Prozac

Prozac questions and answers

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Q: prozac????
I just started taking prozac and I hate it. It makes me want to kill myself everyday. But im wondering what will happen in I start taking two pills a day insted of one? Will it make me feel better or worse. I am not a person who wants to die by any means I just want to feel better.

A: First, the answerer that said that Prozac is addicting is ill informed. It is not addictive. It can cause an increase in suicidal thinking and behavior though. It's true that it can take up to 6 weeks for it to start working, but you can start feeling better or worse much sooner than that. I was also on Prozac and it did make me feel worse. I was already somewhat suicidal when I started it, but I attempted suicide while on Prozac. I felt very impulsive, had extra energy. It was like depression on speed. My doctor also upped my dosage from one 20 mg pill a day to 40 mg a day and I felt about 100 times worse. Go back to your doctor. Tell him or her what is going on and that you want to change medications. If your doctor disagrees and wants to up your dosage, tell them no and that you would like to see another doctor. It would be wise that when you tell your doctor that you're feeling suicidal, that you do not fully disclose that you have plans (if you do) or that you are going to do it. Why? Because you can be locked up and forced to take medications against your will. Legally, the hospitals cannot give you meds against your will, but they'll never let you out unless you behave and part of that is taking medication. Nice isn't it? If it's just hopeless and unless you're one of those people that react well right away, getting help is hopeless, you can just quit your medications 'cold turkey'. The worst that will happen is a sudden return of any symptoms that have gone away due to the medication esp. if you're only taking one pill a day. Then simply cancel future appointments with your doctor and continue life as is. Depression is hell, but I'd rather be depressed everyday than be depressed and on prozac. Good luck!

Q: How long does it take Prozac to leave the body?
I have been taking Prozac for about a month. It created some horrible side-effects (racing heart, restlessness, racing thoughts, shakiness, diarrhea). I've taken Prozac, years ago, with no problems. For some reason, getting back on it did not work well with me again. I took 20mg or Prozac for about a month and stopped cold turkey, per my doctor's instructions. How long until it leaves my system?

A: Being that the half life of Prozac is 9.3 DAYS(not hours, days) it will take around 45 days to leave your system.

Q: How do you find out if prozac is placebo?
Just wondering how you would find out if a prozac was a placebo like would the inside taste of flour or something?

A: Pharmacutical companies make placebos to look and taste exactly the same as the real thing, thats the point. The only difference is that the placebo dosnt contain the active ingredient. :P

Q: How many Prozac would it take to overdose?
Out of curiosity, how many 10 mg Prozac pills would it take (at one time) to kill yourself?

A: Hmm..there is no reason to OD on Prozac...it will not help with alleviation of depression. Although this drug has a high bioavailibility i.e., the oral absorption is pretty high..its action as a serotonin uptake inhibitor at the nerve terminals has a longish latency. Unfortunately, OD with Prozac (Fluoxetine) will augment its side effects such as nausea, vomitting, increase or decresed sleep etc. However, the most problematic dose-dependent side effect is the production of a type of restlessness (Akathesia, medically speaking), that will counter its effectiveness in treatment of depression. Beware, OD of Fluoxetine can produce a horrible form of death. If you know anyone on this drug with suicidal ideation...immediately contact the pyschiatrist..this is a medical emergency, especially if the person has a suicidal plan. Rehman

Q: How soon can I start Buspar after stopping Prozac?
I was on prozac for 9 days for panic disorder. I stopped three days ago because of the side effects. Can I go ahead and take Buspar?

A: I see no reason why you could not start the BuSpar (Buspirone). Both BuSpar and Prozac (Fluoxetine) do act on serotonin and have a "technical" side effect of an increased risk of serotonin syndrome. But that is rare. And now that the Prozac was stopped there is little problem. But Prozac dose last a long time, but in small amounts. It has a half-life of 4-6 days. So assuming you doctor gave you the OK and wrote precriptions for both meds you should be fine. Also just so you know BuSpar is not technically approved for the treatment of panic disorder. But it does help some people. The typical drug regimen that works best, according to several studies, is a combination SSRI antidepressant (Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro) and a benzodiazepine like Xanax (alprazolam), Klonopin/Rivotril (clonazepam), Ativan (lorazepam), and Valium (diazepam). Often benzodiazepine drugs are used short term or on an as needed basis for acute treatment of a panic attack. Benzodiazepines work in 20min-1hr (depending on the drug). I'm not trying to push benzodiazepines or anything.I just want to let you know that benzodiazepine and SSRI's are typically ideal (and are the only approved drugs). But at least you have not taken any benzodiazepines because BuSpar is typically useless after taking benzodiazepines. Good Luck

Q: What are the differences between the Zoloft and the Prozac?
Hi guys, I am planning to start take either Prozac or Zoloft. But first, I need to know the differences between those two. I know they are same SSRIs, but what makes them different from each other? Please give me as much detail as possible. Thank you!

A: Go to the library and look them up in the PDR [Prozac p. 1801; Zoloft p.2586 - 2007 edition], or go to WebMD.com. Lexapro PDR p. 1190] is an SSRI with a low side-effect profile; it's one of the newer ones, so some docs might not be as familiar with it yet. These are SSRIs but they are different drugs [fluoxetine, sertraline, escitalopram], so they'll affect different people differently.

Q: What does Prozac really do to people that are taking it for depression?
I have been taking prozac for a little over a week now, prior to that i was taking celexa. Insurance would not cover celexa so i was switched to prozac. Im really doing alot better. I have alot more energy now. I was getting fatiged with celexa.

