Day 2 of Prozac (deep breaths)

[callmeJ]

After dealing with anxiety and Panic attacks for the past 6 weeks I was finally able to get into my GP. The only other time I took a medication was 3 years ago and that was Paxil. I really liked it other than the fact I gained 15 lb and found every time I would close my eyes for a rest, I’d fall asleep! I researched Prozac which is said to have a similar chemical make up without some of the side effects.

Well I took the first one yesterday. Felt like I drank 10 cups of coffee and my anxiety was amplified. By 10 pm it came down quite a bit and I tried going to sleep by 11 pm. I couldn’t fall asleep and was restless! So awful. At 1:00 am I went downstairs and took a .25 mg Xanax. I was saving my bottle of Xanax for emergencies but it finally calmed me enough where I slept well for a few hours. I relecitantly took another Prozac this morning but I seem to still be ok. Maybe the Xanax from last night has had a lingering calming effect.

Worried about tonight! What if I can’t sleep? Should I take another Xanax? I’m not sure if that’s ok 😬 I had to ask my GP for it and said it was just for if I’m freaking out and can’t calm down. If I blow through that bottle I may not get more. How do you all sleep with Prozac??

[neileo]

Just keep in my mind that this whole thing is a journey and every journey starts with a single step. You're on day two so my advice is buckle up and roll with the punches. I had sleep problems too on Prozac, so my doctor prescribed me Trazadone to help and it worked well at 50 mg. I would ask your GP about it. Try to not take the Zanax unless absolutely needed, ie your skin is crawling with anxiety. I never took any of the benzos my doc prescribed just because of the fear I had of them, but if they help, don't hesitate just be wary of the long term effects.

I'm over two years in and finally have reached something approaching full recovery. So keep as positive as you can, anything of those postive feelings that flutter around in your head will get better and stronger over time.

Some people here will advise to stay at the lowest dose of an SSRI, but I would caution you to not hesitate to go to higher doses. I only started feeling much better at the max dose of the medication I'm on so just keep that in mind. You have to not only find the right medication for you, but the right dose as well.

Good luck and keep posting here. It definitely helped me!