High Doses of Prozac...very high! - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Message Board

bondgrll · 06-04-2005, 08:53 PM

Hi all.

My husband has been prescribed what I feel to be HUGE doses of prozac...80 to 100MG per day for OCD and life long major depression. Has anyone had experiences to share on this type of dosing regimine. It worries me. THanks a lot. And he is being treated by a psychiatrist by the way, not a general doctor.

takeaguess18 · 06-06-2005, 04:18 AM

I'm not sure it's THAT high. The therapeutic dose range is 10-80mg (and doctors can prescribe over that, even then), I was on 60mg last year and I'd venture a guess that your husband is significantly heavier than me, since I'm 108lbs. Personally the drug didn't work for me, but I didn't have major side effects at this dose either. It really depends on the individual though, I'm on Remerol now and I get a lot of side effects with this, but it works!

He shouldn't be being started on a dose that high though - have they just stepped it up from a smaller dose?

sobs · 06-06-2005, 04:52 AM

Ah Prozac. Several years ago when it was the "wonder drug", I was started at 20 mgs.. It had no effect. So, after about 10 weeks, it was raised to 40, then 60. About 6 weeks after being on 60, I went to the doctor and he asked how I was doing. I said, "You tell me. Someone could walk in here right now and tell me that my whole family had just died, and I don't think I'd care less." That high of a dose for me made me totally apathetic. There was nothing I cared about. I was totally emotionless.

I think your husband's doctor is trying to help your husband. 80mg, is the high dose, but there are people who take that much. Just be watchful for any changes with your husband, and if you see any, make a list, and discuss them on your next visit. Or, of course, if they are bad symptoms, like suicidal, call the doc asap!!!

Also, as a side note, the two times that I took prozac, as I weaned off of it, and for a few weeks later, I was homicidal. I didn't go out for weeks.

You know your husband better than anyone, and everyone responds differently to meds, depending on weight, other meds, diet, etc. Just be watchful, as you would any other time!!!

hry33 · 06-07-2005, 06:10 PM

100 from a psych isnt unusual, but you need to know that sometimes prozac can stop working or can never work at all at any dose for a person

burninator · 06-14-2005, 12:29 AM

well getting the meds from a psych is a good thing, i haven't met a gp yet that knows much about crippling depression. i was just recently on 80 mg, but i'm taking myself off of it, because it's doing nothing for me, and because quitting a high dosage abruptly isn't good for your system. 100 is on the higher dosage end, but depending on displayed symptoms, a lot of docs will use their discretion and prescribe higher if they feel it's warranted. really if you have concerns, talk to your husband, or maybe have a group session with him and the therapist; this can be very helpful for understanding why the dosage is the way it is, and how aggressive they are being with the treatment. if prozac isn't working, look into Effexor (venlafaxine hcl xr); it's what i've been on for the past...i dunno, since it came out, and it's good for those who are 'treatment resistant' (ie nothing even in high doses seems to be working) i swear by it.