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Just been prescribed Fluoxetine

After 18 months of different kinds of Psychotherapy and not much of a change in me, I've been prescribed anti-depressants this morning.

I've spent three hours researching and reading up on Fluoxetine (no one really explained any of it to me, and I slept about 2 and a half hours last night - so I was not really interested in taking at my 8:30am appointment..) and it says - and this is a direct from the leaflet in the box;
"If you are depressed and/or have anxiety disorders you can sometimes have thoughts of harming or killing yourself. These may be increased when first starting antidepressants"
I'm just really worried, because I do have a history of self harm and attempted suicide.

I was just wondering if anyone has taken Fluoxetine, or knows anyone who has?
I'm really worried that it'll do more harm than good, and I don't want to become dependent on anti-depressants for the rest of my life.
Any advice would be nice and helpful, thanks :smile:
I take fluoxetine, it's the only antidepressant that works for me personally. The first couple of weeks can be difficult, i.e. feeling sleepy all the time, sort of spaced out and just generally not being able to concentrate of focus much. After that time, I started to feel MUCH better.

So just hang in there and give it at least a month to kick in. Any worries, you can always contact your GP. And if you are feeling seriously suicidal at any point, go straight to A&E as they usually have a psychiatric team there.
I've been on it- I was prescribed it at 15 by a CAMHS psychiatrist when I went through a difficult time with my family. It worked to some extent, though I think some of my problems were more spiritual and not amenable to pharmacological treatment, and it always takes at least two weeks for the effects to be fully appreciated- "it's not an aspirin" as the doctor said. It has prevented far more suicide and self harm than it has caused, this is why it is approved and licensed for the indication of depression. It is also not highly addictive.

If you've got a prescription your doctor has decided it is appropriate for you to be on the drug. You should respect his/her professional judgment and at least try it after so many months of psychotherapy. Was it a specialist or your GP who gave you the prescription? If it was a GP you can ask for a referral to a psychiatrist who could explain things more thoroughly to you.
Reply 3
Thanks guys.

I know it sounds so stupid - because I obviously know that I'm not the first person in the world to be given this drug - but it makes me feel better knowing that other people have been through this.

My GP prescribed it, but I am seeing my specialist Dr tomorrow, so hopefully she can explain a bit more to me. Hopefully the next 2 weeks won't be too difficult, but we'll see.
:smile:
Reply 4
I've been on it in the past when I had very bad anxiety problems which caused me to become depressed. It took a bit of getting used to in the first week and I was a bit tearful, but nothing major. When I got used to it, I felt spaced out and emotionless a lot of the time, which sounds horrible but in fact this was a good thing. It allowed me to help myself without feeling overwhelmed by anxiety and emotions and nowadays I am totally fine. I came off it about 2 years ago. Give it a try, it really did help me combat my problems.

Oh, only other bad thing is that it made my pupils big most of the time and I got really sensitive eyes but it's not a huge issue.
I used to be on it and as with all antidepressants it will take a few weeks to kick in.
The reason it can increase self-harm is because sometimes when you are depressed you have the thoughts but no energy to act on them. If your energy levels increase before your mood changes it can give someone that extra push to act on the thoughts.
It is a common drug for depression and I think the only one recommended for under 18s so it is one of the safest ones. Just make sure you take it every day, and don't come off it suddenly.
Hey :smile:

I'm on another SSRI (but they're all practically the same! :tongue:)
I've personally found it really good and has helped me mahoosively :smile:
The increased self-harm / suicide thing is really rare so I wouldnt worry about it too much (and they wouldnt give it to you if they didnt think it was safe)
And if it doesnt help, you can always ask to change your medication... different stuff works for different people..

Also, give it a good amount of time to start working.. I didnt notice anything for about a month, but after that it was alll good :biggrin:
I was on fluoxetine for about 2 years before I decided enough was enough. It increased my anxiety, and increased thoughts of suicide. So yes, side effects do occur but as you can see the majority of people on this thread have found that it works well for them. My best advice to you is to try it, but if you see/anyone else notices a change for the worse in you, go back to the doctor and ask to try something else, you don't have to put up with it as I stupidly did!

That said, I really hope it works for you, depression is such a horrible thing to go through.
Original post by KlaireDelilah
After 18 months of different kinds of Psychotherapy and not much of a change in me, I've been prescribed anti-depressants this morning.

I've spent three hours researching and reading up on Fluoxetine (no one really explained any of it to me, and I slept about 2 and a half hours last night - so I was not really interested in taking at my 8:30am appointment..) and it says - and this is a direct from the leaflet in the box;
"If you are depressed and/or have anxiety disorders you can sometimes have thoughts of harming or killing yourself. These may be increased when first starting antidepressants"
I'm just really worried, because I do have a history of self harm and attempted suicide.

