# Side effects of Prozac?



## Joan Gregg (Jun 6, 2000)

I am finding I can't stay asleep, despite sleeping meds. This never happened with Serzone.I also have wildly fluctuating appetite--insatiable hunger to nausea and total non-hunger.Is 20 mg. the standard dose? Does anyone else get these side effects?


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## bellyknot (Jul 24, 2000)

Joan, I haven't taken Prozac myself but my sister took it for about 15 years. She said she had 3 weeks of insomnia and then leveled out, however she never did have anxious depression, her problem was sleeping too much. If you are like me and have GAD and panic disorder please let me know how the Prozac works. I'm currently on Serzone and it has quit working for me. Another word to the wise about Prozac....my sister developed uh..I don't know the name for it but its loss of bladder control during sleep, this is a common side effect for long-time users. She's better now that she switched to Effexor and Imipramine but she still has accidents.


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## Marriah (Mar 19, 2002)

Joan, just stick with it for a while till your body gets used to it, that might help. I was on prozac a few years ago. I was very skinny then (sigh), and had to quit the prozac because I had NO appetite, like slight nausea almost. I lost a lot of weight. I have now gone back on it (the weekly version-very cool!) and have found that it is affecting me the same way again, but this time I can afford to lose the weight!


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## Joan Gregg (Jun 6, 2000)

I am quitting it asap. now i sleep 4 hours a nite despite ambien and klonopin.


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## honichou (Jun 30, 2002)

Joan,Do not give up on Prozac yet. Before I tell you my experience, I would ask whether a psychiatrist is prescribing this for you. I would guess not. I've been on Prozac for 11 years or so. I had a lot of trouble with the 20mg dose initially. When I began to take it, there was no 10mg dose, so I used to split apart a 20mg capsule and put it in a glass of water (only water I was told; not juice). I'd drink 1/2 of the glass of Prozac each morning. That worked much better for me. Taking it in the morning is definitely advisable for the reasons that you cite. A psychiatrist friend of mine told me that it's not necessarily the quantity of medication that matters in the long-run, but rather the length of time that you are on the medication. I would suggest that you cut your dose to 10mg or even 5 mg and take it in the morning. And, if you're not having a psychiatrist prescribe this for you, I would think about consulting one. Psychotropic medications are tricky.Good luck.Steven


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