disorder (MDD) and ADHD for over 5 years now but I've been suffering for a good part of the past 12 years of my life.
I've taken fluoxetine 40mg and atomoxetine 40mg a couple of years ago and it helped with the suicidality and executive dysfunction but it made me emotionally blunted, reckless and impulsive. almost like i had a long manic episode, in hindsight.

for some unfortunate circumstances i was cut off from any type of psychiatric help for 3 years but i was able to seek help a couple of months back and now I'm on fluoxetine 40 mg and abilify 5mg. Initially i felt almost like i was reborn again after starting abilify, i was elated, productive, happy. and most importantly i wasn't emotionally blunted, i could cry.

but then came the restlessness and the sleepless nights, eating obsessively, spending recklessly. I'm still dealing with the debt i put myself in last month for things i didn't think through. i would feel agitated 24/7 and especially when i didn't get what i wanted. I'd walk out the house in the AMs for a can of diet coke.

then, a family member convinced me to half my abilify dose. it made sense to me, my psych was on holiday and i felt like i wanted to peel the skin off my flesh from the agitation so it felt like a temporary solution. until i got cocky and completely stopped it. i went back to sleeping too much, feeling like suicide was the only solution to the simplest of problems. i had to get back on it so i did. but now i feel trapped and restless again. i dont know what to do. my family thinks i take too many drugs at high doses for such "simple" diagnoses. switching would be hard too. i'm just really confused and need guidance or at least someone that shares my struggles

thanks in advance

I took fluoxetine 40 mg for almost 2 years and gained so much weight I'm a completely different looking person now. I stopped the meds after discovering it caused my weight gain. My question is how did you lose the weight the meds caused?

So I've been wanting to try mdma for a while now but never did cause of my medication. I have now been off of it completely (fluoxetine) for a week now how much longer should I wait till I can do Molly? Ive heard people say after 2 weeks your good but others say it takes months for it to leave your system. Any help is appreciated.

Has anyone who has been on or currently on this tell me a bit about it i’m js a little confused about what’s going to happen.

I am diagnosed with OCD, GAD and PMDD.

I will be 10 weeks on 20mg Prozac in 2 days and I never been better. I am so grateful I started to take it and I didnt give up on it in the first 2 weeks when the anxiety was horrible.

The side effects were very gentle to me, I was more anxious in the first 2-4 weeks but no panic attacks. The mornings were the worst but didnt last long.

Now? I am this new person, enjoying life and feeling happy. No worries about my health or about the future. The week before my period is no longer like living in hell. I am calm, rational and able to enjoy the moment.

Prozac is a real blessing for me and I am so grateful to my psychiatrist!

i am on fluoxetine 20mg i take it every morning,this was my first time drinking coffee after it and i feel shakiness and very sleepy,its like caffeine effect is x10 my head hurts, does anyone here with the same experience?

I want to know if anyone’s emotional blunting has gotten better. I’m tapering off and feel like the blunting is there maybe even worse. Any success stories of coming off and feeling better?