Increased anxiety on prozac

[Redwingsfan]

So I just started taking prozac for severe anxiety and depression. It is making me way way more anxious. I have been taking it for a week and 2 days. Is this normal? I feel miserable

[Anne1221]

Give it 3-4 weeks before you decide on it. Before the week of 3-4, you really don't have the full effect as it takes time. I was anxious until week 3 when it finally started kicking in.

[Kirk]

My wife is a pharmacist and she said to talk to your doctor about your symptoms.

[gypsylee]

Hey there,

Yep, completely normal. SSRIs are nasty when you start them and can take weeks to kick in. For some people they never do but the side effects should get better. Sometimes I wonder if they work by making you feel even worse and then the original anxiety doesn't seem so bad lol.

Cheers,
Gypsy x

[Ponder]

Also bear in mind, the space these meds provide you with after the initial poisoning process is also limited. If the said medication is indeed effective after the initial "breaking in" period ... you should be taking advantage of this "aid" to implement other less toxic strategies such as developing a positive routine structured to a goal based on doing things you enjoy.

Once you build up positive experiences and have fostered a number of new copping strategies, it's not uncommon to find the chemical solution that you once embarked upon, slowly becomes your limiting factor.

Food for thought. Knowing how and when to come off is as important. It's also not uncommon for people to continue feeling sick after the initial poisoning phase. It's your body simply trying to let you know it's being poisoned. Best of luck with your chemical solutions. They are not for everyone.

Here's hoping you can make the most out of it, if indeed you find some space. Just be aware of dosing responses for those who fail to implement other strategies. You may wind up clinging to your label and reliant on meds for many many years. Play it smart ... know how to use them and know how to use the doctors that prescribe them.

All the best.

[Kirk]

First of all, medicine is necessary in some instances. Not everyone can cope naturally. It is very risky for anyone to give medical or medication advice if they don't have the
proper education and experience. I am not qualified to give any medical or medication advice, as I am a CPA, but I am qualified to give tax and financial advice because I have the
education and experience. My wife is a pharmacist and has the education and experience to give medication advice, but not accounting or tax advice. One time I was trying to self
diagnose an issue I was having and my GI physician told me to stick with something I know like accounting and stay away from self diagnosing as I am not qualified to do so and he
was right.

[Emptyoystershell]

Anti depressants have a risk of increasing anxiety. IF anxiety is your only problem you need just anti anxiety meds. I'm no doctor though. I just know overtime I got on anti depressants for my anxiety specifically, it made it worse.