Fluxotine

[Lucky253]

Just wondered if anyone is on this/has been for anxiety and panic attacks? I prescribed this today just wondered how well they worked, i know everyone is different but if i know it works for some it will make me feel a bit better about starting them, thanks

[Mpa5524]

I was put on it over a year and a half ago and it has been a Godsend. I suffered from massive panic/anxiety and general anxiety disorder and best medicine i've ever taken. I am on 10mg. Takes a little while to kick in but when it does its great.

[Lucky253 in reply to Mpa5524]

Im glad its helping you! I was prescribed 20mg today so going to start them tomorrow morning, did you have any side effects when you started?

[Mpa5524 in reply to Lucky253]

Honestly with this med it was happening graduly that it was kicking in, so couldnt tell if the side effects were from my own anxiety that I already had or the medicine. The one I can remember was losing weight. Wish that was still the problem lol. Im also on Metoprolol which is a beta blocker for the rapid heart rate I had.

[Lucky253 in reply to Mpa5524]

Yeah im on Propranolol too, how long before you noticed it was taking effect? I know it says around 4-6 weeks but im hoping for it to happen sooner! Lol

[Mpa5524 in reply to Lucky253]

I want to say within the 1st two weeks I was noticing a difference as well as everyone else.

[Lucky253 in reply to Mpa5524]

Aw im glad! Thank you for speaking with me 😊

[Mpa5524 in reply to Lucky253]

Here to help Let me know how you make out.

[Lucky253 in reply to Mpa5524]

I will thank you!

[jacquiline88]

I’ve been on fluoxetine four years I’ve tried most antidepressants and these was the best for me x

[Lucky253 in reply to jacquiline88]

Aw im glad, thank you x

[Binkaa]

I've tried it before for anxiety. In general I would recommend Escitalopram as a better drug for anxiety and panic attacks. I've found it much better, though ultimately they will behave similar.

Escitalopram binds tightly to the SERT protein, which is what recycles the serotonin out of your synapses. This leaves more serotonin around.

Fluoxetine also does this of course (both are SSRI drugs), but does the same thing to a lesser degree for noradrenalin (NET protein): The very thing that can lead to increased anxiety. It also impacts a number of other proteins unlike Escitalopram, which is very specific.

For this reason, fluoxetine is often considered a more 'activating' drug, and in my personal opinion it's poor knowledge of the pharmokinetics of the drugs that doctors still prescribe it first for anxiety instead of Escitalopram, an overall much cleaner drug. If you have depressive symptoms, fluoxetine could well be better (that little boost in adrenalin can help too, and the older antidepresents do more of this and are still used for extreme depression today for this reason).

Just my five cents, but I'm personally a much bigger fan of Escitalopram than fluoxetine for anxiety. I had a much easier time going on Escitalopram than fluoxetine. It's also linear dosage: 10mg is double 5mg in the body load. That isn't true with fluoxetine (it's complex but it's probably because fluoxetine gets broken down by more than one enzyme in the liver). This makes it easier to change dosages if needed with more predictable results.

With that said, many people still have good luck with fluoxetine, and in studies both are shown to be effective (Escitalopram slightly more so) but if you're a first timer, I see 0 reason to take it over Escitalopram unless you have a very specific, unique heart condition involving Long QT intervals, while there are many reasons to prefer Escitalopram.

Most doctors still hand fluoxetine out because it's the 'default'. Anyway, good luck! It's good to be informed but don't worry too much after reading this if fluoxetine is wrong for you, it's still been shown to be very effective.

[guynfl2chat]

i tried it for over 5 weeks. It didnt work for me. It just made me very numb to my surroundings and I didnt like it. I was working with my doctor and a therapist to try and manage my panic attacks. I have also tried Zoloft. It worked for a while but I didnt think it was really doing anything in the long run. You have to give antidepressants some time to see if you like the effects. Document your feelings and sensations in a log and try and see if you feel better. Everyone is different. I have decided to stay off anti depressants and just use xanax as needed. For me that is working, but it really depends on the person.