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Fluoxetine for perimenopausal pmdd/depression

  1. I have been struggling for some months with perimenopausal mood swings, crying a ridiculous amount, not sleeping or sleeping too much, craving carbohydrates, sometimes feeling very anxious and sometimes feeling so low that I don't want to go on. I have felt hopeless at times and ready to call it a day, but then my mood can suddenly lift and I will feel 'normal' again. When I return to normality, I am frightened that I felt so bad and live in fear of the feeling returning. I no longer have a regular menstrual cycle but can go several months without a period and then bleed for weeks on end. My hormones are all over the place. My GP has been brilliantly supportive and has just started me on Fluoxetine, 2 weeks ago. I am still very up and down and felt really low again this morning. Can Fluoxetine really overcome the effects of raging hormones or am I destined to feel this way until I pass through menopause?

  2. Well I have to say that, on the whole, I am starting to feel a lot better. I am still having down/anxious times but they seem to be getting less frequent and the 'normal' times are lasting longer. I am hoping this is the Fluoxetine kicking in and not just another hormonal shift. I've been on it two and a half weeks now. I am still getting lots of headaches, often waking in the early hours with a bad one which lasts until afternoon. Sometimes I feel sick with them, a bit like a migraine. I have also noticed my appetite has dropped off and I have an upset stomach at times, but none of these side effects would make me stop taking the Fluoxetine because emotionally I feel so much better. Nothing would make me risk feeling as bad as I felt again. It was just so awful and very frightening. I will tolerate any number of physical symptoms if it means the mood swings stop. I am less tired than I was and feel less spaced out. I am beginning to feel like me again and I can't tell you how good that feels. Thank you God (and my wonderful GP) for Fluoxetine.

  3. Fluoxetine has, for me, been a miracle! I have been on it now for about 7 weeks and I feel 'normal' again. The side effects have pretty much gone and I feel like me again. Looking back, I can't believe how bad I felt and I wish I had asked for Fluoxetine sooner. It has given me my life back.

  4. hi i know its been a while since you posted but how are you now,i have just been put on fluoxetine thanks

  5. Hi Guest and Pammy1,

    Hope you both still around some where, just about to start on Fluoxetine for my Menopause and just wondring how you both doing on it after reading your posts.

    Thanks Nonnie

  6. hi everyone, i am new to all this, but today i was prescribed fluoxetine bymy GP .. I had a hystorectomy at the age of 30 so it has been difficult to tell when the menopause was kicking in. (blood tests said yes one month and no the next) the sweating is a nightmare especially now summer is her, anxiety and uncontrollable bursts of tears along with excessive wieght gain (a stone in 3 months!!) finally took its toll and i realised i had to see my gp. I have been reading your posts and feel that maybe i have done the right thing as to feel "normal" again would be brill .. i know its early days but just by reading what u have all put has made me feel more positive about my future. Thank u for making unsure people like me brave enough to cope with the stigma of taking prozac. Im not mad after all just need a pick me up to put me back on the right road. Good luck everyone smile

  7. Just reading the comments and has made me feel a bit better at taking flu. I've only been taking it for just over 2 weeks and haven't noticed any improvement but hoping that will come soon. My boyfriend really hopes so too lol I've had headaches, tired all the time and no appetite but feeling a bit better after reading the comments that hopefully that won't be forever. Thanks smile

  8. Hi! I started this thread nearly 2 years ago and thought I would share that I have just come off the Fluoxetine, taking my last one a week ago. It really did work brilliantly for me and I would recommend it to anyone who is struggling with mood swings/depression connected to menopause. I am still not quite through menopause and hope that I have not withdrawn from the medication too soon, but I have felt a lot more stable and ready to give it a try. I definitely experienced side effects from Fluoxetine, the big one being tiredness and needing to sleep in the afternoons. I have also gained a lot of weight but that could be tied to menopause and depression rather than the meds. Other than that, I have felt very well on it and able to enjoy life again. Withdrawal has been fairly easy so far. I dropped to 20mg every other day for 2 weeks before stopping completely. The only problem I have is feeling very dizzy at times. I am hoping this will pass soon. Good luck if you are just starting out on Fluox. I hope it helps you as much as it helped me.

  9. Hi everyone,

    Fluoxentine is a brilliant drug, didn't stop my pmdd though! Also it gave me really bad acid reflux!,,,, I tried it twice over three years and both times made me very ill with reflux, felt like I had swallowed a tube of toothpaste, once stopping the drug it took ages to ease the reflux with ppis , maybe 6 months or more!

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