Shown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by lexman on May 7, 2004, at 13:12:13
I have been on prozac for a little over a week and i am feeling more anxiety.How long does it last?It sucks because today is my b-day and i feel depressed.
Posted by finelinebob on May 7, 2004, at 14:26:17
In reply to Prozac-need advice, posted by lexman on May 7, 2004, at 13:12:13
lexman--
Your doc or pdoc should have told you this, so I hope its not the first time you're getting it. SSRIs like Prozac take time to build up to their "therapeutic effect". Four to eight weeks, in general.What happens in those weeks, tho, is a different story ... your mileage may vary (YMMV). The first SSRI I was prescribed was Zoloft. For me, it was a roller coaster -- one week I was manic, the next I felt like I was dying. I went through about three cycles of that before things settled into a stable pattern.
This is some of the hardest advice to hear when you're having a rough time building up to that therapeutic level, but you need to have a lot of patience. I'm not saying suffer in silence -- come here to Babble and talk all you need, talk to friends, talk to your doc especially and keep him/her informed. Take baths. Meditate. Remember to breathe. Whatever soothes you, do it. On the flip side, if your mood takes a 180 be ready for it. Don't go signing up for any credit cards or anything like that (one manic episode was enough to bankrupt me!).
Keep a journal. Document how you feel. Chart your moods. What you need more than anything right now is perspective, and perspective only comes with time and reflection. Then, four weeks from now, if you can take your journal and see some improvement, you can have some confidence you're heading in the right direction. If you don't see improvement, then you have some documentation to share with your pdoc that will help the two of you make an informed decision about how to proceed.
Of course, this just means you have to be extra special to yourself today -- Happy Birthday!!! Go out of your way to treat yourself special ... you deserve it doubly, since (1) you're you in the first place, and that's enough of a reason, and (2) you are taking this step, going on meds, to make your life better. Go do two things nice for yourself, and keep in mind that you WILL get through this!
hth, flb
Posted by harryp on May 7, 2004, at 17:15:49
In reply to Prozac-need advice, posted by lexman on May 7, 2004, at 13:12:13
This seems to be one of the common Prozac side effects. It will probably get better in time. I would try something like klonopin for a while at least. If you get a good AD response but can't tolerate the anxiety, another SSRI might be worth trying.
Posted by Michael Bell on May 7, 2004, at 18:34:44
In reply to Prozac-need advice, posted by lexman on May 7, 2004, at 13:12:13
>
Sorry for stating the obvious, but it depends on your dx. I tried prozac for ruminating/obsessive thoughts. I definitely found an increase in anxiety, but my dx is social phobia. The anxiety lasted the whole time I took prozac. HOWEVER, what's wierd is that I noticed it kind of blunted the "social" part of SP but spread the anxiety around so that I had the physiological symptoms of anxiety more often. Before meds, I was only anxious in social situations.Here's a terrible analogy. My social phobia (w/o meds) is like a big piece of butter on a slice of bread (the bread being my daily life). I'm not anxious in all situations, but put me in a social setting and it's a different story. The prozac was like a knife that lessened the social anxiety by spreading it all around the bread and making me end up in a constant state of higher anxiety.
As bad analogies go, that was probably up there. I hope I got my point across.
Good luck.
I have been on prozac for a little over a week and i am feeling more anxiety.How long does it last?It sucks because today is my b-day and i feel depressed.
Posted by Michael Bell on May 7, 2004, at 18:51:29
In reply to Prozac-need advice, posted by lexman on May 7, 2004, at 13:12:13
I forgot to add, filelinebob and harryp make good points - it usually takes a while before SSRIs show thier effectiveness, and they usually cause anxiety for the first 2-3 weeks, especially the activating ones like prozac and zoloft.
As far as using klono until the anxiety wears off, I see no problem with this. But try and see it through w/o a benzo unless the anxiety is really bad.
> I have been on prozac for a little over a week and i am feeling more anxiety.How long does it last?It sucks because today is my b-day and i feel depressed.
Posted by Sad Panda on May 7, 2004, at 20:03:40
In reply to Prozac-need advice, posted by lexman on May 7, 2004, at 13:12:13
> I have been on prozac for a little over a week and i am feeling more anxiety.How long does it last?It sucks because today is my b-day and i feel depressed.
>
>As the other people have said, it's a common thing when taking SSRI's or Effexor. You get an increase in axiety that will subside in a week or two. I also get it everytime my dosage is increased. For the first week I am very lively, edgy & anxious. A take Valium for the first week, Ativan or Klonopin would be better if you can get them. A beer or two might be good, but I usually avoid drinking with my AD's. Also... HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Hope you have many more. :)
Cheers,
Panda.
Posted by Joy on May 8, 2004, at 12:34:00
In reply to Prozac-need advice, posted by lexman on May 7, 2004, at 13:12:13
First, Happy Birthday.......
Try xanax or ativan as needed. I take xanax before bedtime and take 40 mgs of Prozac. Xanax is great though I don't take too much.
Good luck.
Joy
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