Has anyone ever taken Prozac?

[criticizedveggi]

I take antidepressants to get better energy during the day. When I'm off of them I'm like a zombie or on auto-pilot and constantly tired. I took Welbutrin, but they gave me stomach problems, but it worked. So my doctor switched me to Prozac. I have been on it for one week now. I don't feel any different. If you have taken it... How long did it take to feel the effects? Did you have any side effects?

[hoodedclawjen]

i took prozac for depression for a few years, i guess it'd be 10 to 15 years ago now. it took me about 2 weeks to a month to feel the effects of it- then i sort of felt a little numb and detached, like i was watching the world through a window.

it made everything feel a bit more tollerable and less raw in my mind and emotionally, but also made things feel a little flat and grey and cloudy as aposed to my prior periods of chaotic black storms and then small patches of sunshine. i didn't notice any change in energy levels- i was always pretty fatigued while on it.

i was told to expect a month to feel any real changes from an antidepressant- i mean changes that last and continue, as aposed to short term side effects. i think its worth considering that medicines can effect everyone differently too.

thinking about it though, modified release venlafaxine hydrochloride (effexor) definately helped my energy levels, in a way. right away when i first took that i was totally wired and jittery. i could definately feel that one, and i feel that long term it gave me a bit of a physical boost (wired isn't the same as perky though- i still felt tired, but like i was slightly overstimulated- buzzing and antsy and fidgety and needed to keep moving).

effexor is horrendous to withdraw from though, so i'd not reccomend anyone use it unless your life is seriously unbearable without it, and unless you're prepared to either stay on it forever, or feel like hell for a good couple weeks/months slowly coming off it (i dealt with shaking, dizziness, nausea, sleep deprivation, loss of appetite, emotional and physical jitters, inability to focus your eyes, brain or stand up straight!). if you ever take it, don't even think about quitting it cold turkey.

thinking about it now scares me, actually. i know antidepressants are amazing drugs, and save peoples lives, but they're strong stuff, not to be sniffed at (or snorted!).

[rabid_child]

I was on it when I was 14 (so... 13 yrs ago?). It made me feel inhuman. My days alternated between being more severely depressed than I was when I started, to being almost hyper for short bursts. It made me extremely sick to my stomach, and I could go days without eating more than a bite or two. I lost a bunch of weight, then when I stopped taking it, I gained a bunch of weight. My stomach and metabolism never recovered. I wouldn't take it again if someone paid me.

Then again... there are people who benefit from antidepressants, and as a clinician, I can't say they're all bad. I don't think I needed them however (as a minor, you don't have a say in these things), and I know I responded extremely bad to them.

[Thalia]

SSRIs are totally different from Wellbutrin, so I would guess that Prozac will not help you if Wellbutrin did. I had a sort of similar experience as hcj above with zoloft which is very similar. It totally blunted my emotions, motivation, and passion. SSRIs have been linked with something called amotivational syndrome, especially in adolescents and young adults. I had this and I feel like I lost 3-4 years of my life.

Wellbutrin (and now strattera) helped me much better. It might be worthwhile trying wellbutrin again, titrating up much more slowly and using the slow release. Also, you must take with food. These side affects will often go away. Strattera caused me to feel very nauseated if I didn't eat enough, and other side effects did not go away for the first several months. Now, I am very glad I stuck with it- no side effects.

Hopefully it will help you. But if if causes the amotivational syndrome, you will notice but not motivated to make your doctor take you off it!! So please tell your friends and family to watch your personality and give you honest feedback and to encourage you if you seem to lose your old positive personality. It really depends on the person what you'll experience.

I highly recommend http://www.depressionforums.org/ for reading about other people's experiences on different drugs. Often you will experience something your doc has never read about. Well that's because it's not common enough for the company to report, or the patients in the trials didn't describe it properly, or their sample was too small. Go to these forums, and there will often be other people with the same experience!

[berrykat]

I took prozac it made me very hyper,efexor made me feel like barfing all the time now I take zoloft.

