Depression Blog.com

I started out on Prozac fifteen years ago and it took the edge off my depression. However I had to increase the doseage until I was up to sixty Mg a day. I was taken off the drug three years ago for Lexapro. I had more trouble with it and my life unraveled without my knowing it. It felt like I was in a fog and it cost me relationships and a job. I went off all medications six months ago and I struggle every day to maintaine myself. I'm totaly anti social and spend most of my time at home alone. I finally found satisfiying work but it's alot of work to maintaine my mood so I don't make the mistakes that caused me to leave my last job. I wish I knew what I could do to improve my situation.

I took prozac for about 2 1/2 months. At first it was great. I could think more clearly, concentrate on multiple projects at work, and I had energy! The problem was after a while I had so much engery I couldn't handle it all. I went and saw my doctor b/c I felt like I was bipolar (which is not my diagnosis. I could talk for 2 hrs staight and run on the treadmill at the same time and then I would be exhasted the 3rd hour. My friends & family couldn't handle me after a while. To make a long story short. I am currently taking Lexapro which is helping but I'm very tired and often unmotivated...

My doctor had me on Prozac for depression. 20 mg. for about 7 months and then my doctor rasied it to 40 mg. for about 2 more months. During this time I experienced sucidal thoughts, thoughts of wanting to hurt myself, muscle spasms, weight gain, violent nightmares and much more.. I got off the Prozac gradually and I've now been off the Prozac completely for 3 weeks. The depression while on the Prozac was worse than before I was on it. But the withdrawal for me is worse than being on the Prozac. Getting off of Prozac appears to be a hard battle for me. But there is NO way I will go back on Prozac. If your doctor wants to prescribe you Prozac, I say run the other way!

This drug is absolutely awful in terms of side-effects. I know several people now, aswell as myself that are experiencing panic attacks, upset stomach, and tiredness. I felt BETTER before I was on the drug, and this is supposed to make me FEEL BETTER not WORSE. Doctors, psychiatrists should inform you well of these side-effects in a serious manner because they are serious and they are disabling to people that have to work or go to college.

I thought Tom Cruise was wrong, well in my case and many others he is right, "there's a higher and better quality of life" - that's not to say it doesn't work. But believe me if I knew this would happen I would've so not taken them.

I am wondering how prozac works. I don't feel as angry as I used to. I am not depressed then up. I am very even toned now. How does it work. I do feel extremely tired all the time now. Any suggestions?

I've been on Prozac for about six months. I don't think I exaggerate if I say it kept me from being admitted to hospital for depression. I have now switched to a tricyclic antidepressant, because it offers some anti-anxiety benefits as well. I have nothing bad to say about Prozac.

I JUST STARTED TAKING PROZAC.I WAS ON LEXAPRO BUT
IT DID NOT HELP.TODAY IS MY SIXTH DAY.I HAVE NOT
EXPERIENCED ANY SIDE EFFECTS YET.I HAVE A LOT OF
HOPE FOR THIS MEDICINE.

I just started taking Prozac.I have not had any side effects but today is only the sixth day.I was taking Lexapro for six weeks and it did nothing for me.I have a lot of faith in Prozac.

I am one of those people that does a lot of research.I do understand that everyone reacts differently to these drugs.However there seems to be many more negative comments rather than positive about this drug Prozac.I encourage all people who look at these sites to have an open mind.And i do hope that more people who like Prozac post positive feedback.If i have a positive
experience with this drug i will let everyone know.People who are depressed need hope.They don't
need discouragement.

That is true Amy, people who are depressed do need HOPE! In fact, hope/faith is what keeps many people from just giving up their life at once, it revives people's spirits even when they become depressed.
-I'd day that when you claim to have all the symptoms of a depression, but go searching for an altenative other than suicide, you have hope for a cure....YOU REALLY DO VALUE YOUR LIFE! Often though, people take the Path of a quick chemical fix. Relying on major Business or Marketing Researchers( i.e. SSRI makers) to aid you with temperamental problems is what has become extensively popular. EVEN after the high percentages of negative feedback, risky side-effects and deaths caused by SSRI's, have been shoved in your face people continue to have hopes for their use, YOu MIGHT wonder WHY people Still resort to these type of drugs?

Gained 11 pounds on prozac, just before my wedding. Had to stay on it, just couldn't deal with the pressure. On it, I feel numb, emotionless, but balanced. No mood swings, crying spells, temper tantrums. I think my fiance likes me better on Prozac than without. Pretty sure he never would have given me a second glance if I wasn't on it when we met.

I started Prozac about 1 month ago. At first I had no side effects. then the dirarea kicked in and I am averaging around 5 hours of sleep a night. I fall asleep fine but awake really early in the 3 to 5 am range(to late to take anything). I have tried lexapro with HORRIBLE SIDE EFFECTS AND PAXIL WITH THE SAME. Prozac was and is tolerable for the most part. It did give me impulsive thoughts and weird thoughts and dreams that I would never have, which kind of scared me. Now after a month it makes me feel spacey and tired. I do take xanax for the anxiety when it gets real bad. My hopes are to stop the xanax and use only the prozac. I am taking it for anxiety problems.

sooooooooo so far I like prozac better than lexapro and paxil

i am taking 20mg in the morning
i was taking 10 mg then down to 5mg then back to 10 mg then back down to 5 mg of lexapro a day
i was taking 25mg of paxil for two days--- made me insane

ps use caution drinking with prozac, if you do drink with it make sure you eat before drinking and drink plenty of water when finished. If you dont you could suffer a multi day anxiety and depression binge that is hard to come off of.

I am suffering from LACK OF EMOTIONS. I dont cry, I dont feel nervous, I dont feel angry, I dont fall in love. I dont feel anything in my heart. I hate myself so much. I isolate myself from ppl bcoz of this problem. I feel so embarassed if an emotion is expected from me like when someone yells at me bad words like FUCK YOU YOU SON OF A BITCH! I cant even react. I give no reactions or emotions. and I look stupid bcoz I dont even show any emotions even in intense situations like this. When my grandmother died I did not even cry. When everyone else around me is bursting into tears, even the men, and even the non-relatives cried, except for me. I was just so emotionless as if it was an everyday situation that was occuring. Nothing in my heart that I felt. I felt no pain, no nervousness, nothing. Something is terribly wrong with me and it affects my personal life. It depresses me so much. Even now that im writing this. I want to cry so bad. I want to burst into tears. But nothing comes out of my emotions. Im like a robot. Nothing. Whenever I need to cry and I do not cry, it manifests all over my body. I get dehydrated, headaches. Its all physical pain. I get taken advantage of every situation bcoz ppl think that im numb and insensitive. When my bf left me for another girl, I did not even cry. But I was so affected, mentally and psychologically that it affected my whole body. I got really dehydrated and depressed (but i did not cry). I was just so empty. I dont know what to do. I searched all over the net but i did not find any treatment for this condition. There is no such thing as "drug to boost emotions". I feel that my heart is paralyzed. My emotions are paralyzed. I always pray to god to give me emotions. Please doctors, please do something about this kind of disorder. It is really hell. If only you could imagine.

As a child, I was the shy introverted type without any friends at the corner of a classroom. I did not join any clubs, any groups. Whenever there'd be a field trip or a program id make an alibi to my mom that there's no school that day or that that day is not important so that I wont have to go to school on events like those. I was ultra quiet. My words were very limited and soft. But that was in school. At home I was the happy, family-oriented child. I was the youngest of 4 and I was the baby. I was very sensitive to my emotions. When someone raises a voice, Id burst into tears in a snap. My emotions were very high. Id feel intense jealousy if my mom sleeps beside my other sister. I was very emotional at that time. As I was growing up, still I had no friends. No bestfriends, no shallow friends, nothing. I was alone. During lunch time Id wait inside the classroom for the bell to ring while everyone else is enjoying outside. My classmates were trying to befriend me but I was just too introverted that I felt like I had no stories to share. I felt like I was always left out. So what would happen is that Id just isolate myself again. People had the impression of me as the most quiet student. Whenever Id speak out even a little everyone wld simply pay attention to me and it wld thus make me feel the more awkward. So the time came when my family became different. We were not the same old sweet and happy people. For whatever reason, it simply changed. Maybe bcoz we were growing up. We did not give as much respect to our parents as before. And of cors I was not anymore a baby but just one of my siblings (we only have an age gap of 1 or 2 years apart from each other) so basically, our maturity levels are just the same. My sisters had their own group of friends from school. And me, in school, I was still the same. School was hell for me. I had no one to talk to for the whole day. And break time was even worse bcoz Id look stupid on one corner of the classroom, eating alone, while everyone had their own groups. I wld just pretend to be taking a nap on the table so that I wld have an excuse why I was alone. It was very embarassing for me especially that I was already in high school at that time. Still, I was still in denial. I was still hopeful that by next year, Id be more talkative and have friends. By next year I'll get a makeover, a new me. When I get to college, Id be popular and stuffs like those. But nothing ever changed. All my life I never had friends. My only friends are my siblings. (Im already 24). Whenver I'd go out, it would be with my siblings or with my mom. Id also join my siblings and their friends in going out. Even if I felt a little "out of place" still, I hang out with them coz I have no choice. I have no friends. I got used to the feeling of being "out of the circle" and it was normal for me. I couldnt form relationships. I was always a shool dropout bcoz I didnt go to school. Now I just finished my course bcoz my brother is my classmate so we go to school together. I hate it that Im always with my siblings specially with my brother but again I have no choice.

There was a time when I was still in high school my sisters were yelling at my mom and I was very pitiful to her. My mom loaned money from the bank, to invest in a million worth business but the business was a racket. My mom stuck herself up on the room just so to shut herself from any blames but my sisters still went up to her to shout at her, to kick her, and my mom was just crying and begging them to stop and saying she just wants to die. I did not see the scenario but I was hearing them from the first floor of the house. It was too mentally torturing. But then I knew that I could not do anything to stop them coz my opinions wld not matter to them. Im just me. So what I did was just to shut myself and pretend as if nothing's happening. Things like those always happened. I was shocked to myself when a scenario happened, my child cousin was throwing tantrums and he got a knife from the kitchen. He ran towards his mom and so they were running around. I was taking a bath all those times but I could hear what was happening. I could hear there was panic in the voices of the people outside. And I knew that my cousin was catching his mom with a knife. But me, I just continued taking a bath and was like very cool and calm as if nothing was going on. When I got out my brother told me that our cousin was about to stab my aunt and I was like "ya I heard" and went to my room like nothing. At first I found it cool. I thought I was just too calm and cool. But later on I realized Its more than just that. Im not anymore human. I dont have emotions anymore. I dont get angry, I dont feel nervous, I dont cry. As in... nothing. I dont feel anything in my chest or in my heart. I dont fall in love anymore like normal people.

I had a boyfriend bcoz I wanted to.. not bcoz I fell in love. I had him at age 21. I isolated myself from him. I put a barrier between us. We were together for slightly more than a year but evrything only seemed like 3 weeks, or even less. We'd only seen each other once a month. We would only text each other. He wanted to meet my family but I was always afraid. I was afraid for him to find out the real me, an emotionless me. I was afraid that he'll be with me during a situation that I need to react but id still have flat affect, expressionless. I was even afraid that when anyone of my family dies right in front of me and everyone, even the maids cry, and me, as still as a stone. I was afraid to let him know that I had no emotions. I would accept to myself if im depressed, which i am. i wake up each day feeling very very empty. but i can accept that. What i cant accept is this emotionless state of mine. Sometimes when a sad situation happens and my heart would not feel anything, Id self-mutilate to feel some pain. Not too much self-mutilation. Im not suicidal. Just to prick myself. Sometimes Id even punch my chest as if triggering my emotions but nothing happens. Im afraid that what a psychiatrist might offer me is just an antidepressant bcoz Ive tried that. I was feeling happy with prozac, but the emotional numbness was still there. I searched all over the net but I found no drug that triggers the emotions. It's just so unfair. There's a drug that stops the depression but there's no drug that triggers the emotions. Everyday I practice crying or triggering my emotions but then a tear doesnt even drop. I am so depressed, very very depressed, yet I cant even express the depression. As much as I want to burst out, as in burst out into tears, but my emotions dont respond. I feel like my chest is paralyzed. Im so helpless. I dont know if I should go to a neurologist or a psychiatrist.

wow! the above post fits exactly how I have been feeling...I have searched for someone that felt similiar but have found that people can't even grasp....now I have had a lot on my plate the last 6 years, divorce, cancer diagnosis, loss of job, moving...etc. But even after my divorce I didn't feel so empty.....it wasn't until 2/3 years later..OH and the cancer, loss of job were all within 1 year of my divorce. Is this just extreme depression or could it be something else? Will prozac resolve this? I mean I am 38 and have no sex drive, I do not look at woman as sexual objects anymore....This was so not like me..and it has nothing to do with maturity and age (I don't think)..

Any comments would be appreciated...
thanks

Reading these comments is very hard for me. As a 36-year-old mother of 2, I come from a long line of clinically depressed people on both sides of my family. Lots of suicides, lots of hospitalizations. I am personally familiar with the affects of Prozac. I've used it off and on for the past 10 years. And it's all true, the numbness, the lack of emotions, the stability you feel after being on it, but let me tell you about TRUE clinical depression. No I am not a doctor but as I said before it runs amuck in my family on both sides and as a sufferer of it myself, I think I can shed some light on the subject.
True clinical depression affects you regardless of what is going on in your life. Many people think that if they have a series of unfortunate events happen in their lives that they're clinically depressed. Not true. You can have a great paying job, perfect kids, best friends and the perfect husband and be plagued by clinical depression. It's the overwhelming sense of being overwhelmed even when you're not. That impending cloud of doom that looms over your head when there’s nothing but blue sky. And Clinical depression gets worse as we age. That's the dangerous part of it. You think "I can handle it, I can handle it!" and the next thing you know, you're curled up on the floor in fetal position.
That was my last major depression attack. My husband and children gone one sunny afternoon to give me time to rest and thoughts of suicide running through my head. You learn from your mistakes but the pain of the memories never truly goes away.
Anyway I picked up the phone instead of the knife, don’t know why but I did, and called my parents house for help. They live 45 minutes away from me. My dad picked up the phone and I lost it, Crying, Crying, Crying! No sooner did my dad pick up the phone then there came a nock at my door; My sister -in - law comes through the door. My dad had me on the phone for 20 minutes before I realized it, told my mother to call my brother’s wife and her family, my husband’s family and about 100 of their friends and family. My phone didn't stop ringing until my husband got home. My doorbell didn't stop ringing either.
I know it might sound corny, but I did learn something in that first moment that my sister came through the door that day. I learned that alone I am insignificant. Worth nothing more or less than what I am. But my place in the grander scheme of things is very important. I have a place among all these other lives. The Prozac just allows me to get up and get through the days I need it to. It doesn't make me the person I am, I do. Don't be ashamed of what's happening to you on Prozac. Be grateful that it's allowed you to be here for one more day. Yes sometimes day’s turn into weeks, Months and you're in this fog, but TRUST me when I say that your family would rather deal with the fog than greave at your funeral!

