# Who has experience with Prozac?



## thundercats (Mar 12, 2012)

I'd be interested in hearing from prozac users what they think about it. Is prozac "better" than other SSRI? I heard that prozac is the oldest ssri and that it's better than other ones is this true?
Would giving prozac a try make sense when you have tried other SSRI without success? I tried celexa and felt nothing it only made me tired.
I read an old article about prozac which talked about how famous prozac is and that many people want to take it because it makes you happy and changes your personality.
Can prozac turn a melancholic, depressive person into a totally different person? I have my doubts about that. 

And do you know if there are difference between SSRI when it comes to side effects? Are they all the same or are there SSRI which are "safer" than others and have less side effects?


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

I would like too see some reviews to compare the potentcy of ssri that would be nice i think lexapro was too strong it would be nice too know if there was such a thing as a mild ssri.


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## Loriann (May 27, 2012)

I've learned through countless "reviews" on medication and it's effects on people, (everyone's body make up is different, your reaction, may not be someone else's.) I took Prozac for about a year. I never had "steady" effects on it. It made me happy one day, a nervous wreck the next, and sometimes I was just plain zombified. As my dose was adjusted higher (from 10mg to 20mg) I just got sick to my stomach. 
Medication is a process of trial and error as we all know. The best thing that I can suggest is to try it and see how it works for you. 
Good Luck


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## NotAnExit (Apr 9, 2012)

Im actually on it right now and I cant really say anything negative about it. I started out on 20mg and after a couple of months it was bumped up to 40 mg and thats where Im at now.I can honestly say I feel a hell of alot better than I did year ago. I started taking it August 2011. I remember being drowsy for the first week or so but thats about it. 

My only complaint (and it's not even a complaint lol) is that Its made me sorta apathetic. I mean my motivation has taken a slight plunge. For example, one of my main stressors was the fact that I was having school trouble, my gpa dropped due to depression and I was worried about my academic status. I would obsess over how incompetant I was and how I was never going to go anywhere in life ...blah blah...long story short. Ihavent been having any of those negative thoughts repeating over and over in my head as often as before.

Like they say everyone is different. I've heard about some of the side effects including the nervousness, insomnia, vomiting, but I never experienced any of them.If you want to try It I think it's worth a shot.. and as always just pay attention to your body if something dosent feel right, tallk to your doc. Best Wishes!


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

prozac is probably the safest antidepressant infact it's the only one that is prescribred to minors.
It has a remarkable effect on mood and also slightly improves energy but it's not indicated for GAD as it can raise anxiety levels especially at the beginning of treatment and when the dosage is increased.
In my personal experience I found that sleep quality is not negatively affected by prozac and sexual side effects are not as bad as those caused by other ssris.


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## thundercats (Mar 12, 2012)

How long would you say does prozac take to kick in if it works?
How much time should one give it?

I suffer from pretty strong depression and anxiety, too. But I don't have SAD. Reading that it's not indicated for GAD is discouraging. :|

I also read some prozac reviews on this forum. Some wrote that they had a horrible experience on it and got thoughts about hurting people. That's scary. 
It sucks that a drug can work so different in different people.


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## theJdogg (Sep 18, 2009)

For me, it was basically a sugar pill. As other said, meds effect everyone differently.


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## thundercats (Mar 12, 2012)

What do you do if ssri don't work? What's the next step then? SNRI or TCA? Maybe all antidepressants suck and you only get your hopes disappointed by trying out one after the other and then end up even more depressed than before.


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## TheoBobTing (Jul 8, 2010)

There's a good chance that prozac will do nothing to help you if celexa didn't work. You could get lucky and find that prozac for some reason works better than celexa for you, but don't hold your breath because a lot of people go through numerous SSRIs without finding one that works better for them than the others. Personally I'd try a different class of med, but trying a second SSRI wouldn't be completely stupid as there is a small chance it could help. Ultimately it is your call.


