how long?

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tUrRrRa

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I know what you mean! I also feel tired on it and don't know if I can handle taking it in the mornings, but I guess you are supposed to feel it working a bit more then. I still think you should definitely get plenty of results from it and yes, I think they will get better with more time. I hardly ever wake up feeling alert even before Prozac, so I'm used to feeling sleepy! It's annoying for sure, but I just drink my coffee in the morning and try to stay active.

Good luck with the support group! I hope you can find one that isn't too expensive. I remeraber going to different groups when I was a student, which was nice since it was free (included in tuition fees). Now I do pretty well keeping anxiety/stress under control by running regularly (great exercise too!) and reading inspirational books. They get me thinking positive and remind me to try my best to not worry and not feel upset over things out of my control.
 
How long does it take for Prozac to fully kick in?

I haven't taken it in a few years and forget! I've been on it about 3 weeks at my dose. And a week before at half of my dose. So about 4 weeks total. Im experiencing less panic, but not completely motivated as I remeraber I was before when I took it, I just feel really drained of energy!

I also take it at night, is there a better time to take it?

Doesn't it take around two months or around there to reach full therapeutic effects?

Just lookin' for some other Prozac experiences.. thanks all!
 
Exercise is a must for anxiety sufferers! I do feel a little better each day. So I am thinking the Prozac is just taking a slow time to get going. I've been trying to get back into exercising. I get bad allergies too... so on those crappy days, i just want to sleep! Not workout. However, I have been taking much less naps... so maybe my energy level is coming back.

Patience I guess!

I believe the best thing about support groups is knowing that you are not alone. Before, I thought I was some alien, because no one I knew had been through such anxiety. And its interesting because a friend of mine is experiencing bad anxiety for the first time, and I was able to sympathize with her. It just helps knowing other people understand. I just need to find one!
 
thats what I was thinking! In reality I've only been on my full dose for three weeks! So I do have a little while still... bah!

Im just an impatient person!!! Did you take at night or in the day?
 
UPDATE:

Well I went to the dr. to see what he could do about my anxiety coming back. I suffered a HUGE panic attack on thursday, so bad that I began throwing up from the nerves! I wanted to try and go on Effexor, but he didn't think it was a good idea because I would have to completely wean off prozac. So instead we have raised my dose to 40mg. He said 20mg is a very low dose.

BUT unfortunately now I am back with all those side effects! Does anyone else find that the beginning of prozac or raising its dose is just pure hell? I always get a headache and feel blah! It usually goes away, but its just terrible!

So is there hope? Do you think the 40mgs will help? Am I just being impatient? Prozac worked wonderfully before... Im wishing that I never went off of it! The dr. told me it will not show increased improvement for another 2-3 weeks. I also asked him about times to take it. He said it makes no difference when you take it, prozac has such a long half life that it will cover you for 24 hours.

I've also got an appt. with a CBT therapist!
 
It definitely varies! Some people start to feel the effects VERY quickly, some around the 3 month mark. I'm a new Prozac user and take 20mg, also at night. Most people seem to take it during the day and it might even be a bit more effective for you to take it in the morning instead. I was getting some acid reflux when eating, so that's why I changed it to taking it at night. Plus, Prozac has made me pretty sleepy, so taking it at night helps me as well. I've heard that taking it in the morning is the MOST effective though from both my doctor and pharmacist. I was just having a hard time doing that.

Funny enough, the very first day I took Prozac, I noticed that about 30 minutes later, I felt extremely calm and relaxed. I don't know if it was just a coincidence, but I was out running some erranRAB and just felt a wave of calmness. I honestly think it started working very quickly for me. Sure, there are days when I have more anxiety than others, but ever since day 1, I haven't had any panic attacks and haven't had any really bad anxious days. I get anxious, but the feeling passes much more quickly. Prozac has been great for me, which is why I was very determined to work around the side effects I was feeling.

Good luck and I hope you start to get the full results soon! If you don't notice a difference soon, try taking it in the morning and see if that works better for you :)
 
I HOPE it works out for you! Unfortunately there is no easy answer to this. You'll just have to see how it works out. If it worked for you in the past, I hope it works again this time. Do you take the regular Prozac, or a generic? I just checked mine and I take the generic called "Fluoxetine 20mg" and my fiance takes a different generic. My pharmacist automatically gave me this one, and since it was new for me, I just decided to try it. I stick to the name brand for my birth control since I didn't want to risk any change after taking the same one for years.

Here's another idea- my doctor also prescribed me Xanax (.25mg). This isn't something I take regularly, but as a supplement to Prozac only as needed. If you find that the higher dosage still isn't working, maybe you can ask about this and see if it would be right for you. I take my Prozac (20mg) each day, but on days when I feel that I need something more, I take half a Xanax. I only seem to need half and it really calms me. It's pretty fast-acting too! I only need to take the Xanax once a week at the most.
 
well things are getting better. I think i might be having some side effects from the increased dose. My anxiety is usually at bay, until first thing in the morning. I have been waking up in a panic every morning since thursday! agh. I think the big panic attack just kinda freaked me out. However, I went to work today and was fine. It was just getting up in the morning that sucked! My dad always told me "to tough it out"... because if you keep running from it, it becomes a huge downward spiral and you will become super agoraphobic.

I take Ativan as needed. Since I've been waking up crazy. I've just been taking 1/2 a pill in the morning to help calm me down. After I took it this morning, I sat in the rocker and did some deep breathing. Together, it really calmed me down. Im thinking half a pill isn't too much to where I will get addicted to it.

I've also given up coffee, and have just been sticking to tea. I had STRONG coffee right before my big attack on thursday! The dr. seems to be very confident that the larger prozac dose will help, so here's to trusting him!!!

I am most excited though about seeing a CBT therapist who also does hypnotherapy! Should be interesting!
 
I have felt better since starting prozac. Absolutely! I just don't feel as good as I did before when I was on it. I was always eager to wake up and get moving. Right now I am still sluggish and blah. I think it just hasn't reached its full effect. I am still self doubting and anxious about going places... I think I just need to give it some more time. Its also still super hot! Which gives me the most anxiety! Im thinking since I DO feel much better after starting on it, that the longer I take it... the better it will get?!

It does make me sleepy too! Which is why I take it at night... but in a few weeks, if I still feel mediocre, then maybe I will switch to morning for a bit to see how I feel on that.

I also want to join a local support group, since I don't have money for CBT right now. But having a hard time finding one!
 
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