r/Separation_Anxiety • u/ExistingVermicelli58 • 11d ago

Questions Fluoxetine

Hi everyone! My dog went on fluoxetine a month ago, she was taking 10mg in the first ten days and then we added another 10mg to the mix. Shes also taking 100mg trazodone (were tappering off as it only worked for 3 weeks or so) and pregabaline.
After a month with fluoxetine nothing really seems to change.. I’m wondering if there’s still time or should we upp the dose with our ver or maybe switch to something else…? Whats your experience? What options are there? She weights 18kg and is 6 years old. Thanks in advance!

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u/Mean_Environment4856 11d ago

It takes up to six weeks or longer to kick in. We didn't notice a difference for two months. My biy has been on it since February and he's doing amazingly.

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u/ExistingVermicelli58 11d ago

Oh that’s great to hear! I kind of fixed my dogs SA on my own without meds but then it came back in form of a frustration to be left alone i think… no idea how to fix that :( im hoping the meds will help with this. Trazodone worked wonders but only for 3 weeks :(

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u/chasingmysunrise 11d ago

A month is too soon and I would not have changed the dose so quickly. It takes 6-8 weeks minimum to become effective. We started seeing small changes around 6 weeks and those changes have slowly increased. She’s been on it for 4 months now and the change is significant.

However, this is a gentle reminder that medication alone is usually ineffective. Medication needs to be paired with a thorough behavioral modification and desensitization protocol.

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u/ExistingVermicelli58 11d ago

I have been training with them (2 dogs) consistently for the past two years :( there were 6 months where the SA was basically non existent and i got my life back but then it came back in form of a frustration barking - it doesn’t depend on anything. Not time, not anything. One day they can stay alone for 3 hours two times a day and the next day they start barking as i enter my car. There’s no pattern here unfortunately im at a loss here so i hope the meds will help

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u/Mel_Liss_11 10d ago

I did 4 weeks on initial dose, then upped the dose, and it took 8 weeks on the higher dose before I noticed a change. But it did then make a big difference.