Been on Prozac 5 weeks, still anxious.

[milamitsu]

So I have generalized anxiety disorder. I've been off and on meds since I was 11. I'm 29 now. I was on prozac for 5 years and it worked great and I've been able to have a normal life. I thought I didn't need it anymore so I slowly tapered off and its been maybe 8 months to a year. Then some things in my life happened and the panic attacks and depression came back. So I started taking my prozac again back in July. They were a year old so Idk if they were even effective but I got my dr to get me a new prescription and it took like a week for me to start taking the new ones. I waited about 4 weeks and decided to increase my dose to 40mg (which I was on before) and I started feeling better. However my anxiety hasn't completely went away and I still have moments of depression. I've been on the 40mg now for like 6 days. I'm just wondering how much time I should give it before I decide its not gonna work and try something else. If I was on Prozac before and it worked in the past, it should still work now, right? 

[gamon]

You need to consult with a psychiatrist. That's what they're trained and licensed for.

Although I suppose you could read tons of mental health forums and try to find people who had similar experiences, then again everyone's different.

As I understand it, going on and off psych meds can lower their effectiveness.

 

[LaHermes]

15 minutes ago, gamon said:

You need to consult with a psychiatrist. That's what they're trained and licensed for.

I agree.  And you must follow the instructions your psychiatrist and/or doctor give you.

[Wiseman2]

20 minutes ago, gamon said:

You need to consult with a psychiatrist.

Agree. Reviewing your symptoms and side effects with a trained physician is the best way forward.

[SooSad33]

. I do know that when we start new meds, it takes some time to 'work up' to req'd amount and to feel any real difference. ( eg. 10 mg for a cpl weeks, then up to 15 for another cpl weeks, etc).

I looked it up...

How long does new medication take to work?

You may need to be at the right dose for at least two to three weeks to start to feel better. It takes longer to see how much your feelings improve with the medicine over time.

My doctor (therapist) once said, no matter what, your anxiety will always be underlying. Yup, true. If something sets me off, it's there 😕 .

So, try to learn again how to take extra care of yourself, do things at a slower pace, les expectations, give yourself time to 'mentally prep' for events, etc.

Get your rest, eat well and take med's at same time every day.. Give it time. 

 

[milamitsu]

36 minutes ago, SooSad33 said:

. I do know that when we start new meds, it takes some time to 'work up' to req'd amount and to feel any real difference. ( eg. 10 mg for a cpl weeks, then up to 15 for another cpl weeks, etc).

I looked it up...

How long does new medication take to work?

You may need to be at the right dose for at least two to three weeks to start to feel better. It takes longer to see how much your feelings improve with the medicine over time.

My doctor (therapist) once said, no matter what, your anxiety will always be underlying. Yup, true. If something sets me off, it's there 😕 .

So, try to learn again how to take extra care of yourself, do things at a slower pace, les expectations, give yourself time to 'mentally prep' for events, etc.

Get your rest, eat well and take med's at same time every day.. Give it time. 

 

Thanks. I've just been so tired of feeling this way and am so impatient with myself. I worry that my meds will never work , that its taking too long, that I'll make an impulsive decision that I might regret later. 

[LaHermes]

1 hour ago, Wiseman2 said:

Reviewing your symptoms and side effects with a trained physician is the best way forward.

What Wiseman said.

[Seraphim]

You need to consult your dr and stick to what they tell you. Some conditions are only kept at bay by medications. 

[Pleasedonot5]

I am 26 M. I also have generalized anxiety disorder. The doctor put me on Zoloft several years ago. For whatever reason, doctors like putting patients suffering with anxiety on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Prozac and Zoloft. I imagine that these antidepressants do work to alleviate anxiety in some people. It sounds like it has had some positive effects for you. 

Not for me. Zoloft did not help my anxiety. It also caused sexual dysfunction (inability to orgasm), dizziness, mania, and eventually strong suicidal ideations. I immediately stopped the Zoloft after experiencing the suicidal ideations, and then they stopped. Suffice to say, Zoloft was a no-go for me. 

Years later, in either late 2018 or early 2019, a new doctor prescribed me buspirone, which is a long-term anti-anxiety medication. It kept me 90-95% anxiety free from around the time I started until fairly recently (doctor and I agreed recently we needed to marginally up the dose). Buspirone was a game changer for my G.A.D.

I recommend speaking to your doctor about Prozac not working, and about potentially taking buspirone, if the anxiety persists past the sixth week of your new Prozac dose (it takes four to six weeks for medications like Prozac, Zoloft, and even buspirone to work properly).

Anxiety freaking sucks. I am sorry you are going through this and I hope this helps. 

[Fudgie]

Psych meds are up my alley in both my career and my own experience (been on Prozac for decades). I'm about your age.

First off, these meds take time to have some effect. But if you're going on 5-6 weeks with very little or no improvement, it's time to talk to your psychiatrist. Doses can be titrated up or you may need to try another med all together. That's common, many people have to try a couple different meds to find something (or a couple things) that work, as in pleasedonot5's case.

Buspar is a crapshoot - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. When it works, it WORKS well for that person. But that's true of every psych med out there. We don't have a complete understanding of how they work and why people can differ so much in their responses to the same drug. It's all about working with your psychiatrist and finding what works for you together. 