[Kiz]

I take fluoxetine (prozac). The difference in my life is huge. Enough that not only I notice, but those who know me well can tell if I've gone off it and the problems are back.

It can take two or three weeks to start kicking in, either no effect or you are up or down, but generally it's a couple of weeks before I notice any effects. I, personally, have never had a side effect from fluoxetine, it's all been 100% positive for me, but I know other people have experienced them.

[Thalia]

I guess all these different experiences are a good example of how different people are! That's why even though I've had bad experiences, I've never decided to be categorically against any drug.

[Hang~Ten~Honey]

Prozac was a nightmare for me. It almost killed me. Or I would have killed someone else while on it. I took it for a little over three months in 2005.

I became paranoid and would sit in a chair in my livingroom for hours just staring and I'd get up and pace the room. I lost my memory, my ability to organize and my ability to process information. I also lost all my ability to feel emotions...I didn't care about animals, my friends, family, my passions. The only thing I felt was rage. After the third month on it I started to feel just absolute seething but calm rage. And I couldn't figure out why. I wasn't mad AT anything that I could think of. My bf was urging me to get off of it and so I went back to my dr and she put me on Welbutrin in addition to the prozac to try and "perk me up". It didn't make me feel any better and finally she took me off of both and I got on something else.

I have taken loads of anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds and NONE have made me feel any better except for Ativan. The Anafranil helped a bit. I seem to get the worst side-effects from them. I've been on Pamelor, Elavil, Celexa, Paxil, Prozac, Welbutrin, Cybalta, Lexapro, Effexor XR, Anafranil, Trazadone, Klonopin, Ativan, Ambien, and Valium. :dizzy:

It's crazy how different people react to the same drug. Most of these drugs have left me clinging to life. I am on nothing but ativan now as I dropped the Effexor and Anafranil I was taking when I had my last breakdown. I know that I need to go back to a psych to possibly get back on the Anafranil but I don't ever want to be put back on another SSRI again.

[Hang~Ten~Honey]

effexor is horrendous to withdraw from though, so i'd not reccomend anyone use it unless your life is seriously unbearable without it, and unless you're prepared to either stay on it forever, or feel like hell for a good couple weeks/months slowly coming off it (i dealt with shaking, dizziness, nausea, sleep deprivation, loss of appetite, emotional and physical jitters, inability to focus your eyes, brain or stand up straight!). if you ever take it, don't even think about quitting it cold turkey.

I did the foolish thing and went off Effexor XR cold turkey. I had been taking it for about 6 months and I got sick with the flu and started missing days because I was sleeping a lot. Then because I was missing days and feeling loopy and I was in a really unhealthy state personally, I decided to stop taking it on my own. I got the brain zaps, the shakiness, and a bad case of the crazies. I even called my boss up one day and quit my job, over the phone! And I can't even tell you what I said because I don't remember the conversation. In fact, I don't remember a huge chunk of the summer because of the horrible withdrawls I had from it. It took a few more months before I felt balanced again and when I finally regained my sanity everyone told me how clear I finally sounded, unlike how I was while on the Effexor.

But I've read and heard many people say how they have tried to get off of it and it was too much to take so they feel stuck on it forever. That's absolutely the scariest part about being a guinea pig for these pharm companies. You never know what you are getting yourself into.

[Black Heart]

I was on it for only a month because of the side effects it gave me. I was dizzy, shaky, nauseaous and threw up a lot and I lost my appetite.

[criticizedveggi]

Well, I have been taking it for a week now. Hopefully I will start to feel something. Because, I'm still very tired. It is hard to get motivated to do my school work. Argh... Welbutrin worked so well. I just had horrible stomach pains. They doctors thought I had a stomach ulcer, but it was just my medicine. Hopefully, I'll find a medicine that works for me. But, I have to give this Prozac a chance.

Thanks for answering guys!!!

[Iria]

This thread is terrifying me. I'm seeing a doctor later this week for a variety of problems I've been having and I know I might have depression. If I end up being prescribed something, now I'm going to have to quiz the doctor on all the possible side effects.

