to DF, marq,
Most of the psychiatric drugs used to treat mental illnesses have a weight gain side effect. The only problem I have had with the weight gain was from Zyprexa.

Were you having bad side effects from the Prozac? If not, were you on it long enough to allow it to really work as an AD for you? Sedating drugs are not really good if you have depression IMHO. To me, it would make depression worse and you would most likely have a zombie effect with them. i hope that your new med will be the one to help with your depression
Sheepwoman

[quote name='Sheepwoman' date='Jul 21 2006, 10:18 AM' post='135094']
to DF, marq,
Most of the psychiatric drugs used to treat mental illnesses have a weight gain side effect. The only problem I have had with the weight gain was from Zyprexa.

Were you having bad side effects from the Prozac? If not, were you on it long enough to allow it to really work as an AD for you? Sedating drugs are not really good if you have depression IMHO. To me, it would make depression worse and you would most likely have a zombie effect with them. i hope that your new med will be the one to help with your depression
Sheepwoman
[/quote Howdy Sheepwoman I have been on prozac for 6 months to treat ocd and depression. Had breathing problems upset stomach and headache b ad. But I kept taking it my doctor said it was the flue. Was treated with antibiotic which helped the chest infection, not the upset stomach and headache Then I got shingles lucky me was on medication for that. Now I'am haveing severe headaches everyday. decided on my own to reduce my prozac from 40mg to 20mg. Feel more relaxed not so nervouse, breathing problem is better. There treating the headache like a sinus headache giving my ty;lenol 3 to take, which I hate taking takes the edge off the pain but it's still there. Makes it very hard to work. Had a ct scan the sinus walls were thickened b ut no infection. Suppose to see an ear nose and throat doctor my doctor is on holidays and won't be back until July31 so there is no appt to see a specialist yet. I was on zeprexa too but went off of it.

So, I've been taking generic 20 mg Prozac every other day for the past two weeks. First 5 days were great. I felt energized and optimistic. Since then, I haven't experienced the same optimism, and my energy has been lower. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Do you think results would be different taking 10 mg Prozac once a day, rather than 20 mg every other day. With the long half-life, I didn't think it would make much difference, and it's cheaper taking a higher dose every other day. :)

Welcome, whiteoranda!
I think it's worth trying the 10 mg. every day to see if there's a difference in how you feel.

marq, it's always a good idea to discuss with your doc any changes you're making with your meds, IMHO.
I hope you feel better soon!

I agree I decided to go back to the dosage she gave me and stick with it until I see her next. I thought it might give me some relief from the severe headaches by lowering the dosage, not a good idea, didn't give me any relief

We learn from our experience!
If you ever find that you have a concern or can't tolerate a side-effect, please don't hesitate to call your doc before your next appointment - that's why they get the big bucks. It beats self-prescribing, or suffering in silence if your appointment is a long way off.
Let us know how you're doing...

hi all i was feeling so low this week that i said to my wife i had to go to the doc.he gave me fluoxetine.i have been on it for 4 days and already feel better.i also had to declare this to my boss.i was very tense about this but this has turned out to be the best thing i have ever done.my boss was very supportive i now dont care what anyone thinks and i have realised that iv probably had depression for many years.i just thought i was just a tense anti social person who was a bit snappy and who felt like a failure a lot and could only focus on something for a few seconds.this sounds crazy but that was me.now im on the prozac i have started to notice happy people and feel a lot more at peace with myself.well this has just been 4 days so im looking forward to the days ahead.seeking help for depression is the only way forward and im very proud of myself.

You have every reason to feel proud of yourself! You've taken some major steps towards healing. I hope you continue to feel better with each coming day...

Prozac hasn't worked for me either. I guess it would of if i didn't stop because of my extreme dry mouth.

Hi dibrom,
How long have you been on Prozac? Unfortunately many types of psychiatric drugs have dry mouth as a side effect. My pdoc suggested chewing gum or putting a little zest of lemon in a place (like next to the gum near your molars) in your mouth. I have tried both as they increase salivation.
Sheepwoman

In response to Asian Moulder....