I've been on Prozac for eight days now. This is my first experience with depression and I don't like it. I don't feel better. When does it start?

I've been in Prozac for just a few days, I'm taking it to help deal with Fibromyalgia which has been really disabilating and has also left me feeling depressed. So far so good, I've felt a bit shaky in the morning for a couple of hours after I've taken it, but my pains have gone. I feel normal again and motivated, back to my old self.
I know it takes 4-6 weeks for this stuff to really start working but I've been on it a few days and I feel on top of the world.
I know there are a lot of negative comments and experiences out there, i think different people react in different ways and as far as I have discovered from research Prozac is taken to help with many different ailments.
I like it so far and hope this continues.

My mom is taking prozac. she has recently had est 'Electric Shock Therepy' at Harborveiw Medical Center. I believe prozac is making her more depressed and suicidal. Doctors are feeding her prozac like f*cking skittles! Down With Prozac!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello,

I'm a 31 yoa female. I have been taking prozac ( 40 mg, once a day) since I was about 18 yoa. I suffer from Panic Attacks,
and if you've ever had one, you know now scary they can be.
The Prozac has COMPLETLY taken them away. And not to sound
like a Prozac addict, but I'm pretty sure I counld not live with out it. i was having 5 to 20 attacks a day. To me it it's a 'wonder drug'. I'm so thankfull for it. everybody is differnt, but I don't
see any harm in trying it ( if your Doctor recomends it for you)
It's important for you to find out personally if it will work for
you or not and just base your opinion of it on others peoples
experinces. Thanks and have a good day!

I have been on prozac for a few weeks already.I lost 5 pounds and it helped me control my appetite plus bring down my anxiety.I feel relaxed and I can sleep normally like I once did when I was a child.I love prozac.20 mg a day

I was put on Prozac (40mg aday) for Depression but after 5 months i had only felt light effects,then suddenly i feel great feelings of joy (an actual buzz) then extreme depression then next day.My doctor changed me to Deanxit (Flupenthixol and Melitracen) this taken twice aday (morning,noon) along with 20mg of Prozac is working wonders for me.The only down side is the Weight Gain!

When I was 23, I realized that I was suffering from depression. I realized that it's not normal to want to sleep all day, be antisocial, and go to bed crying for no good reason. My doctor prescribed 10mg of Prozac (a very low dose). I really didn't want to take it, because there is a certain stigma attached with antidepressants (maybe people think you are crazy?). But I took it anyways. And within a month I was happy - for probably the first time in my life! After about a year, I figured that I was healthy, so I weaned myself off of the Prozac.

2 years later, I suffered a relapse. The worst thing about depression is that it's sometimes difficult to tell that you're suffering from it. To a person who has true clinical depression, the depression feels normal. Over the course of a year, I broke up with my longtime girlfriend, suffered from panic attacks, became socially withdrawn, began crying nightly and having thoughts about suicide. When the thoughts about suicide came, I figured out that I was depressed again, and sought help. This time, my doctor prescribed 20mg of Prozac. After taking it, the first 2 weeks were great. I had tons of energy and felt good. But then my brain chemicals started to adjust for the Prozac, and I went back to depression for another 2 months. Now, a month later, everything has adjusted properly, and I'm feeling pretty good every day. I'm still 'me' but I can deal with stress without having panic attacks, I don't cry at night anymore, and I'm able to go out and be social again. For me, Prozac is wonderful.

Here are some things that I just wanted to point out, from my experiences with Prozac:

1) Give it time to work. You will feel great at first, but the brain scales back its chemicals to account for the Prozac and you'll get depressed again for a while. It might take 2+ months for chemicals to normalize and to start feeling better on a daily basis.
2) My doctor told me that if I choose to wean myself off of Prozac in the future and suffer a third bout of depression, then I will probably have to take medication for life. This used to bug me, but if I can live a normal, happy life with just one pill a day... why not?
3) Prozac might not work for everyone. There are a ton of different choices out there. But if you are thinking that it's not working for you, make sure that you give it time to do its thing (3 months?). Just about everyone on both sides of my family are taking antidepressants - but they all take different types/brands. I guess you just have to find out what works for you.
4) The only negative side effect that I've personally experienced with Prozac is an upset stomach - if I don't eat enough before taking the pill, my stomach will burn for about a 1/2 hour. Still, 20mg is a relatively low dose, so maybe higher doses will cause other side effects.

I NEED TO KNOW THE SIDEEFFECT'S OF THIS MEDICATION, AND WANT IT WOULD DO. THIS MEDICATION
IS ANTIDEPRESION WITH PROZAC. I WOULD LIKE A REPLY TO THE ANSWER.

I have been using DEANXIT for more than 4 years.I take 2 tablets for a day,one in the morning and one in the night.When i reduce it to one pill ,i am not happy. IS IT OKAY TO USE DEANXIT FOR LONG YEARS>

Hey there,
I have been on prozac for a little over a year now and LOVE it. It has really helped me with my anxiety. Well my insurance is now expired and I do not know what I am going to do. Does anyone know how to wean off of Prozac. Would it be like an every other day thing? Right now I take one pill dailry at 20 mg. Thanks in advance for any information you can provide!

I have a love-hate relationbship with Prozac. When I was first officially diagnosed with severe clinical (or chronic) depression(in 1991), my doctor in Honolulu started me on Prozac -- 40 mgs a day. After three weeks or a month I began to feel better. After two months I was a different person. I don't know when or how, but eventually a doctor had me on the highest recommended dosage of 80 mgs a day. I can truly say that Prozac changed my life...and probably saved it too. BUT there is a down side--siginificant weight gain, and a kind of numbness (which can be a welcome relief from the psychological pain caused by depression). After about eight years of an 80 mg dose the depression slowly came creeping back. Doctors in Northern Ca and LA put me on various doses of Wellbutrin, Celexa and Effexor. The relief I recieved was minimal. With the combination of the depression and medication I was often suicidal and gained a lot of weight. (I have since dropped 150 lbs.)Also, along the way I was prescribed the "wonder" diet drug called Phen-Fen. I loved that stuff. It was like taking uppers for a year. But then I came crashing down and ended up in a mental hospital in Pasadena on suicide watch. It's been about nine years since that incident. Doctors kept trying out various combinations of anti-depressants. And I decided to play doctor and began to self medicate with morphine, amphetamines and alcohol. All that did was give me several good highs and landed me in a rehab hospital In Las Vegas. In 2002 I had a begnin brain tumor removed and lots of resulting surgery. I began taking a new "wonder drug" for depression called Cymbalta.. I was on the yhighest allowable dose of 60 mgs a day. I got some slight relief from my debilitating depression, but found that the only thing that helped my get motivated was a white power made from white-crosses (uppers). That was not the answer. I began going to 12-step meetings and cleaning up and began to feel fairly well-- but not the way I really want to feel. About a month ago I was suicidal and had yo see new doctors becuse of a change in my medical plan. I told several of them that the only thing that really relieved my depression was Prozac. So now my primary doc has me on a combination of Prozac in the a-m and Cymbalta at night. I still don't feel a lot better. I have been researching Sam-e, HGH and Siberian Ginseng to add to the concotion. Exercise helps some but I recently broke my hip. Wow! Now that I read this over I sound like a maniac. But I assure you, I am a very loving, happily married 59-year-old grandmother living in an upper middle-class area of Las Vegas. I am a retired broadcast journalist -- and before my brain tumor had a successful career in radio and television, politics and the arts. My odyessy with depression began when I was a child. Then when I was pregnant at age 18 some "brilliant doc" put me on diet pills. I gained a total of 18 pounds when I was pregnant, gave birth to a bi-polar child and was crazed most of the time. It's very easy for me to trigger manic episodes (although I have not been diagnosed as bi-polar)and even easier for me to get into a suicidal funk. This is no kind of life and no fun. . .and especially annoying when people think you can just "snap out of it." My family puts up with me, but often I isolate and stay away from family functions because I am feeling so down. I just don't want to continue my life being so unproductive, un-loving and unhappy. I am not giving up. If I can find an answer maybe that will help someone else. Depression runs wild in my family. I have a bi-polar daughter and did have a bi-polar drug addicted father. If any of this sounds familiar to you, or if you would like to give me your input, please post here or e-mail me at Huria@cox.net. Aloha...

I've been having a few questions about prozac that I would hope someone could awnser for me. I've been suffering from extreme depression ever since I was forced to move in the middle of my highschool career if you want to call it that. All my life I've been anti-social with the exception of one friend who killed herself a year ago, but because of some weird luck (I'm really really shy) related things I made friends had relationships, etc. there for the last half of the year I was lived there. I moved here and my exgirlfriend moved away somewhere else at the same time. Long story short, my ex and I did the whole long distance thing for two-three years, and it was the closest thing I had to a real relationship or friendship I've had other then my friend who killed herself. It turns out my ex has anti-social personality disorder. The 2-3 years I was with her I was really with a person she created, almost everything was a lie. So other then my friend who killed herself the only other person I had a real meaningful relationship was with a imagionary person.

I tried to go into therapy, but it seems that the guy just treated prozac as a magical pill that would solve all my problems. I stopped looking for help when I realized that, but lately it has gotten much worse. I just want to sit down in a corner and just wait for the end, ontop of random outbursts physical pain. My question, sort of gone off topic, is how can prozac help. It just seems like it's covering up the underlining problem. I don't understand how it can help me be social, when I don't even know how to be social I guess. If anyone has any imput about prozac or whatever please email me: hopeoneless@gmail.com

I was depressed for years but never took Prozac or any other antidepressant. I made a film instead. I think your visitors might be interested in it, as it challenges the notion that depression is a biological disorder. Please feel free to take a look at my website: www.aperiofilms.com
The film is called "we don't live under NORMAL CONDITIONS"
Thanks to you for creating this blog

I was depressed for years but never took Prozac or any other antidepressant. I made a film instead. I think your visitors might be interested in it, as it challenges the notion that depression is a biological disorder. Please feel free to take a look at my website: www.aperiofilms.com
The film is called "we don't live under NORMAL CONDITIONS"
Thanks to you for creating this blog

I was depressed for years but never took Prozac or any other antidepressant. I made a film instead. I think your visitors might be interested in it, as it challenges the notion that depression is a biological disorder. Please feel free to take a look at my website: www.aperiofilms.com
The film is called "we don't live under NORMAL CONDITIONS"
Thanks to you for creating this blog

I recently started taking Prozac, I was trying to stay away from stress meds for ever because I was so scared of the side effects. My cardiologist recently put me on this for post traumatic stress syndrome, I have neuro cardiogenic syncope and am always deathly afraid of passing out. I am completing my last year in school for pre med so I think I know a little to much about medical problems and that freaked me out. So finally we decided that most of my recurrent syncope was because I would take every little dizziness or lightheadedness and freak that I was going to pass out. It got so bad that this whole summer I barely moved because I was so afraid to pass out. I know it sounds silly but that is the scariest thing to ever happen to me, and after I had the tilt table test I was even more scared. But with the Prozac I have been able to get my life back, slowly but surely. I noticed my attacks have gone down significantly and that I really am able to control my anxiety better when I do feel dizziness or lightheadedness. If you are suffering from post traumatic stress and have been, don't be afraid like I was to try meds, I just kept having a snowball effect and now I really have to dig myself out. Prozac really helped me, and since I take the dose at night, I really don't notice any side effects! Also, my dose started at 25mg just in case anyone wants to know! Good Luck!

hi ive been on prozac for about 9 months, and it has helped me loads. At first it made me feel very weird, but i got over that and now i feel great. Being 16 years old i didnt really want to go on it neither did doctors, but we decided it was best for me at the time.
I take 20mg a day and my doctor is on aout taking me off it next summer. Which really scares me because if i miss my tablet for a day now i do back to being really sad so i cant thik about coming off it forever :(. Does anybody know if u are allowed to drink on prozac???

I'm sorry to see some people have had bad experiences with Prozac. I, for one, am very happy with it. I have been taking it for a year now and it has really helped with social anxiety and general mood. I've also had psychotherapy sessions for a while and that has helped, too, but without the prozac, I doubt I would be so happy and stable now.

Naturally, not everything is rosy, and I still have trouble concentrating many times, plus I find it very hard to motivate myself to do housework, but as concerns my work and social activities, I'm much more motivated, active and involved than ever before. Plus, I feel more. My life is more intense emotionally - albeit somewhat manic at times...

As to negative side effects, I would have to mention a 'dry and smelly mouth'. But I think all the good things I've mentioned are worth the trouble of chewing minty gum all day long...

I've been on Prozac for over 7 months now and side-effects for me include: loss of appetite, CRAZY dreams, numbness, and if I drink while on it, Blackouts.

The loss of appetite: I NO longer have ANY appetite at all. I have to force myself to eat.

CRAZY dreams: wild, vivid dreams....They're interesting though. Not to worried about the dreaming part, I LOVE TO DREAM!!!

