Prozac and Insomnia: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Jun...
• May 27, 2020

For Major Depressive Disorder "I went on Prozac to treat depression, anxiety, and bulimia. It was the worst medication I’ve ever taken. I ended up in the psych ward after the mental breakdown this medication led me to. Other than the awful SSRI-induced mania and mood swings, I also suffered terrible side effects. Even after stopping this medication, the insomnia persisted for months. I don’t recommend."

• CeC...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 26, 2019

For Anxiety and Stress "I was on Prozac for a whole month after switching from another anti-anxiety med. From day one, starting to feel more energy. Then I got really hyper and could not sleep. My skin felt on fire, I had severe nausea, really scary, worst anxiety. I felt like my mind was fast-forwarding. I am fine now after it being discontinued for a week."

• Gab...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 11, 2022

For Major Depressive Disorder "I took Prozac for Major Depressive Disorder. I would definitely say I was severely depressed and had suicidal ideation. Also, some nights I could not sleep, and the nights I could sleep would only sleep a couple of hours. I went to see a psychiatrist (something I always recommend for mental disorders, I do not recommend a general practitioner), and he prescribed Prozac for depression and Seroquel for my insomnia. I’m not gonna lie, nothing changed much for about 3 1/2 weeks, but on day 24 of taking those meds, it’s as if there was a complete and total change for the good. I say all of that because you gotta hang in there, as it takes a while for meds to “kick in.” I have been on these meds for over 5 months, and I will follow my psychiatrist’s instructions. I feel great. I am thankful to God for my psychiatrist and these meds. Oh, and I take 40 mg of Prozac and 200 mg of Seroquel per day."

• Nad...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 13, 2019

For Major Depressive Disorder "I tried Prozac for 5 weeks, it made me feel awful. Shaky, brain felt wired, nauseous, made it difficult to sleep, and the last 4 days on this, I was severely depressed and feeling suicidal, which is what led me to stop taking it. At that point, I felt like I was on it long enough to be getting some benefits, but I felt worse than before. I had success for many years on Paxil (paroxetine), unfortunately, it stopped working for me, and I was at the highest dose. I also suffer from anxiety. Fluoxetine actually felt like poison to my body, even though it was supposed to be okay according to my Genesight test results. Very disappointed."

• GGa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 30, 2019

For Anxiety and Stress "I've been on Prozac for 8 days now. I took it back in 2015 for the same reason, and it worked for me, but now that I'm back on it, I keep thinking to myself, when is the medicine going to kick in? I've been having a weak stomach, anxiety, can't sleep due to the anxiety, having lots of panic attacks, my chest feels heavy. I just wish this medicine would hurry up and start working, I'm tired of feeling like this."

• Sam...
• August 1, 2013

For Panic Disorder "One of the few antidepressants I can tolerate. Most cause major sleep disorders, but with Prozac I don't have a problem. Not really sure if it helps much with panic attacks, I've tried 20 mg and 40 mg, sometimes 40 mg seems to be a bit much."

• a...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 1, 2015

For Anxiety and Stress "I wouldn't give Prozac anything greater than a 1. Mainly for the fact that I have been on this now for 1 month, 20 mg daily; increased my terrible moods followed by anxiety attacks. I have become an insomniac, my pulse has increased terribly, and my appetite is zero. Without the backup 'Xanax,' I would still be at square 1. I occasionally drink to get drunk, but have been recently informed that this drug mixed with alcohol has a severe risk of suicide. I was not depressed before I was referred to this medicine, but now I feel that it is becoming worse. Am I misdiagnosed?"