[milamitsu]

12 hours ago, Fudgie said:

Psych meds are up my alley in both my career and my own experience (been on Prozac for decades). I'm about your age.

First off, these meds take time to have some effect. But if you're going on 5-6 weeks with very little or no improvement, it's time to talk to your psychiatrist. Doses can be titrated up or you may need to try another med all together. That's common, many people have to try a couple different meds to find something (or a couple things) that work, as in pleasedonot5's case.

Buspar is a crapshoot - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. When it works, it WORKS well for that person. But that's true of every psych med out there. We don't have a complete understanding of how they work and why people can differ so much in their responses to the same drug. It's all about working with your psychiatrist and finding what works for you together. 

So I just started the 40mg, I'm on day 6. So should I give the 40mg about 5-6 weeks to see if the increase dose works? I don't have a psychiatrist yet, just a therapist and a regular doctor. I plan to go see one if things don't improve soon but finding one that takes my insurance and can get me in fast will be a challenge.

[gamon]

You're asking random strangers on the internet about how much of a dose of psych meds you should take.

Think about that for a moment.

 

[milamitsu]

1 minute ago, gamon said:

You're asking random strangers on the internet about how much of a dose of psych meds you should take.

Think about that for a moment.

 

No I'm asking how long it should take to work. I'm curious about other people's experiences. I understand everyone is different.

[SherrySher]

10 minutes ago, milamitsu said:

No I'm asking how long it should take to work. I'm curious about other people's experiences. I understand everyone is different.

It's opinions, for sure, but please consider rechecking with your doctor just the same.

Just re-read, I'm not sure you should be changing the dose on your own.

But being as you did, you still should check in with the doctor, let them know what's going on, and if nothing else, he/she can possibly give you something else in the meantime to deal with the anxiety until the Prozac begins to work for you.

[LaHermes]

28 minutes ago, gamon said:

You're asking random strangers on the internet about how much of a dose of psych meds you should take.

Think about that for a moment.

Indeed. 

OP, is there some reason you can't get back to your physician and ask him/her these questions, or even ask by phone?

[Pleasedonot5]

2 hours ago, milamitsu said:

No I'm asking how long it should take to work. I'm curious about other people's experiences. I understand everyone is different.

For the medication to take effect when just starting out, Healthline says 2 to 6 weeks. WebMD says 4 to 5 weeks, with some marginal improvement starting a few weeks in. These are figures which relate to when initially starting the medication, not when the dose is adjusted. I could not find credible information online regarding how long it takes a dose adjustment to take effect. 

4 hours ago, milamitsu said:

So I just started the 40mg, I'm on day 6. So should I give the 40mg about 5-6 weeks to see if the increase dose works? I don't have a psychiatrist yet, just a therapist and a regular doctor. I plan to go see one if things don't improve soon but finding one that takes my insurance and can get me in fast will be a challenge.

I recommend you call your doctor's office and ask to leave the doctor a message about your medication. In the voicemail message, ask how long it should take your new Prozac dose to take effect: should it take 4-6 weeks, or should it take effect more quickly? Say that this timeframe will help you determine whether or not the Prozac is working for you. Ask the doctor to call you back with the information.

I presume that your doctor will call you back at no cost to you. I have done this for quick medication advice from my doctor in the past. (I am living in the U.S., so my advice is probably most apt within the U.S. healthcare system).

[milamitsu]

1 hour ago, LaHermes said:

Indeed. 

OP, is there some reason you can't get back to your physician and ask him/her these questions, or even ask by phone?

At the time of starting this post it was on a saturday and my drs office was closed and it takes them time to get back to me when i send them messages. I did send one today asking about the medication. I'm just waiting for a reply. 

[milamitsu]

7 minutes ago, Pleasedonot5 said:

For the medication to take effect when just starting out, Healthline says 2 to 6 weeks. WebMD says 4 to 5 weeks, with some marginal improvement starting a few weeks in. These are figures which relate to when initially starting the medication, not when the dose is adjusted. I could not find credible information online regarding how long it takes a dose adjustment to take effect. 

I recommend you call your doctor's office and ask to leave the doctor a message about your medication. In the voicemail message, ask how long it should take your new Prozac dose to take effect: should it take 4-6 weeks, or should it take effect more quickly? Say that this timeframe will help you determine whether or not the Prozac is working for you. Ask the doctor to call you back with the information.

I presume that your doctor will call you back at no cost to you. I have done this for quick medication advice from my doctor in the past. (I am living in the U.S., so my advice is probably most apt within the U.S. healthcare system).

Yea that's what I was wondering, how long after a dose increase. I asked my doctor and am waiting on a reply.

[Pleasedonot5]

Just now, milamitsu said:

Yea that's what I was wondering, how long after a dose increase. I asked my doctor and am waiting on a reply.

Great job. 👍

Hopefully, you will hear back soon. 

[gamon]

5 hours ago, milamitsu said:

 

 

5 hours ago, milamitsu said:

No I'm asking how long it should take to work. I'm curious about other people's experiences. I understand everyone is different.

My apologies. When you wrote "So should I give the 40mg about 5-6 weeks to see if the increase dose works?" I thought you were asking what the consensus was among the respondants so you could do whatever the majority says. But instead you were asking how long it should take for the medication to work, and it would naturally follow that you were expecting answers that you would use to determine how long to take it.

Now that I read what I just wrote I don't see the difference.