I know exactly how you feel- Im a Probation officer, I work in partnership with the agencies offering me support- I was ashamed and ignored it for as long as possible when i first got my job, i was terrified incase my employers found out and I lost my job.

But then I had a period of severe depression this summer and I very nearly died. At which point I had to stop being proud and let in the proffesionals- who are doing a great job. (Im a bit rebellious sometimes and not keen to comply with my meds all the time!)
I hope you will feel able to accept your depression as time goes on- it does get easier.

Re: prozac- I first took this when i was 17 as I was severly depressed and starting with an eating disorder.
At first it made me abit but then began to work- but not for long.
They took me off it and on to something else.
Few years later I experienced periods of high mood, and the pyschiatrist told me not to take prozac as it increased high mood.

Then they put me back on it 3 yrs later!! Howevr it did work and relieved the symptoms of my depression- its just that it keeps coming back!! so i may have to look to Lithium or other mood stabilizer.. once they decide what diagnosis to give me like!!

Obvioulsy this is just my personal experience with it, everyones different and is affected differently

Welcome to the Prozac Forum, LittleBear,
Thank you for sharing your experiences with Prozac. I hope your pdoc can come up with a good diagnosis for you.
Sheepwoman

hi as most people say i am feeling kinda shy opening up here, but i have only just found this site, i have been suffering depression for approx 5 years and only got help this april i have been on fluoxetine since then, i started on 20 and now take 40 a day.

my question is when the tablets run out and i go get new ones (sometimes from a different pharmacy) they come in a different coloured capsule could this effect me!! just i have been on the same ones and have been doing fine and last week even talked about reducing my intake in a few weeks, but last week i got different ones and i feel so crap this week and i wondered if this had anything to do with it!!!

wow does that acrually make any sense??

my answer to others comments is that i lost weight had the bad stomach and headaches, that has all stoped, well not the headaches, but i still feel very anxious quite alot!!

if anyone has anyidea what i am trying to say (cause i not sure i do ) please help x

Welcome, nbbwnoo!
I'm shy about opening up to others also, but I feel safe here at DF. Everyone understands.
As for the different appearance of your meds: first check it out with your pharmacist, but my guess is you may have gone from the name-brand to the generic form, or vice-versa. Even though the main medication is the same, some people notice a different response. In any case, let your doc know - s/he may want to specify the brand-name if you seem to respond to it better.
Let us know how it works out; and I hope you're feeling better soon...

Hi everyone,

I have one quesion.
It says that Fluoxetine can interact wit asprin and ibuprofen. I have this tooth pain, so what kind of pills can I take for my pain that will not interact with fluoxetine?
I have been talking it for a day and don't feel any side efects.
Thank you

hi thanks for your reply nice to know your not alone!!

i went to the chemist and was told that it was more than likely the case that i had reaction to a different brand, i also asked my doctor who just talked to me like i was mad!!! really helpful, not!!

anyway i have been reading lots on here and its just so nice to finally understand that i am not alone in so many ways, seeing that others have the same side effects (which i hadnt even put down to the tablets) just makes me feel a bit more normal.

i have changed my medication back and am feeling so much better, thanks for taking the time to reply

to DF and the Prozac Forum, c ralu,

As far as what type of over the counter pain medication, check with your pharmacist. They know what you can take with no interaction with Prozac. I have taken Tylenol with Prozac and it seemed ok.
Sheepwoman

I'll do that. Thank you

Hi there. I've introduced myself before in the new members' area. I've been trying to keep myself on an even keel without meds, with the support of my psychologist, but my self-help plan seems to have hit the skids.

I had my first appointment with a GP today, and ended up with a double appointment for next week and a prescription for Fluoxetine 20MG caps; one each morning. Maybe i scared her as much as i've been scaring myself recently.

