Prozac - Anxiety/depression/panic

[buggy999]

Hi,
Been suffering from Anxiety/depression/panic disorder for just over a year and have really just tried to ride it out. It's generally been up and down over the past year. I've finally decided to give medication a go. Doctor has given me 20mg Prozac to be taken daily. My aunty has suffered from Depression etc and she had a 6 month course of Prozac. She felt better after 4 weeks, stopped taking them after 6 months and felt better... permenantly.
Do you think I've taken the right decision in finally giving them a proper go? Has anyone taken them before for Anxiety/depression/panic disorder (positive feed back only please)?
Ta
Bugster

[seh1980]

hello Bugster,

I have never been on prozac but am on diffeeent meds. Some os us need meds to get better and others don't. If you have reached the point where you don't think you can cope alone anymore, then you are definetly doing the right thing!! Take care.

Sarah :D

[vernon]

hi buggy, I started Prozac 5 weeks ago I dont have so much depression i mainly have anxiety, [anic and phobia. At the moment my symtopms are worst, but was told to expect this before i get better. I was aon a comleter diferent antidepresant to for years befor i started prozec i was on a Ticyclic antidepresant, which might be another reason i dont feel better. but sa u said with your mum different meds work different with different people. hope they make you feel better soon. take care vernon

[nomorepanic]

I took Prozac for about 9 months. It sorted the depression out.

Different people react differently but that was my experience.

I took myself off it in the end

Good luck and I hope it helps you.

Nicola

[jonny]

Buggy why do you worry so much about taking the meds?

i think i really know the answer because i have been there too. I worried about taking prozac for months before i actually took it but i grew to learn what a fool i was.
Some people really need medication and i am one of those, just as you could be. i took Prozac for around five years and for the first 4 or so i was fine but after a while it just stopped working. So now i take another type of the same family and i am doing really well! Thats why i am not on this site much just lately. In fact for the first time in ten years i am really looking forward to Xmas.

Dont worry about taking tablets......nothing bad will happen....you can only get better. Anti depressants may not entirely cure your anxiety but the should help you cope with it.

All the best


Jonny.

[Laurie28]

It is a positive step you choosing to take the meds, and feedback suggest that they do work.

However pls remeber that there are things that have to be done in conjunction with them. Look at your lifestyle, diet, relaxation etc and perhaps see a counsellor. PLs don't hope for a miracle 'cure' with them

Accept them for what they are . Something to help you 'get through' the bad times

lucky

[nomorepanic]

Hi Jon - long time no see mate. Hope you are well.

Just one thing about what you said ..

"Dont worry about taking tablets......nothing bad will happen....you can only get better. Anti depressants may not entirely cure your anxiety but the should help you cope with it."

Not always true I am afraid. I was a good example as they helped the depression but didn't touch the anxiety and they are not a miracle cure. There is so much work that has to be done as well.

Good to see you are going to enjoy Xmas this year :D

Nicola

[buggy999]

Thank u all for your replies! God you were joking when you said they would make you feel worse before they make you feel better! Had a panic attack today for the first time in about a year. But I live in hope. Seeing a counsellor next tuesday for the first time so hopefully that will help too. I'm also changing my life style.

[buggy999]

Sorry, was meat to say
"God you WEREN'T joking when you said they would make you feel worse before they make you feel better..."

[Meg]

This is entirely normal - to get worse first - so hang in there and it passes soon.

Good news about counsellor and changing your life style .


Meg
www.overcominganxiety.co.uk

You cannot conquer fear until you have learned what it is you're afraid of. The enemy is ignorance. Vivian Vance

[nomorepanic]

Buggy

Just to let you know that you can edit previous posts and make changes -click on the pencil on paper icon above the post.

Anyway - yes they do make you feel worse so stick with it ok.

Hope you feel better soon


Nicola

[buggy999]

I'm going to stick with it. Havin awful mood swings and generally feeling really bad about myself. Looking forward to seeing the counsellor though, it will be interesting to start understanding why I've been feeling like this for so long.

[nomorepanic]

I hope that works for you - it has helped a lot of us on here


Nicola

[buggy999]

Evening Everyone!

