Been prescribed Prozac/Fluoxetine, what to expect? Any good?

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Well, a couple of months ago my Citalopram stopped working (I'd been on it since last spring when I was diagnosed with depression), so my GP prescribed me Mirtazepine. The only thing it helped with was getting me to sleep at night, and even then it gave me lucid hyper-real dreams that were scary as hell. It made my depression worse, made me ragey, and also made me put on weight, which made me even more miserable.

Today I switched to Prozac. Anybody had any experiences on this anti-dep? If so, please could you share your stories here? I'm quite nervosu having to switch meds again :/

http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... -dont-they

It is up to you. Personally, I tritated off SSRIs in 2007 and have never felt better.

My boyfriend has been on a low dosage for a few months now, his depression really was quite severe and I don't know if it was just the medication or other factors as well, but he is considerably better than he was. He doesn't have as many mood swings or as strong suicidal thoughts, and I've noticed a really great positive change in him. He's getting a slightly increased dosage soon, we both really hope it continues to help him

Well, here's how a smart psychiatrist explained it to me:

Antidepressants work on the physical symptoms of depression. They will stop you from having no energy to do anything, being unable to sleep, and having no appetite/wanting to eat all the time.

Antidepressants sort-of work on some of the symptoms of anxiety. They will cut down on panic attacks that come out of nowhere for no reason. They will cut down on obsessive, intrusive thoughts. They WILL NOT get rid of these things, but they will make it easier for you to fight them.

Antidepressants DO NOT work on the mental/emotional symptoms of depression. They will not fix the anger, the bitterness, the hopelessness, the helplessness, the simmering frustration, and all the rest of that stuff. If they make that go away, that's called flattening of affect, and it means you are taking too much of the wrong drug.

Fixing those things is, frankly, up to you. Change your thinking, change your environment, or learn to accept it.

How well did Prozac work for me?? It got me out of bed in the morning. It made it possible for me to stuff the anxiety and keep cleaning. It did not dull the pain, but it did cause enough flattening of affect to make it possible for me to keep my mouth shut if no one pressed for more than a polite answer to "What's going on?" or "How are you?" or similar.

It did not make me "happy," even if we define "happiness" as "the absence of clinically significant emotional distress." It did enable me to fool people into thinking that I was as happy as anyone had a right to expect me to be. Maybe a little happier.

I feel like it has helped me. I definately feel a lot more motivated.

Since I've started taking prozac I've been sleeping better, but having very vivid dreams. Not bad dreams though. I am finding it really difficult to get going in the morning, it's like coming round from anesthetic. I've also put on half a stone in weight, but thankfully I'm feeling more motivated now so have been able to go to exercise classes, so it balances itself out that way.

Did nothing at all for me, but that doesn't mean it won't for you.

By the way, I also had vivid, hyper-realistic dreams on mirtazapine. They are unsettling.

For a year and a half I took Risperdal. It did nothing. Then they switched me to Celexa. That did nothing. Then Wellbutrin. That did nothing. Then Prozac. Suddenly, I feel more lively, like I truly want to live. I've been on Prozac for about two months now and it's really helped me. I don't have suicidal ideations anymore. I still look at extremely violent movies, but that may just be a symptom of my cinematic interests and not depression.

Thanks for the comments. Too early yet to say whether the Prozac is working, but I am getting side effects like lack of sleep and weird sensations.

Hi, SonicTommy - first off, I want to say that everyone reacts/responds to anti-depressants in different ways, so what I'm about to tell you will not apply to every person or scenario. I've been prescribed Prozac/Fluoxetine for about half a year now, and so far, it's worked reasonably well, though there was an adjustment period. And yes, when you transition, or "step down" as they call it, from one anti-dep to another, a side effect can be very vivid, almost hallucinogenic dreams about not very pleasant things, but this is temporary - and if they continue, best to talk with your psychiatrist or physician. The first iteration of fluoxetine I was prescribed was the smaller dose, a small, oblong white pill. After my body adjusted, I really started to notice a difference in my mood....I was no longer bothered by my main sensory triggers (that is, not to the same extent as when I was unmedicated), and when my stepmother said mean things to me (as she sometimes does without even realizing it) it didn't hurt my feelings as badly as it would normally. I just felt better about myself in general. Next, my psychiatrist prescribed a higher dose, a larger, blue pill. This version of the medication made me feel about the same, only it didn't send me to sleep as easily as the first.

Now I'm on the same larger dose, but am having to re-adjust to medication after having been without it for awhile. The side effects I have experienced are as follows: Stuffy nose, frequent/difficult urination, and vivid dreams, although these have passed by now. The medication still makes me drowsy, so I tend to take it in the evening rather than in the morning or during the day. I'm still adjusting as far as my mood/emotional regulation goes (starting school again and being back in a situation I feel is frightening doesn't really help matters) but other than that, things are going well. You just have to give it time, and be very. very alert as to how your body responds. And if you notice anything out of the ordinary, no matter how slight or inconsequential it seems, talk to your prescriber.

Hope this helps.

Prozac seemed to work well for me for between 60 and 90 days, then the side effects started becoming a problem. It made me want to sleep during the day.


I also think that many SSRIs suppress certain emotions that come from your subconscious, with the effect being that you become more like a psychopath. This very effect may be a big reason why SSRIs help you to blend with NTs easier, - as in they accept your new behaviors more readily.

I slept 14 hours or more a day before I gave up on SSRIs. Studies have shown that they don't work, anyway.

I think some people are lucky enough to become less anxious with these drugs and therefore blend in more easily. Sometimes I wonder if being overwhelmed (by noise, by people, by the effort of sorting out interactions and finding words and trying to make sense of the world and make sense to the world) is a major way I stick out. And being overwhelmed generates anxiety.

But I think the only way these drugs would make a person more like a psychopath is if fear holds the person back from acting like a psychopath. Otherwise, I'm not seeing how they could do this.

I have found that SSRIs made me totally numb and want to sleep and do nothing all the time, I only take them to combat severe depression I get every few years.

Because it is real emotion bubbling up from the subconscious that causes the chronic anxiety.
Psychopaths don't have that, or at least most of it.
Suppress most of these emotions coming from the subconscious and you can then act more like a psychopath. You don't let things bother you that SHOULD bother you !

This is how it worked out for me..


The goods
-permanent changes in processing bad emotions, stress, etc even after stopping
-no more anxiety
-Become really talkative. Ever wanted to say you find someone and A-hole and never had the guts to do that in their face? With prozac, you say EVERYTHING you think. Like you have been drinking too much and cant stop talking.

the bads
-Can cause weird hallucinations before or after falling asleep, PERMANENTLY
-terrible sex drive, permanently
-severe confusion and vertigo when quitting. Turn your head 180 degree and feel the world SPIN!
-severe aggression when trying to quit prozac. The awesome feeling of 'pick up a knife and kill everyone you see'. Ever wonder why schoolshootings happen? PROZAC!


All in all, i was better off never taking prozac. I miss feeling attracted to ladies.. now 99% have the attractiveness of a potato to me

Just found out Prozac has fluoride in it, and I'm already on a high fluoride toothpaste, and using fluoride mouthwash. Don't suppose anyone knows if taking Prozac as well could be a dangerous dose? I have IBS as well, and I don't want that to get worse.