Numbness: EVERY MORNING when I wake up my hands are numb, my face is numb, and sometimes when I get up out of bed I stumble a little...vertigo. This is what I'm worried about. The numbness has been getting worse. At first it was 1-2 times a week. Now it's daily, and days it DOESN'T go away. My hands are numb ALL DAY LONG!!! Weird???

Blackouts with alcohol: Great advice for anyone reading....DO NOT DRINK WHILE ON PROZAC!!!!
I'm only 5'2" and 115 lbs and I had a few glasses of wine one night at a wedding and ended up collapsing out on the dance floor. My body, my mind, and my emotions blacked-out.

Overall: Prozac has Helped, A LOT!!! Especially with working full time at the hospital, finishing up my RN degree full time at college, planning a wedding, and trying to maintain a home that my fiancee and I just purchased.

I feel more carefree and less stressed about the little things in life. Oh, and my coworkers and family have ALL said that I laugh more. Laughter afterall is the BEST medicine.

I have been on Prozac for 8 months now. After the first month I feel just like my old self. Except that I am not always angry or anxious at the drop of a hat. I am 50 years old and spent too many of those years suffering just because I would not accept the fact that I could not do it on my own. All the soul searching, prayer, you name it, never helped.
Life is so much better now, i still have all my old emotions but I can control them so much better. I still get angry but not just out of the blue anymore.
All I can say is that at least for this guy, Prozac has given me a chance to enjoy life.

My first experience with antidepressants began in 1999 with 20mg of Paxil. That did wonders for me, but eventually the weight gain and sluggishness started to bum me out. I eventually transitioned to 20mg of Prozac, and everything seemed fine. My life was stable for the most part. I still didn't feel as happy as I would've liked, but at least I wasn't depressed. At some point, I went from 20mg of Prozac down to 10mg. I was hoping to offset some of the weight gain I had experienced, starting with the Paxil. 10mg was fine for a while, until I started a new job and sort of freaked out. I self-upped my dose to 30mg of Prozac-- NOT a good idea! Eventually my doc told me to resume taking 20mg. Again, I took 20mg for about 5 months, then went down to 10mg. I'm in another new job and I've been feeling like crap for the past two months-- anxious, sick all the time, no energy. I would like to resume taking 20mg of Prozac and stay there-- no more self-adjusting my dose whenever I feel good. My fear is that the 20mg won't do anything anymore, and I'm terrified of taking more because of the weight gain-- which essentially just leads to more depression anyway. Has anyone gone from 10mg to 20mg and noticed a positive difference? I hope this does the trick for me.....

Made me feel shaky all the time. Wired. Couldn't concentrate - reading a book or even watching a movie seemed like impossible tasks. Completely lost my libido, which i'm still struggling to regain. And worsened my insomnia, which caused me to be prescribed ambien, which i eventually developed a tolerance for. I wouldn't recommend prozac. Now on lexapro and so far side effects much milder, but not yet ideal. Prozac gave me LOTS of energy though. But more like unfocused, "nervous" energy. Still think st john's better.

well what can I say I love the drug now my doctor put me on phentermine with it and it's wonderful I crave water though all the time and I also get alot of things accomplished now . I am on symbyax for bipolor disorder. It's a mixture of prozac 50 mil. I love the way it makes me feel alot of people don't know that the combination of phentamine works very well with prozac. email me for more information.

i've been depressed for about 11 years now, i was one of those people who denied it or tried to hide it. told myself that docks and phys were a waste of time. sometimes if someone looked at me wrong i would explode. other times i would shy away from everyone freinds & family included. then there were the real bad times when the thoughts about suicide came. now that i'm on prozac i can control myself better. the only side effects i've have is the buzz feeling and sometimes a little trouble sleeping through the night.

i don't know how my wife and kids put up with me before. i'm glad prozac is out there for people like us. i take 20mg once a day and it works...

doug

I just started on prozac just five days ago and I have been reading many of the comments and I am scared! I can feel an anxiety attack coming on right now but for some reason it is suppressed (by the prozac maybe?)

Anyways I don't know if it is gonna help me because this feeling of numbness I already have. I already suppress my emotions with bulimia and cutting. I haven't cut in over four weeks and when I was put on prozac I started.

The first two days I didn't purge but i sure did binge and I didn't really have the nasty full feeling that I normally have. The next day I binged and I purged only because it was scary to me that I was binging and didn't care.

I was reading the paper that came with my pills and it says its for depression, anxiety, ocd, and bulimia ... all the things I have but if i gain weight because of it I KNOW I will get worse because the feeling of being fat is part of the problem.

I don't know what to do.
I don't want to suffer the side effect of gaining but I want to be better.
but I can't be better if prozac is causing the problems.

gah! this disorder is complicated.

I started taking Prozac 4 weeks ago and have recently had my dose increased to 20mg per day. I did not have any SEs while on the lower dose but I am feeling very strange right now, not myself. My MD told me that in the beginning that I would have good days and a few bad days and that if I would just hang in there the bad days would go away and the medication would work. My problem is that I do not feel right. I am not as depressed as I was but I also am experiencing mild anxiety and people are starting to get on my nerves really bad. I am normally a person who does not cause confrontations with others but I could very easily do this now. I do not know if this is part of the SEs of Prozac or if it is just "me".....I want so badly to feel better and wand to give this med a chance to work...Can anyone tell me if the early days of taking this medication was as strange as I am finding it now? Thanks for any insight into my problem and question.

Hello I have been taking Prozac for about 5 years before that I took xanex (that is nasty stuff) I don't even remember most of the time I was on xanex.... talk about a fog. anyway thats when I started Prozac it saved my life I was crying all the time and so unhappy I could'nt live my own life. I am now 44 and I when off the prozac for about a month and a half and I just started it back up again I take 40 mils a day and watch what I eat so I don't have to deal with the weight gain. life is good when prozac atleast I am here to live it. nothing wrong with help. good luck to all take care and enjoy life. and if you need help get help it's cool.

I have been taking Prozac for about 2 weeks now...I have had mostly bad days since taking the med...but want to try taking it longer to see if it wouuld actually work ...I still get depressed a bit but mostly I am not feeling myself and have seemed to lost any interest in talking with others and cant seem to get my personality back ..I have a 420 card here in Cali and use 420 also ..I am wondering if this is affecting the prozac 20mg I am taking daily ...the other day I drank vodka and had a blackout and didnt remember hitting the bathroom floor ..I wasnt even drunk and only had 2 shots ..was really weird and scary ..I hope the prozac changes things ..really

I went to see my doctor after suffering for nine weeks with a terribly debilitating virus.My life had reached a stage where it was completely out of control.Drinking to relax.Working seven days a week.Absolutely exhausted and trying to deal with loads of family problems.My doctor prescribed Prozac and I have never looked back.After the slight anxieties of the first few weeks I began to clear away all the dross out of my life and I now find myself far more relaxed than I probably have ever been.I hear all of these negative stories about Prozac but for me the experience has been a complete liberation.I have become much more positive and outward looking and far less uptight about the lunacy that I see around me.I am still who I've always been but I am able,in my own way,to be more effective then ever before.Prozac?Yes....certainly worth a try.

Lawrence.15th April 2007

Just an additional note for Russell.
Yeah ...what you describe is exactly how I felt in the first few weeks.I had an occasional and overwhelming desire to tell a few really irritating people exactly what I thought of them and on a few occasions that is precisely what I did.Although I would urge caution I would have to say thet I found these episodes very liberating.However you must tread your own path but as for the feelings that you describe I know exactly how you feel.Hang in there because they go fairly quickly and what comes next is as close to peace of mind as I've ever been.Believe me it all gets better.
Lawrence 15th April 2007

prozac seems to let me get through my day. I can focus better on it. Or at least it has given me a level of numbness that allows me not to get unfocused. I think that it is a very good drug so far, but because it just numbs me I cant help but thinking " this is really only taking the edge off, im not dealing or getting better"
After i have been to my therapy i feel really good most of the time, so i think that this is key to recovery.I think that this drug numbs me enough to be able to deal with my self and think rationally. I was put on this drug to combat depression, eating disorder and ocd. One thing i have noticed is that within just a few weeks the stream of pesimistic and self loathing thoughts have almost all gone. I still think I am fat it has not helped here but im sure with time therapy will deal with this.

Hope in the middle of numbness

My 18 year old son was prescribed Prozac 3 weeks ago, why does he have no energy or cares about nothing

I am a 36 year old woman who has suffered from depression and obsessive compulsive disorder for really as long as I can remember. I hate the idea of taking medication, always have. I thought that I should be stronger emotionally and shouldn't rely on drugs to get me through life. Then I realized it is a DISEASE. I believe that it takes strength and courage to realize that chemically things may just be out of order, and it is ok to get help.

For me, the side effects have been minimal and really only noticeble in the first few weeks. I can still love, cry, get mad, feel symapathy and be creative. It actually enhances my creativity because I'm not so inhibited and scared of what others will think of me.

The only side effect that is tough is the decreased libido, but my husband of 5 years and I talk about it, and I know he supports and loves me. No,sex isn't as exciting, but the intimacy is still there, and isn't that really the most important thing about sex?

Because I believe true clinical depression is a chemical imbalance, I don't think one drug is necessarily going to work for everyone. For me, fluoxetine (generic form of Prozac) has been a lifesaver, and I'm thankful that there is something out there that can help.

One thing I would warn about is stopping an anti-depressant abruptly without being under a doctor's care. I did this recently, and although I felt great for 3-4 months,almost like I was on a high, I eventually ended up in a downward spriral of depression, anxiety, and compulsive behaviors. My psychiatrist has said that I am one of those people that might have to stay on it forever. I still don't like it, but maybe I'm finally coming to a point of acceptance.

If you are suffering, get help. Love yourself enough to do this.

started prozac about a month ago. at first 20mgs then 2 weeks into doc ups it to 40mgs. the first couple of days i felt great, a little energy for a change. then i noticed being extremley sleepy, even before i went up to the 40mgs. so now i take it a couple of hours before bed......still sleepy all day long! well this go away or is sleepy a trade off for depression?

Hi, just looking for some answers.. i recently started prozac 20 mg a day, i take it everyday around noon. ive been on it for about 2 weeks now.. and i feel worse than before i started. my doc put me on it b/c of anxiety, panic attacks and eating problems. i feel more tired, ive been laying around all day and it takes more than before to get myself motivated to do ANYTHING, even take showers and do laundry. im confused... i feel like crap and i dont like this constantly being tired thing or the un motivation thing. ive also noticed i dont care about anything at all, i.e. the way i look. ive been sitting aroudn the house more than ever. does this go away?? i hope it does but im scared. anyone else feel like this??

to lyn
essentially there are two cells, one giving and one receiving messages in your brain for activities or feelings ect. exactly like ocd. sometimes the messages aren't sent properly from one cell to the next and it keeps going back to the first cell. in those instances, prozac puts a barrier up in front of that first cell causing the message to return back to the second cell to carry out its mission. it's pretty interesting, particularly the correlation between ocd and depression. good luck to you all and God bless

I think i may have just taken two 20mg fluxotine caps by mistake instead of one was distracted. Will I be okay if I have done so?

currently taking generic P and it has helped me tremendously.

Increased libido.
Less dread.
Less or non-existence of suicidal thoughts.
No crying.
No drama
More wild dreams.
More sleeping (too much)

I have found a big difference in generic prozac. The name brand gives me good results at 10mg twice a day, I have energy and very social. I've tried two brands of generic and it makes me tired, unmotivated and I want to sleep too much.

Hello,
I'm not on prozac myself but I have met a girl who is. She and I talk a lot and I feel like she's a great person who I could call a friend and really believe that she is.
Now her father is really controlling of her and treats her like a kid (she's 29). He says I don't know her and that when I'm not around she gets really tired and starts behaving really weird, so I should be carefull and not want to go and do all kinds of things that are fun (like taking trips somewhere) with her because of this. I have read here that the tiredness is a side-effect of the prozac so that part I believe. But when I ask her about her behaviour with her father she says he sees her as the difficult person she used to be (she went to rehab for a drug problem)and that all she does is sleep but not throw tantrems like he says. My mother and her father are good friends and my mother has known many people on prozac and tells me to watch out because she could lie, use me for attention and as soon as it would be of convenience to her, she could turn on me and tell her dad I wouldn't believe him and jeopardize the friendship my mom has with her dad.
I don't know if the story is clear or not (incoherent I think), but my question is: who is right? Is it true what my mom says that she manipulates and lies because of the prozac or does my friend tell me the truth? Is she at all capable of having a friendship in her life or should I protect myself and my mother and maybe keep my distance? I really like her, want to be a good friend for her even in hard times and I don't often meet people I can talk with like I can with her. I hope someone can give me an answer.

does taking fluxotine for a couple of years be the cause of me being tired all the time.

I am currently being called in a prescription for Prozac as I type this. I have bounced from Wellbutrin to Lexapro to Effexor. I am hoping that Prozac will be the last stop for me on the depression train. Nothing has worked for me so far...hopefully this will.

reading all the comments have really helped me. I have been depressed for almost 8 years and im only 19 years old. I was scared about takeing meds because i dont want to gain weight but I really want to get over my depression and I hope that prozac will help me because I want to know how it feel to live life instead of crying all the time, feeling sad and guilty, and angry all the time. Im willing to give prozac a chance because there is a chance that it can help me. Im currently at 10mg a day and I just started today so Im looking forward to the results.

Hi guys, I had been on prozac for years since 91 and it helped me a lot in many ways. I experienced all those symptoms too. The suicidal thoughts and agitation. But I just tried to remember what my doctor said, its a new drug, it has these side effects just be careful, they wear off in 2 weeks just hang in there ( and you have to go to therapy too, I know its a pain in the ass, but it has to be done.)

After that it was good. I, like many of you go off then on again medication, and its not good. I have to say though medicine is good for people like us that have severe issues that no one around us understands.

