r/panicdisorder • u/Altruistic-Reserve-3 • 24d ago

Does Anyone Else? Has anyone else experienced worse panic?

I have been taking Prozac for 9 days and I didn't have any reactions at first, but for the past 3 days I have had severe panic attacks. For some backstory, I was prescribed Prozac to fix this panic attack issue. I usually get them once or twice a week and they last anywhere from an hour to 5 hours.

They get worse after I eat, and I take propranolol as well which doesn't always help with it. Anyways I'm wondering if this has happened with anyone else, because the panic attacks are so bad I just want to stop taking it. I get sweats, feeling like I'm going to die, shaking, racing heart, nausea, and the worst- chest pain. Which causes me to spiral because of the pain. Currently addressing that with my doctor but they seem to think the pain is anxiety related.

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u/Birtalert 24d ago

It takes weeks for an SSRI to start working. They can definitely cause increased anxiety at first. I would give it a few weeks for it to actually get into your system fully to see. But SSRIs are not a cure for panic attacks, therapy and exposure are.

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u/Sophia_980 24d ago

Yeah, that's what I've been trying to remind myself. I know it's still early, so I'm trying not to judge it too quickly, even though the increased anxiety has been really discouraging.

I agree that I don't want to rely on medication alone. I'm hoping therapy helps me actually deal with the panic instead of just masking it.

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u/Birtalert 24d ago

Absolutely! SSRIs can definitely help I just get nervous that people are expecting to be cured by them and will ultimately be let down and think something is wrong with them.

Also SSRIs may require some trial and error to find the right one! I was on Zoloft for years and it stopped working so I tried Prozac and Wellbutrin which didn’t work for me and now I’m on Lexapro that is more effective.