ADVICE ON 1ST DAY ON PROZAC
Question:
says… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I am hoping that some of you who are on or have taken prozac can give me a bit of advice. I have had Generalized anxiety/PD for about 10 years. Therapy hasn’t produced any tangible results. I have been avoiding meds for years now except for an occassional valium. My MD prescribed prozac, 20mg/day. I took my first pill this morning. I started feeling a little weird almost right away. Nothing horrible but newer sensations than I am used to. I was wondering about what the normal dosages are for others out there, what initial side effects people feel and whether coffee is a no no when taking prozac ( I am a fairly heavy coffee drinker). Also how long do the side effects last and when do you know if the prozac is actually working. (By the way I am 225 lbs, and I guess that is relevant regarding dosages) Thanks to all in this newsgroup who can give me any advice. Doug C
Doug, First Prozac days often are characterized by feeling a little goofy as with antihistamines and decongestants. Some feel a little drowsy. Some feel a little speedy. I yawned a thousand times a day. Benefits accrue gradually for most people after the first week or two. Maximum benefit can take up to six weeks for some. One way to minimize initial side effects is to dissolve the contents of one capsule in a few ounces of juice or water(tastes awful) and drink half the first day and half the next. Stick the unused portion in the fridge. It’s stable and dissolves easily. After the first few days the full 20 mg. dose won’t jar the system. Initially Prozac only came in 20 mg. caps, but lots of folks had early side effects at that dose, so a 10 mg. cap is now around. Oh, I failed to mention that some folks have increased panic episodes initially in reponse to Prozac. A little Xanax or Klonopin for the first week or so can handle that. Good luck. Neil
Response:
(Douglas Carroll) writes: I was wondering about what the normal dosages are for others out there, what initial side effects people feel and whether coffee is a no no when taking prozac ( I am a fairly heavy coffee drinker). Also how long do the side effects last and when do you know if the prozac is actually working. (By the way I am 225 lbs, and I guess that is relevant regarding dosages)
It’s typical to start with 10 or 20 mg. I felt strange too the first day, but I think it was, as it were, "all in my head" 
. I felt better the next day. However, I felt generally lousier (more stressed) for about two weeks. This is supposed to be quite common, so don’t give up unless your doctor advises you to. Weight doesn’t have a lot to do with dosage. My 8-year-old daughter takes 30 mg for her Tourette symptoms. I take 20 for depression. My 250-lb husband also takes 20 mg. Good luck and hang in for two weeks! Kim
Response:
No offense taken at all, Gary. Our biochemical makeup is so diverse but as I’ve posted before I had to give up my beloved caffeine because it only increased my anxiety level. It was the same with nicotine. My system is exquisitely sensitive and I just wanted to give my feedback. Donna
Response:
Sorry to tell you that most PD patients can’t tolerate coffee. The withdrawal is difficult and should be done gradually.
Ummm.. this is awkward – I would be the last person to take issue with Donna, who is an invaluable source of help here, but I also want to balance this slightly, in case the original poster is one of those of us who *aren’t* affected by caffeine. I really don’t know to what extent it’s a majority which is, but quite a few of us aren’t troubled by this substance. I’d suggest that an exclusion diet test on caffeine would be worth a try, but don’t assume that caffeine is the source of problems – one of the characterising qualities of PD, ISTM, is that we sufferers can be rather suggestible. I take Prozac and frankly, I am surprised that you were started at 20 mg daily from the start. The best way that I know of is a very gradual start. I started at 5mg. per day. I took an 8ounce container and filled it with cranberry juice and broke a 10 mg capsule (powder only) and made a Cranzac. I drank half of the juice one day and the other half the following day. At this point, I had 5 mg. per day. In the early weeks of taking Prozac and other SSRi’s, anxiety can be increased. After a week I took a 10mg capsule and so on until you reach the necessary dosage for you. My doctor had me taking small doses of Xanax 4 times per day along with the Prozac and that did cut down my anxiety level. I hope this helps you. You can now get Prozac in liquid form as well. Good luck and try to give it at least 6 weeks to see if it is working. Sorry to say, but the heavy coffee drinking is not at all beneficial to you. If you smoke as well, that can exacerbate panic as well. This of course is my experience.
I wish I’d had Donna’s advice when I was trying SSRIs – come to that I wish my doctor had been willing to admit that SSRIs *can* stimulate anxiety. As it was he frankly denied the possibility and, I’ve no doubt, underlined the word "neurotic" on my notes. One extra small caveat – in as much as there are plenty of us who don’t seem troubled by caffeine, smoking seems not to affect everyone, either. I used to smoke (heavily) and I stopped (abruptly) yet as with caffeine it made no difference to my PD, so it appears that diversity, with all its manifest potential for confusion, reigns. As I say, I’m really not picking holes in Donna’s very helpful response – just trying to apply a gentle counter-balance — Gary Cooper
Response:
Hi Doug, Sorry to tell you that most PD patients can’t tolerate coffee. The withdrawal is difficult and should be done gradually. I take Prozac and frankly, I am surprised that you were started at 20 mg daily from the start. The best way that I know of is a very gradual start. I started at 5mg. per day. I took an 8ounce container and filled it with cranberry juice and broke a 10 mg capsule (powder only) and made a Cranzac. I drank half of the juice one day and the other half the following day. At this point, I had 5 mg. per day. In the early weeks of taking Prozac and other SSRi’s, anxiety can be increased. After a week I took a 10mg capsule and so on until you reach the necessary dosage for you. My doctor had me taking small doses of Xanax 4 times per day along with the Prozac and that did cut down my anxiety level. I hope this helps you. You can now get Prozac in liquid form as well. Good luck and try to give it at least 6 weeks to see if it is working. Sorry to say, but the heavy coffee drinking is not at all beneficial to you. If you smoke as well, that can exacerbate panic as well. This of course is my experience. All the best, Donna (A really good Cranberry Juice is Apple and Eve (no sugar and no artificial sweeteners.)
Response:
I am hoping that some of you who are on or have taken prozac can give me a bit of advice. I have had Generalized anxiety/PD for about 10 years. Therapy hasn’t produced any tangible results. I have been avoiding meds for years now except for an occassional valium. My MD prescribed prozac, 20mg/day. I took my first pill this morning. I started feeling a little weird almost right away. Nothing horrible but newer sensations than I am used to. I was wondering about what the normal dosages are for others out there, what initial side effects people feel and whether coffee is a no no when taking prozac ( I am a fairly heavy coffee drinker). Also how long do the side effects last and when do you know if the prozac is actually working. (By the way I am 225 lbs, and I guess that is relevant regarding dosages) Thanks to all in this newsgroup who can give me any advice. Doug C