Lexapro for me was ok too but now that I am back on prozac at 40 (geezz I know starting at 40) but hey, it helps me out.... and after reading the posts, I did feel kindo off zombisih wih lexapro. I guess it was eazer to not care on lexapro.

I find that on prozac I can get in touch with the side of me that cares about me and I can accept that better.

I'm pretty sure its the prozac thats helping me to express this to you guys. I havent been open with people in years for what its worth...

Dont forget and dont give up in therapy, it goes hand in hand with the meds... keep trying.

The meds and techniques are tools.

I have been on prozac now for about a year and a half. I started out 20mg, then 40mg, and now I am at 60mg. This has been a great dose for me. I suffer with depression/OCD. I recently missed 4 days because of a budgeting issue of mine. Anyways, nothing major happened. My neighbor could tell I wasn't myself though. I blamed it on pms symptons. However, after reading a few of these blogs, I realize these side effects are normal...especially if you miss doses. I won't do that again. It has helped me a lot.

I have been on prozac for about six weeks now. I almost never have anxiety attacks anymore. I'm on 20 mg a day. Do not drink alcohol while on this medication. I work out soon after taking the pill early in the morning but it's worth the benefits. I have found that I am much more expressive with anger but in my line of work that is normal. Life for me has improved drastically. I do see a therapist once every 2 weeks and I do write myself lots of encouragement through writing. The writing has also played a big, big part. One day at a time. You're life is waiting.

HOW DOES PROZAC AND ST VINCANT'S WORT HELP WTIH DEPRESSION? I AM 17 YRS OLD AND LOST MY BABY AND HER FATHER A MONTH(+) AGO. I CANT SEEM TO GO ON. I FEEL EMPTY AND LOST. I HEAR I AM DEPRESSED. I CANT GO ON IF I CAN REMEMBER. SO HOW ON EARTH WILL A PILL HELP ME WHEN IM NOT WILLING TO GO FORWARD AND MEET NEW PPL.

Prozac made me madder than before I started taking it. I was on one a day and then felt that only 4 would help, self medicated of course. I was getting more depressed and just wept and wept everyday, it got to the stage that I wanted to slit my wrists or take an over-dose while I was on Prozac. I told my shirk that I had self medicated and dropped me to two a day. I got so frightened ofater feeling sucicidal that I dlushed all the prozac down the loo and now I have gone cold turkey, startep drinking and smoking dope which I had not donw for three years, I blam prozac for stuffing me up totally. Obvioulsy we are ll different, I am just one of those people whith who prozac does not agree, but I also agree that I have read more negative things about prozac than what I have heard good things. May God help us all who are suffering and give us peace of mind for our minds have thoroughly crushed us!

Hi everyone, I love Prozac!
I've been take 20mg of Prozac for 4 weeks now. I took it 3 years ago as well for about 6 months to help me get through a lot of personal problems I was having at the time. For me, this drug is the best thing since sliced bread! I have a permanent smile on my face. I really believe that this is the "happy drug". I have a lot of energy, sleep well, have lost 10 pounds (able to stick to a diet now)and feel much better about myself. The side effects of this drug really helps me to lose weight which is the main reason I feel so depressed. It does make you a bit anxious at first, some diarrhea, upset stomach, and a lot of energy. The very first time I took Prozac my doctor also prescribed me Xanax for the first few weeks to help with the anxiety. I was glad I had it! This time though, I don't feel the need for it as I know how to handle the drug. As I' said I've been on Prozac 4 weeks now and almost all the side effects are gone. This drug does make me emotionless. But that's OK because I was too emotional before, crying a lot at just about anything. I also have no sexual desire which again is not a problem because I don't have a man in my life anyway. I was feeling too bad about myself to meet anyone. When I took this drug before I had a boyfriend and I have to admit that I had a difficult time reaching orgasm as well as little or no interest at all to have sex. This was strange because we had a fantastic sex life before. But this problem was less important to me than getting over my depression.Some other side effects are strange dreams in the first few weeks, dry mouth( which is good, I drink more water), get drunk much more easily with alcohol, be careful how much you drink because the effects of Prozac are enhanced, and my biggest issue is that I am too direct with people now. I say things I shouldn't say and am too honest. I sort or have the outbursts of honesty that I should really keep to myself, especially when drinking. All in all I don't have anything bad to say about this drug as it has really saved my life!

Hi ive been on prozak now for 11days and feel alittle numb my head feels like i have pressure on it and dry mouth and figety hopefully these side affects will go and i will start feeling abit better im taking the medication for panic attacks

prozac sucks. Started me on 20mg went up to 60mg.
no effect.

glenlaping,

I don't know if you'll ever get this message but I'm suffering from the same inability to cry and feel emotions. I don't know what has happened to me, but something has definitely changed with my neural networking.

I hope you get this message.

Is there any way the moderator of this blog could give me the e-mail address of glenlaping, if it was recorded when he posted his comment? Please. I really really need to speak with him.

I have been taking prozac (20mg) for approximately 9 months or so.. I found it extremely helpful and did not suffer any major side effects. However, I find that it has made me emotionless... but that has been my only concern about the drug.

i started taking prozac about 6 months ago and started out at 20mg, now in past i had taken it before,but it was 10mg,but now in the last month or so i take 40mg and two weeks out of the month i take 60mg for pmdd, i have a extreme case of,
along with ocd which isn't mild either, i'm depressed all the time, i feel tired from the time i wake up to the time i go to sleep,but when i do sleep i'm restless and i dream crazy stuff and have also noticed i sweat but it comes and goes, i have applied for disablitiy so far i have been turn down and so i contacted a lawyer and i go see them soon but before i got turn down by social security, they sent me to see there doctor and there doctor told me i had schzoaffectived disorder along with many others,my current doctor thinks i have extreme case of ocd and depression,but what i really want to know is taking that high of a dose okay to take

im 4 months pregnant with 2 children under the age of 3. my last doctor visit, i asked my doctor to prescribe me something bc i felt slightly depressed and overwhelmed. he prescibed me 10mill of prozac per day. it made me very tired and i often lost my appetite. ive been taking it 6 days and for the past 2 days i havent stopped crying. i usually go to bed around 9. but i havent been able to fall asleep until after midnight. ive had terrible nightmares also. i havent left the house. i wont answer the phone for anyone & are having suicidal thoughts. i feel like im falling apart. my husband took the script & flushed them. was this normal?? to be worse before better??

I just started taking 20mg of prozac today after going to see the doctor, I feel really depressed cause i've been out of work since august, First time av ever been out of work since i left school am 26, I feel really low and down alot and get crabit with the mrs and children easily, Also find it hard to motovate myself, So am really hoping prozac works for me,

I just started taking prozac 2 weeks ago and it's just now starting to kick in. I just increased my dosage from 10 mg to 20 mg last Thursday. Today has been very interesting. I started getting mild shakes around lunch time and a slight buzz was going on. My energy level increased rapidly and I became very thirsty. The shakes lasted for about 3 hours and it was very difficult to focus on anything. The feeling was great but not ideal for working conditions.

i get accused of using my head and not my heart. i get accused of being an ice queen and not having a heart.

i have a heart.

i just can't feel it.

i don't know if this is the prozac or just me being incapable of human emotion.

nothing hurts. nothing means anything. i wish i knew how to fix it.

I have read this whole page of post and there are alot of stories just like mine. I was on Prozac last yr. at first felt great because I was depressed, not much anxiety, I could actually think about one thing at a time and also I was sleeping a little better. I started on 20mg and then they raised the dose to 40mg. I was working full-time, going out with my gf, friends, spending more time with my family and niece and felt good. I did not realize it was masking my emotions, feelings and I had something to happen last June and I didnt even cry because I could not cry, I had the tears and emotions inside but could not cry and crying always made me feel better and I felt like I had lost the "Big Heart" everyone said i had. I stayed on the prozac because i wasnt depressed and the racing thoughts were under control. I have ADD as well as major depression. I was in the hosp. yrs ago for suicidal thoughts and depression, 1996-1998 off and on because they wanted to try different drugs. I was the dr's lab rat and i hated it. gained weight i was inside my room locked up all the time sleeping and had no life even though i was going through a divorce and that may have caused some of the isolation but the meds made me sleep all the time.I dont know why i gained weight i never ate and was always skinny until they put me on depokote and that made me gain 50lbs in 3 months alot was water and i stopped it but they always had another drug. I was on prozac yrs ago and i think it helped dont really remember much but i never felt like i did last yr. in 1998 my mom helped me start all natural herbal drugs and i got a good job and started beng more social and i think that helped me more than any drug the psycho psych gave me. I got up one day and just said i cant do this anymore i need to get out of this and i did with moms help. I have never had a big support system because in my family we never talked about these problems because i have had a grandfather and other family members to kill themselves so me being depressed was to stay a secret. I do take adderall and it helps me so much to concentrate, finish projects because im not thinking about 50 million things, it helps my anxiety and it helps me focus and i hope to go back to school and finish getting my degree. I still have depression once a month for 2 weeks, idk why. I have had 13 surgeries in my life and one was a partial hysterectomy and i still have my ovaries so im not sure if its my hormones or if its this depression coming back and hurting me as i get older. I havent felt this depressed in 10 yrs and this week it has almost killed me. I dont know why im so depressed i have a good life, a wonderful partner who has been there and supported me for the last 2 yrs. a wonderful mom whos always there, good friends and a niece who keeps me smiling but something is just not right and i dont know if i should go back on the prozac now that im on the adderall(as of April 15,2009) maybe it will mix well with the prozac and not give me the side effects i was feeling last yr when i stopped it or should i try something else. I will not take anything to make me gain weight, i know people say well it will help the depression and you can lose weight well i cant trust me if im taking a drug thats causing me to gain weight then how can you lose it and still be taing it, not happening for me because i know what most of the psych drugs to you. can anyone tell me if there are new and improved drugs out there for depression without alot of side effects and should i take the prozac with my new prescription, adderall and see if it mixes well. I just want to feel better and this depression is the only thing stopping me from feeling 100% better. Sorry for all the typos too..Thanks for sharing your stories now i know i am not alone even though i feel so alone right now..Have a great day..

although there are a lot of negative posts about this drug, to me its a SSRI with relatively little side effects. once you get through the initial stage and the drug has adjusted to your body, it in my opinion is a wonder drug and can really stabilise you and basically make you function like the way you should. gives you a lift so you can start the process of getting you life back on track and reduces the anxiety. just wanted to show a positive side to this drug and the millions of people it has helped!

Im barley starting to take prozac today im not taking it for depression that much but for anxiety i cant sit in class when it's quiet i get really nervous so i just run to the restroom and start crying i hope that prozac works for me!

i will appreciate comments

I have been striving for four years now to muster up enough stability to keep a job so I could get insurance and get treated. I would say for the most part I was depressed the entire time I with depression ever since I got off medication four years ago. In the Winter of 2007 I had my first experience with feeling very suicidal for 3-5 weeks. I cant remember how long it was but it was pretty bad. I wanted to jump off bridges, drive my car into traffic. Usually, I didnt even have the energy to carry out my plans. But it was the worst when I was on the road on my way back from something. I went to my parents a few days before Christmas to cheer my spirits and nobody was there. It made me feel so left out and lonely. They have meds. galore because depression, bipolar, and add run through my family like rapid. Plus, my parents had 10 children so there was an abundance of medications, and even morphine from when my grandma died in the house. I was sooo tempted to drive my car down a quiet road and gobble down all the pills. I had to rip myself out of the house and drive the 45 minutes home. I knew my mom and family would feel so guilty and sad. The whole time I wanted to veer into traffic, but I didnt on the way home. I barely made it home that night. But I can tell you I was close. I really was close.
The only thing that kept me from taking my life was that I felt like I would be handing my depression out after I died to all my family and friends. I have never had such a desire to take my own life as at that time. It took a couple months but I was able to get a bit more stable.
This last spring things were hard too. I overworked myself. I had 2400 dollars in traffic tickets to pay off and I was able to do community service to this. The problem is you couldnt miss more than 2 days or youd be kicked out and they planned it around my work schedule so I didnt get a day off for 3 months. I thought Id get a break when I was finished but then a lady at my work went on vacation and I had to cover her shifts. I was up to 182 at work and sometimes worked 200 hours in a month. It was grueling. I am delicate emotionally and just cant put that much pressure on myself. I felt trapped in the situation. I needed the money. In my life I always am making up for the times when I am seriously depressed and out of work. I was trying to make up for that this year. My bf found out I was suicidal because he saw my computer history. He took me to the emergency room. I was so embarrassed. I just didnt think I was suicidal although if I hadnt gone to the hospital I think I wouldve continued slipping emotionally. They gave me lamictal. (Im type 2 bipolar but I mainly get depressed so I consider it depression, I am still young and got treated in time not to experience any full fledged mania) That didnt work but it did give me hope. Now, Im on prozac with the lamictal. (they even each other out) I have only been taking it 3 days and Im already feeling my symptoms alleviate. I have suffered with depression my entire life. At least from about age 8 on (before then you cant remember) It has made life really hard. I have NEVER been happier than when Im on medication. I think it might be the only way I can really enjoy things. Sometimes prozac makes me a bit nauseous. But Ive learned if a drug makes you nauseous to take protein with it. Gatorade and ensure are great for prescription nausea. I am worried about weight gain and prozac but I will just try to excersize and eat well. And as much as I love being thin it is worth a bit of vanity any day, any day, to feel better.
I hope everyone that reads this board is doing alright. I want anybody whos feeling super depressed to know that there is hope even if you dont feel like it. If your medication doesnt work try, try again. There are so many different medications and they dont all work for everyone. Also, its often an anti-depressant doesnt work if your bipolar. Thats how I found out I was bipolar.
My mood stabilizer, lamictal, really balances out the drug Im on and it feels pretty mild. Okay, good luck! Just hold on another day!

I just started prozac again to take the edge of my irritability. I have a diagnosis of bipolar 1 with mixed episodes ( which mania is prevalent). Anyways I just want to say a few words about medications in general and the model doctors are working under when it comes to patient care.

