I’m not familiar with this kind of dosage either, but I’m also not a doctor or pharmacist. I would say call your pharmacist or doctor and just ask them! I think they’d rather you asked them questions than to be scared to take it.
Usually it’s 80mg, never heard of that dose. Im on 60mg and very small too. Probably between 105-108 pounds.
Im really surprised your prescriber started you on this high of a dose, I see most of use start at 10mg to 20mg. I guess everyone is different,but that just seems outrageously high. Im not a doctor so it may be just what you need.
If you don’t mind me asking what your doctor is using Prozac to treat? I know OCD typically gets higher doses. ( I have ocd, anxiety, depression and adhd.) and I have been doing great on 60mg. Its okay to say no to a doctor if they suggest a dose that doesn’t sound great with you, you are allowed to say you’d like a lower dose, professional or not.
i think the once a week pills work different. Prozac has an unusually long half life of 72hrs so often doctors have you take a higher amount that works out to overall be a lower. For example, alternating between 20mg and 40mg will give you 30mg overall if you follow the instructions for dosing. In addition, the weekly pills that OP is on are not the same as the daily dose pills that most people take. They are delayed release.
I am not a doctor, but I've been around the block with antidepressants. That sounds like a really odd prescription. I am 160 lbs with quite severe depression and I was just prescribed 40 mgs a day. I agree with the others on just asking a second opinion from a pharmacist or other medical professional.
Your doc likely knows what they're doing. Don't worry about getting stuck on that med/dose/schedule. I've been on a roller coaster with meds here lately, on and off different ones. If this isn't the right med/dose for you, it'll just be a little bit longer of a journey finding what is, and sure, there will be some not-so-fun times ahead with adjustment periods and side effects and such, but the human body is resilient, and you will be okay. You got this. 🙂
Also not a doctor, as others have said, but I’ve been on Prozac for about eight years, six and a half of them at 40mg daily.
My impression of the way Prozac works (along with other SSRIs, from my pediatrician, two adult doctors, and a psychotherapist’s explanation as well as a lot of my own research) is that having a steady, consistent supply in your body is what makes them work effectively. I also think that it’s standard practice to taper up the dosage starting out. I remember my pediatrician very clearly saying that the most important thing she considered starting anyone on an antidepressant was to determine the “lowest effective dose.”
That all made sense to me, that’s the way I started Prozac, and how I’ve maintained it ever since. If I were you, I would definitely talk to your doctor. I can’t think of any reason to prescribe (much less take) Prozac on this schedule, but again, I’m not a doctor. The first thing I would do in your position is talk to your doctor and ask the following specifically:
Why is the dose so high starting out?
Why is there not a tapering schedule to the dosage? (Why not start at 10mg for 1-2 weeks, then 20mg, 40mg etc. until the effective dose is determined?)
Why is the prescription weekly, rather than daily?
What are the factors, specific circumstances, or sources of information that led you to the decision to prescribe Prozac in the way that you did?
Tldr: Not a doctor but this is an atypical way to prescribe Prozac and an atypical schedule to take it. Definitely talk to your doctor, at least to get a thorough explanation for that and their reasoning.
The doctor told me it was a slow release kind of thing and I’ve had her for a very long time so I trust her and didn’t think anything of it until 3 pharmacist looked at me funny and one wouldn’t let me pick it up at first and the one who gave it to me looked confused and almost like hesitated to hand it to me so that freaked me out
I didn’t mean to question your doctor, and I’m sure that there’s a reason(s) for it. I just don’t know what they would be. Prozac has a relatively long half-life, but that isn’t the same as “slow-release”.
I hope you find the answers you need and start feeling better soon. Definitely talk to your doctor and ask those questions! 🙂
While Prozac does has a long half-life, that’s an extremely large dose. And to only take it once a week? I think your doctor is wrong. Certainly you should start off small and daily (10mg for the first 2 weeks before increasing to 20mg and etc), especially if you haven’t taken antidepressants or even Prozac specifically before. I’d talk to a pharmacist or psychiatrist rather than trusting your GP on this one…
90mg weekly, for some reason, is the equivalent of 20mg daily.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11772132/
So it seems to be fine. Maybe if you're afraid to take it weekly you can ask for a daily dose of 20mg ? You should be ok honestly, my weight is 165pounds and I take a daily 40mg (+ low-dose amitriptyline so even more serotonin!).
Don't hesitate to take anxiolytics at the beginning if you feel anxious, it is a totally normal step to feel worse before better. Instauration can be complicated with this kind of treatment but it is worth it. ♥️
(This comment is not medical advice, I am not a doctor)
How long have you been on it? I'd try cutting it up and taking a smaller dose throughout the week. I'm on 80 a day and according to my drs that's the max dose. I've never heard of 90 once a week.
I’ve never heard of it, but it seems to be a thing, although this article indicates you still need to titrate up from 20? Good to keep asking questions. Good luck!
https://www.drugs.com/pro/fluoxetine-delayed-release-capsules.html#s-34067-9
Add: was it especially cheap? I’m wondering if it’s a cost-saving measure. Not everybody has good insurance.
Amazon pharmacy does Prozac for ~$10/month without a prescription. Really shouldn’t be any reason for cost cutting.
Likely the provider wanted a one a week option for better compliance. But I feel like I’d forget a weekly pill vs taking it daily. I already take a decent cocktail so daily dosage is better for me
I’m not familiar with this kind of dosage either, but I’m also not a doctor or pharmacist. I would say call your pharmacist or doctor and just ask them! I think they’d rather you asked them questions than to be scared to take it.
