antidepressants not working?
it's been around a month since i started fluoxetine & i was really hoping it would kick in so i can get through my exams but i dont feel any better at all? is anyone else here on fluoxetine/prozac and how long did it take for it to work for you?
They don't work on everyone, maybe try another? Or take them for a bit longer.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by cooldude618
it's been around a month since i started fluoxetine & i was really hoping it would kick in so i can get through my exams but i dont feel any better at all? is anyone else here on fluoxetine/prozac and how long did it take for it to work for you?
They can take 6-8 weeks to have an effect. However, a lot of people need to try more than one antidepressant before finding one that works for them.
Original post by cooldude618
it's been around a month since i started fluoxetine & i was really hoping it would kick in so i can get through my exams but i dont feel any better at all? is anyone else here on fluoxetine/prozac and how long did it take for it to work for you?
You may also want to consider looking at counselling or other types of therapy e.g Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Some find them more effective than anti-depressants, and research shows that therapy & medication works better than medication alone.
I've currently been on fluoxetine 20mg for approximately six weeks now.
I believe that it has definitely helped to take the edge off of my sensitiveness to mess/untidiness/imperfections, but I don't think it has helped at all for my mood. I currently feel like I have no mood or feelings though, so maybe it's just started to work and this is how it's supposed to feel.
I am on the lowest dosage by the way.
I believe that it has definitely helped to take the edge off of my sensitiveness to mess/untidiness/imperfections, but I don't think it has helped at all for my mood. I currently feel like I have no mood or feelings though, so maybe it's just started to work and this is how it's supposed to feel.
I am on the lowest dosage by the way.
I started fluoxetine during exam season in my second year of uni and it was hell. The side effects completely messed up my revision - I couldn't sleep, eat, felt sick all the time, dissociated a lot and it ended up having a bad effect on my exam marks. They did eventually work well and I'm really glad I started taking them, they took the edge off bad days and basically enabled me to function. I started on 10mg, then was put up to 20mg and then 40mg.
Like others have said, it does take time for your body to get used to meds and it might be a while until you start to see any positive effects. If you're not seeing an improvement in a few weeks or so, I'd see your GP again and they might switch medication.
Like others have said, it does take time for your body to get used to meds and it might be a while until you start to see any positive effects. If you're not seeing an improvement in a few weeks or so, I'd see your GP again and they might switch medication.
6-8 weeks is a bit of a guide as well; depending on dosage, your metabolism etc it could be a bit longer (took about 3 months to really make a difference for me the first set).
Also, not all antidepressants work as well for everyone. I started on citalopram, which was ok when things were pretty low stress but weren't effective when I had to go back to uni (at least until they upped the dosage but then I had really bad side effects), then took sertraline for a while which did NOTHING for me, and now I'm taking venlafaxine. So...yea. It's hard to say.
But don't go changing prescription until after 6 months, realistically. If after 3 you don't seem to be having much effect, speak to your GP; it's likely they'll adjust your dose. If after 6+ inc a dosage change there is still no effect discuss the possibility of changing to a different kind.
It's more of an art than a science in figuring out what works, on both sides of the proverbial bedside.
Also, not all antidepressants work as well for everyone. I started on citalopram, which was ok when things were pretty low stress but weren't effective when I had to go back to uni (at least until they upped the dosage but then I had really bad side effects), then took sertraline for a while which did NOTHING for me, and now I'm taking venlafaxine. So...yea. It's hard to say.
But don't go changing prescription until after 6 months, realistically. If after 3 you don't seem to be having much effect, speak to your GP; it's likely they'll adjust your dose. If after 6+ inc a dosage change there is still no effect discuss the possibility of changing to a different kind.
It's more of an art than a science in figuring out what works, on both sides of the proverbial bedside.
Original post by cooldude618
it's been around a month since i started fluoxetine & i was really hoping it would kick in so i can get through my exams but i dont feel any better at all? is anyone else here on fluoxetine/prozac and how long did it take for it to work for you?
Original post by cooldude618
it's been around a month since i started fluoxetine & i was really hoping it would kick in so i can get through my exams but i dont feel any better at all? is anyone else here on fluoxetine/prozac and how long did it take for it to work for you?
When I started taking ADs (citalopram) I didn't notice anything other than side effects for at least a month. It took me 2 years before I felt stable enough to come off them and it probably took around half that time for me to not feel actively depressed. Up until then it was just little things like not having so many bad thoughts or crying myself to sleep so much.
Have a chat to your doc about it, but don't freak out over it. They're probably just taking their sweet time. Still some ADs work better than others for different people so it's worth having a chat with your dr to see where you stand and if it's worth trying different doses or types of AD.
I started taking Prozac last year and it took me about 3 weeks to start feeling a difference, but they weren't in full affect for about 5 weeks. There are cases of them taking up to two months to work.
My advice is wait it out and if you reach the 2 month mark and still no difference ask your doctor about it and see if other arrangements can be sorted.
My advice is wait it out and if you reach the 2 month mark and still no difference ask your doctor about it and see if other arrangements can be sorted.
I took fluoxetine for about a year and they made no difference to me so I ended up changing to citalopram and then duloxetine which is what I'm on now. I've recently had a med increase and that's helped me to stabilise again. It can take a while for motivation and concentration to come back even on meds that work for you
