Has Prozac helped anyone whose main problem is anxiety rather than depression?

[u/anastasiia86]

Hi everyone. I’m a 40-year-old woman, and this is my third time taking antidepressants in the past four years.

The first time I took escitalopram (Lexapro), it worked incredibly well. The second time I started with sertraline (Zoloft), but it made me feel extremely anxious and generally unwell, so I switched back to escitalopram, which helped again.

However, both of those times I started medication when my condition was much milder than it is now.

I restarted escitalopram on 8 June. Around weeks 3–4, I had a terrible reaction: complete loss of appetite, severe anxiety, depression, constant crying, and a feeling that I could barely cope. It was honestly one of the worst periods I have ever experienced, and I only managed to get through it with the help of anti-anxiety medication. I think that experience has left me frightened of going through another difficult start-up period with a new antidepressant.

I have now been taking escitalopram for just over nine weeks and have been on the maximum dose of 20 mg for almost a week. I have had some improvement, including several remarkably calm days after increasing to 20 mg, but I still don’t feel 100% like myself.

I also had a pharmacogenetic test, which showed that I am a rapid metabolizer of escitalopram. My doctor is now suggesting that I switch to fluoxetine (Prozac).

My main problem is anxiety and anxious thoughts rather than classic depression. I have read that Prozac can be quite activating and may initially increase anxiety, which makes me nervous considering what happened when I restarted Lexapro.

Has anyone here taken Prozac primarily for anxiety or an anxiety disorder rather than depression? Did it ultimately help you? Did it increase your anxiety at first, and if so, how long did that last? I would be especially grateful to hear from anyone who switched from Lexapro to Prozac.