Prozac falls in the class of antidepressants and is the most sought-after selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drug. But like many other medications, does Prozac work the first day? It is one of the amazing remedies for anxiety that people can normally use.
However, it is more usual for anyone to feel anxiety in most situations. Many of us face anxiety when getting on to a new challenging responsibility at work, school, or even in the community. But what does Prozac feel like when it starts working?
It always feels uncomfortable when you are invited to speak to the public, manage deadlines for complex work, or any other situation which triggers anxiety in just a flash. According to the statistics, one out of six individuals has an anxiety disorder, which becomes the reason for the most common mental illness in US adults. A mental disorder with anxiety can eventually end up affecting your career and life more severely.
This is why Prozac SSRI is the first drug that is approved to treat the threats and effects of anxiety in adults. In addition, Prozac has powerful benefits that can prevent anxiety triggers. It prevents the reuptake of serotonin, increasing the serotonin levels in the human brain.
Prozac is one of the most beneficial antidepressants and has been prescribed by a range of physicians to treat anxiety. It can effectively help if you get panic attacks, social anxiety, or social fears that normally happen in large gatherings. Let’s do a brief discussion on how Prozac works in treating anxiety and can you rely on it from the first day you start taking it.
How does Prozac work in treating anxiety?
Prozac is the most prescribed drug that is used to treat multiple mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Prozac contains an ingredient called fluoxetine – that is also known as Prozac. It is an SSRI that blocks serotonin reuptake.
An increased level of serotonin helps improve anxiety sensations, depression, and anxiety attacks. It specifically works in the human brain where mainly anxiety triggers in specific situations. The elevated quantity of serotonin helps in controlling anxiety to a maximum level.
How effectively does Prozac work for anxiety?
Before you start relying on just Prozac or serotonin, it is essential to understand that Prozac is a regular treatment for anxiety that manages anxiety levels in the human brain. However, Prozac may not be that effective in the anxiety attacks that a patient has already been suffering from. Therefore, if you experience severe anxiety and panic attacks already, you must ask your psychiatrist to prescribe you an SSRI like Prozac that offsets serotonin effects on your brain.
Prozac may not act like a miracle that eliminates anxiety from your life, but it can control your anxiety attacks in a way that your struggles against social fears and special anxiety get into your control. You can either take Prozac in the morning or in the evening or as prescribed by your psychiatrist.
Either you take Prozac once a day or according to the instructions, the effects of the medicine vary according to the condition of the person and the time of the day when it is taken. For example, Prozac takes a maximum of four weeks to start working when you take it in the daytime. But if your psychiatrist tells you to take it before bed, it may start working immediately. For the best effectiveness of the medication, ask your doctor.
Does Prozac work the first day when you take it?
If taken regularly at a specific time, anxiety patients notice a change in anxiety attacks and relief in anxiety symptoms within two to three weeks. Oftentimes, the effectiveness of Prozac can be felt on the first day of its consumption. It is interesting to see the effects of Prozac which alter themselves from person to person.
If you have been prescribed Prozac, it is possible that you might have one of the following symptoms;
- Obsessive-Compulsive disorders
- Major depressive disorder
- Agoraphobia
- Panic disorder
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Treatment-resistance Disorders
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Acute depressive Episodes along with the bipolar disorder
For Treatment-resistant depression and acute depressive episodes, it is possible that Prozac will be prescribed with the combination of Zyprexa.
What does Prozac feel like when it starts working?
Prozac/fluoxetine is a robust medicine for anxiety. No matter what medication, there might be some drawbacks when your body gets used to it. The same might not fall true for Prozac.
When you start taking Prozac, you will notice that it starts reducing the side effects of any fears, along with the anxiety. Eventually, you feel more energized with an increased appetite and reduced societal fear, and you feel more satisfied while you sleep. When these things happen, you feel less stressed about your anxiety and your mood stays lighter.
As the effects of Prozac prevail, you will be more composed and controlled towards your day-to-day tasks, can spend more time with your family, and perform your duties at work more efficiently without the fear of anxiety attacks.
The most important thing that you should consider is the reduced amount of side effects or the effects of anxiety that begin improving. Monitor the mental disorder and anxiety disorder improvement on a daily basis until you feel the fears of anxiety completely eliminated. In some anxiety patients, Prozac would start working right away but if you don’t feel improvements, need not worry as it may take 2-4 weeks to start showing its effects.
This is because every individual has a different relief pattern and can experience a different level of reduction in anxiety effects at different times.
How to find out if Prozac is working for your anxiety?
As said that there’s a different time duration for everyone to show up complete recovery from anxiety while on Prozac. If you are taking Prozac, you have to wait for two to three weeks to see its therapeutic effects if you haven’t found any. It is also important to note here that it is possible that an individual may take up to six months to experience a complete recovery from anxiety while taking Prozac regularly.
The best way to identify if Prozac is working for you or not is to see the reduction in symptoms of anxiety. You should feel more stress-free, relaxed, and with an improved appetite and sleep. If you experience these improvements, then Prozac is working for you.
The effects of Prozac can be felt from day 1, however, there are a number of alternatives to Prozac and a range of antidepressants that can be used to control your acute anxiety.
Pros and Cons of Prozac for anxiety
Pros of Prozac
Studies have shown that Prozac has significantly reduced the anxiety symptoms in patients suffering from mental illness. It helped people develop less fear of anxiety and discomfort and improved their quality of life overall. Not only does Prozac help in decreasing the symptoms of anxiety but it also aids those who experience continuous fears of social pressure, panic attacks, and social anxiety.
The Federal Drug Association has approved Prozac as one of the best treatments for anxiety, depression, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Cons of Prozac
Some people find it hard to get away with Prozac. This means that they feel safe while taking Prozac and remain relaxed and without fears of anxiety, but even if they have recovered from anxiety, it gets hard for them to stop taking it.
Also, those bodies who don’t accept Prozac can develop nausea, vomiting, and a loss of appetite.
When to take Prozac am or pm
The timing of when to take Prozac (fluoxetine) may vary depending on the individual and the reason for taking it. However, in general, Prozac is usually taken once daily in the morning. This is because Prozac can sometimes cause insomnia as a side effect, and taking it in the morning may help minimize this. Additionally, taking it in the morning can help provide a steady level of medication throughout the day.
However, if taking Prozac in the morning causes excessive drowsiness or other unwanted side effects, a healthcare provider may recommend taking it in the evening instead. It’s important to follow the dosing instructions provided by a healthcare provider and not to change the timing or dosage of the medication without their guidance.
Conclusion
Nobody knows how long Prozac takes to reduce their anxiety symptoms and social fears but depending on the individual and the mental medical history, everyone will experience either side effects or benefits of Prozac.
Certainly, the benefits of taking Prozac are far greater than its side effects as it is one of the popular SSRI medications for anxiety patients. Therefore, it is highly suggested to talk to your doctor before starting Prozac or an anti-depressant medicine to treat your anxiety.