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View Full Version : When to increase fluoxetine?



Petrus82
07-06-17, 04:24 PM
Hi everyone,

I've had a terrible bout of depression lasting around 4 months now. I went to the doctor about 5 weeks ago and was given 20mg of fluoxetine. The doctor said I should see a difference after 4 weeks. It's now been 5 weeks and I do t feel any better. I've also been going to a counsellor. The counsellor doesn't think I should increase the fluoxetine unless I haven't seen any change in 6 mo TGA! This seems an awful long time. What should I do?

Jaquaia
07-06-17, 05:26 PM
Go back to your gp. They're right. Antidepressants can take 4-6 weeks to start working. Your counsellor isn't trained in medications, your doctor is. It could be that you need the dose adjusting.

Honeyflower
07-06-17, 05:59 PM
Some meds take about 6-8 weeks to kick in. I would give it a few more weeks to see if you feel an improvement if not then I would go back to your GP. They might try you with a different antidepressant.

Paula
07-06-17, 06:38 PM
6 months is far too long. Go back to your dr - the very worst that can happen is they ask you to give it a little bit longer and go back in a few more weeks. Your counsellor does not have the medical expertise to be making a statement like that.

Suzi
07-06-17, 08:41 PM
Hi and welcome. The others are completely right. Go and talk it over with your GP.