Day 7 of Fluoxetine for Anxiety

[Checkpontjc]

Hi All -

New to posting to the forums but wanted to share my experience and get your advice.

About six months ago I suffered a severe panic attack as part of a hangover, several years after first experiencing one that sent me to the ER.  Given that i knew what it was I rode out the storm, however they did not go away.  I began to become consumed by the fear of having another one so that it was constantly on my mind. This led to a heightened sense of anxiety that eventually drove me to the ER one weekend.  After getting a checkup and being told I was physically very healthy I was prescribed 25-50mg of Hydroxyzine as needed.  I began focusing on improving my mental outlook, reading about anxiety disorders, got a full physical, and starting making lifestyle changes.  Unfortunately the fear of another attack was not subsiding.  

Last week I went back to my doctor and asked for help.  She asked if there were any unusual stressors in my life, which there aren't any that haven't always been there, and said I had a couple options.  I could take a Beta Blocker to help control the symptoms or Prozac for longer term relief.  I opted to start 10 mg Prozac just to get my mind back on track so that I could focus on improving my life vs. worrying about the next panic attack.

So I'm currently at day 7 and its been a rough ride to say the least.  Previously I was taking the Hydroxyzine for anxiety once a week, I have now taken it three days in a row.  The worst is usually during the night and morning.  As I fall asleep I'm jerked awake as I'm drifting off, which really amps up the anxiety.  Once I do fall asleep I have bizarre dreams and I wake up with my heart racing and panicky thoughts going through my head.  By the time the morning comes I've been rustled awake several times and overall view paniced and with a sense of depersonalization.  I take 25 mg of hydroxyzine and about 30 - 45 minutes later actually feel ok the rest of the day.

My question is if these symptoms are normal?  When can I expect them to subside, or given my anxiety was not nearly this severe prior to taking Prozac should I talk to my doctor about discontinuing and trying something else?  Thanks!

[mele48]

I'm sorry you're going through this - anxiety stinks.

I don't have any experience with Prozac, but you got some good advice from birdie0907 and anxiety860.  I can tell you I'm on day 93 of Zoloft, and my 1st two weeks were tough - increased anxiety, jitters, etc. - all normal side effects.  I'm almost 3-4 weeks in on a dosage increase, and I'm seeing progress every day.  I know it's hard when you want relief, but these meds do take time to build in our system to help.

Keep talking to your doctor, and hang in there!  Better days are coming!

[anxiety860]

I take Prozac.  Your side effects could be from the Prozac, or it could just be anxiety in general.  Anxiety can do this to people, weird dreams, waking up in a panic etc.  Or it could be the Prozac. I have weird dreams time to time, I have no idea if it is the Prozac, or just me having dreams. I haven't really looked into it. 7 days on Prozac will not relief you from any anxiety. it will take 6-8 weeks. and by the 4th week or so your doctor might have you increase to 20mg instead of 10mg.

[birdie0907]

I don't know much about Prozac but here is a bit of info.
It takes a month or 2 to get the full effect of Prozac. It sounds like you are having a rough time, but most side effects disappear with time, so no reason to give up on it yet. The anxiety increasing and dreams and waking up with panic might come from many things so I don't know if you can pin them on Prozac. However your pharmacist would know.
I would call doc or the pharmacy because they know everything since they sell so much of this med. I filled at a 24 hour pharmacy so I could have instant access when I needed info like you need.