Does fluoxetine cause agitation
Emily Wilson
Updated on April 26, 2026
Fluoxetine may cause some teenagers and young adults to be agitated, irritable, or display other abnormal behaviors. It may also cause some people to have suicidal thoughts and tendencies or to become more depressed.
Does fluoxetine cause restlessness?
Anxiety, a lack of energy, drowsiness or insomnia, diarrhea, indigestion, increased sweating, nausea, tremor, headache, weight loss or a decreased appetite, dry mouth, a rash, restlessness, and a decreased libido are the more commonly reported side effects.
Can antidepressants make you agitated?
Agitation, restlessness, anxiety Agitation, restlessness or anxiety can result from the stimulating effect of certain antidepressants. Although having more energy can be a good thing, it may mean you can’t relax or sit still even if you want to.
Can too much Prozac cause irritability?
Mania warning: This drug may cause mania or hypomania. Symptoms include greatly increased energy, extreme irritability, talking more or faster than usual, racing thoughts, or severe trouble sleeping.Can fluoxetine make you more anxious?
More than 100 million people worldwide take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac and Zoloft, to treat depression, anxiety and related conditions, but these drugs have a common and mysterious side effect: they can worsen anxiety in the first few weeks of use, which leads many patients to stop …
Which antidepressant is best for agitation?
Patients with agitated depression may do best with a sedating tricyclic agent such as amitriptyline; the best choice for a patient with atypical depression may be monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and a stimulating agent such as imipramine may help when social withdrawal is a prominent feature of depression.
Can Prozac cause palpitations?
These episodes have physical symptoms including chest pain, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, sweating, dizziness, and nausea.
What does Prozac feel like when it starts working?
If you experience a positive response to Prozac, you might notice a decrease in your anxiety symptoms and feel more like yourself again: More relaxed. Less anxious. Improved sleep and appetite.What is the major side effect of Prozac?
See also Warning section. Nausea, drowsiness, dizziness, anxiety, trouble sleeping, loss of appetite, tiredness, sweating, or yawning may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, tell your doctor promptly.
What is the best time to take fluoxetine?For example, the manufacturer of Prozac (fluoxetine) recommends it be taken in the morning because it can make some people feel more energized, especially at the beginning of treatment.
Article first time published onWhat does it feel like when antidepressants kick in?
When first starting antidepressants, some people have mild stomach upset, headache or fatigue, but these side effects often diminish in the first few weeks as the body adjusts. Some people gain weight, though many stay “weight neutral,” and some even lose weight, Dr. Cox says.
Does your brain go back to normal after antidepressants?
The process of healing the brain takes quite a bit longer than recovery from the acute symptoms. In fact, our best estimates are that it takes 6 to 9 months after you are no longer symptomatically depressed for your brain to entirely recover cognitive function and resilience.
Can Prozac cause emotional blunting?
SSRI antidepressants are sometimes associated with something called emotional blunting. This can also include such symptoms as feeling indifferent or apathetic, being less able to cry and less able to experience the same degree of positive emotion as one normally would.
Does fluoxetine make you feel worse at first?
Fluoxetine won’t change your personality or make you feel euphorically happy. It will simply help you feel like yourself again. Don’t expect to feel better overnight, though. Some people feel worse during the first few weeks of treatment before they begin to feel better.
How long does prozac anxiety last?
While some patients report a decrease in their anxiety symptoms after just a few weeks of regularly taking the medication, most do not experience relief until 6 to 8 weeks into their treatment. It’s important to remember that once you start Prozac, it can cause withdrawal symptoms if you abruptly stop taking it.
Can fluoxetine cause panic attacks?
Panic disorder In one study, around 7 percent of patients reported experiencing increased anxiety in the first few weeks after they started using Prozac, compared with 9 percent who took a placebo.
What is the mildest antidepressant?
