Prozac for PMDD-Weird side affects with 20mg?

**Saberhead** · 08-29-2011 08:15 PM

Hey everyone-

It was only last Thursday that I FINALLY went to the doctor and was diagnosed with PMDD (which I have completely known about for a while now that I had it). I was previously just using 5-HTP (about 50-100mgs) for a couple years every day to kind of..."curve" the behavior, but honestly this last year it has barely been helping me.

Well, long story short, I got a script of 20mg of Prozac. I had some VERY weird and odd side effects following my second and third day.

I went to a restaurant with my boyfriend and felt a little dizzy, I had taken the prozac at 11 am and it was about 12 at night (24 hour diner). All of a sudden I remember looking at the menu and it made NO SENSE. I literally couldnt read or understand what the letters meant. The waitress came up to us and when she spoke all I heard was noises. It really freaked me out. My vision also got really weird and felt like I was vibrating. I started sweating a LOT and kept thinking I was going to have a seizure or something (never had one before, just freaking out). When I tried to order I felt like I wasnt making any sense, like I couldnt speak, but my boyfriend assured me I was fine and speaking normally. Needless to say we took the food home and this lasted for about 1 hour then toned down.

I called a doctor on call and she told me to stop taking it and it was probably just too high of a dose and that I should probably be taking 10 or even 5 mg.

Anyone have this happen to them? It was the third day I was on it. I took a day off, felt great, then woke up today and felt TERRIBLE (I am also on my second day of menstruation, and my period was 3 days late). I decided to just split my pill in half to 10mg and continue. Is this normal? What happened?

**CHANDLERS WISH** · 09-07-2011 06:01 PM

I think that you should listen to your Doctor. When ever there are side effects that affect your abiltiy to function, get off of it, go back to the Doctor and see if there is something different that you could take, it's trial and error in some instances working out what ingredient your body does not like. Lowering it yourself, without talking physically to the Doctor, as you can see hasn't worked.

On another note, PMDD. Do you feel that, that maybe making you a tad depressed? This could also be the reason (on your other thread), why you are visiting your "past" with your relationship...

Speak to your Doctor about that as well... And focus on the things that make you happy, feel good.. Walk and breathe the air in and tell yourself that life is good... Whenever you suffer, drink water and go for that 10 minute walk, it will also do you wonders.

CW

**Seeker_Advice** · 09-08-2011 12:33 PM

Honestly, I didn't read your entire thread, most of it, but not all of it.

Frankly, I don't believe that your "side effects" were from the low dose of Prozac, especially after only two days (two doses) of taking it. The chances of it actually impacting your body that much that soon are very low. Sounds like it's more coincidental then anything. Then again, I'm not a research scientist either... Where is ItsASecret when you need her... Ha Ha! (She is very knowledgable from a clinical standpoint).

Regardless, I'd follow your physician's advice and try not to reduce or increase your meds on your own...regardless of reason.

Prozac has a tendency to "flat line" people's sexual desires once the molecule builds up to optimum levels in your system, so if this is a concern, you may want to speak to him/her about that as well.

Good luck.

**ItsASecret** · 09-08-2011 01:55 PM

First off never take prescription handling into your own hands. The only person that is a doctor is a doctor, no amount of online reading will make someone knowledgeable enough to truly understand what is going on.

Anyway, 20mg is a normal dose for a PMDD diagnosis. It can vary from 5-80 mg but 20 is the most common so it is not a surprise that the doctor prescribed this dose. Prozac itself is not going to have the desired effects on a patient for over 2 weeks. 3 weeks is the most common but earlier than 2 and all your body is doing is getting used to metabolizing it. 3 days on prozac is not all that long, side effects usually start to appear later as more pills are taken over time. Not everyone experiences side effects and if one does it is listed under the "possible" side effects. The more frequent (though still rare) side effects are nausea, dry mouth, drowsiness, weakness, loss of appetite, and changes in sex drive. Confusion and sweating can happen but it is even more rare of a side effect than the already infrequent dry mouth and weakened sex drive type side effects. Your doctor was playing it safe in telling you to stop the pill but again do only as the doctor says.

Go in for a quick appointment to see how things are going but try not to take prescription dosage into your own hands, even cutting a prescription pill in half can alter the effectiveness due to its formulation. That change does not apply to all medications but quite a few must remain in the form they come in and not crushed, cut up, or mixed into a liquid preparation or else more serious complications can occur, this is why if a doctor wants you on a lower dose they will prescribe the 5 or 10mg pill instead.