I'm incredibly apprehensive about this, as i've never been in favour of meds. However, i need help - i'm just not cutting it on my own. I guess i've a lot of reading to do in here today.

hey dont feel alone, i felt like that for such a long time, i was like you in the fact that i tried not to go down the medication route but hey after 5 years i decided something had to give! i am on fluoxetine and it took me about 3 months to come to terms with it, i was so embaressed i didnt tell hardly anyone, now am i slowly feeling better i understand the need for them and stuff what anyone else might think, at least in the end your gonna have a happier life!!! i have been taking these for 6 months now and although my doctor said i will probably be on them for about a year to 18 months i had planned (in my head) that by now i would be off them, infact its the opposite and i have now doubled dose but do feel better!!!

all i will say is i did feel worse b4 i felt better, although that isnt the case for all, but do stick with it cause now i see light at the end of the tunnel!!! good luck x

to the Prozac Room, Ekavlije,
There is a lot of information about Prozac in here. I know taking meds at first can be scary. However, they do help in many ways. This med will definitely help with depression and any anxiety issues you may have. There are some start-up side effects that may take a week or so to get over but not all of us have side-effects. Let us know how you are feeling on Prozac. It may take as much as 8 weeks to get the full benefit for this med. Believe me it does help. I was on it for 10-12 years and it worked fine.
Sheepwoman

prozac is creepy, dont take it!

Welcome to the Prozac room, researcher.
Prozac has helped a good many people with depression, so we don't all share your views. Did you have a bad experience or did it do nothing for you?
Sheepwoman

Well............I am back...........I have been on prozac before earlier this year but quit in July.
Just started again this morning............20 mgr/day............feeling quite nauseous today, but that I know will pass, it happend last time too

Welcome back to the Prozac room, SN. Sorry that you had to go back on Prozac, but sometimes it's necessary to help with our depression.
Sheepwoman

I POSTED MY FIRST POST HERE WHEN I JUST STARTED ON PROZAC ONLY 4 DAYS AND WAS STARTING TO FEEL BETTER.THIS CONTINUED AND AFTER 4 MONTHS I FEEL A LOT HAPPIER ABOUT LIFE.IM CALM AND IM NOT WORRYING ABOUT ALL THE SILLY THINGS THAT I HAD BEEN.I USED TO THINK SO DEEPLY ABOUT LIFE AND HAD LOST ALL INTEREST IN THINGS.I HAVE FOUND THAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING TO ME MORE AND I THINK THIS IS TO DO WITH MY MOOD NOW.I WAS AT A TRAINING COURSE AT MY WORK WHERE YOU HAD TO TALK OUT AND I FOUND THAT I MANAGED TO COPE ALL RIGHT,OK I STILL DON'T LIKE IT BUT WITHOUT THE PROZAC I THINK I WOULD HAVE PHONED IN SICK TO AVOID GOING.SO ANYONE THAT HAS JUST STARTED PLEASE STAY WITH IT BECAUSE IT CHANGES THINGS FOR THE BETTER.JUST ONE QUESTION? I WENT ON HOLIDAY AND HAD A FEW PINTS OF BEER AND THIS DIDN'T EFFECT MY MOOD AND FELT OK.I KNOW YOU SHOULDN'T DRINK WHILE ON THE MEDS BUT I WAS TOLD AT A MEDICAL THAT A LITTLE IS OK BUT NOT TO OVER DO IT.SO IM WANTING SOME ADVICE ON THIS AS CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR IS COMING UP.THANKS ECHO.

What are the chanes of me getting anger / rage from Fluoxetine? (20mg once daily)

Im also on propranolol for anxiety (40mg 2x daily) and for the last few days i've felt like im about to get really angry. :S

Should i take them or not.. :/

It's best you discuss the anger issue with your pdoc. It could be a side-effect of Prozac, but I'm not a professional and cannot truthfully answer your question. Prozac is also used for anxiety. Propnaenol (Inderal) is one of those "multi-use" drugs that seems to work well for a lot of medical conditionas as well as for some mental health conditions.