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## cogent (May 28, 2012)

I had only positive experiences on Fluoxetine, helped negative thoughts, helped depression, helped ruminating, eased anxiety; it even helped me focus, concentrate and not get in a mess with the smallest tasks. I went manic on it though, so had to discontinue. The first two times I took it was with a higher dose of mood stabiliser so all was fine and it helped a great deal but the third time with the lower dose of mood stabiliser the Fluoxetine was too much for me, sadly.


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## thundercats (Mar 12, 2012)

@ cogent

What's the usual dose of prozac for most people? Does it depend on what exactly you take it for?

@ TheoBobTing

What other class would you try after ssris? You mean snris?
From what I read snris are stronger but also have more side effects. Especially effexor doesn't have a good rep.


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## cogent (May 28, 2012)

thundercats said:


> @ cogent
> 
> What's the usual dose of prozac for most people? Does it depend on what exactly you take it for?


It is dependent on what it's aimed at yes.
For depression, anxiety it's usually between 20-40mg maintenance, for the eating disorders and OCD it's usually between 40-60mg.


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## Project Atlas (Jan 23, 2012)

It might help with some OCD but other than that it's worthless. I am on 100 mg right now and don't feel a huge difference really than before.


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## TheoBobTing (Jul 8, 2010)

thundercats said:


> @ TheoBobTing
> 
> What other class would you try after ssris? You mean snris?
> From what I read snris are stronger but also have more side effects. Especially effexor doesn't have a good rep.


Yeah, SNRIs would be an option. Indeed, effexor is infamous. There are other SNRIs though which you might want to look into. Effexor can be pretty rough. There are more classes of anxiolytic/antidepressant meds to consider. Beta blockers, benzos, anti-convulsants, MAOIs, mirtazapine, et cetera. They all have pros and cons.

It's all about what you and your doctor think is best, assuming your doctor is a good one. But an SNRI could be a good choice. That doesn't necessarily mean effexor. My experiences with effexor haven't been good.


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## thundercats (Mar 12, 2012)

@ bob

Benzos,Maoi and betablockers aren't really an option because no doctor will prescribe benzos long-term and my problem isn't only anxiety but also depression. Betablockers also don't really help against anxiety but only symptoms of anxiety like fast heartrate. 
And Maoi are way too scary for me. I don't want to have to worry all day that I could eat something which isn't allowed. No way.

Are all other snri better than effexor? I thought that maybe snri are generally problematic or is it only effexor which is problematic? What other good snri are there? Man, it's really hard to decide what to take. 

@ Project Atlas

How long have you been taking it? Are you going to get off it since it's not working?
I also think it's hard to tell if a drug is working. What if you have some mediocre days and think it's the drug and in reality the drug has nothing to do with it? I'm also not equally depressed every day I also have days where I feel not as depressed.

@ cogent

Do you take the entire dosage at once?


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## cogent (May 28, 2012)

thundercats said:


> @ cogent
> 
> Do you take the entire dosage at once?


If only 20mg yes, when I went to 40mg the Doc told me to take it at once but I split it, 20mg morning and 20mg evening. It's activating so best not taken too late at night or you may well find yourself not sleeping.


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## TheoBobTing (Jul 8, 2010)

thundercats said:


> @ bob
> 
> Are all other snri better than effexor? I thought that maybe snri are generally problematic or is it only effexor which is problematic? What other good snri are there? Man, it's really hard to decide what to take.


I don't know much about the rest of the SNRIs. I think some of them might cause fewer withdrawl type problems than venlafaxine, but I'm not sure. Do a bit of research on them and see what you think.


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## thundercats (Mar 12, 2012)

So prozac is activating? Is this a fact or does it depend on who takes it?
I thought that SSRI generally make you tired and cause you to gain weight. Does prozac not do this?

