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.
Many patients see some improvement on Prozac right away, but most people notice the antidepressant effects after 2-4 weeks of daily use. Prozac has a longer half-life than many other antidepressants at 2-4 days, which means it remains in your body longer than some other medications.
Within the first one to two weeks, most people feel lower levels of anxiety, restlessness or tiredness with Prozac treatment. Your sleep, energy and appetite may improve over the first month and you may have a better focus on daily tasks. A depressed mood can take up to 8 weeks to fully respond.
If you feel like your antidepressant has stopped working, you're not alone. It's common for a medication that once worked wonders to become ineffective, especially if you've been taking it for a long time. Symptoms return for up to 33% of people using antidepressants — it's called breakthrough depression.
Examples of commonly used SSRI antidepressants are sertraline (Lustral), paroxetine (Seroxat), fluoxetine (Prozac) and citalopram (Cipramil). They help increase the level of a natural chemical in your brain called serotonin, which is thought to be a "good mood" chemical.
These drugs — including Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, and Lexapro — alter the way the body handles the “feel-good” brain chemical serotonin — a hormone responsible for regulating mood and happiness. As a result, things that once provoked strong reactions may now leave the same individual unaffected or even apathetic.
Antidepressants like fluoxetine help to improve your mood so you feel better. You may notice that you sleep better and get on with people more easily because you're less anxious. You will hopefully feel less worried. Fluoxetine will not change your personality, it will simply help you feel like yourself again.
Prozac is used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), depression related to bipolar I disorder, and depression in some children. * In general, the drug's side effects in children are similar to those in adults. (These side effects are mentioned above.)
People taking Prozac or other anti-depressants may experience personality changes for a range of reasons: The stress of waiting for improvement may worsen their mental state or the anti-depressant may produce symptoms of a different, undiagnosed mental illness. Finally, depressed people often abuse drugs and alcohol.
When an antidepressant like Prozac begins working effectively, many people report feeling calmer and less anxious than they were before starting treatment. Other common feelings associated with Prozac include: Increased energy levels. Improved sleep patterns.
You Still Feel Depressed or Anxious After Several Months
If you haven't noticed any improvements after using an antidepressant for two months or longer, it may be a sign that your medication isn't right for you, or that you need to adjust your dosage.
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].
There's a paradoxical period when a person first starts an antidepressant: they may actually begin to feel worse before feeling better. The underlying cause of this phenomenon is a bit of a mystery, but a new study from researchers at Otto-von-Guericke University in Germany explains why this might occur.
If you take Prozac to help manage depression, your symptoms may get worse before they get better.
How long does Prozac take to work? Before starting treatment for anxiety, it is important to know that SSRIs can take anywhere between two to six weeks⁹ to start taking effect. Prozac usually takes between four to six weeks to kick in, so you should not expect to feel better immediately after starting treatment.
Kramer gives many anecdotes of patients who, when given Prozac, end up faring “better than well.” Not only do their depression symptoms abate, but they experience higher self-esteem and great social ease for the first time in their lives.
What Are The Possible Side Effects Of Fluoxetine? 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.
Prozac (fluoxetine) is a type of antidepressant known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which is often used for the treatment of depression, bipolar disorder, and other mental illnesses.
As Prozac begins to work, you may notice increases in your energy levels. In some cases, it may cause symptoms of mania in some people taking this medication. Symptoms of mania include high energy levels, racing thoughts, trouble sleeping, and irritability.
The original “happy pill” was fluoxetine, more commonly known as Prozac.
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.
The primary effect of SSRIs is reduced processing of negative stimuli rather than increased positive stimuli. Emotional blunting is related to SSRI dose,9,10 and possibly serotonergic effects on the frontal lobes and/or serotonergic modulation of midbrain dopaminergic systems projecting to the prefrontal cortex (PFC).
SSRIs are thought to improve mood by boosting serotonin activity in the brain. But serotonin is not always a bed of roses. In the early days of treatment, it can increase levels of fear and anxiety and even suicidal thinking in some younger people. As a result, patients may stop using the treatment after a few weeks.
Most antidepressants boost mood and reduce depression symptoms by elevating serotonin levels in the brain. Although this is beneficial for someone who's depressed, for someone who does not have depression, taking antidepressant medication can cause serotonin to build up in the body, resulting in serotonin syndrome.
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®).