When does increase in dose take effect?

Posted , 7 users are following.

Hi all, 

Wondering how long it takes before feeling the benefit of dose increase? I increased from 20 to 30mg in mid Dec then to 40mg about 10 days ago and still feel my mood is too up & down. Not sure how long to give it before increasing again? Any wisdom or experience others could share would be greatsmile

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi Lil, everyone is different but Alison is right that you should start noticing a difference between 2-4 weeks.  Hold on hon you will get there. 
  • Posted

    Hi there, not sure from the start how long you’ve been on Prozac ?? But to be honest even if your on 20 or 60mg for Prozac to settle down more it’s normally 10/12 weeks of this med..

    My daughter is on 20 mg and as done for 3 years and she still haves up and down days ( more ups ) I think she would be better going higher..

    I’m on 60mg and it’s been 9 months now and I feel good, I don’t have to think what tomorrow will be like, as normally just good.... BUT I still have a low day now and again, as that’s life for us, we are not robots, so some thing in our lives can make us have a bad day... I’m going through the menopause so if I’m having  low one day I put it down to that, that’s life sorry ...

    For ME the best was went I finely went higher on this dose, as I found I was more settled then, and that’s what I want, more good days then bad...

    So give it time, if your going to stay on a lower does, but if you feel you want to go higher that as to be your chiose and your docs..

    Good luk, just remember Prozac is a very slow working med, no mater what some docs say lol...

    🤗x

    • Posted

      Hi Dawn, sounds like you are doing well my friend. I've just upped my dose by 10 mg so I'm now at 50mg. My doctor will only up it by 10 mg each time. It's only been 5 days so I know I have a ways to go before noticing any improvement. I may just be back on here more often for support till I get there. Thank God for this site and all the amazing people here. Big hugs ????

    • Posted

      Hi there Laurie... yep this site as been a great help to me too..

      Yeah I’m doing fine chic, 60mg suits me, as I like having more of the good days then the bad lol..

      I still have a blip now and again, but I’m sure it’s that damed menopause 😡 doing my head in, just want that to end so I can try and get my life back on track...

      Glad to know your ok, and slowly getting there, so good to here from you, now xmas is out the way, looking forward to the lighter nites and hopefully warmer weather, keep intouch chic, great to here from you 🤗x

    • Posted

      Dawn,

      I really appreciate your words of encouragement.  I’m in week 11 or 12, with over 5 on Zoloft and now the rest on Prozac.  I’m on 40mg.  I feel like the anxiety will not settle down.  I’m trying so hard to keep busy.  This disease is so hard.  I also am having menopause type symptoms at 45.  My main issue is mood, but I also have the hot flashes and other annoying symptoms.  I wish it would just get done already.  I wasn’t expecting to have these symptoms for another 5 years or so.  Thank you for being on here to help us, I really appreciate it.💕

    • Posted

      Hiya Stacey .. rrrr bless you, it’s just I know how bloody damed hard it is in life, never mind having to cope with our minds too .... you will wake up one day and it will be a normal good day for you, and then the next and so on, that you will for get your on this med as you feel so good every day... it is a hard med to get use to, as it’s such slow to work, when all we want to do is feel good about life again....

       You are young chic to be going through the so called crap menopause 🤨 Prozac should help with the hot flashes, so that’s what my doc told me, and either he was right, or my hot flashes have done now, as mine have stopped all together...

      What symptom does your anxiety cause you?? My depression as total gone now, other then the odd day with my hormones flying all over the place, but I can cope with that as I know it won’t last... I’m 53 so right age for meno and 4 years into it, all I throught it was were hot flashes and weight gain, no one informed me of the other 99 symptoms I would have 🤨..

      You keep going chic, sounds like you’ve done so good getting this far, without giving in, it will turn for you, we all think it won’t, but it does.. just slow .. keep chatting on here lovely to here from others who are going through the same and win in the end big hug 🤗x

    • Posted

      The anxiety makes me not be able to be calm.  I have to take 1/2 Xanax and then I’m sleepy.  From last time I know I have to get through the anxiety to get the depression better.  The Dr gave me Buspar for anxiety, which made it worse, then gabapentin, which had so many side effects.  I stopped the gabapentin last night because I felt severely depressed, dizzy, eye twitching, etc.  I was on it for 2 weeks.  I have a call in to the Dr.  He said it was supposed to help the anxiety from the prozac, but I guess it doesn’t do that for me without tons of side effects.  I’m ok with the side effects of the Prozac besides the anxiety.  I took Effexor for about 20 years, I forgot what it was like to start over.  I stopped the Effexor last Summer because it seemed to not be controlling the depression.  Anyway, thank you for your support.  I’m so glad you are doing better.
    • Posted

      Thanks Dawn, I started Prozac in July 2017 and slowly transitioned from 10mg to 20mg but was still finding it did the bare minimum hence increasing to 30mg then 40mg. I just want to feel settled as you described, to have better resilience so my mood doesn’t drop so much when things happen. 

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