Most people feel lower levels of anxiety, restlessness and tiredness when Prozac first starts to work. Your sleep, energy and appetite may improve over the first month and you may have a better focus on daily tasks.
You can feel drowsy in the first few days of taking fluoxetine. However, it should get better after the first week or two. You may become more anxious, or it may make you irritable. This should settle after a couple of weeks.
Prozac does not have a rapid or immediate effect on mood, but once it does achieve consistent levels in the body, it is a highly effective medication. Many patients see some improvement on Prozac right away, but most people notice the antidepressant effects after 2-4 weeks of daily use.
For depression, Prozac may start to improve symptoms within 2 weeks. But it may take 4 to 8 weeks to have its full effect. Common side effects of Prozac include nausea, trouble sleeping, and drowsiness. More serious side effects include serotonin syndrome, suicidal thoughts, and allergic reactions.
Prozac (active ingredient: fluoxetine) is a commonly prescribed SSRI for anxiety. Prozac takes between two and six weeks to take effect and needs to be continued for at least six months to a year. It is generally considered a safe medication for long-term use and is not addictive.
The common occurrence of slow-rolling eye movements during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep in patients taking Fluoxetine has led to this finding being referred to as “Prozac Eyes” [1]. The oculomotor movements in patients on Fluoxetine are accompanied by an increase in myoclonic activity[2].
As an SSRI, Prozac helps anxiety by keeping serotonin in your system, helping your mood, energy levels, and more. So while Prozac may, technically calm you, it is more of a long-term medication than one that provides immediate relief.
Prozac is widely considered an effective, first-line treatment option for people who suffer from certain types of anxiety disorders. By increasing the availability of serotonin in the brain, the drug helps improve mood, regulate emotions, increase quality sleep, and boost appetite.
The most common Prozac (fluoxetine) side effects include nausea, insomnia, and nervousness. For many people, these tend to improve over time. Sexual side effects can happen with medications like Prozac. And they don't always go away.
Headache, nausea, diarrhea, dry mouth, increased sweating, feeling nervous, restless, fatigue, or having trouble sleeping (insomnia). These will often improve over the first week or two as you continue to take the medication.
If you experience a positive response to Prozac, you might notice a decrease in your anxiety symptoms and feel more like yourself again. You may: Feel more relaxed and less anxious. See improved sleep and appetite.
Antidepressants such as Prozac and Zoloft offer relief for over 100 million people around the world who have depression, but with a potentially serious side effect. In the first few weeks, feelings of fear and anxiety can get worse. Share on Pinterest Antidepressants can help improve mood, but not always immediately.
For example, the manufacturer of Prozac (fluoxetine) recommends it be taken in the morning because it can make some people feel more energized, especially at the beginning of treatment. Effexor (venlafaxine) is sometimes recommended to be taken in the morning because it may interfere with sleep when taken at night.
Do not use fluoxetine with buspirone (Buspar®), fentanyl (Abstral®, Duragesic®), lithium (Eskalith®, Lithobid®), tryptophan, St. John's wort, amphetamines, or some pain or migraine medicines (eg, rizatriptan, sumatriptan, tramadol, Frova®, Imitrex®, Maxalt®, Relpax®, Ultram®, Zomig®).
Prozac helps to elevate mood and energy levels, improve sleep, and increase appetite. It also works to decrease anxiety and fear and to suppress unwanted thoughts. Fluoxetine can help to decrease the number of panic attacks that a person has and to lessen their severity.
Fluoxetine may improve mood and energy levels, but it may also result in common fluoxetine side effects including agitation, abnormal heartbeat and confusion. Serious side effects include suicidal thoughts, insomnia and anorexia. Some studies also link Prozac to birth defects in children.
Anxiety, nervousness, insomnia, somnolence, asthenia, tremor, anorexia, nausea, dyspepsia, diarrhea, vasodilation, dry mouth, decreased libido, abnormal ejaculation, impotence, rash, sweating, abnormal dreams, flu syndrome, pharyngitis, sinusitis, yawning.
Antidepressant medications, including Prozac, can increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and actions in certain groups of people. The groups are adults younger than age 25 years and children. The risk is higher in the first few months after starting treatment with an antidepressant and after any dose changes.
Fluoxetine is FDA-approved for major depressive disorder (for patients eight years and older), obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, bulimia, binge eating disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and bipolar depression as well as treatment-resistant depression when used in combination with olanzapine.
SSRIs are among the most widely used, and are effective for the majority of, although not all, patients. Some people on the medication report feeling emotionally dull or no longer finding things as pleasurable, with one study suggesting this applied to 40-60% of people taking the drug.
Prozac and Zoloft are both effective at treating anxiety. You may notice an improvement in your anxiety in as little as 2 weeks. But since your healthcare provider may increase your dose over several weeks, it can take 1 to 2 months before you feel full effects.
Why Antidepressants Cause Fatigue. Certain antidepressants work by acting on brain chemicals called neurotransmitters—in particular norepinephrine and serotonin—causing them to linger in the spaces between nerve cells where they carry out their job of regulating mood.
User Reviews for Prozac to treat Anxiety and Stress. Prozac has an average rating of 7.3 out of 10 from a total of 373 reviews for the treatment of Anxiety and Stress. 67% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 19% reported a negative experience.
One of the most common eye-related side effects of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications is blurred vision. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Zoloft, Prozac, Lexapro, etc. directly affect the pupil and ciliary muscle function of the eye and can make it difficult to focus on near objects.
On antidepressant medication, it is possible that you might experience a sense of feeling numb and less like yourself. Though the symptoms of depression have decreased, there may be a sense that other emotional responses – laughing or crying, for example – are more difficult to experience.