I was just wondering if anyone has taken Fluoxetine, or knows anyone who has?
I'm really worried that it'll do more harm than good, and I don't want to become dependent on anti-depressants for the rest of my life.
Any advice would be nice and helpful, thanks :smile:


It is common with many antidepressants that they will make you feel worse before you feel better, do you have anyone you trust who you can mention this too so they can keep and eye on you and if you are feeling crap you can go and talk to them. It does get better, I promise, it make take a while but it will get better.
Reply 9
Thanks for your advice/stories guys :smile:
I'm going to try it out, and see how it makes me feel. I'm guessing it'll take a few days for any effects to set in, so we'll see how it goes, I guess.
I was prescribed Fluoxetine at the age of 16, and I remember the first 2 weeks or there abouts being horrendous, I was always tired, couldn't concentrate and I didn't sleep. But the thing that made it worth while was me knowing that I had finally got the courage to go to the doctors to sort this depression out. So really things could only get better. :smile: I went through psychotherapy and found that really unhelpful too. But it doesn't work for a lot of people.
I've recently been changed over to Paroxetine due to my anxiety disorder, and I'm getting that first 2 weeks of side affects again! Which includes horrible sickness! But again, it will pass.

Anyway, you just need to stick to the Fluoxetine, and keep strong. :smile:
Reply 11
Original post by KlaireDelilah
After 18 months of different kinds of Psychotherapy and not much of a change in me, I've been prescribed anti-depressants this morning.

I've spent three hours researching and reading up on Fluoxetine (no one really explained any of it to me, and I slept about 2 and a half hours last night - so I was not really interested in taking at my 8:30am appointment..) and it says - and this is a direct from the leaflet in the box;
"If you are depressed and/or have anxiety disorders you can sometimes have thoughts of harming or killing yourself. These may be increased when first starting antidepressants"
I'm just really worried, because I do have a history of self harm and attempted suicide.

I was just wondering if anyone has taken Fluoxetine, or knows anyone who has?
I'm really worried that it'll do more harm than good, and I don't want to become dependent on anti-depressants for the rest of my life.
Any advice would be nice and helpful, thanks :smile:


My gf is currently taking it, she has had less side affects than with others, but those only lasted for a week or two when she first started taking them.

You have to remember that the companies that make these things have to put all the side effects on the leaflet, if you read somethings the side effects reads like a list of everything that can ever kill you, most have "small chance of death" or something along those lines. This is because one in a hundred million might have some really bad reaction - it would be more risky crossing the road - but they have to put it down.

Note that it says thoughts , basically its informing you that if you think these thoughts then you can attribute it to the drugs and hopefully not act on them. My gf hasn't experienced any of these (to my knowledge!) on any antidepressants.

Basically, getting it sorted is worth the tiny risk of having that particular side effect.

I wouldn't worry about being on antidepressants for the rest of your life. If they successfully stop your depression effecting your life then who cares if you have to take a tiny pill every day. These things can work, they aren't magic, you may have to try a few different ones but its worth it. As my gf said, "its nice to feel normal".
Original post by ~ Purple Rose ~
I used to be on it and as with all antidepressants it will take a few weeks to kick in.
The reason it can increase self-harm is because sometimes when you are depressed you have the thoughts but no energy to act on them. If your energy levels increase before your mood changes it can give someone that extra push to act on the thoughts.It is a common drug for depression and I think the only one recommended for under 18s so it is one of the safest ones. Just make sure you take it every day, and don't come off it suddenly.


This is exactly right. Just be aware of this and seek help if you feel like you're deteriorating.
I've been on fluoxetine for over a year and it has really, really helped me. To be honest I don't remember whether or not it made me worse at first. I think it's worth holding on though because after the initial couple of weeks you should start to feel better. If you don't think it's working I would ask your doctor about increasing the dose because that is what made all the difference for me.

If you do feel like hurting yourself soon after you start taking it just make sure you tell someone. Make a doctor's appointment and they can help you. If you feel seriously suicidal don't hesitate to go to A&E.

Good luck. :smile:
I was on and off for two years and was fine. I did have problems with naseua with them though especially when in a car etc as it affected the acidity level in my stomach. This and many more side effects are common but dissapear after a few weeks/month or so of taking them (or if they dont then you will be given a different lot to have)
Basically with the increase of depression/suicide - its the same with ALL anti-depressants in that they can affect each person differently. It is rarer to get an increase compared to the other side effects but if you notcie you get worse then go back and get different ones as they may not have the same affect.

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