Fluoxetine problems

[Guest heartplace]

I started Fluoxetine about 2 months ago, on 20mg. It's keeping my intrusive thoughts under better control than when I'm not taking anything at all, but they're definitely still there.

My question, though, is about taking fluoxetine and having strange dreams. Occasionally they turn into nightmares but most of the time they're just...weird. And they're usually not lucid either, so it often feels like they're really happening and I can't control them. Sometimes I wake up feeling weird about the dream and begin to feel irrational guilt over it because, although they're not usually nightmares, they're still a bit unpleasant. Has anyone else had this happen? Is it a bad side effect?

[Guest jayjay89]

I've always had trouble with nightmares but on fluox they were much worse!

I had to stop taking them for another reason, but I did talk to my psych about it and he said it could take 3-4 months to settle down

[Guest Saved by zero]

I've been on Fluoxetine for 23 years and haven't had a problem with bad dreams.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Saved by zero

[Guest Gale1982]

Hi Heartplace,

These things tend to vary from person to person, as well you probably know. I too take Fluoxetine and have pretty bizarre dreams, bordering on downright disturbing.

I posted on this topic a couple of months ago as I was really concerned about the "meaning" of these dreams. The advice I received was the same advice given when posting anything else regarding OCD. Whilst the medication may well increase the intensity and content of ones dreams, it is OCD that make you over-analyse and attach meaning to them.

All we know about dreams is that they may play a part in memory consolidation. That's really about it.

So, remember that you're on medication. Recognise your concerns about your dreams as OCD, label them as such and move on.

Ps, I still get hellish dreams but I've now broken the cycle of over analysis. I'm nowhere near as bothered by them as I was a couple of months ago. You'll get there too :-)

[ocdismylife]

Hi! I have been on and off fluoxtin for like 3 years. The first year and a half I didnt want to go to sleep because my dreams were so real. Sometimes I would wake up and just feel guilty of something happning in my dream. I would also experiance shivering and pins and needles. It was scary..

After a few years its got much better. I am sure this will be the same for you too. Itts hard at first, but no worries it goes away after your body gets used to it.

[Guest OCDAY]

I had very vivid dreams when I was on Citalopram at 60mg and again on escitalopram.

All I can say it they were weird and usually involved war and death and were all the time I was asleep. The weirdest were dreams within dreams, I won't give details incase I trigger anyone.

Once I stopped SSRIs the dreams stopped, in fact I rarely dream know.

[taurean]

It sounds like the drugs stimulate that part of the brain that hands out the dreams. Maybe they have a hallucinatory effect?

Gale and the others look to be on the right track- accepting them as part of the OCD then not engaging with or ruminating about them seems the best way to handle this, assuming the fluoxetine is otherwise helpful?

Best wishes

Roy

Edited August 2, 2014 by taurean

[Guest heartplace]

Thanks everyone!

It sounds like the drugs stimulate that part of the brain that hands out the dreams. Maybe they have a hallucinatory effect?

Gale and the others look to be on the right track- accepting them as part of the OCD then not engaging with or ruminating about them seems the best way to handle this, assuming the fluoxetine is otherwise helpful?

Best wishes

Roy

Other than kinda sorta keeping my intrusive thoughts and compulsions under control, there's not really much else it's doing for me. I'm feeling SSRI-induced apathy and having those bad/nonsensical dreams. Thankfully I have a doctor's appointment this month so I will talk to her about this. It's leaving an impact on my work performance. I'm supposed to be opening a photography business but my apathy is slowing my urge to do photography down. The same goes for writing books.

[taurean]

Thanks everyone!

Other than kinda sorta keeping my intrusive thoughts and compulsions under control, there's not really much else it's doing for me. I'm feeling SSRI-induced apathy and having those bad/nonsensical dreams. Thankfully I have a doctor's appointment this month so I will talk to her about this. It's leaving an impact on my work performance. I'm supposed to be opening a photography business but my apathy is slowing my urge to do photography down. The same goes for writing books.

Hi heartplace.

Discussing with the doctor seems good, meanwhile if you can apply the thinking as stated above it would likely be helpful - though I can see you are struggling to face the fight. So maybe see if you can label the dreams OCD and then not analyse or ruminate, try and get involved in something else instead?

Coming off an SSRI drug has to be a gradual process,they stay in the body's systems for so long, so that wouldn't be a quick fix and there would likely also be withdrawal symptom side effects too.

Courage, if you can find that missing something - as I did - that suddenly helps everything along, then that will be great - and looks like you are going about looking for it the right way here - by placing each of your mental health problems into a box, and seeking guidance on how best to tackle it.

For me, that is good progress, so keep up the good work.

I would love to see you ready to open that photography business - as you probably know, it's a great hobby of mine - has been since I was around 16.

Edited August 2, 2014 by taurean

[Guest Annabel]

I had this too- dreams in which I committed suicide and lots of bizarre ones too!

[Guest OCDAY]

Hi Heartplace,

You have the opportunity to do something you obviously love.

Your GP is the best person to advise, we are all different. I personally quit SSRIs as the cons outwayed the pros and what you put about apathy was a major con.

On the other level would I have got through ERP (the hardest thing I have ever done) without them?? Probably not.

My pyshcologist made me force myself to do activities even if I had no interest in anything in life!!

Hope I am not breaking rules but if you google citalopram survival guide I found this amazingly usefull (does cover all SSRIs)

One important thing..................If you decide to come off please taper. Do not go cold turkey. I did and it was not good......................

[Guest heartplace]

Hi heartplace.

