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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by glove on December 14, 2003, at 15:19:50
Hey I take Prozac for obsessive compulsive disorder, I have been gradually increasing since coming off of Paxil a few months ago. I am in the mmiddle of exams so my anxiety is heightened. My doc pulled me up to 80 mg and said that it's safe and effective for some. He said that some of his patients are up to 100 mg and 120 mg for OCD and they are great. What do you guys think? Know anything about this? It was eith that or getting put on a newq med. Thanks.
Posted by theo on December 14, 2003, at 15:27:34
In reply to Prozac dosage, posted by glove on December 14, 2003, at 15:19:50
Why did you quit Paxil?
Posted by brussell on December 14, 2003, at 15:28:34
In reply to Prozac dosage, posted by glove on December 14, 2003, at 15:19:50
That's an insanely high dosage of Prozac. Your doctor may well know what he's doing, but I'd be very reluctant to take that much. I don't think it could do you any physical harm, but it might increase the sense of unreality that some people experience on SSRIs.
If you are suffering from short-term anxiety due to exams, I think a benzodiazapine like ativan or xanax might help you more.
Posted by SLS on December 14, 2003, at 16:02:00
In reply to Re: Prozac dosage, posted by brussell on December 14, 2003, at 15:28:34
It is a high dosage of Prozac, but still within the range that I have seen in the literature as being used clinically. Doctors tend to use higher dosages when treating OCD than when treating depression. I'm not sure if there is an increased risk of things like seizure, though.
- Scott
Posted by jay on December 14, 2003, at 16:17:13
In reply to Re: Prozac dosage, posted by brussell on December 14, 2003, at 15:28:34
> That's an insanely high dosage of Prozac. Your doctor may well know what he's doing, but I'd be very reluctant to take that much. I don't think it could do you any physical harm, but it might increase the sense of unreality that some people experience on SSRIs.
>
> If you are suffering from short-term anxiety >due to exams, I think a benzodiazapine like >ativan or xanax might help you more.
I've had a couple of the best clinicians around state the 100-120 mg dose works great for many. The only thing preventing that high of a dose is side-effects. Benzos during exams may mess up the memory a bit.Jay
Posted by brussell on December 14, 2003, at 23:30:16
In reply to Re: Prozac dosage » brussell, posted by jay on December 14, 2003, at 16:17:13
Thanks for the info on the higher Prozac dosages.
I would still be very wary of using such a high dosage because of the depersonalization that some people experience with SSRIs. I'm concerned that one's judgement could be negatively affected by such a dose.
As for benzodiazapines, I could never have finished college without them, so I'm a bit biased. My anxiety completely wipes out my ability to learn and remember things, so I always took them to help me remember things on exams!
Posted by slinky on December 15, 2003, at 0:52:59
In reply to Re: Prozac dosage, posted by brussell on December 14, 2003, at 23:30:16
I had to lower my dose due to being jumpy/nervous feeling anxious inside..shame cause 40mg started to deal with the depression.
Posted by Flipsactown on December 15, 2003, at 1:47:48
In reply to Prozac dosage, posted by glove on December 14, 2003, at 15:19:50
Hello,
I have been on 100mgs of prozac for nearly a year for unipolar depression. In fact on my own I increased it to 140mg and I felt depression free. My pdoc would not me to stay on 140mg so I had to go back to 100mgs. My pdoc did allow me to take an extra 45mgs daily to 90mgs of remeron (max on remeron is 45mgs)which enhance the effects of prozac. But, I felt my depression was still hanging around, so I suggested to my pdoc that I start taking lamictal since I have researched it online as being effective for unipolar depression when taken with other A/D's. I have been on the prozac, remeron and lamictal combo for nearly 3 months and I can say that I am depression free.
Flipsactown
> Hey I take Prozac for obsessive compulsive disorder, I have been gradually increasing since coming off of Paxil a few months ago. I am in the mmiddle of exams so my anxiety is heightened. My doc pulled me up to 80 mg and said that it's safe and effective for some. He said that some of his patients are up to 100 mg and 120 mg for OCD and they are great. What do you guys think? Know anything about this? It was eith that or getting put on a newq med. Thanks.
Posted by GreatDaneBoy on December 15, 2003, at 9:08:34
In reply to Prozac dosage, posted by glove on December 14, 2003, at 15:19:50
I went up to 100mg with no real affect on my mood. However, I basically lost the ability to climax alltogether! :-( Now I'm down to 40mg and am doing very well with it combined with Depakote, Lamictal, Seroquel, and Valium.
Good luck!
Dane =)
Posted by Bill LL on December 15, 2003, at 10:25:59
In reply to Prozac dosage, posted by glove on December 14, 2003, at 15:19:50
I have read posts from a number of people on 100 mg or more of Prozac who find it very helpful.
Posted by glove on December 15, 2003, at 23:26:28
In reply to Re: Prozac dosage, posted by Bill LL on December 15, 2003, at 10:25:59
Guys- thanks so much for the reassurance. I quit Paxil because I was already taking 50 mg with no GREAT relief, plus my pdoc doesn't like it and says that they are putting warnings on it in Europe now about addiction. I knew about the whole Paxil scare when my GP put me on Paxil but ignored it because I remember people fraking out about Prozac when it first came out. Also, I took Prozac about 5 years ago and it was successful. Also, my pdoc has had me on 1 mg a night of clonazepam because I still find it hard to take a full breath during the day...the clonazepam got rid of that for about three months until finals started. My pdoc told me that I can take an extra 1/2 mg if I want to during exams but I declined. I am really working on controlling my anxiety with exercise, meditation, etc. Everyone freaks me out about benzos. Clonazepam was like the best med I ever got but my doc says that I will eventually have to taper off of it so that I don't become totally dependant. Hope that won't be for a while! Winter is my hardest time so hopefully he'll keep me on it until Spring. In terms of Prozac side effects I've been good except that it may be contributing to my anxiety a little though. BUT, one thing that I know for sure is that you have to hang in there when it comes to all these meds. The side effectd may be killer at the beginning but eventually they subside, that's been my experience at least. My pdoc also mentioned Zyprexa but I thought that Zyprexa was for manic depression?
Posted by jbs on December 16, 2003, at 20:43:49
In reply to Re: Prozac dosage, posted by glove on December 15, 2003, at 23:26:28
Yeah go for high dose Prozac if it works. Zyprexa has some evidence for it as an augmenter for depression treatment. Some use antipsychotics, like Zyprexa, to help with anxiety. In my opinion, the use of Zyprexa for these reasons should be reserved for situations in which other things have been already been tried. For example, if clonazepam eases your anxiety, I think you are much much much better off on that than Zyprexa long term, as long as you don't continually need to increase your clonazepam.
This is the end of the thread.
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