As I read thru some of your comments I noticed some people having side effects that were bothersome to them. I understand. I have been on some serious psycotropic drugs for over 6 years now and have had serious side effects in the name of trying to find something to help me stabilize my mood swings. At first I felt at the mercy of the doctor..like I had no voice about my treatment. Well that is not the way doctors work anymore. You do have a say and you can work with them..even with the dosage your on for prozac. If you liked how it was working and then your body goes haywire maybe you can go on a lower dose.

I have an example of this. I was on a an anti-convulsant used to trear bipolar mania. I was feeling like I was going manic and my doctor uped the dose. With all psychotopic drugs I anticipated serious side effects for a few weeks and then was expecting them to subside. This was not the case. The side effects seemed to get worse and worse..to the point of my doctor prescribing a blood test and finding out that I had bone marrow depression. Anyways I talked with the doctor and asked if we could go on a lower dosage INSTEAD of getting off(because I have always liked this particular medication). I know he thought this was a risky move but he worked with me, lowered the dose, and my blood marrow depression disappeared. The major side effects ended up wearing off and I was feeling better with my mania under control.

I have found that I have a low tolerance in general to medications and my doctors try low doses with me first and will very slowly increase if I need more. I stay mindful of my symptoms and can tell very quickly if I am out of balance. I think some of this comes from radical acceptance that I have this disorder and I plan to do what I can to manage it.

All this is my opinion and how I choose to run my life. You do whatever make you comfortable. I am no doctor and don't claim to be one. I am just saying sometimes the general prescribed dose is just too high for some people and maybe a lower one would work better. It is just something to think about and discuss with your doctor.

For those who are experiencing problems with depression I want to add the following comments to this blogsite. I have been on and off Prozac for so many years that I cannot tell you how long it's been. What I do know is that I have tried nine of the drugs listed in "Under Wraps" shown at the bottom of this page, plus a few more that are not on the list including Depakote, Lithium (it'll make you crazy if you weren't already) Pristiq and trazodone (for sleeping). None of them worked as well as Prozac. For some reason, perhaps because of my personal biological makeup, only one of these drugs worked reliably for me: Prozac.

For people who do not know exactly what is happening to their minds and bodies while on, or off, anti-depressant drugs, all I can say is: hang in there and get help as soon as possible. Prozac may not be your wonder drug and it certainly isn't a be-all and end-all solution to my own problems. The side effects I feel from Prozac are much the same as the side-effects revealed by others who have tried the drug: an up-tight, itchy feeling, drowsiness, a tampering down of emotions (which is probably good for me, overall) and the problem of either not being able to get to sleep or falling asleep and then waking sometime during the night. Prozac works as a barrier to those crazed thoughts that you might be having. It helps you concentrate better on what you want to do.

Depression comes in many forms: feelings of inadequacy or low self-esteem, lack of confidence, a feeling that there is a cloud overhead that you can't seem to stick your head through in order to get to the sunshine. It can also manifest itself in anger directed toward spouse, kids, neighbors, friends and those who aren't friends. Bitching and moaning about everything is one of the symptoms that I've noticed in myself and symptoms that my wife notices, too. She knows when I am just not happy.

In short, I will continue to use Prozac until scientists come up with efficient, individual chemical cocktails for people based upon the individual body chemistry and need. Again, everyone is different. What helps me may not help you. Prozac is a temporary answer that allows me to live a somewhat sane life, except for an obsessiveness that I am now coming to realize is that possibly I may lack that that shield that one of the readers on this page alludes to. Beacause of it I seem to keep going back over the same old ideas and fantasies if I am not using a drug that allows my brain to progress, rather than regress.

In response to those who say that depression is not biological, I would like to say: I don't believe you are correct but, unfortunately, I cannot prove what I believe to be true. People who say it is not biological may want to sell something, whether it's a product or, a way of thinking (because "thinking" seems to be part of the problem). People who do not think depression is a disease that is either inherited or environmentally-caused, in my opinion, are fooling themselves and other people. In my opinion depression is definitely biological and requires chemical treatment.

I know that therapy also helps. One time years ago when I was a young man I was psychoanalyzed by a licensed psychologist. It was a good experience for two reasons: 1) I felt that therapy at the time saved my life and 2) I found out some things about myself that helped me cope later in life. Of course, even if a person knows things about himself or herself, it doesn't mean that simply knowing them will make you better or allow you to cope. You have to do something. For me, doing something is taking Prozac (20mg per day) and then trying to alleviate the side affects. For example, vigorous exercise helps me to calm down. Also, when I can't sleep at night I read. Reading takes my mind away and somehow, eventually allows me to get back to sleep.

Finally, there should be no stigma attached to either Depression or anti-depressant drugs like Prozac. But, unfortunately, there is. The best we can do is grab at what helps us, our families and others. If you have just started Prozac, stick with it until you feel that the depression is lessening. I suspect that even those who do not like the way they feel after taking it -- and they could be in the minority -- will benefit by using it regularly.

My doc has me switiching from Lexapro 15 mgs. to Prozac 20 mgs.....I feel like this isn't an equal switch....I thought 15mgs of Lexapro equalled about 30 mgs. of Prozac????!!! Am I right?? Anyway, Prozac has worked for me in the past, the Lexapro 15 mgs. had me numb, depressed and anxious for some reason.....So, I have been tapering from Lexapro to 20mgs of Prozac....She had me start the full dose of 20 mgs. right away and just had me taper down on the Lexapro....well, I am about 2 weeks into the taper, at 5mgs. of Lexapro, and nothing has changed...prozac seems to work pretty quickly for me......Should I increase to 30mgs. of Prozac?????? At the lower dosage I am having major stomach/gut pain........like my serotonin is low....any thoughts would be great!!!!!!

can prozac help u lose weight?

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hey there,
i just started taking prozac today.
i was reading to see how people react to this medicine.
i am currently 17 years old and female. and i have been on zoloft, ablilfy, lamictal, and remeron before.
zoloft increased my suicidal thoughts resulting in an attempt.
abilify made me extremely restless and made my body ache.
lamictal gave me stevens johnson sydrome.
and i have been on remeron for anxiety for about 10 months now, and does wonderfully for anxiety attacks.
i was just wondering, with all my bad reactions to these medicines (except remeron), do you think prozac is a good option for me?
thank you, and i enjoy reading all the comments :)

WELL IM A 24 YEAR OLD HEALTHY MALE, IN SHAPW AND WORK OUT. IT WAS 0CT 7 OF THIS YEAR THAT I GOT SICK. WELL THEY PUT ME ON A MED CALLED FLAGYL TO HELP WITH THE PROBLEM. WELL IT FIXED THAT PROBLEM AND CAUSE ME TO START HAVING PANIC ATTACKS. THERES NOT MUCH I CAN DO THAT DOESNT CAUSE ONE. IVE ALMOST LOST MY PARTNER AND MY JOB DO TO THIS. IVE BEEN ON PROZAC FOR 4 DAYS NOW AND SOME OF THE PROBLEMS I WAS HAVING ARE GOING AWAY SLOWLY. MY ATTACKS DONT COME AS OFTEN. I WAS HAVING THEM MAYBE 5 TO 10 TIMES A DAY. IVE LOST 22 POUND SINCE IT ALL STARTED. MAYBE PROAC CAN HELP BUT I DONT WANT TO BE ON ANYTHING FOR THE REST OF ME LIFE.

Hi all:
After going off Prosac, and suffering terrible anxiety, I have been back on it for 6 months. First 20 mg. and now 10 mg. This takes care of my anxiety (which was bad) but it does make me a bit sleepy but not depressed or anxious.

The worst side effect for me are the vivid dreams; some disturbing and some just very deep. Has anyone experienced this on only 20 mg. daily?

Thanks!

I am 21 years old and out of no where depression hit me like a ton of bricks along with the depression i started to suffer from anxiety attacks and they are not a good feeling my doctor perscribed me 10mg prozac ive been on them for about a month now and it seems to be helping a little bit but prozac seems to worsen anxiety at least for me it does for my anxiety they put me on khlonopin and its not really a good anxiety drug but thats my opinon but over all my opinion on prozac its 50/50 some days I feel like my old self and some days it just feels like im going to go crazy or im just walking around in a gray lifeless world but all I cant say is keep faith and pray for the best:)

Hello,
I am 29 I have had panic disorder for 11 years now, If any of u have ever had a panic attack u understand the evilness of it lol. I took zoloft for years and when it stopped working one day and I started back to 5 to 30 attacks a day i was cripples by it mentally. I was prescribed prozac 6 years ago and since than it has stopped the attacks. I still have one every month or so but I can handle it now. Other than a few nightmares here and there the prozac has done wonders for me.

Prozac is the only anti depressant that has ever done any change for me. All other drugs have done nothing for me. The only issue is that Prozac has had many negative side effects for me. It has changed my personality but at least it has made a change.

I started Prozac app. 20 yrs. ago it had just came on the market.
It saved my life I also took zanax.
But a few yrs. ago I was diagnosed with fibromylia and have had to start pain meds. Lotab 10 mg. up to 4 a day.zanax 5mg. 3 times a day.

I was like a new person for years until the fibro set in. my doctor now has me on zoloft 1 and half a day' at first i thought it was going to work ,she also precribed ativan to replace zanax but the antivan didn't work it was not strong enough so I decided to stay with with the zanaz 10 mg. that I am now up to.
I have had depression since as far back as I can remember, I would tell my mother I felt bad and when she asked where I hurt i couldn't tell her I did't know how to discribe it.
I was growm before I was diagnosed. I was born 1943. and as I look back I see many in my family also suffered from it.
Thanks
Judy

I have bin put on Prozac for 5 weeks now. I was told by my psychiatrist that it would stop me from shaking and my hart beating as fast when I get anxious. But everyone on here seems to say that it makes you feel better and less depressted and less anious mentaly. I would like to know if it does! Tell me please!

i ordered prozac online in www.medsheaven.com and it has worked for me... i don't know with others but for me it is a big help...

I started taking prozac 8 months ago. My family thought I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. My husband and I split, my grandfather was killed in a car accident, a young friend of mine committed suicide, and I was downsized at work. I had gotten to the point where I just went to work, lived for the time I could return home, eat, shower, and go to bed. I had no life. I was surprised when my doctor prescribed prozac, but agreed to try it. I started on 20 then increased it to 30. Took about 6-8 weeks before I noticed that I was actually able to handle things better. I have been tired a lot and have been unmotivated a lot, but I finally feel like myself again. Everyone I see comments about how visible I look so much better. I did gain weight too and that sucks, but I am happy and I eat well. I do have crazy dreams sometimes, but they are really quite interesting rather than disturbing. I am also extremely thirsty ALL the time. I do recommend Prozac though. I am scared to go off of it now, because I think it has helped do much.

I started on Prozac 3 weeks ago...20mg...I was tired and had zero mojo before the prozac....I was a horrible mom too. But now..I feel great!!! I hope it stays this way. I think for the people who aren't doing well on Prozac shouldn't give up, there is other meds you should and could try. The same thing does not work for everyone. Wellburtin made me super depressed, Paxil made me sick. Cymbalta really did well for me too. So keep trying and don't give up. Something will help. Life is so much better now for me...I want everyone to feel this way. No one should struggle with depression there is help out there.

Hi, I've had depression/anxiety-panic attacks/bulemia for about4 years and refused to take any meds for personal reasons. It then got to the point that it was neccessary in order to get through my university exams in a few months. It's only prozac to start off with at 20mg ive been on it for about 10 days and it makes me feel like im on amphetamines/mdma a bit? but without the excess happiness, just the physical 'rushing' effects... im jaw clenching, excess sensations in touch sight sound, heart palpatations, the shakes, racing thoughts... is this normal? i dont like it!! did anyone else experience this?

i just started taking prozac4 days ago the first day was amazing i was happy and i had energey now all i do is lay here on my laptop and i blackout when i dont even know it i mean ill know what im doing at that time but later on in the day i forget what i did at that time i am taking because i have bad panic attacks and depression i hope it works because if it doesnt im probably gonna kill myself because i cant take this anymore i cant live being scared to go outside and scared that im gonna have a panic attack im only 14 and i had to drop out of school and be homeschooled because of depression and panic attacks i never see my friends anymore i cry alot now and it started because i smoked weed once and it caused a horrible panic attack and now i just cant seem to get over it im not sure what to do anymore i just hate feeling like this i mean 14 year olds should be at the movies the mall hanging out with friends and being happy not staying inside all day and just sitting on there laptop thats not living life like you should that is wasting life i just hope prozac works im also taking klonopins there only 1 mg and the prozac is 20 mg (i just tried calling that hopeline it was a porn line weird) but yeah i just hope this prozac works i want my life back to normal :(

It's actually my first day taking it, I took a 10mg capsule about 4 hours ago, I'm having a high and relaxed feeling. But my doctor told me the real effects take about 2 weeks to kick in.

Oh wow I just got off Prozac because I was doing stupid stuff like stealling and telling my mom I hate her having really strange violent dreams being scared of non scary thing and just being worse than I was before just today my doctor took me off of it because she said it wasn't a normal thing for me to do so I too advise anyone whose doctor wants to put the on Prozac detest him/her cause it will make you crazy after about a week then you get really emotional and think of hurting yourself and other and it messes you up badly

Hi i have been on prozac for 8 months i started out on 10mg then two weeks later my doctor put me up to 40mg,I was happy with prozac for a month or so i put up with the lack of sleep,sex with hub,chattin to my kids and completely switching off on life!!
Now i am on 60mg and no joy i sufferin panik attacks really bad from day to day and cant get myself down to the doctors in some cases!
The doctor is going to try me out on somethinkk new lets hope this time it works.

I've been on Prozac for 1.5 yrs now, and in the first two mths I had issuses with temors and anxiety. I did not have these syptoms before, and my doctor said they would pass and prescribed an anti axitiety med with I was adjusting.
The symptoms passed, and aside from a lack of sexual desire, I find that Prozac helps me rationalise rather than simply react, and I can multi-task at work and have a grounded base and sense of self.
No medication is for everyone, and withdrawal is not pleasent, but, for me, the benifits far FAR outweigh the negatives. I would be OK with being on this for the rest of my life if needed.

