... awoke with severe shaking, agitation, crying from frustration of not knowing what's happening to me. Please help me find out how long it will take before it gets out of my system
After initial dose of prozac, how long to get it out of your system? After taking prozac last night?
Question posted by sandy7of9 on 23 Feb 2013
Last updated on 26 February 2013
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Answers
pickles503
24 Feb 2013
Hi sandy.
When I did a search on the prozac, I came up with large numbers, like 1-2 mos.. One answer said 1-4 days. Drink barrels of water. Drink anything but caffeine.
For anxiety I take 4 mg of Klonopin, and Gabapentin. They work great for me. I also take lamictal. There's thing I did when I was in jail(when I was having a "manic attack) and your gonna think I'm strange, but I did jumping jacks." It was cold. I couldn't stand what was happening to me. What else would be there to do? Well, one more thing I did in the cell was stand up on the seats and sing "jail house rock." I thought it very appropriate for the occasion. Unless the officers would have served us tea and crumpets.
However, the symptoms your describing sound like anxiety and panic attacks. In my malt ball size of brain, I think you need to call your doc. It doesn't matter what time of the day it is. There's always a doc on call for you.
Try real hard and write the symptoms your having. Be very specific. This will make it a lot easier to talk to your doc. Stay focused and refer back to your symptoms.
You can call a pharmacist anytime the night or day. You might want to consider talking to them, also. They can be a great deal of help. There's no reason you should be going through this when there a tons of meds that might work for you. You need something that will work immediately. What your going through must be terrifying. I'm so sorry. I wish you didn't have to. Hopefully by now, you will have received messages from our friends that will benefit you more than mine.
God bless you and take care, my friend.
Love,
Anna
MacIntosh12
24 Feb 2013
Hullo darling Anna,
You never give yourself enough credit, girl! Now stop that trashing yourself.
You gave her a great idea, write everything on a sheet of paper and take it to the doc appointment. You are one smart Pickle!
Lara
XX
sandy7of9
24 Feb 2013
Anna, thank you for taking the time to write to me. I did call the pharmacist, 3 times. She was wonderful to talk to me so long and help me decide which meds I shouldn't take with what I already take. She told me prozacs half life, the time it takes prozac to excrete half of the dose, is 4-16 days. That means it could give me this for the next 2 days. Add to that the thyroid and I'm having a really hard time. All I have to take is hydroxizine (very mild sedative) and a muscle relaxer that I've taken before, zanaflex. It used to knock me out just taking 1/4 of the 4mg tablet. I took a whole one over a 2 hour period, 1/2 at a time. I slept only 1 & 1/2 hours. The most I can sleep at one time is 2 hours. Then I have to get up so I don't disturb my wonderful husband. He's soo worried about me, it makes me sad. Love covers all. Last night I was up from 10pm (went to bed at 9pm) until 330am. I was soo tired.
My husband got up for the last hour to talk to me and make sure I was ok. I was soo tired when I went to bed, but I only slept 2 hours. I'm getting pretty tired I'm having trouble walking and doing anything. I can't concentrate on anything except a book. If I read I can keep my mind occupied and don't feel too bad for a while. I'll just be glad when this is over. If it doesn't stop by tomorrow morning I'm calling my thyroid doc and asking her to do something. I'll probably have to go have blood drawn for a level, but at lease she will do something if it's still out of whack.
As I said before, thank you all for your input and support. I really ppreciate it. I'm soo glad I joined you guys. Hope you all get well too.
Love,
Sandy
pickles503
25 Feb 2013
Lara, I give myself so much credit that I went bankrupt during the "manic" episode. Love ya, huggie buggy, Anna
MacIntosh12
25 Feb 2013
omg, Anna, that is so YOU, and so funny!
xxxxxx
Lara
pickles503
25 Feb 2013
Hi Sandy!
I'm glad you called your pharmacist. Sounds like she was extremely helpful. That's good.
Sandy, how long have you had insomnia? There's 3 phases of insomnia. Each one has a classification, and it depends on the amount of time insomnia has been going on.
Get back with me or pm me. It doesn't matter to me. Of course, you need to talk to your Dr.. That's a MUST. I'm only giving you info I found on the net. You and your doc will talk it over.
Thyroid can definitely be a part of this piece of the puzzle @ one stage of insomnia.
I look forward to talking to you again, Sandy. Your a terrific little egg.
God bless you with strength and direction.