A: What does Prozac do? It alters the levels of serotonin in your brain. Here is an article that describes it in detail: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ssris/MH00066 Every person responds differently to medication, and that's why we frequently have a variety of drugs that treat the same thing. The drugs have subtle differences that can make a BIG difference in how you feel. (Don't you love how insurance companies get to decide your treatment for you? Grrrr. At least in your case, it seems to have worked out well!)

Q: How much longer will my prozac take to rid me of depression?
I've been taking prozac for about 3 weeks now. and i just wanna know how much longer it'll take, and also how will i know when it finally does work.

A: They say it can take four to six weeks. The Prozac is not going to rid you of your depression. It can help your mood. All the reasons that caused your depression will still need to be looked at so you can make decisions about how you want to manage or change things. I hope you will be feeling better soon. Good Luck.

Q: How much Prozac do you administrate to an 8lbs cat?
My cat, Rusty, has been peeing everywhere due to stress from construction on our house. I have tried everything and was recommended use of Prozac, but am unsure as to how much to give him. He is a male, four yers old, and an estimated 8-9lbs. He has been diagnosed with a low level of FIP (if that info helps).

A: FIP brings about a whole new layer of issues. But one issue that is simple and that is you never give any medication to an animal without the explicit instructions of your vet. None. Nada.

Q: What are some of the prozac withdrawal symptoms?
I have been off prozac for 2 weeks now and i was wondering whether how im feeling right now is normal. its not that i am depressed all over again, i am just always in my comfort zone. I dont seem to want to try new things or meet new people. for example, instead of meeting new people, i just hang out with my roomates all the time. meeting other people seems like a chore. There are some positive effects ive noticed like i have more energy compared to before, I have been able to self talk myself out of any negative thoughts (i had been reading a book on positive self-talk while i was on prozac so i could counter negative self talk when i got off the meds). i need to know what more can i expect and for how long. and how do i get out of my comfort zone and meet people. !

A: Did the doctor say for you to stop the Prozac...That is the most important question...If Not, TALK TO HIM, you could be endangering yourself !!! If that is not the case, Stop trying to analyze youself to death, you will be with your room-mates because you are comfortable being around them, when you meety someone interesting on the outside of this circle of friends, you will decide if you want to start a friendship, but you sure as heck don't need to go out and make friends with the whole world. Try to focus and accepting yourself for the person you really are, YOU ARE IMPORTANT. and you don't have to prove it to anyone. Live live as It should be lived, Life is wonderfull, Enjoy the sun, the sky, the animals and birds, the flowers and the people you can call friends. Life is as good as you make it fore yourself...BELIEVE. and you will see.

Q: Who can I sue for Prozac completely stunting my growth?
I started taking prozac at age 14 and I am 99.9% sure it stunted my growth, please dont try to tell me other wise. I know what Im talking about. Can I sue the doctor who gave it to me or the Prozac company for this happening to me?

A: Who can I sue to stop the stampede of society-blaming cry-babies who constantly ask "who can I sue" for every problem in their life? (Deep breath. Retain professional demeanor.) Willy, Prozac (fluoxetine) is safe for most people to take. Like all SSRI medications fluoxetine has a long list of potential adverse reactions. "Stunted growth" is not one of them. Fluoxetine has not been demonstrated in any of the >120 controlled clinical trials with >500,000 people to cause "stunted growth". Need proof? Go to pubmed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez ... and search every respected scientific journal. Show us the peer-reviewed, statistically significant controlled trial proving growth retardation from fluoxetine. Don't believe everything you hear, my friend.

Q: How long approximately does it take for Prozac to get out of your system?
I have been on Prozac (well, generic fluoxetine, 20 and 40mg) for about 7 or 8 years now. My question is, about how long does it take for it to leave your body? Weeks, months, years? Thanks.

A: Strange as it may seem, it doesn't matter if you have been on Prozac for one month or 8 years in terms of how long it will get out of your body. Several pharmacists have confirmed this for me. Pharmacists have almost as much medical training as MDs. It is also strange that different sites on the internet give different times for Prozac's half life and the complete time it takes for Prozac to get COMPLETELY out of your body. Taking an average, it seems that the half life is 3-4 days, which means it would take 21-28 days for it to be competely out of your body. However, the plot thickens. There is something called a Prozac metabolite that will stay in your system for approx. 2 or possibly 3 months. The good news is that after 3-4 days after stopping Prozac, half of its main ingredient will be out of your system. Then it continues to trickle out of your body in the next 3 weeks or so. I don't think the remaining metabolite will have much, if any, effect on you physically or mentally. Obviously, for more info, consult a pharmacist or your doctor. I have major depression and have taken and tapered off many different drugs. Effexor can be tough to get off of, and the benzodiapanes are the worst. These are anti-anxiety drugs like valium and klonopin. You can look at the links below, but they might confuse you more than enlighten you. The bottom line is that almost all of the Prozac will be out of your system in about a month. Anything remaining is probably not that significant, but the metabolite might hang around for another month or two at the most. People have different positive or negative reactions to psych meds. However, if you taper off them sensibly, you should be fine. Be well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoxetine http://www.fortunecity.com/campus/psychology/781/prozac.htm

Q: How many Prozac would it take to over dose?
I'm 125lbs, and take 10mg Prozac which comes in a bottle of 30pills. How many would it take to kill me? Not that i would, but just so i know it.

A: 120 + to even do you any damage that warrants A&E, they're very hard to overdose on and symptoms of overdose tend not to occur until you're in excess of 1000 mg - they're made that way, unless you're unlucky enough to be terribly sensitive or allergic - but you'll be throwing your guts up long before you get to that many.