If you take Prozac, do you have trouble sleeping or any other bothersome side effects?

Question

I can't sleep at night ( I take it in the A.M.), I've put on 15 lbs. because of constant food cravings, and I get dizzy and have constant dry mouth. Plus, I have NO sex drive which is frustrating to both me and my bf. I do, however, feel much less depressed. I'm only on 20 mg. I've been on it for five weeks now. Is it possible these side effects will go away?

Answer 1

When I took Prozac I noticed that it did relieve my depression, but the problem was it prevented the good emotions in me as well. I felt totally apathetic about everything. I didn't feel lonely for my husband when he was gone, and I didn't care when he was there.

I lost my sex drive. I felt like a zombie.

My dreams were bizarrely mundane. I would dream about day-to-day things like housework, meaningless conversations with people, and just anything that happens daily that is not really noteworthy.

The problem with that happening is I began to have problems differentiating between my dreams and reality. I would think that I had said or done something and really I had only dreamed it. I would fail to feed the dog. I would refer to a discussion with my husband only to confuze him because we never actually had that discussion.

I was cleaning out our storage room as a surprise for my husband. It was a process that was going to take several days, but he never went in there. I totally blew the surprise because I had dreamed that he came home from work early while I was working on it. I thought he knew what I was doing, so I mentioned it to him, and he had no idea that I had been doing that.

I kicked that drug with a quickness.

I also gained weight and had trouble getting to sleep. I had a tendency to use benadryl to help me sleep. Maybe the combination of prozac and benadryl accounted for the strange dream phenomenon...

I am not sure if the side effects will normalize or subside over time, but I would suggest discussing all that with your prescribing doctor. They may be able to adjust your dose or suggest other solutions for your side effects.

I had a better experience with lexapro.

Answer 2

I'm also on 20 mg and have been for about a year and a half. I too have a low sex drive, but it was much worse before my doctor added Wellbutrin to the mix. I take 100mg of that twice a day now along with the Prozac. It is known for helping balence out the low sex drive that Prozac gives you.

Many people will not do well on the first anti-depressant they are put on. I personally started with Effexor and had similar side effects as you have. I told the doctor I wanted to try something else. I took a few others before I finally decided I liked Prozac and Wellbutrin together. If I were you, I would describe your side effects to your doctor and maybe ask if you should switch your medication all together. Good communication with your doctor is crucial. Make sure to mention all your side effects and ask any questions you have. Write things down before if you have to (to remember).

I guess you have to weigh the pros and cons though. At least ask for something to help you sleep at night or try over the counter things like natural melatonin. And try to keep bad foods out of the house and snack more on fruits and veggies. Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day and suck on sugar-free candies to keep your mouth from feeling too dry.

Answer 3

When I took Prozac my legs would be jittering about all night and I couldn't sleep (even with sleeping tablets) so I stopped taking it. I'm sure your doctor could find a better alternative, as weight gain and no sex drive is not really acceptable. I would ask him to try you with an alternative. I have also heard that they are very addictive, even though the medical profession say they are not.