"Well, you see... I've been reading this thing on the Internet with stories of drugs gone wrong..." :lol:

[hoodedclawjen]

This thread is terrifying me. I'm seeing a doctor later this week for a variety of problems I've been having and I know I might have depression. If I end up being prescribed something, now I'm going to have to quiz the doctor on all the possible side effects.

"Well, you see... I've been reading this thing on the Internet with stories of drugs gone wrong..."

Hey... i just wanted to say please don't be terrified, but instead be wisely cautious but also openminded, ask questions, educate yourself and weigh your options- like you would with any medical treatment.

In my mind, (as someone who has dealt with depression, and been prescribed and used a range of different antidepressants, over about 10 to 15 years) antidepressants are amazing drugs. I know that they can save peoples lives, and that short term and long term they can make dramatic differences to people with various medical needs. I've seen that they're also very strong drugs, with significant effects- which obviously can be both positive and negative in individual cases.

While they can be very beneficial, i feel that antidepressants are also sometimes seen by some doctors and some patients as a quicker or easier 'fix' for a problem than perhaps they might realistically be- by some people its perhaps seen as easier to use packet of pills like a bandaid to patch up a problem, than getting to the root of a complex issue and working longer term on resolving it.

If your doctor suspects or diagnoses depression, remember that there are LOTS of options open to you, just like there could be lots of reasons behind your illness. don't be afraid to ask questions, voice your opinions, and make your own desisons about your treatment.

For example: depression can sometimes be situational, and helped by a change of job, home environment, or activity. sometimes taking up a sport or voluntary work, being part of a more positive social circle/relationship, feeling like you have something positive to focus on, that you are making a difference to someone/something else, or that you have a reason to get out of bed in the morning, etc can make a real differance. Similarly, so can slowing down, focused relaxation, and making time and space to breathe and look after yourself, if you're doing too much and spreading yourself too thinly.

Depression can be a result of life experience and learning, and helped by various types of therapy to confront the past, and a plan to build a different future- therapy to build esteem, confidence, more positive patterns and thoughts, and to figure out new ways of dealing with and handling challenges can be an excellent tool.

Depression can be hormonal, or caused by a chemical imbalance, or one of many other medical conditions or illnesses - there could be something else completely different thats going on in your body thats bringing you down, and in some cases, fixing that (eg: improving your quality of life if you have a debilitating condition- sorting out your hormones if they're outta whack), could solve your depression.

in lots of cases treatment with pills can be the answer, in lots of cases pills to help you cope for the short term, and making other changes long term are the answer, in lots of cases councelling, or help to make life and personal changes- without pills, will make a big difference.

remember that depression is different for everyone, and so is the solution to managing it. :)

[Thalia]

This thread is terrifying me. I'm seeing a doctor later this week for a variety of problems I've been having and I know I might have depression. If I end up being prescribed something, now I'm going to have to quiz the doctor on all the possible side effects.

"Well, you see... I've been reading this thing on the Internet with stories of drugs gone wrong..." :lol:If you are not going to see a psychiatrist and the doctor wants to prescribe an anti-depressant, consider seeing a psychiatrist first. (or take their prescription but start seeing one asap.)

General practitioners prescribe a large proportion of anti-depressants, and a lot of it is because it takes a long time to see a psychiatrist, or some people need medicine right away or don't like the stigma of psychiatrists. And likewise, see a psychologist in addition to a psychiatrist if necessary. Psychiatrists only talk to you 15-30 minutes per visit (which is still more than your GP will), and it's not about your life or behavioral therapy, it's about the medicine and tweaking it.

But Psychiatrists have far better expertise and can know what questions to ask and when to switch from one med to another, etc. than GPs.

This article says GPs prescribe 70% of antidepressants in the US.
http://www.healthyplace.com/lexapro/depression/prescribing_antidepressants.asp

[rabid_child]

If you are not going to see a psychiatrist and the doctor wants to prescribe an anti-depressant, consider seeing a psychiatrist first. (or take their prescription but start seeing one asap.)


