prozac anyone? side effects?

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-21-2006
prozac anyone? side effects?
5
Sun, 12-24-2006 - 8:38am

does anyone take prozac on here? i have been taking for a little over a month now and i find that it makes me so sleepy throughout the day, is that normal, will it go away, when do these medicines start taking effect?

love,
melissa

Avatar for giraffecrazy
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-05-2003
Sun, 12-24-2006 - 9:05am

Hi Melissa,

Manufacturers of most SSRI anti-depressants / anti-anxiety medications say at least two weeks. Prozac was the first med I tried for depression years ago, it took about a month to kick in.

Unfortunately, both side effects and effectiveness vary widely from person to person for just about every psychiatric medication I've heard about. That means getting the right medication and dosage are a process of trial and error. For example, the prozac is making you drowsy, but it made me anxious. Sometimes side effects pass with time. Sometimes they don't. The important questions to ask are: Is this side effect significantly impairing my quality of life? Is this side effect making me more depressed/anxious?

It sounds like the sleepiness is troubling you, call your M.D. and talk about it. Also remind your M.D. how long you've been on the prozac and ask if you should have started to notice a difference by now.

Finally, when you have time, go ahead and sleep. While you're sleeping the brain and body process information unconsciously. For me, that sometimes helps a lot.

Hang in there!
Shelley

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-21-2006
Sun, 12-24-2006 - 9:16am
hi shelley
the first med they put me on was zoloft and it made me more anxious so then i wa put on prozac because i had heard good things about it from friends who suffered from the same thing before. took it for about 2 weeks and then he put me on lexapro , by then i was tired of going back and forth i am just ready to feel beter so i told him i wanted to just keep with the prozac but they said it can take up to 8 weeks to start to take effect. formy friend that had it she said it took like 3 months for her to strt working and she had to take it for like a year and a half


Edited 12/24/2006 9:17 am ET by melg33

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-21-2006
Sun, 12-24-2006 - 9:19am
also i find that it is so hard for me to sleep. i can fall asleep easy but staying asleep is the hard part. i wake up atleast 2-3 times a night. i think sometimes maybe thats why im so exhausted? did u ever have sleep problems?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-22-2003
Sun, 12-24-2006 - 9:31am
Hi Melissa, what time do you take the Prozac at?

Sheri Ann

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
Sun, 12-24-2006 - 10:56am

I have taken prozac in the past. Also, I have read alot about it. Sleepiness is rarely an issue with it. In fact, most doctors prescribe it to be taken very early in the day because it commonly causes insomnia(sleeplessness.) There may be another reason for your sleepiness. It might be depression. In the past, when I was depressed I slept all the time just to avoid facing life. You might be overstressed from your problems. This causes exhaustion & the inability to stay awake.


Please see a health care professional to make sure everything checks out ok. Try to develop a bedtime routine with a set time to be in bed. Avoid naps, caffeine, alcohol & smoking. Make sure you're getting plenty of fresh air & exercise. Developing a healthy lifestyle is the best way to deal with anxiety/depression. Good luck! (((hugs))) jan

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