What sucks is that I have an appointment next week and I don't know what the doc will recommend next after effexor. I didn't want to take effexor because of all the negative stuff I read about it. But what if he recommends something which I don't know and then when I'm home I find out that it has a bad reputation as well? Then I have the same problem as before with effexor.


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## Psychologist (Apr 3, 2012)

i was on it for about 6 months. It made me a happier person. Not much help for SA if any. I stopped taking it because it because i didnt think it was helping me and i missed my libido. Been around 6 months since ive taken it and ive decided im going to see my p doc again but this time im going to ask for effexor xr cuz ive seen a lot of good reviews on it for SA


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

Prozac helped my first major depressive episode, did nothing for anxiety, and caused anorgasma.


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## macaw (Sep 6, 2010)

Prozac did nothing for me, but everyone is different.


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## cogent (May 28, 2012)

thundercats said:


> So prozac is activating? Is this a fact or does it depend on who takes it?
> I thought that SSRI generally make you tired and cause you to gain weight. Does prozac not do this?
> 
> What sucks is that I have an appointment next week and I don't know what the doc will recommend next after effexor. I didn't want to take effexor because of all the negative stuff I read about it. But what if he recommends something which I don't know and then when I'm home I find out that it has a bad reputation as well? Then I have the same problem as before with effexor.


Fluoxetine is activating, there are some people, like all other things that will find the opposite though. We're all different so they will affect us in different ways but generally it puts you up.
It can and does cause tiredness initially, first two weeks on it and I sleep like a baby and I can be bad with insomnia .
Side Effexor, Venlafaxine has a bad reputation but it also works for a lot of people, just as you read here, people saying how Fluoxetine did nothing for them, Venlafaxine will be the same for others and have the nasty side effects that no one wants.
If you have a good rapport with your Doc, look at the range that are available and pick a couple out, then mention those to your Doc.
Reading about others experiences isn't the best way to choose an AD, we are all too different to say that's how you'll be affected.
You have to just bite the bullet and try it.

Best of luck with whatever med you get...


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## RenegadeReloaded (Mar 12, 2011)

no effect here, and i gave it 3 months and even maximum dosage


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## Himi Jendrix (Mar 24, 2010)

I have taken prozac for about 3 years now. I also have taken every single other SSRI at the proper dose and time. 

Prozac is the beez-neez of the SSRI family. Its a 5ht-2c antagonist as well which basically makes you feel that much happier. It also helps anxiety for me. 

It sort of mellows you out. Also it potentiates other drugs like xanax.


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## dmasterd (Feb 22, 2012)

I have been on prozac for almost 6 weeks now and I feel it is helping me a bit overall. My SA has seem to gone down but I feel that GAD has maybe increased a little bit, it may be due to the fact that I am still adjusting to the medicine. At first, I felt extremely tired and had no appetite but that only last a few days. I started to feel a bit better after 3 weeks and then lately have been having general anxiety but I am not sure if it is due to the prozac or just my mind. My doctor recommends that I stay on it for another month and see how it is then. I am taking 20 mg a day and also taking 10 mg of Amitriptyline at night for migraine headaches. I did take Paxil a couple years ago which I feel worked better for anxiety but I did seem to have a strange mood on it and also experienced TERRIBLE withdrawal symptoms when I was coming off of it.


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## thundercats (Mar 12, 2012)

Thanks for your comments. Currently prozac seems to be out of the game but maybe I'll try it if Remeron doesn't work.


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

Cymbalta would be a better chose then effexor cause the halflife is longer but maybe equally bad in side effects but anyways who know's? i don't wanna risk it those snri have a strong pain killing effect and can offen cause the condition that there ment too treat when you come off of it.they also can cause a sustain increase in diastolic bloodpressure
so those are truely bad for you if they can give you hypertension like that not worth the risk.


My momma was on prozac she said that drug made her feel like she could do anything.

I think i took some prozac for a couple day's and i couldn't stop talking is that an atypical prozac responces?


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