Sorry that I could not be of much help. Welcome to the Prozac room.
Sheepwoman

I've not had any prozac yet and i feel kinda in a mood. Really snappy.

Maybe it's a mood change side effect from the propranolol.

Well I guess I'm joining you folks here. I finished my med study and I'm now being prescribed my first actual med...20mg of Fluoxetine. Just took the first little white capsule a little while ago. Weeeee!

So I get to start my med journey here.

Hi Sheepwoman~

Are you no longer taking Prozac? If not, what are you taking now, if anything?

Hi All~

I took Prozac for 10 years and it worked great for my mild depression! I had to go off last year due to preganancy but went back on after miscarriage. I experienced the most VILE start-up side effects on 20mg/daily, they were so bad I had to stop taking the med after 4 weeks.

I fell into a deep depression this year and went back on 2 weeks ago at 5mg/daily to let my body get used to the drug. It is amazing how this small dose can be so potent! I am experiencing all of the normal yucky side effects, but they are more tolerable at 5mg. I hope this drug works for me again, I've never experienced severe depression before, it is very, very scary.

This post has been edited by lov4k9s: Mar 22 2007, 06:55 PM

Welcome to the Prozac roo, TZ,
Let us know how you are doing on it. 20mg is the usual dosage and I hope that works well for you.
Sheepwoman

I'm on day 4 now ><; I've noticed minimal side effects if any at all. But my moods are all annoying. The first day was great I had a ton of energy and felt good. 2nd day I felt detached and depressed. Yesterday was other energetic and cheerful day. Today I feel like crap again and angry. I don't know if I keep going back and forth because of the new med...or if possibly part of withdrawl from the old one (if I was on an actual active med)...or both....or maybe it's just me. But it's annoying. I'm hoping this will start to level out.

This post has been edited by TwilightZephyr: Mar 23 2007, 10:51 AM

You'll level out, just give it some time.
Sheepwoman

I have been on prozac 80 mg for about 4 weeks and before that 20 mg for about 6 months. my pdoc increased my dosage to the maximum because I wasn't getting any help from the 20 mg. I saw my pdoc again about two weeks ago and he has now perscribed 300 mg of wellbrutin a day along with the prozac, needless to say the combination is killing my sleep and making me tired all day, I was having enough problems with just the prozac. Plus I take 2 mg of clonazapan per day. I think I am over medicated but when I talk to him about it he just says to give it more time. The thing is I can't take it anymore, the restless nights, the no energy during the day, and the effect all this is having on my life in general.

Welcome to the Prozac room, FreeRadical,
80mg is a pretty hefty dose. Are you taking this in the morning? If so, you should have more energy than you describe. If you're taking the Prozac at night it will majorly interfere with your sleep. It's not unusual to add a mood stabilizer to what you are currently taking. It boils down to is it helping you.
Sheepwoman

Thanks Sheepwoman

I'm taking the 80 mg of prozac, 150 mg of wellbutin and 1 mg of clonazapan in the morning, then 150 mg of wellbutrin just before dinner and 1 mg of clonazapan at bed time. This is the way it was perscribed. I don't have energy is I think because the Medications give me vivid dreams and I wake up every hour or two and have a hard time falling back to sleep. I am so Anxious in the mornings I set an alarm to take the medication in the morning at least an hour before I ever try to get up because I shake so bad I need the clonazapan to calm me down. 80mg of prozac is the maximum recommended dose. The Pdoc said I will have to be on medication forever or my severe symptoms will come right back. I been going through this for years and was on effexor for about 4 years until I started a new treatment program, the effexor had little or no effect and I have gotten much worse over the years, my symptoms just keep getting worse.. This has been the worst year ever


Jeff

This post has been edited by FreeRadical: Mar 26 2007, 04:15 PM

Gosh, I didn't even know they made 300 mg of Prozac