Share your stories: Prozac

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Thanks for sharing, Walrus. I was taking it in the morning for some time, and being knocked out severely. It was also making me teary and emotional initially. I decided taking it at bedtime was far better. I agree completely with you. I used to be so wrongly anti all drugs of this nature. I felt that if only people going through incredibly rough times could be removed from their usual life and find themselves in a cabin somewhere in the middle of nature, where they can have a complete change of routine, but still be productive, that maybe the environment could work its wonders in them. But, I learned first hand, that not even that truly could take away the effects I was experiencing. Sometimes, I think the damage to our souls can run far too deep to be helped with nature alone, unfortunately. So glad for you, that you have found something that works for you. I’m sorry that you had to go through that process, but glad you found the one that works best for you, eventually.

Thanks Rowan ... glad you were able to gradually come off of it and hope you’re doing well now.

You are stronger than I would have been, waiting it out. I’m pretty certain, I’d have wanted to take it as a way of easing any anxiety over the virus. It did cause fatigue initially, and I learned that taking it at night time was best. Hope if/when you do start it, you find it helpful for you.

Thanks jimmy - Having never been on any drug such as this before, I think I was willing to go through prolonged side effects, longer than a large percentage of people probably would. I couldn’t continue as I was, prior to the medication route, so I was willing to tolerate more. Fortunately, in my case, it seems to have paid off hugely. I can now enjoy life again and look forward to things, want to make future plans, can feel happiness. I couldn’t before.

Last edited by Juliette on 12 May 2020, 7:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

I agree that scepticism is good, but describing antidepressants as addictive drugs that simultaneously make you docile and aggressive, as some have in this thread, isn’t scepticism, it’s scaremongering. They’re taken by a very large proportion of the population and we don’t see huge amounts of violence resulting from them.

To the best of my knowledge, this is the most comprehensive review of antidepressant medication:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanc ... 40-6736(17)32802-7/fulltext

Of note, not only is fluoxetine more effective than placebo, it’s also more acceptable. Patients are less likely to stop taking it.

Other antidepressants are more effective but less acceptable. But if you’re one of the lucky ones who doesn’t have side effects, or has positive side effects, then taking these is usually preferable to taking fluoxetine.

So fluoxetine is a good “starter” antidepressant which is why it is so widely prescribed. It is the one where you are least likely to experience side effects. If it works then great, if not then you have to try a few different things to get what is right for you.

Thanks Aria - can understand it being tricky to know what’s helping and what’s not ... hope you’re doing well overall now. I think it’s hard for some people to understand why anyone would take certain medication. But, I can only speak for myself, and say it was an absolute last resort, and not one I ever thought I’d even consider. It takes certain factors to even consider putting yourself through the process of even approaching a GP about such issues, let alone trialling a drug you’ve got initial concerns about. The one thing I did find with prozac, was that my driving was effected for awhile. In fact, I didn’t dare drive while adjusting to it. It meant I knew no fear whatsoever for a bit, as has been written about by many. I was careful not to put anyone at risk on the road, but definitely noted differences in the way I drove, once I did venture out. It’s been an interesting process, that’s for sure.

Thanks Jakki - I used to use natural remedies, such as garlic to act as a natural anti-biotic, still use Manuka honey for sore throats, lemon & herbal tea drinks when unwell etc, Vit C & D supplements when needed(no-one in the UK is said to receive enough Vit D, for example, due to the lack of sunshine overall here.

It’s important to point out that some people simply don’t respond to traditional pharmacological approaches. In people who are the least responsive (treatment-resistant) to medications, the physiological effect of GABA in the brain tends to be at its lowest.

For anyone interested in learning more, I took the following information from PsychNews back in 2010, and it’s been updated and remains relevant today...

GABA receptors are known to be dysfunctional in some people. The GABA neurotransmitter and its receptors are involved in many different brain functions. Imbalances in GABA also are relevant to bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorder.

The GABA neurotransmitter and its receptors are critical to how humans think and act, Dr. Levinson adds. “We apply so many conscious and unconscious perceptions and judgments to our actions at every second, without even realizing that we are doing so,” she says.

“GABA is part of the brain system that allows us to fine-tune our moods, thoughts, and actions with an incredible level of detail.:”

“It’s a little like driving a car. You need the accelerator, but at every stage you need the brakes to work. Some of our neurotransmitters apply the spark and the gas to the engine, and GABA supplies the brakes,” she says.

“GABA provides the necessary inhibitory effect that we need in order to block out excessive brain activity that in depression may lead to excessive negative thinking.”

Source: https://psychcentral.com/news/2010/03/03/new-drug-strategy-for-depression/11825.html

Good advice Jakki, on being cautious when considering taking supplements in conjunction with prescribed meds.

Some Over-The-Counter (OTC) supplements may interact with prescription medications or be affected by them. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any herbal or OTC supplement while on medication.
Most governments do not require dietary supplement makers to demonstrate the safety or effectiveness of their products. Ask your healthcare provider for advice on selecting a brand.