I agree with this wholehardedly. I don't think non-psychiatrists should be legally allowed to prescribe anti-depressants. (I also don't think you should be allowed to take them without some sort of therapy either, at least at first... since there are a lot of effective non-medication therapies for depression) But GP's don't know bunk about mental health meds.

[criticizedveggi]

well i think i'm depressed, obviously. but, if i go to a psychiatrist (spell?) what are we going to talk about? i have no idea why i'm like this! do they help you figure it out?

[Kiz]

Counselling and psychiatry did bugger all for me. Prozac worked wonders. Most of the problems relating to my depression were physical ones (such as alternating hypersomnia/insomnia) and not so much emotional ones. Depression doesn't always mean feeling down in the dumps.

[Life2k]

Counselling and psychiatry did bugger all for me. Prozac worked wonders. Most of the problems relating to my depression were physical ones (such as alternating hypersomnia/insomnia) and not so much emotional ones. Depression doesn't always mean feeling down in the dumps.

Same with me exactly. I never felt sad, I was just wanting to sleep all the time, but I never could sleep deeply. God bless Prozac.

[Thalia]

well i think i'm depressed, obviously. but, if i go to a psychiatrist (spell?) what are we going to talk about? i have no idea why i'm like this! do they help you figure it out?Psychiatrists monitor meds and look for possible physical reasons for your illness like hypothyroidism, etc.

[criticizedveggi]

Same with me exactly. I never felt sad, I was just wanting to sleep all the time, but I never could sleep deeply. God bless Prozac.

That is what is wrong with me. I'm hyperinsomnia.

[Life2k]

The basis of my depression is chemical, uncurable, but the treatment is very successfull. Mine was stress aggravated, some inherited, Mom had chronic fatigue syndrome, then there was self pressure--I wanted to be the perfect teacher in my own eyes and didn't have the energy to do it, so I was very hard on myself. I just wished I had started taking Prozac earlier.

[rabid_child]

well i think i'm depressed, obviously. but, if i go to a psychiatrist (spell?) what are we going to talk about? i have no idea why i'm like this! do they help you figure it out?

A psychiatrist generally doesn't do therapy. They just prescribe, regulate, monitor, etc... medications. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who knows tons about psychiatric meds.

A clinical psychologist or a social worker is more likely to to do talk therapy.

If your only symptom is sleeping a lot, you don't meet diagnostic criteria for depression.

[Hang~Ten~Honey]

A psychiatrist generally doesn't do therapy. They just prescribe, regulate, monitor, etc... medications. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who knows tons about psychiatric meds.

A clinical psychologist or a social worker is more likely to to do talk therapy.

If your only symptom is sleeping a lot, you don't meet diagnostic criteria for depression.

And a GOOD psychiatrist will ask you to talk about what's going on in your life and get a good background history. They will ask about your family, your parents, siblings, etc. They will ask about your living situation, your love life, your medical history. What ever they feel they need to know in order to treat you. Make sure and be honest with them as much as possible because if you lie or omit information then they might not be able to help you as well. A GOOD psychiatrist will give you time to talk about your issues and your concerns and then will discuss treatment options with you. I've had some really good drs and some really bad ones. The really bad ones hardly ask me any questions about myself and what I am having problems with. Then they try and push a diagnosis and medication on me.

A typical first appointment should be about 50-60 minutes long. The bad drs I have had had me in and out within 20, which in my opinion is not enough time to get to know me and my issues. It might take going to a few different drs to find the right one for you. If you don't feel heard or respected, then find another dr.

[criticizedveggi]

I don't sleep alot. I'm very tired during the day. I have a hard time trying to stay awake during my classes. My eyes burn all day. But, if I did go take a nap, I would sleep until tomorrow. I did so well on Welbutrin. I was able to wake up during the day and not press my snooze button. So, I called my doctor because I had been taking my medicine for a week now. I don't feel any different. So he told me to take it every other day???????????

[Life2k]

How much are you taking?