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prozac and xanax

yesterday I went dr for anxiety and not sleeping at  night. told her about my husband had been on Xanax for about 3 yrs and I have no in, so when my sleeplessness started , and anxiety I took one of his Xanax at times and some times I would  have to take 2mg so she put me on 10 mg of prazac and 1mg of Xanax . my question is I scared to death of the anti-depressant because I have heard good people doing bad things on them I told her I was afraid of them but she insisted I take both. and I thought she was going to give  me a pill so I thought I break it in half and work my way up to the 10 if the half doesn't seem to hurt me, but when I got them filled it was the time released capsule and the druggist said I couldn't break it in half. now im scared to try the Prozac because you don't know how it gonna affect ya till u take it. I do know the Xanax help it doesn't do anything weird for me it actually works, im not a pill popper im afraid of most meds, she wants me back in 3 weeks and she gonna do a urine test on me . will the Prozac show up in the urine if I decide not to take it. it gonna take me a while to get up enough courage to take it , and she wants me to bring my bottles with me too.

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Avatar universal
Ditto the above.  While Prozac can be difficult, benzos are by far the more dangerous medication.  
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480448 tn?1426948538
Hello there!

A lot of people are afraid to try medications.  It's true that you don't know how you'll react to it, but honestly, Prozac has a pretty good track record.  MOST likely the worst thing that will happen is that you'll experience some start up side effects, which will improve after about 2 weeks or so.  Out of all the antidepressants, Prozac is one of the better tolerated.

Be careful with the Xanax.  The best way to take it is just AS needed (when anxiety is very high), or a short term course of treatment (a few weeks).  Benzodiazepines really aren't ideal medications for treating insomnia either.  They can end up making the problem much worse down the line.  Treating insomnia with ANY medication (even natural remedies) for any given amount of time will lead to rebound insomnia, which makes the initial insomnia look like a walk in the park...so tread carefully.  Medications for insomnia should always be a short term thing, or an "as needed" thing that isn't taken regularly.  Sure, some people take something every single night (my Dad is one of them)....but that's not optimal, truly.

What's your history with anxiety, is this brand new for you, or have you been anxious in the past?  Have you ever been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder?  What other ways have you tried addressing the anxiety?  Therapy?  Anything else?  

MY unofficial opinion is that I think there are more concerns with the Xanax than with the Prozac.  If you feel your anxiety is bad enough to need Xanax, then it's reasonable for your doc to want you to try the Prozac....my guess would be, to reduce or eliminate your need for the Xanax in the pretty near future.  That's the typical course of treatment.  The goal is to get the antidepressant to control most of the anxiety-related symptoms, to the point where you very seldom need the Xanax anymore.  That's how it's always worked for me.  It's very tough to find docs in general who will prescribe benzos more than just in a limited capacity.

I say give it a try....and I would imagine that if you don't take the Prozac, and don't tell her....it's going to backfire on you.  She absolutely can (and likely WILL) test you for the Prozac.  If you end up not taking it, you're better off being honest with her.  She may not feel comfortable writing for the Xanax at that point however.  It's kind of a compromise, you know?

I'd also recommend trying other methods to manage your anxiety as well, including therapy.  Medications control symptoms, they don't take anxiety away.  It's usually still there, it's just suppressed.  

Remember also, that it will take a while before you'll be able to fully assess the effectiveness of the Prozac.  Prozac is one of the antidepressants that seem to show quicker improvements than most of the others....but it's still a process, patience is hugely helpful, as hard as it is to BE patient..we want to feel better NOW!

Best of luck...let us know how you're doing!
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