Thank you all very much for your support following my previous post. It's much appreciated. Been on the Prozac 20mg a day for 2 weeks now and been having the odd panic attack as a side effect I believe. I had one today but it was completely unlike any that I've experienced previously! First of all I got a lump in my throat that felt like I was trying to swallow a golf ball, it almost felt like I was choking! Then I get an intense, heavy, crushing type sensation on my chest which made it hard to breath. Throughout all this though I didn't feel extremely panicky, just more concerned because I've had panic attacks before and they had never felt like this!?!?! I have to admit the thought did cross my mind, "Bloody hell I'm not having a heart attack at 23!?!?!" :) This feeling lasted for about an hour and seemed to slowly go away as did the lump in my throat and then I felt fine! This all happened at my desk in work and no one was any wiser.

Also had my first counselling session today which went ok. We just generally went over how I'd been feeling and what I thought contributed to the way I felt etc. The counsellor said that I was already doing a hell of a lot to help myself and should continue to do so. She told me to read a book called Overcoming Anxiety - A Self Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy by Helen Kennerley. So i'm gonna buy that and give it a read. :D

Well, thanks for listening. [8D]

[jonny]

Buggy,

Reading about anxiety is a really good idea as it helps you to understand what exactly is going on. I have read several books and found myself nodding in agreement throughout most of them.
Once you fully understand what is happening then it makes it so much easier to deal with. I used to allow a small hiccup develop into a massive panic attack but now i recognise these hiccups for what they really are and they go no further.

For me 'understanding' is the real key to unlocking this disease.

chin up dude

jon

Jonny.

[buggy999]

Cheers Jonny.
Really starting to feel the benefits of the prozac now as well. Anxiety has all but gone and I feel much better in myself all round really. I'm not dwelling on things either... little things used to build up in my mind and I'd end up worrying over nothing. That seems to have stopped now too. When I wake up the morning the first thing on my mind is no longer my anxiety!!! Superb.
It really puts my problems into perspective when I hear on the news how 75,000 people have been killed in Asia and millions are without a roof over their head... [V]

[Austin]

I took prozac seven years ago for anxiety/depression. It probably took five months befor I felt 100% but I was well then for seven years. Until now, unfortunately. As lots of people have said so far, whatever you take, you're likely to feel worse first.

[times71]

I think you have made the wrong choice, I have been there. I would love to perscribe you the prozac that worked wonders for me. Long brisk walks, healthy diet and a sh*t load of funny dvd's and books, it worked wonders for the soul and helped keep things real. If you get the chance check out Tony Robins and youtube, esp the break through series he did. I am not a Doctor, but I am speaking from experiance and even though people here are saying the pills helped, I dont thing its a long term solution, so why bother?

good luck dude

[Laidy]

:bighug1:I had my first Anxiety/Panic Attack when I was pregnant with my son. I was 19 yrs old and my husband and I were waiting in line to check out at a K-Mart store. The lines were long and there was a lot of people when suddenly I started sweating drastically, my face got flush and so pale I felt like I was going to faint or pass out. I had to go outside to get some fresh air. I felt so much better once I sat down in the car.

The reason Anxiety, Panic, and/or Depression occur has to do with a chemical imbalance in the brain. When the brain releases either too much or not enough serotonin which acts as a neurotransmitter, a type of chemical that helps relay signals from one area of the brain to another, is called a chemical imbalance. This is what causes you to feel the Anxiety, Panic Attacks, and/or Depression.

I found this very good website webmd.com/depression/features/serotonin

The topic is... Serotonin: 9 Questions and Answers

I found Q/A # 4 very interesting: 4) What is the link between serotonin and depression?

A few years later I went to see a Psychiatrist who told me that I had Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). First he put me on Prozac but it was too strong for me, had me stuttering real bad I couldn't event speak normally. Then he put me on Paxil which was too weak, didn't do much. Finally, the one that worked for me was Zoloft. My anxiety and panic disorders had gotten so bad, when I took the first pill, boy did I feel it. Felt like I was walking on feathers or on a cloud. I felt so light it was like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

I've been on Zoloft for 15 years and I have never felt that way again. I guess they can affect everyone differently so if one doesn't work for you, don't give up, ask the doc to prescribe you a different one till you find which one works for you. And once you start taking them, you have to continue taking them every day. I know someone who only takes them when she starts to feel bad but they don't work that way. And your not suppose to stop taking them without your doctors approval.

If you choose not to take any medication to neutralize the chemical imbalance, exercise works wonders too. A lot of people take up jogging, working out at the gym, or any other type of exercise.

I hope this helps and that everyone with this medical issue has overcome it. Be Safe and Stay Healthy!