Pozac, in my opinion, saved my life. If it is keeping me on a permanent 'high', so be it! I have felt better and done more during the 20 years I have been taking it than I did the previous 20 years without it. If one wants to describe it as psychosomatic, such a description does not bother me. However works, it works.

I have been on "gneric"prozac 10mg for 25 days, then increased to 15mg one day, 10 mg next day, etc...It has been now total of 34 days since started on prozac. Only relief so far is it took the edge off of feeling miserable..OTHERWISE I too feel like crap..don't want to do anthing...Dose in now being increaed to 15mg every day...I know this is a slow acting medication...BUt when will I start feeling better and want to do anything???

glenlaping god i feel so sorry for you, my life was pretty much identical only i never had a maid(sadly) when your numb and dont feel anything that is actually depression, you dont have to feel suicidal or upset to have depression, numbness is the same thing. havent said that drugs really arent the way to go for you, not at first anyway, nor a psychiatrist or neurologist(dont they operate on your brain?), go to a simple therapist and just talk to them, yould seriously be surprised how much that could help you if youll just give it a try and be properly open with them.
Hope your feeling better,
good luck
Roe

love proac feel like iv got more energy and no worries love it

I have beening taking Prozac for about two weeks
and I am scare, because I have never use any other drug but my metformin, I have been so stress out for the past couple of years and being experiencing other mental problem , i don't know if i should continue Prozac @ times it feels it help and other day I feel worth.

hello every one i just started taking prozac i would like to know how long does it take to work i just need something to work really fast i want this feeling to go away fast i take 20mg. once a day i dont know if i need to up the dosage or give time to work it will be a week since ive been taking it i was on it once before 15 yrs ago i took it for a month and got off it cause i thought i didnt need it anymore but i cant remember how long it took to work i didnt think i would need anymore meds lil did i know please help any feedback is appreciated

i woukd like to know by taking prozac will help me lose wight and it,s safe to take it with levothroxine and with vitimas

I am happy some with with the side effects. Since I don't loose control like a maniac. The bad thing is I take 3 pill each day. Couple of hours later I have no eneryg and I have lost all my inspiration, thought or my dreams. I am laid beack and feel good. han any one else. Unfortuntley I can't climax. what can I do????

Im 20 an i was on prozac for 10 months. in those months i decided to randomly marry my babys dad out of impulse cuz thats what evryone else wanted at the time. i was also on zolft a lil an xanax to help me sleep. i have been off everything for almost 5 months now an i dont remember anything from when i was on them, not my weddin or the beginning of my sons life. i also thought that if i tryd to have another baby it wood make me happier. so i weand myself off all meds an i ch happier now except i non im not in love wit my husband an he is head over heels for me i feel bad cuz i was fakin the love but then again i was on those pills an i didnt even feel any emotions at all..toatlly numbness all i remember is what i see in pictures..everyone thinx im bi polar now cuz i wanna leave my husband an no one understands how i cant remeber anything from the last 9 months..i just wish i had someone to talk to that understood what im going through cuz i no im not bipolar ever since i left him im happier cuz i no i wwas fdking it an its messd up to keep fakin my happiness just so he can be happy.

I started Prozac yesterday - my doctor prescribed this to me for ADD - It made my symptoms worse, I could not focus or concentrate on anything last night, today I feel really tired and lathargic. I don't think I'm going to take this anymore.

I am forty and I have been trying to figure out what is wrong with me since I was 15. In those days, there was no diagnosis of "depression" - to be fair, it is hard to diagnose in adolescence. In my early 20s, I found a therapist who told me I had depression and explained what it was. She prescribed Prozac for me and it was the most miraculous gift I have ever received. Suddenly I had the ability to get through my life. I realized what life could be like, and that helped immeasurably. I did not suffer unduly from side effects, I was unable to drink alcohol without developing a migraine and gained some weight. I spent a few happy years on Prozac but eventually topped out at 80 mgs; it could not do the job any longer. I went through the medication merry-go-round after this and had nightmares with several other meds. Now I am back on Prozac and happy to be so. I am up to 60 mg and I know I will probably top out again, but this is the definitely the best fit for me with medication. It has changed my life. I would be a poster child for this drug.

I am hoping my doctor will put me on prozac or something similar when I see her next week. My therapist recommends that I get treatment for depression, and though I am not sure I am technically clinically depressed I just hope something helps. I just want to get myself back again. I feel so overwhelmed by life I get tense when I see in the caller ID that it is a family member calling. I don't feel up to caaring phone calls. I can handle work.... even my wife... but talking to someone who loves me is unbearable. I don't visit them because I want to be my real self for them. I am just hoping I get on something strong like prozac and that it works quickly....

don't worry duck. remember that drugs are bad

boom boom shake shake the room

ps. call me ;)

Gained 11 pounds on prozac, just before my wedding. Had to stay on it, just couldn't deal with the pressure. On it, I feel numb, emotionless, but balanced. No mood swings, crying spells, temper tantrums. I think my fiance likes me better on Prozac than without. Pretty sure he never would have given me a second glance if I wasn't on it when we met.

I'd like you fat or skinny baby grrrrrl!

I just started taking prozac today and im afraid of gaining weight because of all the stories ive heard of people gaining weight on it. I was wondering if there was something in the drug that makes you gain weight or does it just depend on how the person reacts after being on it. Thanks

I have been on Prozac now for probly 6 months, i also take xanax for anxiety, and Ambien for sleep. I don't feel that the Prozac or the Xanax really work, I'm still a wreck, i hate change in any way, and when things do have to change, rather it be at work or home, i get very stressed and it feels like my blood is boiling.. Recently i took my Ambien and my xanax and went to sleep in my own bed at my own house.. I woke up and I was in jail,I ended up getting a DUI, ran my car up on the curb, flattened 2 tires and cracked 2 rims.. I don't remember a thing, i don't know where i was going, i don't remember getting behind the wheel, or even getting out of bed. I DO NOT recommend Ambien, I have done some crazy things on Ambien (per my boyfriend telling me) and I never remember the next day what had happened.. I have a delema, If i don't take the Ambien I don't sleep at all. Any suggestions? i go back to Psychiatrist November 15th.. I will then be convicted of a DUI, for driving (not remembering a thing) on Ambien and Xanax...

I have taken prozac 20mg daily for over a year i have found that it helped me lift my mood greatly it was like night and day. I notice on here that people are writting things after 6 7 8 days of taking the drug, your gp should have informed you that it takes 2-3 weeks to work as it has to build up in your system for you to feel any effect this is the case with most anti-depressant medication. It had made me gain about 1 and a half stones in weight which now is making me feel low again, so i hav e stopped taking them but feel really really low and tired all the time. Going back to gp to see what options there are now.

I WAS PRESCRIBED PROZAC AFTER MY GP DECIDED THAT I WAS DEPRESSED. SHE CAME TO THAT DIAGNOSIS WHEN I WENT TO SEE HER A WEEK AFTER THE DEATH OF MY BEST FRIEND, MY MUM! MUM WAS 54 WHEN SHE LOST HER 5 YEAR BATTLE WITH BREAST CANCER. MY GP ALSO NEW MY HISTORY, I HAD ALSO LOST BOTH MY FATHER AND MOTHER IN LAW WHO WERE BOTH UNDER 55 WHEN THEY PASSED. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT AND TOLD HER I WAS VERY SAD AND WAS NOT SLEEPING AS I MISSED MY MUM SO MUCH. I ALSO HAD 3 DAUGHTERS WHO NEEDED THERE MUM TO HELP THEM TO DEAL WITH THERE GREIF. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS DEALING WITH GREIF!!!!!!!!!!!! BUT MY GP DIAGNOSED DEPPRESION, HER DIAGNOSIS WAS BASED ON A TEST SHE ASKED ME TO DO ON THE COMPUTER. I WAS ASKED ABOUT 10 DIFFRENT QUESTIONS. MY ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS I BELIVE 99% OF THE POPULATION WOULD ANSWER THE SAME AS I AND THEN WOULD ALSO BE BRANDED AS DEPRESSED. I WENT ALONG WITH THIS DIAGNOSIS NO LONGER THAN A MONTH AND CEASED TAKING PROZAC. I HAD TERRIBLE NIGHTMARES ALONG WITH SEVERE PAIN IN MY BONES AT NIGHT AND WOULD WAKE DRENCHED IN SWEAT. I BELIEVE TO MANY PEOPLE ARE DIAGNOSED DEPRESSED, AND PLACED ON DRUGS THAT THEY GET HOOKED ON AND DON,T NEED. MORE OFTEN THEN NOT PEOPLE ARE TOLD THEY ARE DEPRESSED WHEN IN FACT THEY ARE JUST FEELING A NATURAL HUMAN EMOTION. FEAR, HURT, GREIF AND MANY MORE.

I have been on prozac for a while now because i wa cutting myself recently it seems to not be working as well

prozact don't do much stay angry and depressed

I have been on prozac a few days, an mom is on it as well she's been on it a month are so, she seems to be acting werid from it...like crazy I'm hopeing it works for me cus I'm very depressed an had a panic attack the other day for the first time was horrible...so that's when I went to my dr an asked for help...im just not shur if I should take it at nite are morning,i am a mother of 3 boys lol so afraid of feeling tired if that's what it's gona do...any sugestionx

I've been on the generic form of Prozac for abnout one week now. I' sorry to hear about all the bad comments, but my experience has been ultimately pleasant so far!!
The first day I took it, I did experience almost uncontrollable anger and irritation which was very abnormal.
However, since then, I have only felt happy and joyful! Things that would have crushed me in the past don't bother me anyomre!
I FEEL AMAZING.
prozac has reminded me why I shouldnt' kill myslef and should live. It's given me back the life I always wanted.

hi my name is liz im 33 years old i been suffering from axiety attacks for about 13 years now from the first day i had a realy bad axiety attacks do to lack of sleep and partying all the times "drugs" caused me to have the axiety attack it was so bad that i endet up in and out of the hospital for a ayear doctars wasnt able to find out prozac takesthe realy cause was well it took 12 years before i looked for a doctar it got so bad that im affraid to drive on highways seating in traffic freaks me out some days i feel fine and i can go to the store without any problems but most of the time i just cant get my self to go fearing that im having a axiety attack , well i been on prozac 5mg and xanax o.5 for about 5 months now i didnt have any side effects i was aware that prozac takes about 6-8 weeks before it starts working my doctar wanted me to start off a very low dosage cause she knew that if she stardet me on a high dosage what a lot of doctars do that it will cause you to have axiety opanick attacks ect,,, so she startet me on 5mg she wanted me to take 10mg after 7 days but i noticed the 1st day that i wasnt feeling me self so she asked me to lower it back down to 5mg a day the xanax so help when i have a axiety attack so i take 1 pill 0.5mg a day and 5mg prozac a day its helps sometimes but i still have the fear i ahd before but not as bad im going drue this axiety attacks every 4 years and the last about a year then the faid away , i realy dont know why the come back every 4 years but i hope that this will be over soon i want my normal life back this caused me to loose my job and i want to go back to work ,,,,

the fears im going drue are :

being alone
cant drive by my self most of the time
i say far away from high ways and i cant be in traffic

well some things that might help with emotional numbness are wellbutrin, selegiline, emsam, adderall, and cyproheptadine. hope this helps someone:)

I've only been on prozac for about 4 days and iam extremely exhausted i haven't been to work in about a week in a half but regardless its helping me i guess. I don't plan on taking it for ever but i haven't had any sucidial thoughts or actions mainly due to the fact the regardless of what happens to me my life is extremely important to me. Alot of people are not willing to admit that their stressed out or depressed and are not willing to talk to anyone about it. Just think regardless of who you are your somebodys baby.

On prozac(i started today, my doctors said i wouldnt be ablebto notice the change for a couple of weeks), all my mood feel totally... Numbed. Idk if i like it or not.

Prozac really did save my life 16 years ago. I am 41, and was diagnosed with depression when I was 25 years old. Actually it was my husband who first suggested that I might be experiencing depression. I thought depression, therapy, drugs, etc. was for weak sissies, but at the very end of my rope I decided to seek help. And I could not believe the difference! I regained the confidence I always knew was hidden inside me. I only took 1 week for the drug to start working. It literally saved my life. Before prozac, I had such terrible insomnia that I would throw up from exhaustion every morning. Then I would try to make it through the work-day without crying, only to come home and not be able to sleep again. It was an awful life. I was convinced that my fiance would leave me, and I would live an unfulfilling lonely life with no friends in a mental institution. I have tried several times to ease off prozac, but the symptoms eventually return. From this point on I am planning to take prozac for the rest of my life. I hope you all find that it works for you, too.

I'm 25 year old female who has been depressed on and off for years, I believe from a bad childhood growing up.... I am a mother of 2 ( a boy and a girl) and for then longest time always thought I could cure myself by working out, vitamins, eating better etc...... I also suffer from bad anxiety ( which I have mostly learned to control) and OCD about my health" I have medical bills up the butt from constantly going to the dr for everything......alll of this was taking over my life!! Finally I went to my MD and cried to her telling her I needed and wanted help she put me on 20mg of Prozac which first made me feel great then day 4 I had a major panic attack and bad dreams so then she brought me down to 10mg and I have been on that for 2 and a half weeks now... The SE I had were teeth cletching, night sweats, chills, vivid dreams, some really good happy days, some really angry days, a shaky feeling and fatigue ( so I take it before I go to bed )....... Now it being almost 3 weeks now I feel like the medicine is starting to level out and I'm feeling happy again. I'm going to give prozac some more time to work as I feel u have to go through some bumpy patches to get to a level of calmness!! I sleep so much better on Prozac as I used to suffer from insomnia before it, I still have the weird kinda shaky feeling that I hope goes away after time, don't clench my teeth anymore, I only have vivid dreams sometimes and my good days are more consistent..... For the most part I like Prozac u just have to give your body time to adjust to the medicine, u will have some ups and downs but stick with it and it will eventually level out!! Trust me I was going to switch until it started to kick In, so this rug does take time to work!