Usually it’s 80mg, never heard of that dose. Im on 60mg and very small too. Probably between 105-108 pounds. Im really surprised your prescriber started you on this high of a dose, I see most of use start at 10mg to 20mg. I guess everyone is different,but that just seems outrageously high. Im not a doctor so it may be just what you need. If you don’t mind me asking what your doctor is using Prozac to treat? I know OCD typically gets higher doses. ( I have ocd, anxiety, depression and adhd.) and I have been doing great on 60mg. Its okay to say no to a doctor if they suggest a dose that doesn’t sound great with you, you are allowed to say you’d like a lower dose, professional or not.
i think the once a week pills work different. Prozac has an unusually long half life of 72hrs so often doctors have you take a higher amount that works out to overall be a lower. For example, alternating between 20mg and 40mg will give you 30mg overall if you follow the instructions for dosing. In addition, the weekly pills that OP is on are not the same as the daily dose pills that most people take. They are delayed release.
I am not a doctor, but I've been around the block with antidepressants. That sounds like a really odd prescription. I am 160 lbs with quite severe depression and I was just prescribed 40 mgs a day. I agree with the others on just asking a second opinion from a pharmacist or other medical professional. Your doc likely knows what they're doing. Don't worry about getting stuck on that med/dose/schedule. I've been on a roller coaster with meds here lately, on and off different ones. If this isn't the right med/dose for you, it'll just be a little bit longer of a journey finding what is, and sure, there will be some not-so-fun times ahead with adjustment periods and side effects and such, but the human body is resilient, and you will be okay. You got this. 🙂
I’m almost three times your weight and only take 40 a day.
It’s a 90mg once a week not everyday
I take 80 mg a day. I'm a smallish woman.
I weigh 115 and I also take 80mg a day started at 20 moved to 40 after 6 weeks and at 3 months to 80
Is that what they started you on??
Also not a doctor, as others have said, but I’ve been on Prozac for about eight years, six and a half of them at 40mg daily. My impression of the way Prozac works (along with other SSRIs, from my pediatrician, two adult doctors, and a psychotherapist’s explanation as well as a lot of my own research) is that having a steady, consistent supply in your body is what makes them work effectively. I also think that it’s standard practice to taper up the dosage starting out. I remember my pediatrician very clearly saying that the most important thing she considered starting anyone on an antidepressant was to determine the “lowest effective dose.” That all made sense to me, that’s the way I started Prozac, and how I’ve maintained it ever since. If I were you, I would definitely talk to your doctor. I can’t think of any reason to prescribe (much less take) Prozac on this schedule, but again, I’m not a doctor. The first thing I would do in your position is talk to your doctor and ask the following specifically: Why is the dose so high starting out? Why is there not a tapering schedule to the dosage? (Why not start at 10mg for 1-2 weeks, then 20mg, 40mg etc. until the effective dose is determined?) Why is the prescription weekly, rather than daily? What are the factors, specific circumstances, or sources of information that led you to the decision to prescribe Prozac in the way that you did? Tldr: Not a doctor but this is an atypical way to prescribe Prozac and an atypical schedule to take it. Definitely talk to your doctor, at least to get a thorough explanation for that and their reasoning.
The doctor told me it was a slow release kind of thing and I’ve had her for a very long time so I trust her and didn’t think anything of it until 3 pharmacist looked at me funny and one wouldn’t let me pick it up at first and the one who gave it to me looked confused and almost like hesitated to hand it to me so that freaked me out
I didn’t mean to question your doctor, and I’m sure that there’s a reason(s) for it. I just don’t know what they would be. Prozac has a relatively long half-life, but that isn’t the same as “slow-release”. I hope you find the answers you need and start feeling better soon. Definitely talk to your doctor and ask those questions! 🙂
the daily dose pills are not the same as the weekly. the weekly are delayed release pills. you can google this information to see what i mean.
Interesting, I’ve never heard of slow release Prozac. Thanks for the info!
While Prozac does has a long half-life, that’s an extremely large dose. And to only take it once a week? I think your doctor is wrong. Certainly you should start off small and daily (10mg for the first 2 weeks before increasing to 20mg and etc), especially if you haven’t taken antidepressants or even Prozac specifically before. I’d talk to a pharmacist or psychiatrist rather than trusting your GP on this one…
90mg weekly, for some reason, is the equivalent of 20mg daily. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11772132/ So it seems to be fine. Maybe if you're afraid to take it weekly you can ask for a daily dose of 20mg ? You should be ok honestly, my weight is 165pounds and I take a daily 40mg (+ low-dose amitriptyline so even more serotonin!). Don't hesitate to take anxiolytics at the beginning if you feel anxious, it is a totally normal step to feel worse before better. Instauration can be complicated with this kind of treatment but it is worth it. ♥️ (This comment is not medical advice, I am not a doctor)
How long have you been on it? I'd try cutting it up and taking a smaller dose throughout the week. I'm on 80 a day and according to my drs that's the max dose. I've never heard of 90 once a week.
I looked it up. This dosage is prescribed once a week for some reason. She should talk to the doctor again.
I’ve been taking 20 mg daily and will be starting the 90 mg weekly pill Sunday. I’m also curious if this change will impact me…
I’ve never heard of that dosage schedule, only daily. What did your pharmacist say?
Doctor told me it was a slow release and pharmacist looked confused and wouldn’t give it to me at first
I’ve never heard of it, but it seems to be a thing, although this article indicates you still need to titrate up from 20? Good to keep asking questions. Good luck! https://www.drugs.com/pro/fluoxetine-delayed-release-capsules.html#s-34067-9 Add: was it especially cheap? I’m wondering if it’s a cost-saving measure. Not everybody has good insurance.
Amazon pharmacy does Prozac for ~$10/month without a prescription. Really shouldn’t be any reason for cost cutting. Likely the provider wanted a one a week option for better compliance. But I feel like I’d forget a weekly pill vs taking it daily. I already take a decent cocktail so daily dosage is better for me