• Ang...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 1, 2023

For Major Depressive Disorder "As far as depression and suicidal ideation goes, Prozac, along with therapy, community, and setting boundaries, have helped to change my life. I've been on just about every SSRI, SNRI, or other medication on the market (give or take a few), and I just have a different, more positive outlook on life since I started taking it. The only drawbacks are it does seem to mess with my sleep (more so in the beginning), not that I can't sleep on it, it just makes me feel like I require less of it, whereas my body knows otherwise... and it gave me some tics when I first started on it and still, every now and then (worth it), and it doesn't always work for major anxiety (however, I have panic attacks, and despite what doctors tell people because of the benzo stigma in the US, these meds are for anxiety, they are NOT for panic disorder), but if you're looking for a medication to ease your depression or suicidal ideation, this may be the one for you too."

• Mic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 5, 2019

For Panic Disorder "I took Prozac in my 30s for what was thought to be panic disorder. Years later, I was diagnosed with Asperger's and weaned off the Prozac. Now, 10 years after that, I am in perimenopause, and my GP prescribed the Prozac again to help with mood swings, IBS, and insomnia. And it does, but for the last couple of periods, and only during the period week, I have had several panic attacks every night, even when 'Aunt Flow' did not show up. They are worse than when I was younger. I have been to the ER by ambulance several times with heart attack-like symptoms. The panic attacks wake me up every couple of hours, and on my Sleep Cycle app, it looks like it happens on the upswing of the REM cycle. But one day I did not drink coffee, that night I did still wake up a couple of times with a racing heartbeat, but it subsided quickly with deep breathing, and there were no other symptoms. If quitting coffee doesn't help, then I will have to get back with my psychiatrist on what to try next."

• Kat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 11, 2019

For Panic Disorder "I struggle with severe anxiety and panic attacks, as well as depression. I was on Zoloft (sertraline) for about two years and found myself feeling pretty good, so I decided to stop taking it. After starting university, however, I found that my anxiety was getting to an unbearable state, and so I went to my doctor, and she prescribed me Prozac. At first, I had very, very adverse side effects. I had tremors and super bad anxiety. After a while, I noticed less frequency in my panic attacks, but unfortunately, my mood was absolutely brutal. I was constantly depressed, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, thought really dark thoughts very often, felt agitated and irritated constantly. I literally felt like I wanted to die, like I literally had no choice because the pain was so unbearable. I am now off the medication, and I feel as though a bag of bricks has been lifted from my shoulders. I wouldn’t recommend this medication if you are prone to depressive thoughts or if you are young like me (I’m 19)."

• Var...
• July 13, 2021

For Postpartum Depression "After labor, I suffered from a rare condition of postpartum psychosis, cured with Abilify. Then it was followed by horrible insomnia and anxiety. I tried every sleeping pill and benzo, and tricyclics, didn’t work. So my doctors decided to prescribe Prozac 20 mg per day (morning) for 6 months. The first weeks, I had little cramps in my ankles and not much change in my mood, but immediately less anxious, and by week 3-4 it finally kicked in, didn’t feel so sad anymore. Gradually, my sleep came back, from 4-5 hours with early awakenings to a solid 8-9. I had a rare side effect-pigmentation around my eyes became slightly orange, but it was gone after I started to wean off. When I started Prozac, my depression was 60 out of 63 according to Beck’s depression inventory (“severely depressed”). Now, after treatment, it’s only 9! (“not depressed”). The worst side effect is that despite dieting, I gained 30 lbs!"

• Ind...
• October 23, 2016

For Depression "This medication was awful. Despite only being 17 at the time, the doctor decided that I would be put on this medication for my depression. I knew that there was a chance that this may cause my condition to deteriorate. I saw no improvements with the 10 mg, so my doctor increased this to 20 mg. This is where it all went downhill. I developed full-blown panic disorder as I was having several panic attacks a day, so I was unable to go to school. The medication increased my suicidal thoughts to the point where I was not sleeping at night due to constantly thinking of ways to kill myself. One day I nearly did attempt suicide, so I had to be assessed by a psychiatrist who put me on tranquilizers for a week, then admitted me to a psychiatric unit."

• Nel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 11, 2018

For Anxiety and Stress "I started on Prozac 6 days ago. I am constantly tired and have no get-up-and-go. Exercising feels like a chore. I am very foggy in the head as well. Anxiety has decreased a little, but sleep is very disturbed. Going to stick with it for another week, and hopefully these horrible side effects will go, and I will get my energy back."

