Should i go up on my dosage?
Currently on 40 mg of prozac a day but my anxiety and OCD is so bad i dont know what to do?
Question posted by dawniebabie26 on 17 Aug 2009
Last updated on 5 October 2021
48 Answers Page 4
behavioral and exposure therapy helps alot. my therapist is doin the EMDR theapy with me. it sucks at first, cause it makes ya 'relive' the crap that brought my life to the sucky place its at now, but gettin over that part and into the next stages. meditation helps alot. distraction too , when ya find yourself goin to that 'crappy' place, you must distract immediately, thats is REALLY helpful to me, although, sometimes its good just to let it all out... anxiety is horrible, especially when it comes on for no apparent reason... i know, belive me ! chewing gum also helps me, cause ya gotta actually move your muscles and that sends good chemicals to your brain ( dont ask me which ones though, i cant remember )lol... hope this helps :)
I'm trying to get to this point. I'm worried about bringing up all the "crappy" stuff, and the pain I may feel, but I know that it is a part of therapy. Thanks for the comment. It gives me some hope!
it takes time. it took me over 30 years..yup, 30 longggg years ! EMDR needs a trained therapist do do it with though. ive read about it, and figured what the heck, it cant get any worse. i think about my past 24/7 anyway. the road is long, and im always wondering when or if its ever gonna end..fam and friends do not understand, nor want to, so thats why im on here... it WILL get better ! if you ever wanna talk, we can exchange emails if youd like.. my 24 year old son suffers from ocd, so i do know what youre goin through. he doesnt want to change meds, hes on effexor xr... and unfortunetly we cannot live together because of that... we will talk more , ok ?
Thanks. I would love to exchange emails and keep in touch. I don't know what EMDR is, but I'm looking forward to being able to talk to someone other than my family. I don't want to hurt them or burden them with the way I feel. I've never been diagnosed with bi-bolar, but I believe I'm bi-polar. I felt extremely lousy for several days and today I feel on top of the world and couldn't feel more positive. It is also nice to read about someone that is making some progress and feeling better!
well, i still do have more bad days unfortunetly... i have been in a bad state the past few days, but i try to read inspirational books and coming to sites like these always helps. right now im chewing gum, lol, can ya guess why ?? i wish they had instant messenger on here..
i CAN'T SEEM TO FIND THE RIGHT MEDICATION. i HAVE OCD AND BI-POLAR. i'M FIGHTING THE DEMONS TO NOT JUST JUMP OFF A BRIDGE. i HATE EVERYONE... i CAN'T REMEBER WHAT i NEED TO REMEBER... It very hard to just live a day to day routine... What do I do??? I honesty can't remember a day in my life I have been happy...
Hi, i am new to this so bear with me. I feel so bad for you. My son was 28 yrs old and suffered with ocd,bipolar,anxiety and so forth.He felt like he was going crazy and would have horrible outbursts. The doctor put him on depakote, seroquel,trazodone and clonopin.(large doses). Four days after his visit with the doctor He died in his sleep. Stopped breathing. Please if you can get counseling it could help, instead of so many drugs. write back
Prozac will help with the OCD and Depression, etc. 40 mg. is a low dose. But they always start low with that to watch for side effects. At your next visit your Dr Im sure will up your dose. I started out on a low dose and I'm now on 300mg. But it may be that you need to try a different med. In the begining of any of these drugs I think it's a lot of trial and error. But I would also think that you should be on something like Klonopin or Valium or Xanax, that's what the typical treatment usually is for anxiety so you can relax and calm down when you have the anxiety coming on. But I would assume that because it will relax you It might help with the OCD.
Yeah, i am on Klonopin 2mg 2 times a day, and it doea help. but you are definetly right i should go up on the prozac and also should try some Congital Behavirol Therapy.. Have you ever heard or that? but thanks so much on answering my question i sent you a friend request.. kk
-dawnie
Hello dawn, How have you been feeling? Any changes with the Dr. yet?
Cognitive therapy is great. At least for me it has helped. I grew up without sharing and expressing my feelings. Its really nice to get tools to deal with your anxiety/depression.
You say you are on 300mg of Prozac? It must be a misprint because the usual stopping dose is 80mg. Can you comment please-thank you!
Wow, Talk about not being focused. I dont know what I was thinking when I responded to this question because I am not on Prozac. (I am on Zoloft & Wellbutrin) That would be why I am up to 300mg. I feel like a fool. I do have to say that I do still feel my answer applies anyways. Good Luck, Sorry!
My husband is on zoloft 300mg, & wellburtrin 75mg & It helps him mostly with his depression. He still has his cleaning OCD. I will gladly loan him out if anybody needs their house cleaned! Mary
Dawnie,
How long have you been taking Prozac? It usually takes 1-4 weeks for patients to start noticing any improvement. If you have been taking it longer than 4 weeks and your conditions seem to have worsened, then I'd definitely talk with your doctor and see about adjusting the med or see if he wants to try you on something else. Hope this helps.
I have tried prozac but not for anxiety. However, I have horrible panic attacks& anxiety. I have been on Xanax for over 13 years on & off. I have tried all antidepressants and none have worked for me. Also, I have tried Ativan,Volume, Colotipin. Truthfully, the only thing that works for me is Xanax. The only problem is that all benzos are fast acting med which usually wears off in 3-4 hrs. I really hope this info helps you.So you & your dr. can discuss putting you on a benzos or another medication that starts working fast so you don't have to wait &suffer all day. Good luck to you.
Benzos ARE NOT for long term management. I believe these are either class I or II drug, meaning they are almost impossible to kick. Get on a strong ass dual medicine for anxiety and depression..since two usually go hand in hand. Good luck, try to kick benzos.
I been taking Klonopin for years and it helps my anxiety.
benzos are definitely controversial, more and more so as this country continues to crack down on controlled substances in general due to the illegal sales & distribution of these drugs - this was unheard of 15-20 years ago, and we never heard about the DEA... there are also a lot more to choose from today than back then... i've taken several antidepressants the last 12-13 years, zoloft for 2 years, effexor for a year or so, and most recently celexa from 2009 til this past April... i had success with all of these meds and they always seemed to help me navigate thru a rough time in life... i, too, suffer with the infrequent to occasional bout of extreme, paralyzing anxiety and panic attacks, and my daily antid was not normally of any help in this situations... onset of these episodes, as you likely know and have experienced, can really come out of nowhere sometimes, and that is when an "as needed" benzo can be a really effective relief...
my psychiatrist asked me if I wanted xanax to have on hand and it made me nervous because of all the stuff i've read, but I'd heard positive as well, so I asked for whatever the lowest strength was... i got a prescription for .25 tablet, of which I take HALF of one, LOL... this has happened 3 times since November 1st... i know that stuff can be addicting, so as long as I truly only take as needed and in the smallest effective dosage, i hope to avoid that... i am wondering how people take these during the day?? Half of a .25 tablet makes me extremely sleepy... I've only taken in the evening... what happens if I need a dosage during the day? I guess take half of the half, or perhaps xanax is too strong for me even in the low dose? I guess there are others but man o man, i hate experimenting... anyway, as needed i think it's OK. they are not meant to be taken on a daily basis, that's what anti-d's and mood stabilizers are for, right?
Dawnie, I suffer from anxiety bad for years and the only thing that gets me by is Xanax my hole world changed maybe try that would love to here from anybody else that feels this way.Hope your feeling better.
Related topics
prozac, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, anxiety and stress
Further information
- Prozac uses and safety info
- Prozac prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Prozac (detailed)
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