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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Crystal on January 25, 2001, at 10:13:24
Hello
Can anyone tell me what the normal starting dose for Prozac is?
Posted by Joy on January 25, 2001, at 12:35:34
In reply to starting Prozac, posted by Crystal on January 25, 2001, at 10:13:24
10 mg for a few days before going to 20 mg. I am on Prozac 3 weeks now and feel good on it. 20 mg is too high for most people for the first few days.
Joy
> Hello
> Can anyone tell me what the normal starting dose for Prozac is?
Posted by KarenK on January 25, 2001, at 18:58:58
In reply to Re: starting Prozac, posted by Joy on January 25, 2001, at 12:35:34
10 mg is the smallest dose available unless you take liquid prozac which I did but I'm super sensitive to meds.
KarenK
>
> > Hello
> > Can anyone tell me what the normal starting dose for Prozac is?
Posted by JohnL on January 26, 2001, at 2:08:14
In reply to starting Prozac, posted by Crystal on January 25, 2001, at 10:13:24
> Hello
> Can anyone tell me what the normal starting dose for Prozac is?
My local GP says 10mg once every two days is a good starting point. I have a different method I like much better however.You can dump the contents of a capsule into a glass of juice. Stir it well. Then drink a custom sized dose. Save the rest in the fridge for the next time. With this method you can start at 5mg, 2.5mg, 7.5mg, or whatever you want. You can even take two separate, small, staggered doses throughout the day instead of all at once.
Make sure and stir it well each time because the Prozac powder won't dissolve. It settles to the bottom. This is a neat trick I learned from my pdoc, and I recall seeing it mentioned in Dr Bob's Tips as well. It works. And it's painless. It gives you complete control over dosing, and you are not restricted to the size of a pill.
John
Posted by Shell on January 28, 2001, at 23:07:32
In reply to Re: starting Prozac, posted by JohnL on January 26, 2001, at 2:08:14
> > Hello
> > Can anyone tell me what the normal starting dose for Prozac is?
>
>I think it can vary. I started with 20 mg/daily on the first day and went to 40 mg/daily within two weeks with no problems. My doctor never suggested starting with a smaller dose.
This is a totally anecdotal and non-scientific observation, but it seems that people who are sensitive to drugs in general do better starting on smaller doses and those who don't respond to small doses of other drugs can better tolerate starting out higher.
For example, if my cousin has a headache, she usually only takes one Tylenol and feels better. She needed to start on a very low dose of Paxil and increase it very slowly. I tolerated starting with a higher dose of Prozac, but if I have a headache, I usually take 800-1000 mg of ibuprofen (and that is only enough to take the edge off the pain). It doesn't seem to be entirely dependent on size/weight, as we are both about the same size. It must be something to do with individual body chemistry....just my guess.
Shell
This is the end of the thread.
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