Hi all. I'm new to this but have been very thankful many times this site exists to provide reassurance and hope.
My situation is 25 year old male (Australia) who has been suffering with panic attacks/severe anxiety/depression since September (has been a relapse). Diagnosed panic disorder with obsessional tendencies and co morbid depression. I was put on Fluoexetine 20mg six and a half weeks ago. I saw a psychiatrist just under 2 weeks ago who doubled my dose to 40mg and added 1mg a day of Risperidone (anti psychotic prescribed off label for anxiety and to augment SSRI). Felt improvements within 3 days that continued until day 9 of changed dose last week. I had a mostly panic free day that was really enjoyable last Thursday then had a huge panic attack on the way to dinner with friends i had to take half a 5mg Valium to calm down. Since then (4 days on) i have had heightened anxiety which has put me on the verge of panic attacks majority of the hours in my day and I've had one actual milder but still panic attack since Thursday. Do people think this would be from my body adjusting to 40mg? And also my psych has told me to continue on dose but add another .5mg of risperidone to my daily dose when panic sets in. I have a small amount of Valium I dont like to touch and dont want to get hooked on. Looking for information from anyone who has been through anything similar - mainly if you got attacks/more anxiety when increased dose of prozac and when it subsided thank you 
I forgot to mention I took Prozac 20mg to overcome same condition in 2012 when I first experienced the illness and this gave me 2 years of my life back. Doctor is inclined to think it will work again as a result but on this higher dose
Yes patrick. It will subside. I have never been over 30mg. But 10-20 for years. Every time I pumped up, I would get anxiety. I use clonopin to chill me out during those days until its gone. If not improved they just up your dose. Im trying Serzone for the first time, only 2 weeks into it...(im in hell mode) haha. Im hoping it will be better in 3-4 weeks as I start a new job.
Thanks for your reply Rob! It was disheartening because it didn't happen for the first nine days only improvements but then again it could have been the initial doses of risperidone really helping out.
Oh no, I hope it's over for you shortly and you're fit and fighting to start your new job in a few weeks time that will be great for you! How long did it usually take for your anxiety to reduce after the increase in dose? I've seen people post 2-3 before the body adjusts.
There will always be setbacks. But usually it’s two steps forward one step back. For me it takes about 2 to 3 months to fully recover. I have logged this process in the past and my dosages. I think it takes about 2 to 3 weeks after you increase your dose. But quite honestly everybody is different. And quite honestly I don’t think the doctors fully know around the world they just test you. For instance I run a lot and work out a lot, my fears have to do with body sensations. Other people are different so they may have other stories and phobias. So really everybody is on their own in someway. I am currently reading cbt4panic.com. Seems to be pretty standard but some interesting things about exposure but I think in the long run work. I also see that most doctors and publications usually talk about impatient and taking time. So my only advice for both of us is to just wait it out. Sucks
Yeah it feels like such a long time to get better but you've got to stay as positive as possible I guess or you're delaying the process further! I also do 45mins - 1hr of walking a day I find it helps so much even if only for a few hours of a bit of relief. Is anxiety what you mainly suffer with?
I'll have a read of that resource thanks alot. I've had a better day today then yesterday/last night panic wise so that's something. I did take a Valium though, thought I'm going to try not to completely suffer during the adjustment period if I don't have to.
I agree. I don’t think everyone should suffer during these periods of time. I didn’t take any Clonopin today to see if I could do some exposure and just deal with it at work. It was a rough day but I got through it.
Generalizing anxiery disorder ,something I’ve had for 25 years so sometimes one panic attack can snowball into a three month process or longer. It’s been a few years since I’ve had any major issues at this time I just went through a break up so it’s all coming out. I think I basically hyperventilated a little bit all day until I got to the gym. But who at least I’m not as afraid anymore and I think that’s the key to recovery. Dr. Harry Barry Is another good psychiatrist to look up online.