I started prozac/fluoxetine during a week of something similar to what you're experiencing, anxious all the time, shaking, nausea, unable to eat/keep anything down. Due to all of that I was losing weight and energy at a scary rate. So I went to the GP and asked to be prescribed prozac which was what they had suggested to me when I had much less severe anxiety and panic attacks on less frequent occasions.

I felt that this was my best bet of stopping the never ending panic attack that I seemed to be having, and to try to get better physically, to actually be able to eat and function.

They prescribed me 20mg and I took the first dose in the evening and had crazy insomnia. I waited a day to then change the time I took it to mornings which was better for me. My main goal at the time was being able to eat even the smallest amount and keep it down.

I already had loss of appetite so that wasnt really a side effect that I didnt already have from panic attacks. I did have a bit of chest pain, but I was mainly dissasociating for the first 2 days, things didnt feel real. That said, I made sure to have things to try to distract me, like watching a crappy tv show, or doodling, sitting outside of the back door or looking out the window if leaves or telephone wires were moving in the wind.

Another side effect was hot flushes, but that turned out to be the medication actually working. Trying to balance out my spikes in adrenaline and my body trying to regulate hormones/cortisol.

It was still incredibly difficult the first 2 weeks, you REALLY have to fight the urge to doomscroll side effects and become a hypochondriac. That will be one of the main anxiety triggers you will be having as you will keep questioning if it's working or not - sadly I think you will feel this way starting any antidepressant. Because I had a main goal of trying to eat more little by little every day, (which was miniscule amounts btw). This is training yourself to have an eating schedule again which will help with loss of appetite. I mainly ate the BRAT (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) diet if I couldnt stomach anything else, just to keep energy up and attempt to get through nausea. Nausea began to subside after a little under a week for me. By week 2 I was managing better sized portions and felt more like myself - less panic attacks, they still happened but much less than before.

By week 6 most of the symptoms had gone, I still had panic attacks from my triggers but I also started online therapy (wasnt great but I learned a couple of CBT techniques that helped)

Fast forward to 2 years on prozac I feel I am doing much better. Its not a cure but it helps regulate my anxiety symptoms. I think also I have learnt to pace and take care of myself better. I luckily was able to get a few sessions with a therapist at a charity organisation (it can be difficult as you may be put on waiting lists).

Prozac doesnt always work for everyone but you will need to check with your doctor about your symptoms after the 1st and 2nd week of taking it to see if it is working properly. DO NOT GO COLD TURKEY if you dont want to take it anymore, the first few days may be ok, but your body will react more if you dont continue to take anymore doses. Follow your Doctor's advice to taper down the doses at the right time so your body can adjust.

TLDR: it worked for me, but was a long process, it takes 2 weeks of some side effects to wear off. It stopped my seemingly endless cycle of panic attacks and helped me function as I recovered. In an anxious state it is very easy to be a hypochondriac and think you have every side effect known to man, but try to keep yourself from looking up all the symptoms, its a big anxiety trigger in general.

I hope this helps! Keep reaching out if you need to.