• mar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 14, 2022

For Anxiety and Stress "I have OCD, depression, anxiety, and BPD. I started 10 mg Prozac about a week and a half ago, and so far I am completely unable to eat anything, and I'm extremely nauseous all the time. I now have insomnia, and I'm pretty much panic-hyperventilating all day. My moods are improved, and my OCD is almost gone, but my anxiety is through the roof, and the nausea has caused me to lose 10 pounds in 9 days. I would not say it's worth it."

• Kle...
• November 7, 2017

For Anxiety and Stress "I started this drug for depression and anxiety. The first 2 weeks at 10 mg, I actually felt fine, but when my psychiatrist upped the dose to 20 mg and then later to 30 mg, I noticed it had intensified my anxiety, gave me suicidal thoughts, worsened my insomnia, and made my anger and moods unpredictable. I also felt like I was hallucinating all the time, I could focus on a wall and start seeing weird acid-like visuals. I never had that with any other med until I started Prozac. The doc has me trying Lexapro now, and because I stopped taking Prozac, the withdrawal has been awful. I am hoping Lexapro changes things. I took this med for 3-4 months overall."

• Anonymous
• November 17, 2011

For Depression "I have been on Prozac since I had postpartum depression in 1994. It has saved my life and my marriage. I take 20 mg, but my only son left home recently to go overseas and join the army, so my doctor increased the dose to 30 mg as I have been feeling anxious and not sleeping as well."

• You...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 28, 2023

For Depression "I took St. John's Wort for 15+ years for what I felt was very mild depression (or just normal living blues) and felt it worked great. I started getting excessive migraines and a sleep disorder after COVID (or environmental factors - still working this out), so the doctors advised me to get off of St. John's so I could take medication to treat the other conditions. After settling on medications that treated the other two conditions (a migraine rescue and Nuvigil), we addressed the mild depression with 20 mg of Prozac. Within 3 months, I had hypomania and it really started to take a toll. I stopped after 3 weeks of overdrive and went back to normal. I've never had bipolar II symptoms before, but this triggered it. I'm on a mood stabilizer now for mild lows that don't trigger mania and feel fantastic. Just a caution to others if they have this experience. I never would have dreamed I'd have any level of bipolar symptoms present, but this triggered it when I was on even a low dose."

• Eno...
• September 26, 2015

For Depression "Horrible experience with Prozac! Started taking it on a Thursday, and by Saturday had a buzzing in my ears, a full feeling in my head, and couldn't sleep. On Sunday, I completely lost my appetite and became very jittery. I was barely able to work on Monday and called off Tuesday because of generalized anxiety, not sleeping or eating. I ended up taking three total days off of work due to side effects. I literally had to force myself to eat a single slice of toast for breakfast... and barely got it down! I finally went off of it on Wednesday and went back on Paxil. By Friday, I am feeling like my old self again. Plus, I had startling dreams. I won't ever take this drug again!"

• Eno...
• September 26, 2015

For Depression "Horrible experience with Prozac! Started taking it on a Thursday, and by Saturday had a buzzing in my ears, a full feeling in my head, and couldn't sleep. On Sunday, I completely lost my appetite and became very jittery. I was barely able to work on Monday and called off Tuesday because of generalized anxiety, not sleeping or eating. I ended up taking three total days off of work due to side effects. I literally had to force myself to eat a single slice of toast for breakfast... and barely got it down! I finally went off of it on Wednesday and went back on Paxil. By Friday, I am feeling like my old self again. Plus, I had startling dreams. I won't ever take this drug again!"

