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Thread: 3rd week on Prozac and doing well, but....acne!

  1. #1

    3rd week on Prozac and doing well, but....acne!

    Hi there,

    I have been on 10mg of Prozac per day for anxiety for about 3 weeks now. I have to say, I am actually starting to feel like my old self! I forgot to take it a few days ago and maybe this was a fluke but I had major anxiety that entire day at work. Took it the next day back on schedule and all was fine. So far I have no other side effects except I do notice about 2 hours after I take it I feel slightly light-headed but this goes away.

    My only major complaint is I have broken out in cystic acne under my chin and on my neck since starting it! I am trying to figure out if this is the Prozac or not and if anyone else experienced this side effect? I have probably a dozen red (not white heads or blackheads) bumps on my neck. I bought some acne wash so I will give that a try. I have had hormonal acne before but never like this!


  2. #2
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    Re: 3rd week on Prozac and doing well, but....acne!

    Quote Originally Posted by desertraven View Post
    I have been on 10mg of Prozac per day for anxiety for about 3 weeks now.
    This is a sub therapeutic dose for most so aim to take at least 20mg.

    I have to say, I am actually starting to feel like my old self! I forgot to take it a few days ago and maybe this was a fluke but I had major anxiety that entire day at work. Took it the next day back on schedule and all was fine.
    This is mostly the placebo effect and the nocebo for the anxiety on the missed dose day. Antidepressants typically take 3-12 weeks to kick-in from when a therapeutic dose is first taken and because of its very long half-life - about 6 days for fluoxetine and ~16 days for its active metabolite norfluoxetine which actually does most of the work - Prozac generally takes longer than most.

    So far I have no other side effects except I do notice about 2 hours after I take it I feel slightly light-headed but this goes away.
    Prozac is only slowly absorbed taking about 6-8 hours for plasma levels to peak after a single dose. When taken daily for about a month plasma levels stabilize to a steady-state and then don't vary much across 24 hours as the absorption rate matches the elimination rate.

    My only major complaint is I have broken out in cystic acne under my chin and on my neck since starting it! I am trying to figure out if this is the Prozac or not and if anyone else experienced this side effect? I have probably a dozen red (not white heads or blackheads) bumps on my neck. I bought some acne wash so I will give that a try. I have had hormonal acne before but never like this!
    SSRIs can trigger a range of skin problems, including hives, spots and rashes. Serotonin isn't just a brain neurotransmitter, it is used for a variety of purposes by most organs of the body. The skin uses about as much as the brain and so can also be affected by serotonergic antidepressants, especially at the beginning. The acne should clear in a few weeks, but mention it to your doctor the next time you see him/her. Seek medical advice if it worsens as this may indicate you're allergic to either fluoxetine or another ingredient.

    BTW-SSRIs can increase photo-sensitivity so apply high SPF sunscreen if outdoors for long periods.

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