I'm doing alright, I would say all things considered. Just last week, we upped the Cymbalta dose and while it has only been a few days, I'd say that has helped too. I never really had the choice to take medication as I was put on Zoloft around age 8. I've never been without psychiatric medication since then.

btw had been using increasing dosages of prozac for at least 5 yrs ,,mostly cause was so scrambled do the ptsd . That only thing could do was trust the doctors . But thankfully the worst that had happened and recovered from was some minor seizures , given the variety of varous things they had tried . So when reralised that safer methods that had been used on me long before had worked quite well ,, went back to the amino acids , that helped me so well, and variety of other normal daily supplements , now including Vit D aswell these days .

TY btw Juliette

Can anyone tell me why I don't get notifications of replies any longer?

I was forced to go on it at nine. It did nothing but make me physically sick.

My first response was lost when the site had a "Little Moment" when I pressed "Save" so here a couple of ays late is take 2.

There was no alternative medicine following ending with the SSRI. The circumstances were those where the depression was predominantly "Reactive" rather than a long term result of particular brain chemical supply. The episode which made it necessary was at the end of a rather "Demanding" period of time which included an ill advised intimate relationship I had not sought and extricating therefrom, being shut on an intimate relationship I had desired as a result of the preceding, a period of general economic uncertainty, including my own employer, and in the last year of the period a family in my friends' circle was getting serious harassment in the area to which they had moved, another person ending in an unpleasant custody dispute with their ex after simmering difficulties for the preceding years and then death of my father and work completing his affairs, and exhaustion grew imperceptibly until by day three of the cycling holiday I had taken in May 1995 having completed sorting my late father's affairs, mood etc all came crashing down on waking each morning and I reached a part at the middle of that third day I just could not go any further, abandon the tour and spend some weeks with my mother signed off work.

It was the family doctor who had known me since age seven who started putting me back together, and I left with a prescription for one of the very well tested "Tri-Cyclic" antidepresents, which did its job quite well, breaking up the mood of despair first thing into good healing tears after a few days. After a consultation with local specialist to whom GP had referred me, prescription was changed to an SSRI type, and things worked themselves through pretty much as described.

There was some underlying depression, which I now put down to the only approximate fit between an (un-diagnosed) aspie profile and the world in general.

I had a second episode five years later. That was again partly exhaustion based, this time working away for two and a half years in Northern Ireland and again the last straw being a second period of uncertainty in my day job.

Difference on that occasion was having done more than a little studying around meditation and mindfulness, and applying the methods to the anxiety episode which would strike during that period proved a successful means of managing them and allowing things to gradually heal themselves in the background. Both the company doctor who signed me off and my own GP were willing to keep a prescription ready to be written as a backup while I worked through the condition using my meditation and awareness practice and sense of humour as primary medicine.

Thanks Rowan, for returning to try again after the "Little Moment".

You were going through alot! It seems to be that often it's not just one thing, but a series of multiple things going wrong, one after the other, that has this effect on people. So glad that the Doc you've known since a child, was there to assist. Once the world's a healthier place again, which may be some time coming, I'm looking forward to taking a bicycle in a mini motor home on my own and travelling for a few weeks, finally seeing a bit more of England and the coastline. I've been a workaholic for as long as I can remember and it always catches up with me. Sounds like you're doing well to manage using meditation, mindfulness, and humour, with medication as required. You are self managing admirably from the sound of it, and being undiagnosed, and dealing with life, as so many do, you have my respect.

I was on 20 mg of fluoxetine for a few years for anxiety and depression. It made me drowsy during the day (admittedly, I'm an insomniac), diminished my libido, and I often felt like I had a minor cold. Still, it really did help me manage my anxiety (helped kept me from freezing like a rabbit). I may well mention that I also seeing a therapist at the time.

I don't really have a story to tell. I'm on it currently. I really don't have any side effects to note but I wouldn't say it's made me feel all better. If I had side effects like a decreased libido, I wouldn't know as I have no idea what normal would be for me lol. Mostly it evens me out, makes me less irritable, and seems to limit the time that I am in a large depressive low.

Prozac was the first antidepressant I took, after my anxiety got too bad for me to function. I was on it for about a year, and remember very little about that year. I have the impression that it took the edge off the panic, but also "flattened" most other emotions too, leaving me dazed and apathetic. Didn't get much done that year. To be fair, I was in a very bad state to start with. They put me on Citalopram after that, which I hastily quit because it caused attacks of rage. Then Mirtazipine, which I've been taking for about 12 years now. It helps me sleep, which is a big deal- I've been insomniac since I was a toddler. Mirtazipine comes in 3 possible doses. I'm on the middle one, which is definitely working and doesn't have undesired effects on my emotions or motivation. Though it seems to have made my overeating worse. I was put up to the highest dose for a while last year, to help deal with meltdowns. It didn't help, and left me dazed with a perpetual headache.

Antidepressants seem to be really tempramental medicines- the effects of particular antidepressant vary drastically from person to person. Any half-way responsible doctor would want to keep a close eye on someone who's recently got a prescription for one. Elsewhere on Wrong Planet I heard from someone who was put on Citalopram after Prozac caused outbursts of rage, the other way round from my experience.