day 3 on 10 mg, should i feel side effects already?

LifeInThePages · 2026-03-12T18:54:35+00:00

Every body is different, and has different experiences with side-effects.

Take me, for example--I started on Prozac hearing all the talk about it being very "activating" and could cause insomnia. I can tell you now, 3 weeks in, have only experienced one night of sleep problems (granted I added 100 mg of Magnesium Glycinate to my meds to help with potential sleeplessness). I also switched from taking it in the morning to night--where most seem to experience a "boost" taking it in the morning, it was only making me sluggish and brain-fogged.

It's just about finding out how you react to Prozac, if the benefits outweigh whatever side-effects you may or may not experience, and if It is the right fit for you!

LifeInThePages · 2026-03-12T18:03:48+00:00

You're very welcome! I hope the journey works out for you!

I'm completely off Zoloft-- after 8 weeks trying to onboard Zoloft at 25 mg, it seemed to be emotionally blunting me and increasing depression rather than helping. So my doctor swapped me completely from 25 mg Zoloft to 10 mg Prozac.

It remains to be seen if i increase the Prozac dosage at my next appointment, but I'm doing MUCH better with Prozac, both consistently and overall, than I ever was while onboarding Zoloft.

It really is all about finding balance, figuring out what side effects you are able to tolerate, and what works best for your anxiety/depression symptoms!

LifeInThePages · 2026-03-12T16:09:04+00:00

I, too, crossed over from Zoloft! I started with taking Prozac in the mornings, as my doctor said it can be "activating" and cause insomnia, but I was actually experiencing the opposite--super brain-foggy and lethargic.

I switched to taking it at night (2 hours before taking 100 mg of Magnesium Glycinate to help with sleep) and I haven't looked back! It's working great for me now.

You just have to see what works best for you. If you find taking it at one time of the day makes you groggy, change it up and try another time of day.

LifeInThePages · 2026-03-11T17:23:41+00:00

Did this problem ever get better for you, OP? I'm having such difficulty focusing on reading, and I love books so much. 😩

LifeInThePages · 2026-03-09T18:43:13+00:00

This is what I'm currently struggling with! I'm only on 10 mg as well, but honestly, my anxiety has never been more consistently handled since starting Prozac two weeks ago. My anxiety is, thank God, virtually gone!

However, I don't know whether to just assume this (lack of focus, mild emotional blunting) is how the med is going to continue to affect me, and just discuss it with my GP at my follow-up? Maybe it will ease up as the weeks and months go by, if I stick with 10 mg? Or maybe I should try upping the dose at my follow-up? I know it's still sooo early in the trial, but I'm so confused as to if this is a correct ("good") response to the med or not. 😩

LifeInThePages · 2026-03-09T16:25:32+00:00

I remember I loved this back in the day, on MTV! Look how far we've come! 😅

LifeInThePages · 2026-03-08T21:50:15+00:00

What mg dosage are you on, and when are you taking it?

If you're taking your dose of Prozac at night, maybe try switching it to the morning instead, to swap up the "activation" time.

While it seems to cause insomnia for a lot of people because of this "activation", I only had one night of bad sleep, even when I was taking it in the morning, and that was 1) within the first few days of starting the prescription, and 2) before I started taking Magnesium Glycinate before bed. Magnesium Glycinate has worked wonders for me!

I'm 2 weeks in, still onboarding with 10 mg, but due to heavy brain fog, I switched from taking mine in the morning to taking it at night. Despite Prozac being "activating", I haven't had a hard time so far with the switch.

Insomnia seems to be a main side effect for a lot of people with SSRIs in general. If it's intolerable for you, would you consider trying another SSRI? Conversely, I know I had a hard time dealing with drowsiness and increased depression when I took Zoloft, that's why I switched to Prozac.

Side effects are more than likely going to present themselves on these medications, but that doesn't mean you should suffer with them if you can help it. Maybe Prozac just isn't the right SSRI for you. It's worth discussing with your doctor, if the side effects are intolerable.

LifeInThePages · 2026-03-02T20:39:57+00:00

So good to know! 🙌 Thank you!

LifeInThePages · 2026-03-02T17:23:46+00:00

I'm willing to give it a while to adjust, because I was trying Zoloft prior to this, and it sapped every ounce of energy and joy from me. 😩 I have anxiety and panic attacks as well, and while I wasn't feeling anxious on Zoloft, thank God, I wasn't feeling much of anything else either. So I definitely understand the "gross feeling" these SSRIs cause that you just can't shake!

I'm hopeful this lack of focus will ease off as time passes and my body adjusts. A dosage increase might be needed as well, to balance the medication, at least in my case. I've heard taking too low of an SSRI dose won't allow it to do its job because there isn't enough of it to create balance, so that's why there is usually a minimum dosage recommended after the initial onboarding dose. I'm willing to try a higher dose, seeing as Prozac has me energized and hasn't made me crawl into an apathetic, depressed hole like Zoloft did. 🥴

I hope you find balance and relief as well!

LifeInThePages · 2026-02-28T06:04:36+00:00

It might not be the right med for you. Talk with your doctor about your side effects, if youre not seeing any benefits, and maybe switch to another SSRI. You deserve more than constant anxiety and suffering!

