Does fluoxetine really work for anxiety and panic attacks?

[Snowshadow]

First I want to stress that everyone is different when it comes to medication. Having said that, I am on 40 mgs of Prozac and it is working great for me! I did find I had increased anxiety the first two to three weeks though, but I am so glad I stuck it out. It seems to take about 6 to 8 weeks to "really" work, but well worth the wait. I am somewhat med phobic, so starting a new medication for me is very hard. I was on Paxil for several years and it was wonderful, but for some reason stopped working. Then I was on Celexa which was great for the anxiety/panic but not great for depression (for me). But then again, I have a friend who swears by it. So it is really a "trial and error" sort of thing... medications. I'm just so grateful there are medications that work!!! Good luck to you!!!!

[jasminehumecook]

hey i'm on fluoxetine for depression and anxiety and it's taken about 6 weeks to really work well, but since upping my dosage level i've felt the anxiety again so just push through it and it's totally worth it

[secretsquirrel]

Hi Jasmine - what have you upped your dose to? I'm taking 20mg for depression and am on about week 9, but don't really think it's working - or at least I'm very much up and down - was still feeling terrible earlier this week. I'm reluctant to up my dose because I don't want to go through the side effects again, but wondering what you found.

[queenfluff]

I wanted to thank you for this thread - I know it is old but I wanted to response.

My doctor just prescribed me Fluoxetine yesterday for GAD. She said it works for anxiety as well as depression.

I don't really have paniac attacks but I have had a few small ones in my life I know. FOr me, my most bothersome symptom of anxiety is the tighteness in my chest and always feeling "keyed up" just exhausts the hell out of me (which in turn makes me slightly depressed but I honestly more problems with anxiety than depression).

Anyhow, I took my first dose of the F (tired of spelling that!) this morning and I did NOT feel good. I actually felt "sped up" (I have never taken "speed" - you know that drug so I can't know what it might feel like but it almost like too much caffeine or something). So I did have some coffee this morning too - but I hardly drank any of it because because I felt so odd. I felt nervous and a little jittery (my coffee is weak too!).

I feel a bit better now but that freaked me out - like I felt more anxious than before I took it - which is not fun. It is scaring me. I am already a huge worrier!

So, it sound like this might be a normal reaction/side effect - is this just my body adjusting to the meds? I know my dr said 4 to 6 weeks but I was figuring I would not feel anything right away!

I have been unemployed for a long time and finally accepted a job offer yesterday - so I am happy about that but worried about my anxiety making me tired so much that I may not perform well. But I also don't want this medicine making me feel all out of it and sped up. I don't want to blow this - I would rather deal with feeling anxious

Am I being paranoid?

I had an allergic reaction to a sulfur drug once - so I guess I get nervous about taking anything new. I don't want something to make me feel even MORE nervous!

How many days should I give it before I know that this is not normal? I don't want to feel like crap when I start my new job!

(ugh, why can't I just be normal, you know??)
Anyhow, thanks for listening to me.

[bluerobyn]

To feel normal sounds great..I am back on prozac for the 3rd time and it has always helped however I'm on my 21st day and still having very anxious episodes especially in the mornings but I am confident it will start working soon. Be patient once it starts working and the se die down you will feel great

[warcry]

i dont know if i will be getting any reply. the dates on the posts are so old. I hope everybody has moved along and recovered from all the above. i am battling anxiety and depression for over a year now and I been on cipralex,pristiq+serocuel XR then I got off of it took serodolect. i feel much better than how i use to, altho my whole life is a battle... every second of it. I'm a powerlifter and crossfitter. I have passion for both. with those i fight my way and see better days. There are periods of times that i feel completely recovered and then suddenly everything goes to fu**ing hell. sometimes it feels like another day at the office.. sometimes it feels eternal and dark. I get feelings beyond comprehension sometimes. but hey overall i'm good.. im stronger than what i use to be. recently i been having anxiety attacks so my doctor told me to take fluxetine ... i feel like a lab rat sometimes... is it how its sps to be ? i dont know. whatever my doctor suggested for me so far have made me feel better and better. I have lost 160lbs of fat with excercise and diet. i use to be extremely obese. anyways ... just felt like taking some weight off of my mind. good luck to all

[Janine]

It took five weeks of ups and downs before I started to feel better and more like me again, four to six weeks is what my doctor told me