Right before Prozac I was having horrible nightmares EVERY NIGHT, cried a lot, felt awful, felt angry/pissed often and have really bad mood and felt hatred toward everybody (lol). But the worst part was the crazy headache that lasts more than 5 hrs and nausea...that I was throwing up most of the food I ate. It was awful. So I decided to turn to the pill. Yea I was pretty much against medicines...
I tried a different anti depressant first...citalopran (spell?) one f those small orange ones. They were AWFUL. I mean they made me SUPER EXHAUSTED ALL THE TIME so I wasn't really living life to the fullest. Everytime felt annoyed and exhausting to me. Thanks to my beloved bf suggesting Prozac now I feel more like myself and calm and don't feel sad. I'm more playful, energetic, open-minded, positive and motivated 100% more than before for sure lol. Idk my bf is a doctor-to-be and we live in NYC n he never heard anyone complain about Prozac. I sure am not complaining. There was a day or two I went without...by accident or an incident...and it wasn't too bad except the second day without it my bad mood came back and I was SUPER FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY AND HATED PEOPLE. lol. Hopefully once we move out of here I can go without the meds...coz before this I have never had to take any meds in my lifetime!! But eh it's part of life.
Everybody is different so I'd say try it n if it doesn't work try something else. Stick with the one that works for u. It's like finding a soul mate...but a little easier maybe? ;)

i have been on prozac for 5 months and it has CHANGED my life i personally beleive that if your having adverse side effects to prozac then your mental illness is NOT related to serritone in your brain and that u need to discuss this with someone WELL informed on the differences between SSRIs - MAOIs - etc etc the three main side effects that prozac can cause i do not have nor never had....anxiety lowest its ever been, sex drive feels normal if not better because i feel good in my own skin - yes i need to watch out for the superwomen syndrome but if your well informed of effects of prozac then u can tell if it does or does not work for your situation i don't know if i will need to take this forever but it sure has helped me - i feel how ive always wished to feel and never thought i would feel

I have suffered severe depression most of my life, and I've been put on wellbutrin, prozac, citalopram, etc.. The last few years I've not taken anything, and just recently been prescribed prozac again. It's only been a week but within days my mind calmed down significantly. I can think more clearly, and I have energy. I've been slightly more anxious, and having really weird dreams, but for the most part I feel better than I have done in years. People react differently to any type of drug but if someone asked my advice I would say to try it. Before this I felt dead all over, and logically it didn't make much difference if I committed suicide because I was already dead. Now I feel so much better, and almost as good as I did when I was sixteen when life was full of possibilities. I haven't had a suicidal thought for days now, and I'm hoping this continues.

Ive been on procaz for about... 1 or 2 months. My depression has totally went away, but my anxiety, is way worseee ! Annd, im a person who can stay up till 3 or 4 in the morning, now i cant even stay up past 7 without like... Falling asleep. Its horrible... Gave me upset stomachs alll the time! Annd i had a headache for 4 days in a row, i refused to take pills on the 4th day i took and extra strength ibuprofen like my doctor had said, and i got to school about two hours had passed, andy headache was back!

I've been on the pill for an entire month 20 mg EVREY day and haven't felt a single change in my mood whats up??

I have only been on prozac for two days so ya know i cant really say anything about side effects yet and before that i was on 20 mg of paxil wich i have to tell ya was awful! cold and tingly feet could not have orgasm wich my husband and i have great sex life and i am only 28 so i kinda planned on having one for sometime yet so i asked doctor to change it. So now i am on prozac 10 mg a day very low dose i was hoping that beacuse it is such a low dose that maybe that little side effect of not being able to have and orgasm would not effect me does anyone else not have this problem beacuse all i have herd is sexual side effects come with prozac i geuss my questions are when do the side effects usually kick in after starting and what are my chances that i will have a healthy happy sex life!

i hav been on prozac and trazodone 3 months. lack of sex drive only side effect. ive been married 17 years. is this normal

Hi all, did anybody taking deanxit experience itching after taking it?

Most of the people who have experienced Prozac/ Fluoxetine are on it for depressive illnesses... so they're all bound to write negative reviews because they are negative people.

Anywho- I am Bi- polar. I am 19 years old. I have been on Prozac for roughly 6 months. I was on Citalopram/ Celexa before which did nothing for me.
So far the Prozac has taken the edge off my anger; but hasn't completely erased it. I am on 20 mg b/d at the moment, but my Psychiatrist will most probably up the anty next week.

The only way to tell if Prozac is good for you is to try it as everyone has different natural levels of serotonin in their brain so will react differently to such a thing. It also depends on how sunny the country is that you live in as the sun also increases serotonin in the brain.

Good luck my fellow prozac-ers

I cheated and Iam depressed I have lost weight BUT NOW I CAN'T LOOSE BEING A TOTAL BITCH HELP

I've been takin fluoxetine for 3 weeks and I've never slept so much in all my life! I'm totally exhausted! I could sleep my life away! Help!

I have read all the posts on this page and am so glad i did .I am taking 20mg Prozac which has helped me no end.For 25 years i was suffering depression and battled through it by myself not fully enjoying myself or finding life satisfying.
Im 45 now and when i first started to take Prozac i didnt know what to expect.
At first even two days into taking it i felt better with increased energy levels and generally felt better.
Without studying the side effects i noticed numbness of thought detached at times really but i found this relaxing and beneficial.Members of my family take it and said i was imagining it and that it didnt work that quick,now i know it can and that each person reacts differently to it.
I have had slight tremers in my jaw and experienced slight anxiety after taking it .
All in all a price worth taking it has helped me personaly no end.
There is one thing that i would say and recommend though and that is Dont Drink ! whilst using this medication.
Ive had to almost give up alcohol and this is one thing i was not keen on if im honest.
If i wanted a drink one evening i would not take a pill that day and so far thats been fine.
With alcohol and prozac it made me a bit manic and aggresive so beware.
At first i tried to drink a couple of cans,but i found especially at night i would have violent dreams.My partner was quite alarmed as you would expect so now i wont drink at all.
I hope the violent dreams will stop now that drinking alcohol with it has ceased.
I will let you know how i get on .....
Reading the experiences of peoples reactions to Prozac has been useful and i hope mine have been too.

Been on Prozac 3 wks........still feel crazy and still cry all the time....20mg Wellbutrin also,

I've been reading a lot about this medication since my doctor prescribed it for me and I noticed a trend. People tend to do good at low doses and then their doctor gives them a higher dose and it screws them up. I think when my doctor tries to increase my dosage I'll ask him if we can limit it to 20mg.

Im 28 yrs old, and have had depression all of my life...as far back as I can remember...probably due to my own parent's depression and anxiety issues. I am a mother of a 2.5 yr old and a newborn. I had extreme depression for a very long time after my first child that started after she was a year old. She is a "high needs child" who was very attached to nursing every 2 hrs and she neer slept. I was very sleep deprived and extremely depressed and anxious. So much so, that I was always worried that I would snap and hurt her, especially because my husband travels 5-6 days a week and if I was in any kind of negative mindset, no one would be there to stop me. I would never have thought about hurting my child, but I could understand what other mothers were thinking when they snapped. I didn't tell my OB bc I was ashamed and bc I was afraid of the side effects of medication. It wasn't until months later after I worked through it alone, that I told her about it. So, for this pregnancy, she was much more attentive to my mood and observed that I should probably start a low dose of 10mg per day while pregnant. I have been taking it for a little over 2 months and it has definately helped with both depression and anxiety. I am not numb, but I can pick my battles and have realized that not everything is such a big deal and end of the world. My newborn is 4 weeks now and I am still primarily home alone with her and my high needs toddler, but I am still able to cope with the 2 hr tantrums and keep calm. I am grateful that it has helped and hope it continues to. I did it not only for myself but mainly for the wellbeing of my children. I do worry about the effects of Prozac passing through breastmilk to my infant, however I feel that the benefits have outweighed the risks of being anxious and depressed in front of/towards them. I can already see the effects that it had on my first child. My point: prozac has worked great for me so far and I haven't had many aide effects! :)

At 32 a doctor finally diagnosed my PPMD.... Most thought I was bipolar or malnourished or depressed... Or anything else they could think off. Prozac is the first medicine that has worked on me wo Major side effects. I take it in the morning... That way I'm ready to sleep my 9 or 10p. It has changed my life for the better.

Ive been on prozac for a few months now, im not as depressed or angry. however, its hard for me feeling any emotion anymore. i dont care about anyone or anything is almost how it feels. I dont know if the negative emotions are better than none at all

I took flunil (brand containing fluoxetine, like prozac) 20mg twice a day for six months.The effects were fantastic.I felt like I'm reborn.My appetite increased & became outgoing & energetic.After six months I went to the doc who prescribed them & let him know that I'm much better.Then he prescribed me 40 mg flunil with migrabeta-tr and zapiz-0.5(I think!).
Then everything went downhill.I took the increased dose for around five months before I stopped it myself.I used to sleep 24/7.I couldn't do anything and felt very powerless.I became more depressed because of my inactivity then.I got overweight because of eating and sleeping.My rage came out of nowhere.I completely lost my erection.Now it gets better only sporadically!
All I'm saying is that if you feel better after first six months, do not increase the dose & slowly quit the medicine.Fluoxetine has a longer half life they say, but it still freaked me out when I withdrew from it.I now consider myself at the verge of cutting loose of my rage at any time.Also the depression symptoms keep coming back.Now I have traces of all the side effects mentioned above.But don't go by my saying so, see for yourself.Avoid all these pills & see some professional if you got money or you're doomed like me, I guess.One piece of advice:Get rid of the reason that got you depressed or anxious in the first place because till the time it's not dealt with, there will be a relapse with all your problems no matter what pill you pop...

My fiancee started on Prozac back in May, 2011. Since about 2 months ago, he began sleeping constantly and is laying here right next to me sleeping again after sleeping most of the day today too. He is still depressed like he was before the prozac.

I have been on Sertraline ... a generic form of Zoloft. It has given me horrible diarreha. I called my doctor today and he is switching me to Prozac!

Hi i started on prozac yesterday 20mg aday to start,i took my first one at 11am yesterday n before i knew it it was 4pm,i dont even remember falling asleep,i was told yesterday im depressed by my gp, a couple of weeks before i feel any benefits,so how come when i take them im out cold,just taken my second n beggining to tire,im this normal for prozac users?

I BEEN TAKING PROOZAC FOR A MONTH IM VERY TIRED ALL THE TIME MORE DEPPRESED THAN EVER;UPSET STOMACH ALL DAY;;;;;;;I FELL LIKE SHIT;

I've been on Prozac for a little over a month ... feel great.in the morning, but by early afternoon am so tired I can bearly function ... is this normal? Will it go away? I have to work and cant afford to be this tired

I love prozac. It works really well for me. I'd never swap to another antidepressant.
SSRI's are not an exact science and what works for one person doesn't work for another.
I had a nervous breakdown during my first year of uni four years ago. I was put on effexor and hated every minute. For three months I was manic and paranoid. The withdrawal took forever and was hell on earth. lack of sex drive was awful.
Prozac is a dream compared to effexor. No withdrawal. The only thing it does to me is give me upset stomach but I can cope with this.
I started it two weeks ago and it seems to have started working.
I've been on and off it now for about 2 years.
I'm on 40mg at the moment but think I may drop soon. I feel really happy on it. less stressed.

I am 17 years old, senior in highschool lost all my friends. became depressed and had anxiety.. so my doctor gave me Prozac and i felt all better after i started taking it, but then my friends came back into my life. and i feel like my horomones or whatever this is, is all balanced now. The prozac made me GAIN 40 POUNDS. ALTHOUGH I do not look heavier at all it sort of just went to my 'love handles' but still..seeing the number is scary. to me at least being 115-120 for years then within ONE-TWO MONTHS going up to 160. I'm going to try and get off of it this month I need to speak with my doctor.. I feel totally fine now. i'm mad when i need to be mad, and im always happy! so i really dont see the need for prozac anymore.. a matter of fact..i'm gonna call my doctor right now! good luck every one

I was on Prozac, 20mg, for about 9 years. I was given it for rhinitis caused by anxiety. Looking back I can see that for many years prior to the development of the rhinitis I was anxious, fairly unmotivated and periodically depressed.

Not long after taking Prozac I started to really pick up. I got myself a job, gave up cigarettes successfully, and started a relationship with someone after many years of being alone. I began taking regular walks. I had a few side effects. At first I wanted to walk and walk and never stop. I would walk for 12 miles quite happily. I also had yawning fits and would be somewhat inattentive. Another side effect was a tapping agitated foot. I no longer felt any sexual desire, or it was anyway almost non existent. My personality changed a bit. I was always known for being deep and insightful but on Prozac I became a lot more shallow.

The good side very much outweighed the bad for me. I had renewed interest in life and stopped sleeping my days away. My sensitivity was greatly reduced. As I was very easily hurt by what people said and how they behaved towards me so this was really something.

Because I'd recently been made redundant I felt it was a good time to think about trying to come off Prozac as I've been on it so long. The result is that within two months of coming off it my rhinitis is much worse and I had a few months of extreme irritation (withdrawals). I was snappy and losing my temper more easily. This has now subsided. Three and a half months from withdrawal day I have less of an appetite feel the cold more. I am suffering from extreme boredom and have a permanent feeling of flatness. Life seems dull. My interest in profound questions has returned somewhat and without the mood buffer/enhancement I am able to assess who I am, what I'm doing and where I'm going more easily. But it is like I am looking at myself standing under an unforgiving spotlight and I can see all my faults in the glare.

I'm hoping this is a winter thing and the result of my recent redundancy. I'm hoping I can skip into the future without any pharmaceutical help, but if it carries on like this for too long I will seriously consider taking 20mg again.

