When will medications kick in?

[Vinton]

Finally I was diagnosed. OCD, ADHD and chronic tics(comorbid).

My mother had OCD and I never lived with my family.

At this time I'm very depressed and was able to see a psychiatrist who specializes with this. He gave me an appointment in 8 weeks and will try to find a psychologist . He started me on 20 mgs of Prozac and 5 mgs of zyprexa. Its been 19 days and the anxiety at first was horrible and apparently caused by the Prozac. Apparently these meds don't kick in before 5-6 weeks. Anyone knows? I'm so afraid that it wont work..

 

[Daniel E.]

Re: When will med kick in

Yeah, it can take a while. It may be easier to notice antidepressant effects at first:

Because the learned component of OCD can mask the positive effects of medication, I look to a reduction in depressive symptoms -- not OCD symptoms -- to determine if the medication is working.

Freedom from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder , pg. 43

Personally, I have benefited much more from CBT than meds, so, unlike some people, I never postponed therapy while waiting for the meds to kick in.

 

[NicNak]

Re: When will med kick in

Hi Viton. I totally understand your worries.

I took Prozac too for quite a while actually and had very good results with it. It took about 4-6 weeks for the symptoms to subside.

I have never taken Zyprexa. I did take Risperidal. Risperidal took a bit too, to take effect.

You are on your way Viton. :support: I am proud of you for getting the diagnosis and for you reaching out and finding a Psychiatrist and soon a Psychologist.

Hang in there :support:

 

[Vinton]

Re: When will med kick in

I'm at 25 days on meds and depression wont get better.

I've read t hat I should start to feel better only after 4 weeks.. Is it so?

I feel like sooo depressed. I wont see the psy till July 15th.

5mgs zyprexa & 20 mgs prozak

 

[Retired]

Re: When will med kick in

Vinton,

As you probably know everyone's brain chemistry is different and there is no one medication/one dosage that fits all. Only you and your doctor can determine whether your medication is effective for you.

That being said, it is known that SSRI's usually require at least three to four weeks to assess if the medication will be effective.

The combination you have been prescribed is documented in medical literature and has been shown to be effective.

No one can predict how your own system will respond to your medication, which is why you need to report your progress to your doctor, who will make any adjustments either in dosage or in changing compounds.

You may not notice a dramatic change from one day to the next, but rather a gradual change as you work with your doctor with supportive psychotherapy.

The key to making progress, Vinton is to be patient and to maintain a dialogue with your doctor, so your doctor can fine tune your therapy.

 

[Daniel E.]

Re: When will med kick in

I feel like sooo depressed. I wont see the psy till July 15th.

It wouldn't hurt to call the psychiatrist.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Re: When will med kick in

I'm at 25 days on meds and depression wont get better.

Last night, you said it's been 19 days. This morning you say 25 days. ???

 

[Retired]

Vinton,

You may be interested in the following:

Trying out antidepressants
Once you and your doctor have selected an antidepressant — whether you start with a first, second or last choice — it may take four to eight weeks for it to be fully effective in controlling your depression symptoms. In rare cases, it may take 12 to 14 weeks to achieve the full effects of an antidepressant. And with some medications, you can take the full dosage immediately. With others, you may need to gradually increase your dose. Talk to your doctor or therapist about coping with depression symptoms as you wait for medications to take effect.

If you have no significant improvement in your symptoms after six weeks, talk to your doctor about trying a different antidepressant or adding a second antidepressant or another medication. A medication combination may work better for you than does a single antidepressant.

You may have to taper off one medication before starting another. This is because potentially dangerous medication interactions, such as serotonin syndrome, and withdrawal-like symptoms can occur from an abrupt switch.

In rare cases, antidepressants simply might not work for you. You may need to consider other forms of treatment.

The entire article is available HERE on Psychlinks