SSRI How long does it take to help? Help please!

[shirl000]

I haven't been prescribed anything for my anxiety just yet but hopefully tomorrow. I've just developed anxiety in the last two months. I've been reading up on Benzodiazepines and they seem to be very short acting, which my anxiety is 24/7 so I think I need something long acting. Anyway my question is, when you start taking a SSRI how long is it before you start to see some improvement? Is it something that can take weeks, days, hours? Just looking for personal experience. Thank you

[shirl000]

Thank you so much for the replies and the info, it really helps during this tough time. I took my first Lexapro today and so far I just feel really out of it and foggy. I hope those feelings go away eventually. I'm gonna try to push through the side effects cause I know I need some kind of treatment. I just feel a little out-of-sorts and spacey right now.

[specialmom]

Hi there. Yes, agree that it is generally around 6 weeks.  The best thing to do is to give it a fair trial to see if it can help you. There are 'start up' side effects that may happen but they peter out as the drug gets into your system and the 'start up' side effects are usually gone by 6 weeks.   I'm glad you are thinking in terms of long term as so often that is how anxiety needs to be treated.  Benzos are not good for that and you are wise to see that.  Agree that tapering up is helpful and imperative when tapering down.  I think all ssri's are decent in the class and whatever you and your doctor decide is best for you will be a good place to start.  Anecdotal stories of what worked for one person or not another or things of that nature are good to know but keep in mind that everyone is different and what works/doesn't work for one person may not be the case for you.  So, work with your doctor on this.  I don't feel a psychiatrist has to diagnose you or be the one to prescribe your medicine.  These days, a general practitioner can do this.  They have all the tools to assess someone in terms of questionnaires and criteria for diagnosing and treating.  

Therapy is a good thing to do as well.  The best outcome is that in which therapy and medication are both done.  Talking to someone about the anxiety and strategies that are non medicinal are important to have.  Even simple things like exercising regularly and getting enough rest help with anxiety.  

Lots of luck to you and let us know how it goes.  .  

[shirl000]

Thank you for the reply. I saw my doctor today and she wants to start me on a SSRI. She told me it can increase your anxiety at first and make you have worse thoughts in the beginning. This is so scary to me, ugh.

[AnxiousNoMore]

What did you tell her you have been doing to deal with the anxiety, and what is making you anxious? She must have asked those questions before telling you to go on meds.

[Paxiled]

I should have said Prozac is the most stimulating of the ssris, though also probably the easiest otherwise.  Other classes of antidepressants can be much more stimulating.

[Paxiled]

And also, general practice physicians aren't really the best people to be discussing drugs for mental illness with.  I'm surprised your doctor didn't suggest therapy first, though I don't know how badly this is interfering with your life.  In my experience, if you choose to take medications, do it with the people who specialize in both what drugs to use and how to start and stop taking them safely, which is psychiatrists (or even better, a psychiatrist with a specialty in psychopharmacology).  As for your fear of start-up problems, some antidepressants are more noted for the problems you mention than others.  For example, Prozac is the most stimulating, so the most likely toncrease anxiety.  All of them can cause a change in personality and thinking, though it doesn't necessarily feel worse, it might feel better.  It just won't be how you're thinking now.  That's what they do.  Younger people (under 18) are reported to be more likely to experience bad thought processes than adults, but it can happen to anyone, but it often goes away.  But most people's side effects will be things like feeling tired or wired or stomach problems or headaches.  That's why a good psychiatrist will slowly taper you up on a drug when you start and slowly taper you down when you quit, whereas general docs are much less likely to know how to do this.  Regular docs are also much more likely to start you off on difficult drugs than ones with a reputation for being easier to start and stop taking.  A good doc will usually start off with prozac, because it is the easiest to stop taking, and probably try Lexapro next because it has a reputation for fewer problems.  Paxil would be the last ssri tried usually because it's the most difficult to stop taking.  So you can see, if you do decide medication is where you want to go, make sure the doctor knows how to do this to your satisfaction.  And once you start, stop thinking about it and let it do what it's going to do.

[Paxiled]

General rule is 4-6 weeks, but agree with above answer in my own experience -- they work when they work or they don't work at all depending on the person and how well you metabolize the drug.  Also agree that if this is new for you, rushing to go on meds might not be the best course of action.  If therapy with someone who specializes in anxiety treatment works, you're done.  With meds, they can help with symptoms, but you'll still have to give therapy a try if you ever want to stop taking them.  Also, if you do go on any med, remember that side effects can begin long before the positive effects kick in, so you do need to give it time.

[AnxiousNoMore]

Minimum 3 weeks if you get a good one that works well with your brain but 8 weeks total for any one to give maximum effect. See what your doc says, but if you haven't even tried benzos yet that might be the place she will start you to see if you can benefit from short term breaks.
Is there any issue that is bothering you that is causing the unrest? If so, have you tried any self help techniques or therapy?