• Kia...
• May 20, 2019

For Panic Disorder "I started taking Prozac mostly for my panic attacks but a little bit for my anxiety and depression as well. I can't say my experience was all bad because I was going through a rough time, and it seemed to make my panic attacks a bit more manageable and less intense, but I think for me the cons outweighed the pros. The first time I started it, I stopped eating for nearly two weeks, which caused me to lose weight. Then the dose was upped from 10 mg to 20 mg, and I stopped eating for another two weeks. The anxiety was pretty bad for the first two weeks as well. After the first couple of weeks, the side effects calmed down to an extent. I still had pretty bad sexual problems, a lot of heartburn, night sweats, and problems sleeping. So while the side effects weren't major, I tried getting off it due to my anxiety seemingly doing better and the side effects. I was nervous to get off, but it seems like I haven't had any odd effects from stopping, so that's good. My anxiety is still low, so for now, I'll stay off."

• Liv...
• March 29, 2018

For Major Depressive Disorder "I have been on this medication almost a year, taking 60 mg once a day. These are the side effects I have noticed. It seems to cause memory loss (I had a photographic memory) and insomnia. This may be what is causing the fatigue. I have gotten so fatigued since starting this medication that it interferes with my ability to function normally. I feel like it has also taken away my ability to truly feel my emotions. NOTHING bothers me anymore, and if it does, it is for a very short time, then I seem to forget it bothered me at all. This is good in some ways and not in others. I now have to take other medications to counteract the side effects of this medication. Not sure what I’m going to do as far as staying on it. It has not caused weight gain for me, and the side effects I listed are really the only ones I have noticed, but they are severe and affect me on a daily basis."

• bea...
• October 13, 2015

For Depression "I started this in the hospital at 20. After a few days, they upped it to 40. I felt weird the first week or so, then somewhat normal. I didn't have an appetite for the first couple of weeks. The major side effect has been insomnia. I woke up at 2 or 3 in the morning. I don't fall asleep because I have to get up at 6, and my spouse will get up at 4:45 am. I've taken my son to school and then coming home and sleeping. I tried tea, melatonin, and some liquid sleep aid, but morning has worked to help sleep through the night. I don't want to take another medication."

• Lou...
• January 17, 2018

For Anxiety and Stress "I was on Prozac for about 3 months. It helped with my mood but did not help at all with anxiety. I tried increasing the dosage from 20 to 40 mg, but after 3 weeks, I had to stop because the side effects were too much (increased anxiety, insomnia)."

• Jim...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 3, 2021

For Major Depressive Disorder "Was going through a nasty divorce... insomnia hit, sleeping 5 hrs and slumped into bad depression. I think a breakdown followed. Went on Prozac due to the consensus it was the easiest drug to come off. Mindful of withdrawal and after a bad time with Paxil 20 years ago, took 15 mg/day in liquid form. Liquid would allow me to taper when ready. The first month was tough - severely stressed and offered a beta blocker by the doctor. Turned it down, which was the right thing - in time (2-3 months) and as the divorce progressed, started to recover. Was on 15 mg for 9 months before tapering very slowly - 1 mg at a time I would only take the next step when I felt ready. Then COVID came, making it more difficult, but 2 years on, I am off fully. I sleep well and feel pretty good. A few tips of my own: 1) try to avoid >20 mg/day (tougher to withdraw), 2) take liquid - easier to taper, 3) eat well, exercise, and do everything that will help withdrawal (don’t drink more than a small amount... stops it working), 4) with discipline and willpower, you can do it! Mood might waver at times though!"

• LOL...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 28, 2019

For Panic Disorder "I have Major Depression and Panic Disorder. It seems like every antidepressant and benzo I have tried just does not work. My Dr. has now just prescribed me Fluoxetine (Prozac) 10 mg, to go along with my Klonopin 1 mg that I had been taking for 6 years (I eventually developed a tolerance to my Klonopin, so it stopped working properly). After being on Prozac for nearly 4 months now, I have gone through horrible side effects of nausea, diarrhea, insomnia, and head exploding syndrome. I am in a constant fog. I get confused very easily and 'space out' all the time. The only beneficial thing I have gotten out of taking Prozac is that I have somewhat better control over my emotions."