Discussing with the doctor seems good, meanwhile if you can apply the thinking as stated above it would likely be helpful - though I can see you are struggling to face the fight. So maybe see if you can label the dreams OCD and then not analyse or ruminate, try and get involved in something else instead?

Coming off an SSRI drug has to be a gradual process,they stay in the body's systems for so long, so that wouldn't be a quick fix and there would likely also be withdrawal symptom side effects too.

Courage, if you can find that missing something - as I did - that suddenly helps everything along, then that will be great - and looks like you are going about looking for it the right way here - by placing each of your mental health problems into a box, and seeking guidance on how best to tackle it.

For me, that is good progress, so keep up the good work.

I would love to see you ready to open that photography business - as you probably know, it's a great hobby of mine - has been since I was around 16.

I was practicing labeling thoughts as OCD just today as I was leaving a party. The party was about over an hour away from where I live so I sat in the passenger seat with my MP3 player playing. Sometimes some of my favorite songs trigger my obsessions such as harm, and I compulsively skip listening to them. But I didn't fo that with them this time. Some of them anyway!

Now that I think of it I HAVE been placing all of my problems individually into a box. And it does help when it comes to addressing each problem one by one instead of everything being all mixed up together in my mind. Thanks!

Coming off an SSRI drug has to be a gradual process,they stay in the body's systems for so long, so that wouldn't be a quick fix and there would likely also be withdrawal symptom side effects too.

Courage, if you can find that missing something - as I did - that suddenly helps everything along, then that will be great - and looks like you are going about looking for it the right way here - by placing each of your mental health problems into a box, and seeking guidance on how best to tackle it.

For me, that is good progress, so keep up the good work.

I would love to see you ready to open that photography business - as you probably know, it's a great hobby of mine - has been since I was around 16.

Hi Heartplace,

You have the opportunity to do something you obviously love.

Your GP is the best person to advise, we are all different. I personally quit SSRIs as the cons outwayed the pros and what you put about apathy was a major con.

On the other level would I have got through ERP (the hardest thing I have ever done) without them?? Probably not.

My pyshcologist made me force myself to do activities even if I had no interest in anything in life!!

Hope I am not breaking rules but if you google citalopram survival guide I found this amazingly usefull (does cover all SSRIs)

One important thing..................If you decide to come off please taper. Do not go cold turkey. I did and it was not good......................

I know all too well what the feeling of coming off an SSRI cold turkey feels like. It was horrible. It's happened to me twice. I didn't do it because I wanted to either. And both doctors I have had are okay with quitting SSRI's so suddenly! The one I have now says that the side effects can just make you feel a little weird but that it basically subsides eventually. I was like, "what?!" So I'm also going to ask her to refer me to a psychiatrist while I'm at it.

I do love photography, both creating my own and looking at other people's work. The problem is this apathetic side effect I have. I feel this paradox where I want to create things, I want to make more art such as photography and write more, but at the same time I'm just not being pulled into doing it like I used to. Just 2 years ago before I knew I had OCD and depression and before actually treating it, I could so easily turn my music on and open up Photoshop and just get lost in my thoughts while editing photos. Now I feel very detached from my work and it annoys me. I used to see life in such a creative way, and now it's been dulled.

[Guest OCDAY]

I so relate to that. I went cold turkey under medical supervision. Basically they made me sick and I couldnt keep them down. It's horrific you know. If you got through that twice you are obviously very strong.

SSRIs sort of helped but I didn't feel like me, had no motivation at all. Things I loved drifted away.

Hold onto your photography as hard as it feels.

What other meds have you tried?

[Guest heartplace]

I've tried Paroxetine and Bupropion. Paroxetine worked pretty well for me at first if I remember right, then my first doctor I had switched me over to Bupropion, an SNRI, all of a sudden with no tapering whatsoever. I was fine on it for maybe...a month, and after that it didn't seem to really make a difference. Eventually Paroxetine ended up completely out of my system and that's when my OCD and depression came back with a vengeance. I knew I had experienced the feelings before but I didn't know what they were at the time, so I caved and finally opened up to my parents about it a year ago.

Now that I know what my problems are, I feel a bit better about it but OCD still doesn't yield to insight. I ended up quitting Bupropion cold turkey, got BACK on paroxetine, paroxetine started to make me feel robotic and dull so I ended up off of paroxetine a few months ago AGAIN, and this time the symptoms came back worse than ever. Then I ended up on fluoextine. Basically I've been on a medication roller coaster ride.

[taurean]

Sounds dreadful, but maybe the fluoxetine is the best of a difficult option (the meds) that nevertheless seems needed.

So going back to the ideas given on how to cope with the dreams, plus addressing other issues re social anxiety also discussed, is maybe best and most beneficial plan right now?

Progress often has to come in small bites, but add them together and they make a mouthful. I just made that up, I'll add it to the "affirmation" thread!

Edited August 3, 2014 by taurean

[Gareth22]

Sorry wrong post

Edited August 3, 2014 by Gareth22

[Guest jamie1989]

This thread relates to me exactly. I approached my doctor about this and, apparently, life like, bizarre dreams are one of the side effects of the drug. I've been left very disturbed by some of the dreams I've had whilst on Flux, but as others have said, I try not to over analyse.

[Guest OCD-SoundGuy]

Know what you mean, i've been on 20mg for a couple of months now and before I never dreamed, but now on the med I'm having regular very-realistic dreams which I sometimes have problems distinguishing from reality. Nothing terrible but different all the same especially as fluoxetine doesn't appear to be doing anything for my OCD/SA.