Love,
Anna
sandy7of9
26 Feb 2013
Anna'
I would appreciate any input you can give me. I've had insomnia for over a year. But the last 4 days have been the worst. No matter what I take that worked in the past is not working. I slept only 3 1/2 hours in the past 24. The previous 3 days were almost as bad. No more than 2 hours at a time, and only after I've taken hydroxizine and tizanidine (which used to knock me out for 24 hours). Last night no more than an hour at a time every six hours. I'm afraid to overdose on anything, so I'm following all guidelines for each medication. Thank you for taking the time to do research for me.
Love
Sandy
MacIntosh12
26 Feb 2013
Sandy, have you tried good old Benadryl or Nyquil to get some sleep? I know they are neither for insomnia, yet the side effects are sleepiness.
I hope you get some ZZZZZ's.
Lara
MacIntosh12
23 Feb 2013
Hi Sandy,
You've just experienced your first major panic attack, that's all. But, having said "that's all" I must say that a panic attack is one of earth's most unpleasant happenings.
If you only took one dose, it's not even in your system yet, not really. Call your prescribing doc NOW, don't wait. You may be quite depressed and you may have experienced this anyway, without the prozac.
Your doc may be able to prescribe something that will make the panic go away, right away. And you probably need a different antidepressant.
Just tell your doc all about this situation.
Best wishes,
Lara
sandy7of9
23 Feb 2013
Lara,
Thanks for your input, but I have been thru a panic attack before & this is not the same. My thyroid doc said I was over medicated with thyroid according to my last test so she adjusted it. She said it could cause me to be more sensitive to stress and anxiety. My new doc had given me 2 anti-depressants together that hve major interactions according to drugs.com. I checked all the new ones, 5 altogether, and only took the gabapentin and prozac. The pharmacist told me that prozac can cause the insomnia and the other symptoms I'm experiencing. The last time it happened I had had surgery and my surgeon took me off my estrogen. When we found out it wasn't thyroid, with a blood test, my thyroid doc said it sounded like hormones. So I called the surgeon and he told me to go ahead and take it. In a day or 2 I was back to normal. I foolishly didn't take my estrace for 4 nights. When I remembered the last time I got up and took it right away.
Then I took it again 12 hours later. The symptoms have let up some, I just needed to know how soon the Prozac would be out of my system. Phamacist said it could take a few days. This is not normal panic attacks I've had several in the last few months. There's some anxiety going on, but I'm not convinced that's all that's going on. I was doing better until I took the prozac. Thanks for your help.
Inactive
23 Feb 2013
Hi Sandy,
For the prozac to be completely out of your system would take 21-28 days. However, 3-4 days if you only took it once.
Hope you're feeling better real soon.
pamee
MacIntosh12
23 Feb 2013
Hi again Sandy (and Pamee!!) Your thyroid and hormonal issues throw a monkey wrench into a complicated situation already! I wouldn't take Prozac again if what you went thru was due to it, never again! I do hope you are feeling better soon and if Pamee says it will take a few days to get out of your system, you can certainly believe her.
Hope you are feeling better very soon!
Lara
Inactive
23 Feb 2013
Great answer Lara, I totally forgot about the thyroid.
MacIntosh12
24 Feb 2013
Hi Pameepie and Anna and Sandy,
I really am quite uneducated re thyroid. My father has hyperthyroidism, he is whip-thin. I really need to read up on thyroid issues so I can at least know what Sandy is going thru.
Sandy, I do KNOW that hyperthyroidism can cause terrible anxiety, but that is the limit of what I know. So sorry I couldn't be of more help.
We had a member named "Mad Hatters Bash" that was an expert at all things thyroid, wish she would come back and assist you. I will send her a quick email to see if she can help. We also have a few very smart nurses on this board and they are very versed in thyroid problems as well.
Hope one of them see's your question.
All the best to you,
Lara
sandy7of9
24 Feb 2013
Thank you all for your input and answering so quickly. It's so nice to be able to come here and get ideas from others going thru similar problems. I'm doing a little better today, but anxiety is still pretty high. My heart rate is still over 90 all the time, and my blood pressure went down below what it's been. That was my first clue that it was thyroid. The whole time I had the hot nodule I ran a high pulse and low bp. My doc laughed and said "well at least your BP is lower. Funny huh? Well, anyway, thanks again Talk to you soon.
MacIntosh12
25 Feb 2013
Hi Sandy, I sent my friend, whose name is MadHattersBash an email to let her know about the problems you are having, she really is so well versed in all things thyroid, so hopefully she will get my message and help you out a bit.
Lara
Related topics
prozac, panic disorder, agitation, fibromyalgia, anxiety and stress, frustration
Further information
- Prozac uses and safety info
- Prozac prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Prozac (detailed)
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