I've been taking prozac consistently for past three months-started off the first 6 weeks on 40 mg. then my dr. increased my dosage to 60 mg. per day. I seem tireder since the medication has been increased. I take it in the morning. What if I try taking it at night? I didn't take it today and noticed I had a slight manic episode today, which was kinda nice cos I got some work done around my house. What do you think? I have been diagnosed with Bipolar I disorder since 1987 and have been on Prozac since.

im on 60 mg prozac a day for depression .lately im having to function .now im having shakes up it to 80 mg to be able to

Hello,
I have been on Prozac for 1 1/2 years now. I can not afford my medication right now and have been out for 4 days now. I am not having suicidal thoughts but weird dreams and very angry, depressed, sad, sleepless. Can you please let me know what i should do If i should go to the hospital or if there is an alternative?

Someone asked if positive feedback could be posted. I have positive feedback for Prozac. So far I feel amazing. This is the best I have felt in my entire life. Every opinion matters and I read A LOT before taking this SSRI. I am well educated and at one point agreed with so many about how easy it is for doctors to just prescribe a pill. Well I have tried every homeopathic remedy available, including yoga. Which I still do yoga because it is amazing. However, the "magic pill" theory did work for me, or I should say is working for me. I do agree with so many that it is what works for you and every individual has a different chemical make-up. I have not experienced any negative side effects, I will say before taking Prozac I had many thoughts of suicide and delusions of grandeur however I no longer feel this way! YIPEEE

Good luck to all!

Hello! I was on Prozac (fluoxetine) for over eight years. Started at 10mgs and finally ended at 40mgs through the years. Well for some stupid reason I stopped it cold turkey about four months ago because I felt I didn't need it anymore. I felt fine until recently. Bad bad panic attacks sweats throwing up. Social anxiety which is why I started it in the first place. I felt great on it!! I wish I never stopped... Now trying to get back on it has been hell! Panic attacks, sweats, terrible time sleeping. Anxiety as soon as I wake up in the morning. How long will these side effects continue! It's been 20mgs for 5 days so far. Sometimes I feel good, but mostly I feel crazy! My psychiatrist wants me to continue it. He gave me Xanax to cope with it. I don't know what to do. I never felt this way before.

I was taking Paxial since 2002.It did work great for me,but over the years my body got amune to it and it stop working.My panic attacks and anxiety starting to return.It wasn't a great feeling at all.My Dr just recently put me on Prozac.I have been taking it for about 3 months now.The only side affect that I have with it is that it cuts my appitie a lot.I pretty much have to make myself eat,but I'm not a big eater any way.I don't really care for sugar pies etc.It works great for my mild depression and anxiety.I have nothing bad to say about Prozac besides it works diffrent on everybody.

Been on it for two weeks. All I know is I'm feeling MUCH better!

Save me from myself

I started Prozac only 3 days ago and I'm already feeling the side effects. I feel more anxious now than I did before I started taking it, I have also started itching like crazy, apparently thats another side effect?? From everything I've read Prozac doesnt seem to be helping a lot of people and if you stay on it long enough you start to feel numb? No thanks. I'm not depressed and I only have anxiety so im not sure if this medication is right for me, maybe for some people it is, but I feel as though that percentage is very low. ive decided to stop taking it and i made an appointment with my doctor to talk about alternatives. These side effects seem like too much to go through just for a numb, unhappy, suicidal outcome. no thanks, ill create my own happiness with the right meds and therapy.

My husband just started taking Prozac and already on day 3 it is already had a dramatic effect on our sex life. He doesn’t want to take anything in addition to the Prozac to help the situation so I am very concerned about the future of our sex life. Am I overreacting to be worried? I take Welbtrin for this very reason and had already been struggling with a little more depression than usual for some reason, and now this. I am worried that he won't care about sex anymore and because of the Prozac he won't even care that our sex life has changed and he won't care that it bothers me. Am I way off here?

Hi I on day 18 takin fluoxtine I'm so tired have zero energy help!!!

Only on my second day of Prozac, for PMDD which was straight up ruining my life,the anxiety, emotions & anger was out of control & restless sleep was not helpful either.
My mind is already more clear, & for the first time since I can remember, calm. its not racing or picking apart problem after problem until it forms into a new problem. I am REALLY tired though, I heard this takes awhile to pass & I have dry mouth, I find that when I take mine at six in the morning, Im not hungry & I tend to be in a spacey fog, but I cant really feel anything, then by one in the afternoon I mellow out, to me, & still have a clear mind

Run, if your doctor's says Prozac, run for your freaking life. They are wonderful with depression but don't ever ever EVER miss a dose or try to get off it. It has a half life of 24 hours meaning if you miss your dose you will start feeling the withdraws pretty quickly, extreme suicidal thoughts, aggravation, and almost drunk buzzed feeling that you can'tshake no matter what you do. I Missed my dose last night and literally want to split my throat right now.

Been depressed for 15 straight years despite a great job, a great husband, three great children and a great situation. Prozac has saved my life, my family, my husband from leaving me. I'm 42 and finally enjoying my life. Sure there are side-effects, ( a bit sleepy but still happy, some intestinal issues, waking up in the night but falling back to sleep again)
These side-effects are NOTHING compared to wanting to die every other day. Depression is a grave disease, for which Prozac has helped immensely. Very thankful.

i started prozac when i was 18 , it worked very well for me , my personality changed for the better, my concentration increased , from a very depressed and a hopless person , i came back to normal , i had prozac for over a year and it worked wonders

Ive had my prozac dosage increased from 20mg a day to 40mg a day how long will it take to feel the benefit please .

hi there i hed depression and was given 2 mil of prozac at first then i was put up to 40 the 60 and after 2 week i started getting shaking and i could not stop pacing up and down the room .Well the homen help came out and said that i was taking too much prozac so i was dropped back down to 40 mil.3 weeks later i still had the shakes .the the second nurse told me that i had an anxiety problem because 40 mill wouldnt make me feel like that ,Now ive been give propanolol for it but it makes me feel worse.Any ideas on the subject would be appreciated.i took 80 mill at night and 80 mill in the morning is that too much .Please help.

I would never take medicine as I do not trust medicine. I started taking anxiety medicine and sleep medicine as needed recently as it calmed me down. It made me drowsy and more miserable. I had my depression under control for nearly 15 years but the sadness never goes away. I learned to accept that. However recently the sadness and anxiety became extreme due to major life events. I recently got prescribed Prozac and I wish I had used this earlier. I know it is early days (4 days) but I feel incredible. I feel ready to tackle phase 2 in my life. I never knew I suffered so severely from depression until the veil lifted. The negative is that I can not sleep but the positive is I am so full of energy. I was diagnosed with PTSD at 25 yrs old and after trauma counselling managed to get on with my life. I think we repeat our earlier life cycle again at mid life. I have seen it happen to many times. I am grateful that I have hope again. I still have severe anxiety at night so hope that too will soon get better.

I'm on Prozac and I feel great! The only bad thing I can say about it is if I forget to take it one day my mood will instantly change. But I've been good about taking it. It give Los me so much energy and if something happens that would make me so mad before I just let it slide right by.

i was on a low dose of celexa for a months before the side effects became too much for me to deal with. I switched to Prozac, I'm currently taking 20 mg. I do not experience any side effects. I sometimes think I am too energetic, but it hasn't become an issue. I've been on Prozac for about 7 months now

I've had severe PMS since I was a teenager. After having my kids I had my tubes tied and it got worse. I eventually was diagnosed with PMDD. Apparently the type of bc pills I was on as a young adult and after my first pregnancy kept it in check. So the catalyst was my tubes being tied. I was put on Prozac/fluoxetine over 10 years ago after going through a bout with depression. Being on the medication keeps me under control, yet I believe just functionally depressed. I don't get emotional yet have lost my drive/motivation for anything regardless to how bad I need it (i.e. going from an overachiever to not getting anything done). Now, all of a sudden after a change of the manufacturer of my medication, I am emotional, crying, sleeping and getting even less done. It's not the same as being off of it all together, but it's still a noticeable difference. Is it just me, or can the same prescription by a different manufacturer make cause that big of a difference? I don't know why I'm asking when I know that I'm having a distinct change. And, after getting the prescription corrected, is there something I can take with it that will allow me to be focused and motivated. Right now I just feel like I'm existing instead of living. I have a lot of responsibilities and can't afford the down time, nor for it to get any worse. An suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I was on a white capsule with an orange stripe (40 mg), but now it's a blue/orange capsule...I've been on the new one for 3 or 4 months and I just realized that it is a problem...Looking forward to a response.

I just started prozac about 3 days now. I was put on it 5months after having my daughter due to post partum and anxiety/panic attacks. I thought i could deal with all the mixed emotions on my own but just 7 days ago, i had such a bad attack that i had to rush myself in to see a doc. He proscribed me Prozac 20mg to take in the morning & 1mg xanax to take at night. These last 3days starting this process has still been very hard to cope with that ive had to take half of a xanax during the day just to keep calm & not feel scared and want to just cry all the time. Can someone please answer me, is this normal? When will the prozac kick in to were i can start feeling like myself again?

One other thing, the day after i had my daughter is when all the post partum/anxiety started. I was put on zoloft but it made me feel sick, feel confused, nauseous, & it just didnt seem to work. I took that for about 2-3 months & then quit taking them. So i guess you could say that i relapsed and thats why i feel the way that i do now!!.

I'm 16, turning 17 next month and I've been on multiple anti-depressants since I was 15. They worked for the first 2 months but then again I fell into a bout of depression. I haven't been to school since half way through grade 10. I don't know if I have a social problem, often I find myself not knowing what to say to people to make conversation and I mostly just end up giving one word answers so I don't say something stupid and make myself look dumb. I started Prozac over a year ago and it hasn't helped at all. I've gained 15 pounds since I started and the only thing that has helped was people making comments about my weight, especially my own family. Whenever I feel like I get myself together I'll try and go to work, I've worked at 2 places but ended up having to quit because I just couldn't make it in some days. I'm lucky my parents are understanding and all that but I just don't feel like I'm getting better at all, any help would be fantastic. If you took the time thanks for reading

P.S. I was in that hospital for two years.

Can i drink milk to take my Prozac?

I have been on prozac for just over a year and i do still feel low in mood but not sad or depressed as i was but not in a good way, it's like i feel nothing at all now is that normal?

I am 48 years old (female) and have been on 20mg of Prozac per day since April of this year. I got on it of course for depression, and anxiety because EVERYTHING was an overwhelming, irritating, anxiety causing ordeal for me. Even the simple decisions like what to fix for dinner. My father was being put in a nursing home, my youngest was going off to college, I didn't have a clue what was going to happen to my 26 year marriage after the kids were all gone so I had to seek help. After a couple week of taking it I felt fabulous! I had tons more energy and actually lost about 10 pounds. It has drastically reduced my anxiety, irritability and panic attacks. But recently I have felt that numbness or emotionless feeling. I didn't even cry when my daughter went off to college! I went to my doc yesterday and she said that this feeling is somewhat normal on Prozac. It takes away the really low feelings, which is good, but it also takes away the high feelings too. Nothing excites me anymore, and that's just not me. I've not really had any sexual side effects, I just feel emotionless and disconnected and I don't like it. I am going down to 10 mg per day and see if that helps. I just can't handle the numbness and I'm afraid that it is going to have a long term negative effect. Hopefully this will work out.

Its funny how i read that glenlaping was sworn at and didnt respond, because when i first started i was telling my cousin who suffers anxiety, that i had started Lovan and these are my exact words" i swear i feel like i dont care, nothing bothers me! If some one said "youre a fucking bitch" i wouldnt care! Lol.... " Its kinda good for me cos usually i am over sensitive. The only thing that nosy me is the acid reflux, so i need to eat with it.

I am 29 years old and when I was 14 I was diagnosed with depression, PTSD, an anxiety disorder, and borderline personality. I've been off and on prozac since. I do have side effects when I first start taking it again, but its mostly exhaustion and extremely vivd dreams. So vivid in fact that I forget that I'm asleep and dreaming. I think this drug is great. I don't feel suicidal, I don't cut myself, and leaving the house doesn't cause a panic attack. I would suggest this drug for many people.

Hi, I am wondering if anyone has felt so tired and unmotivated that you feel paralyzed? I've been on Prozac for 5 or 6 months to help with my anxiety, it helped a ton so I thought I had found the right one for me. After a couple months of feeling pretty good, I started to notice how tired I was feeling and it's only continued to get worse. I feel a heaviness that makes me feel like I can't move but I can move if I absolutely have to. I hate this, my poor husband has to pick up my slack and it not fair to him. I have tried to figure out where all of this heavy-weakness is coming from and this is the only logical answer. Anyone else experience this? Zoloft made me super tired too.

2nd day on Prozac, I'm very emotional I keep crying because I keep over thinking bad things or of disappointing things that I don't want happening. I hope this side effects wears off soon .

So, I hope this will be helpful for others (and also sorry for my bad english) I started with prozac on January for my depression, so the first two months was very hard because I was still having those dark days and anxiety. But now almost 4 months on medication, I feel super weird, somedays I feel super hyper so I can sleep, other days I feel like I'm sedated maybe? standing still and quiet but its just for a few hours. And when I drink coffee or tea I feel irritated. But I dont know if this is normal but actually I stay looking for little things like lights on a concert, colors, stars, even people doing regular things. Anyway maybe its just me, IDK.

Love to be on this blog.I quit my Prozac 6months ago after taking it since 1993,I crashed in April 2016.Doctor started me back on small dose 2.5mg going to go to 5mg,because of my age.Ive been on it for 25 days I feel some better ,but I'm still in don't want to eat can't sleep at night Iknow I have to stick it out just some encouragement if anyone has felt this bad will it get any better?Has anyone ever taken this small dose,another reason for this small dose I'm very sensitive to all medicine.Thank you

My 14 year old son was put on Prozac about 2 months ago on 10 Mg's.He was doing fine then his dr.
increased it to 20 mgs and a week later he was throwing up had diarrhea inst going to school.Could it be that the mgs.are too high?