# Prozac for Anxiety/Panic Disorder



## divineotis (Aug 10, 2002)

I am being treated for Anxiety/Panic Disorder w/agoraphobia and also have IBS. I also suffer from depression due to the two mentioned problems. I have tried about 5 different meds for the anxiety problems and right now I am on Prozac. I was on 10mg for a month and have been on 20mg for a week now. I don't feel any different! I know it can take a while to start feeling the effects, or see a difference. I am just worried that the prozac isn't going to help because it isn't really a drug for anxiety, and I feel that my anxiety/panic problems are causing my depression, not the other way around. If anyone has any experience on this subject or suggestion please let me know. I have been out of work for a year and a half due to the severity of my symptoms and am being forced to move in about a month to a different state and get my own apartment for the first time. I am absolutely terrified and had been counting on my medication to have starting working and it hasn't. This is a majorly stressful, scary situation for a person with none of these problems, just think how magnified it is for someone like me!


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## AnneMarie (Dec 4, 2000)

I have problem with anxiety and took Prozac quite successfully for about three years. It did wonders for controlling the anxiousness. I had a few side effects when I first started the drug - some weight loss (yay!), difficulty sleeping, and loss of sex drive - but all of that disappeared within about two months of taking the med. It also took about that long to really get a handle on the anxiety. In the interim, my psych doc gave my a script for a very low dose of Xanax (.25 mg.) to take as needed. I was concerned at first because so many people talk about Xanax being addictive, but my doc and I discussed it and felt like I had a real need for the med, so addiction wasn't our biggest concern at the time. I didn't have to take it that often, and once the Prozac kicked in, I rarely took it at all.I recently switched from Prozac to Celexa because I felt that the Prozac wasn't working as well as it should for me, but I have to tell you, I think I may have been too hasty. So far, the Celexa hasn't worked near as well as the Prozac and I'm wondering if I should reconsider.All people are different in how they react to drugs. Please try to hang in there and see how this one works. If you don't mind me asking, what other meds have you tried? Paxil is usually pretty effective for anxiety disorders also. I loved how it worked for my anxiety, but couldn't handle the sexual side effects. Please feel free to ask me any questions. You sound a lot like me. My therapist has always said, and I've always known, my anxiety and panic has lead to my problems with depression.AnneMarie


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## divineotis (Aug 10, 2002)

Thanks for responding! I have been on Paxil (gave me excrutiating headaches), Zoloft (made my IBS a million times worse), Celexa (made me feel like I was going out of my mind or dying), Effexor XR (gave me really bad headaches). All the side effects I had from the above mentioned drugs were initial side effects, but I couldn't handle them due to there severity. I think I am going to talk to my doctor and ask him what he thinks and see if maybe he can give me something else for my anxiety along with my Prozac until it starts helping. I was really excited when I started taking Prozac and had NO side effects! I have found that I am very sensitive to medications and have been very discouraged in the past with medications I have been on. I tend to be a rather pessimistic person and think that since I was so lucky to find a drug that didn't give me side effects that with my luck it won't end up working for me! Thanks for the positive support!


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## AnneMarie (Dec 4, 2000)

No problem. I hope it works out for you. Like you, I've tried a lot of different meds and I am also sensitive to them. I also tend to be a bit pessimistic about their effectiveness. Maybe we were separated at birth!







But seriously, all I have to do is be off of Prozac for awhile for me to realize just how well it works for me. I had hopes that Celexa would be a good drug for me, but it's proving to be pretty ineffective, especially for the anxiety. So I think it's back to my old stand-by. As they say, if it isn't broke, don't fix it.Please keep me updated on how you do with the Prozac.AnneMarie


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## slacker (Mar 23, 2002)

You have Panic Disorder, but they haven't prescribed you benzodiazepines, the usual treatment? Do you see a GP or a psychiatrist? SSRI's often make anxiety/panic worse, especially at the beginning. Sounds like thats what happened with the Celexa. Not exactly first-line for PD. Hope you find something that works.slacker


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## divineotis (Aug 10, 2002)

I am only seeing a GP right now. I have been out of work for a year and a half due to the severity of my IBS and Anxiety/Panic probs and am getting disability so i don't have much money. I just called my doctor on Friday about something more anxiety related (benzos) to take in the mean time along with the prozac so we will see what happens!


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