3 wks on prozac, need advice

[cuphalfempty]

Hi everyone,
i am 3 weeks and 2 days into prozac, started with 10mg and have been upped to 20mg last 2 days.
Since the beginning, i have an increase in energy, depression is a bit easier to deal with (i haven't had a devastatingly low day since day 10), nightmares have stopped, and i am generally having easier time dealing with daily stress. However, my anxiety is still very high and I am still depressed.

Due to my depression, I feel like nothing is changing (although when I look back, I can see improvement when people around me point it out) and I will never get to be myself again. I still have no pleasure or joy from activities and I am not interested in anything. Getting through the day like this is hard.

Considering it's been 3 weeks, would those of you with experience say I am doing good with changes outlined above?

Thank you.

[Mariem]

You are doing extremely well. I'd been on 20 mg for 8 weeks. My anxiety symptoms were all still rather high. At 8 weeks I was put on 40 mg and has made such a difference. Some days I still feel bad but mostly they are better.

3 weeks is still very early on so defo keep going and you will start to feel your old self returning. It takes a long time for this to get in your system

[cuphalfempty]

Hi Mariem,
Thank you so much for your support. This week has been incredibly hard - anxiety, loss of appetite, irritability, insomnia...
Being impatient doesn't help the situation, of course.

But you gave me hope with your comment. I have to keep going.

I hope all is going well for you. You are so lucky to be that far into the treatment

[CA88]

Hello

I am six weeks in, and despite some good days, still mostly having bad ones. I have been told I can increase my dose, but having tried for a few days I felt like I got worse again, related or not, so have stuck with the original 20mg for a bit longer.

Not really solving much for me though :(

[cuphalfempty]

Hello CA88,
from what I've been told, therapeutic effect can take as long as 6-8 weeks...
Would you say you feel better than when you first started? Do you have more energy, changes in sleep and appetite?
Sometimes people around us are better judges than ourselves, they can point out the progress we may not see due to the gloom.

[CA88]

Hmm..

it's difficult to say really. I'd say I am more positive than before, but not as positive as I know I can be. My appetite has come back some days, but others it goes away.

Don't have more energy, probably less if anything, I feel sleepy quite a bit. My problem is due to how I feel I spend a lot of time lying about. Now I know that isn't good for me, and I need to be up and about and active, but it's hard to find the enthusiasm to face all my symptoms, which I don't really have when lying still!

If I look at the positives, I am a lot better than I was six months ago, I just don't feel like, it because I still focus on the negatives. Maybe I did need to increase the dose, we will see. But I will have to take some time off work to go through those side effects again which were just like the first week I took it!

Hoping things will look up from here I have to remind myself it's a journey to recovery, and this isn't a magic pill which will suddenly have me wake up feeling better, which is what I wanted it to be I suppose!

[Mariem]

Please stick with it, being on here has helped me through bad times so much and looking for support. My up dose I ended up getting labarynthitus the same first week but others have commented on my brighter face so hat must be something good also a lot more optimistic. Inbox me at any time if you want to ask anything and I will be there for you during your journey.

[cuphalfempty]

CA88,
I was expecting the same thing - a light switch to go on and brighten my days. Then my therapist said I am setting myself up by setting my expectations too high, so I try not to expect anything anymore...
It's still hard to get through the day where there is no interest in any activities, not even watching a movie. I am so tired of this...

Mariem,
Thank you so much for the support, it's highly needed and appreciated. I have had some bright moments over the weekend, and I find that I almost feel like myself when I take xanax to calm down the anxiety. I take this as a good sign that depression is slowly departing. However, I don't want to keep taking xanax, I just want the anxiety to go away.
Tomorrow is full 4 weeks and I am going to see my doctor.
How are you feeling?