Bupropion (Aplenzin, Wellbutrin) is a unique antidepressant that is thought to affect the brain chemicals norepinephrine and dopamine. Side effects are usually mild, including upset stomach, headache, insomnia, and anxiety. Bupropion may be less likely to cause sexual side effects than other antidepressants.
What is the best antidepressant for anxiety with the least side effects?
Tricyclic antidepressants Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are an older class of antidepressant drug. Although they may be effective for the treatment of depression and anxiety, doctors often prescribe SSRIs instead, as they cause fewer side effects.
Why do SSRIs increase anxiety at first?
Abnormally low levels of serotonin have been linked to depression. SSRIs are thought to improve mood by boosting serotonin activity in the brain. But serotonin is not always a bed of roses. In the early days of treatment, it can increase levels of fear and anxiety and even suicidal thinking in some younger people.
What does Fluoxetine 20 mg do to you?
Fluoxetine (Prozac) is used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (bothersome thoughts that won’t go away and the need to perform certain actions over and over), some eating disorders, and panic attacks (sudden, unexpected attacks of extreme fear and worry about these attacks).
Should you take Prozac at night or in the morning?
For some conditions Prozac is used to treat, it’s recommended to take the drug in the morning. But if taking Prozac makes you tired, it may be best to take your dose at bedtime. Your medical professional can recommend when it’s best for you to take Prozac.
What drugs should not be taken with fluoxetine?
Do not use fluoxetine with buspirone (Buspar®), fentanyl (Abstral®, Duragesic®), lithium (Eskalith®, Lithobid®), tryptophan, St. John’s wort, amphetamines, or some pain or migraine medicines (eg, rizatriptan, sumatriptan, tramadol, Frova®, Imitrex®, Maxalt®, Relpax®, Ultram®, Zomig®).
Can Fluoxetine help with anger?
Antidepressants such as Prozac, Celexa and Zoloft are commonly prescribed for anger issues. These drugs do not specifically target anger within the body, but they do have a calming effect that can support control of rage and negative emotion.
How do you know if Prozac is not working?
- You feel more or the same amount of sadness, anxiety, or irritability after several weeks or months of taking the medication.
- You feel slightly better, but still feel that your depression is affecting your ability to function.
- You are having trouble sleeping.
Do antidepressants ruin your brain?
We know that antipsychotics shrink the brain in a dose-dependent manner (4) and benzodiazepines, antidepressants and ADHD drugs also seem to cause permanent brain damage (5).
Do antidepressants permanently change brain chemistry?
Some believe it is unlikely that antidepressants cause any permanent changes to brain chemistry in the long-term. Evidence seems to indicate that these medications cause brain changes which only persist whilst the medication is being taken, or in the weeks following withdrawal.
Do antidepressants shorten your life?
The analysis found that in the general population, those taking antidepressants had a 33 percent higher risk of dying prematurely than people who were not taking the drugs. Additionally, antidepressant users were 14 percent more likely to have an adverse cardiovascular event, such as a stroke or a heart attack.
Can Prozac cause apathy?
In 1 case report of SSRI (fluoxetine) induced apathy, a decrease in blood flow in the frontal lobes was noted along with worsening of apathy. These findings were reversed with discontinuation of fluoxetine. SSRI-induced apathy thus appears to be dose and duration dependent, as well as reversible.
What is emotional flatness?
When people display emotions in a way most other people see as limited, experts sometimes refer to this as “flat affect.” Emotional blunting may be associated with the following symptoms: inability to feel happiness and sadness. restlessness.
Can antidepressants make you cry?
As it is with any medication, antidepressants can have side effects, including the possibility of what is termed “emotional blunting.” According to studies, nearly half of people taking antidepressants at some point experience emotional blunting from antidepressants.
Can venlafaxine make you more anxious?
Since patients with panic disorder are often sensitive to side effects (agitation, jitteriness, increased anxiety, and panic attacks) early in the treatment with antidepressants, the starting dose of venlafaxine XR should be low (37.5 mg per day) for at least the first week.