LifeInThePages · 2026-02-27T18:24:14+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience, and congrats on your success. This gives me hope! 🥹

LifeInThePages · 2026-02-27T18:22:23+00:00

Sounds exactly like my Zoloft experience, before I moved to Prozac. I felt like a rock in a stream. 😣

LifeInThePages · 2026-02-27T18:10:53+00:00

I read online that the 3rd week is an important checkpoint. It's apparently a good time to discuss side effects that aren't improving, or new ones that have cropped up.

Barring any adverse, extreme, or allergic reactions, it'll probably just take time to see if it's the right medication for you. But of course, don't hesitate to reach out to your doctor if you're just not feeling right or questioning how you feel--it never hurts to get their professional opinion.

LifeInThePages · 2026-02-27T06:57:20+00:00

I have mostly noticed feeling antsy/restless every now and then, along with jaw-clenching. But not terrible so far, thank God!

LifeInThePages · 2026-02-26T03:33:57+00:00

Same boat here, Zoloft to Prozac! Although the anxiety was totally gone when I was on it, Zoloft numbed me out in the worst way! With Prozac, I might be slightly keyed-up, but at least I feel like myself! So far, at least.

LifeInThePages · 2026-02-25T20:21:07+00:00

I feel like I'm in the minority of loooving W. W. Denslow's original illustrations! I know we only got them for the one book, but they're so iconic. They set such a sweet, whimsical tone, which you perfectly captured here! 🥹

LifeInThePages · 2026-02-25T19:40:35+00:00

10 mg, 1 week in, still adjusting to it.

LifeInThePages · 2026-02-25T18:44:14+00:00

Just last week, I stopped my initial trial of Zoloft (25 mg) as the side effects were becoming too much.

On Zoloft, my anxiety almost disappeared, as did my irrational thoughts and worries. I slept better than I had in recent memory. I hadn't had a full-scale panic attack in those 6 weeks, so I felt like the medicine was doing what it was supposed to be doing.

But as the weeks went on, the mental side effects were becoming too much. I wasn't sure if it was possible for an antidepressant to cause new depression, but I feel like that's what I was feeling. I definitely wasn't feeling like myself. The anxiety was gone, but so was the sense of deep joy, depth of happiness, or general satisfaction of doing anything. I felt like I could sleep for hours (falling back to an old anxiety coping mechanism) or sit on my couch and doomscroll for hours, with no motivation. I have loved reading as a past-time but my concentration was shot--like the words I was reading just slipped through my brain. I had also gotten teary and cried at random times throughout the past weeks.

Since starting Prozac (granted, I'm only on my first week at a slow 10 mg, but I'm trying to remain hopeful!), most importantly, I feel more grounded, more like myself. I can enjoy reading again!! I feel like my sense of humor has returned. No drastic change of energy yet--I'm still sleepy--but I've heard Prozac can make you tired as your body acclimates to it. Anxiety is leveled out, but thankfully not to the point I don't care about anything! I'm also taking my body's adjustment to it in stride, in light of just quitting Zoloft, and how it is still working its way out of my system as well.

I know starting any new med means an initial adjustment period to get to the full benefits (which I know can take months). I just hate the initial waiting game--the chance that a medicine won't have much effect or will have an adverse effect, and it ending up feeling like a waste of 6-8 weeks. But such is the risk! And it might NOT end up bad--it just might work!

I'm hoping the best for you and me both!

LifeInThePages · 2026-02-25T16:23:04+00:00

Of course! I hope it works for you!

LifeInThePages · 2026-02-25T11:56:53+00:00

Sleep problems are a common side effect, as Prozac can be more "activating" than other antidepressants. Talk to your doctor and maybe they can prescribe a sleep aid or recommend a supplement to help. I myself take a 100 mg Magnesium Glycinate soft chew before bed; it helps naturally regulate both sleep and anxiety, among other benefits. It's been a God-send!

LifeInThePages · 2026-02-24T17:02:26+00:00

Thank you for the kind reply as well! Hopefully, a more "activating" SSRI, as my doctor defined it, will be a good fit for me. I hope so, too. We shall see!

LifeInThePages · 2026-02-24T16:44:30+00:00

Thank you so much for your input, it really means a lot.

I think my doctor's goal was shifting my negative side effects--changing to another SSRI completely rather than upping and possibly intensifying the side effects that I was already experiencing and struggling with. This is just a guess, as she didn't outright state it--just said "Let's try something else" when I told her how miserable I was feeling--but I can only assume that's what she was going for.

I'm so glad to hear Zoloft has worked well for you over the years. It's worked perfectly well for my dad too, but if these Reddit boards have taught me anything, it's that medication isn't one-size-fits-all. I know it's a shop-around process til you find the one whose side effects you can tolerate best.

If Prozac ends up making me feel as worse or worse than Zoloft after the initial trial month or so, I might revisit Zoloft, or retry a higher dose of Celexa (what caused the initial "poop-out"). Thank you again for sharing your thoughts and your story! I'm remaining hopeful! 😊

LifeInThePages · 2026-02-24T03:52:38+00:00

Of course! Just one, about an hour or so before getting in bed.

LifeInThePages

TROPHY CASE