Prozac for anxiety? Help!

[jfk45]

Originally Posted by VioletAntigone

I recently switched from Zoloft to Prozac, and have been taking the Prozac for about twenty days; I started out at 10 mg, and have gradually increased the dosage to 40 mg per day, as prescribed by my psychiatrist....

However, I feel a little freaked out since I started it. I am just full of nervousness, and I go back and forth being irritable and somewhat combative to feeling almost giddy. Initially, I started taking it before bed, but now I take it when I wake up.

I experience moderate but CONSTANT anxiety all day every day, particularly if I have to be around other people. My psychiatrist suggested that I bring it back down to 20 mg over the next week, and see if it improves over the next couple of weeks.

Does anyone here have experience with Prozac and anxiety disorders? Or with OCD, which comes up for me a little now and again?

Any help/suggestions/experience is tremendously appreciated!!

What about some klonopin for the anxiety? Zoloft helped me much more than prozac for the anxiety, but that's just me. I also have OCD which the zoloft helps curb, although I get breakthrough intrusive thought obsessions, so then I take klonopin.

[choose2bsober08]

Hi there!
I thought I would speak about my experience. I am on Prozac, 20 mg a day and I suffer from severe anxiety and it has helped me immensily! I must say, it was a bit strange (jittery and surreal) at first, but I must emphasis you MUST give it at least 3 weeks before judging weather or not it is working for you. It takes a while to get in your system and a while before it regulates and assists you. If you make changes again and again immediatly after you don't feel good on a certain medication, you will never find the right one. Don't get me wrong, you know yourself better than anybody, even your doctor so you must listen to your body, but it is important to give the medication a chance, weather it be Prozac or anything else to get in your system and do it's thing! Anyhow, I have been on Prozac now for 3 years, 1 of which I was pregnant for and my son is 100% beautiful, healthy, smart, and amazing! He is a very happy baby. Perhaps the Prozac helped. ha ha. Seriously though, I agree with everyone on this post, everyone is different, but I wanted you to know that Prozac has helped me with my anxiety completely and the side effects I experienced such as the jitters and lack of sex drive have completly pasted and did so after about a month or so. Good luck to you!

[headstrong13]

I was on Zoloft for a good year, and it didn't help at all. I still wasn't leaving my house & couldn't bear to be around anyone. My doctor put me on xanax, I take one 2 milg throughout the day (I break it into quarters and take one every 5 hours or so)... So I actually take less than 2 milg actually. This is what works for ME, not everyone is the same, I think it depends on how bad your panic disorder is. I was seriously at the point where I wouldn't go out, period. That's when you know it's bad.. With the xanax, I'm fine. I don't have panic attacks at all & I'm able to go out now.

Again I say not everyone is the same! What works for one person, may not work for another person. I personally find that physciatrists are often too quick now to put the person on an anti-depresent medication, that may help (often it doesn't as it turns out I've heard from a lot of people)... I went to see someone else & they wanted me to switch from the xantax too prozac, and I didn't. I don't ever want to feel the way I did, NEVER again! So I choose to listen to my body & knowing what's best for me. Another prime example is my heart rate, which is normally 60-70 beats, without my medication it was up closer to the 100 mark, NOT good!

I understand their reservation to put one on a benzo, their extreamly addictive.. So I respect why they throw people on the anti-depresents.

Good luck~
LC