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Mental health

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Original poster

prozac - your experiences? good or bad welcome...

20 replies

americantrish · 29/03/2007 14:25

my gp recommended this for me..and i was wondering if anyone could (or would!) share their first-hand experiences...thanks

OP posts:

chirpygirl · 29/03/2007 18:06

I have taken fluoxetine (sp?!) which I was told is essentially the same. I was having panic attacks and had severe depression and agoraphobia brought on by witnessing something I wish I hadn't.

TBH I am not sure if it helped physically but knowing that I had taken something that was 'going to make me feel better' did make me feel better IYSWIM, but I also had counselling alongside it.

I think only you can decide if it will help you as it depends on why it has been prescribed, but if it is for depression/anxiety I would ask for counselling as well as it may just mask the problem instead of solving it.

niceglasses · 29/03/2007 18:08

Been on fluoxetine (prozac)'bout 6 or 7 months now. Initially it really helped and I felt a real boost. Lately, not so much, but I have had a bit of a bad patch. However, it worked for me, at least initially. I had much more energy and seemed a bit more positive. No real side effects - couldn't sleep well for first couple of weeks. Helps to take it early int eh morning I think. Best of luck.

wildwoman · 29/03/2007 18:08

I took Prozac breifly but it made me feel sick unless I was eating starchy carbs, I ended putting on 2 stone, didn't really help with my PND did it!
I also had Citralopram (sp?) which made me very jolly indeed, loved it wish I could get my hands on some now.

chocfull · 29/03/2007 18:21

My experience of Prozac was a really positive one. I felt better within about two weeks and had no adverse side effects. I was suffering very badly with depression at the time and had been for a long time and was feeling pretty desperate. In my case it lifted my spirits and I did feel much happier and at times I did have some very uncharacteristic bursts of energy. It got me back on an even keel.
I came off prozac after about 8 months, this was my own decision as I felt much better. I had no withdrawal symptoms at all. Don´t know if I was just lucky.

amateurmum · 29/03/2007 18:26

Found prozac had a very deadening effect - reduced the bad lows of depression but made my mood v similar all the time - not good, not bad IYSWIM. Now take citalopram and is v helpful for me slthough have real problems if I forget to take one - prozac was v easy to withdraw from.

wildwoman · 29/03/2007 18:40

Hi sorry , I have just re read my thread and cringed. If anyone feels that I am making light of depression etc I promise it wasn't my intention it's just my self depriciating sense of humour.

whywhywhy · 29/03/2007 18:51

I am a bit of a prozac queen- taken it for around 8 years with occasional doses of something else (Seroxat- really not good, lost my mind; Escitalopram- not much effect and got fat; Sertraline- imho just not very effective).I am a compulsive eater and worrier and both of those things were much better on Prozac.

There are drawbacks. I get a strange racing thoughts sort of sensation and sometimes start to gabble too much. You do feel somewhat of a shallower person- but as I am hysterically neurotic and overemotional naturally that wasn't too much of a drawback for me.

Am not on it now as pg, but expect to be once I have stopped bfing. During the bf period I am going to take Sertraline as apparently less of it passes through breast milk.

PersonalClown · 29/03/2007 18:55

Prozac worked wonders for me. Got me stable again after a really bad mood 'crash'. Never had a problem coming off them but I made other changes such as diet so I was not dependant on them.
I know a woman who's been on it for years but I suspect that she doesn't 'want' to become more stable. She enjoys the drama, sympathy etc of depression. (WHY?)

losty · 03/04/2007 19:29

bump - any more experiences?

Gobbledigook · 03/04/2007 19:34

My experience is similar to chocfull.

It will probably depend why you are being prescribed it and why you feel depressed (if you do). My depression had no obvious cause - there was nothing I felt stressed or unhappy about, but it got quite bad I'd say and I was losing weight because I wasn't eating properly. It didn't take long to have an effect but it could have been psychological - perhaps I immediately felt better simply because I was given something that I was told would help iyswim. I would imagine that if there is an issue that's leading you to feel depressed, Prozac may well help but it's not going to solve the underlying problem.

My experience was positive though. Nothing negative that I can remember (it was about 15 years ago!).

Original poster

americantrish · 04/04/2007 10:33

thanks everyone....

OP posts:

dejags · 04/04/2007 10:36

bad.

I was prescribed this for PND. It left me a wreck. I couldn't eat, sleep or function.

After 12 days of no food, I nearly collapsed and the doctor realised that it wasn't the right drug for me.

Original poster

americantrish · 04/04/2007 10:37

my GP Rx'd it to me for depression caused by martial problems & stress, also for anxiety. i'm still yet to fill the Rx though. i'm on my surgery's waiting list for counselling which could, in theory, be months.

my biggest worry (and i told my GP this) is that i will gain weight while on it. (food/eating issues are another thing i deal with and i kind of made that clear to my GP)

OP posts:

AlwaysWatchingCastawayAt2am · 29/04/2007 01:22

i have a related question. i was prescribed fluoxetine by psychiatrist for 'phobic anxiety disorder' in dec 05 and have been taking it ever since (on 20mg a day). as well as stopping being frightened i am now a glass-half-full person, having absolutely always been the g-h-empty type beforehand. (although i am a bit sad today that is different it is a sad anniversary)

question - is there any reason why i should stop taking them?

AlwaysWatchingCastawayAt2am · 29/04/2007 01:23

oh and i have gained 2 stone since taking it. but i have also stopped crapping myself with fear 3 times a day...

essbeebonkers · 29/04/2007 01:26

Message withdrawn

mummytosteven · 29/04/2007 19:08

always .... as ever with these questions all depends on the individual and their history of illness. I.e. does the risks/side effects of taking the medication outweigh the risk of relapse, so would really be a question to discuss with your GP/psychiatrist. If you have over a certain number of periods of relapses (IIRC 5) then there is quite an argument for staying on a low dose in the long term. (I think there would be more details about this on the website for royal college of psychiatrists).

I doubt I would be here today if I hadn't been prescribed Prozac in 2003. It's done wonders for me.

Upwind · 05/05/2007 16:37

I started on prozac about three months ago. Within about 48 hours I felt much better, suddenly aware of my surroundings again and able to focus, follow conversations, read etc.

Over the next few weeks I gradually went back to being my old self I regained my sense of humour, ability to sleep and to hold a train of thought. It had no effect whatsoever on my appetite and I have neither gained nor lost weight.

While it was an enormous help to me and turned my life around, I do believe it just masks the symptoms and I also tried counselling (seemed to make me feel worse). I then bought the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Dummies book and I feel that has been a huge help to me and I have sorted out a lot of issues.

A good thing too because I am now pg and coming off the prozac

divastrop · 05/05/2007 16:57

havent read all the posts but i have been on prozac (this time) since i was 12 weeks pregnant with my baby who is now 8 weeks old.i was also on it in my previous pregnancy(i suffered from AND in both).i found it helped alot both times,as i was feeling very down and couldnt see the point in anything,and it gave me enough of a lift to function again.

i found that i lost a bit of weight,but have never taken more than 20mg a day.my gp says that larger doses tend to cause weight gain.

i would say its good for giving you a kick up the a**e when you're very down,but i dont find it has any effect on my anxiety and paranoia etc.

Original poster

americantrish · 08/05/2007 12:05

been on prozac now a few weeks,... first 2 were hell with insomnia, now i am feeling generally numb to things. sunday was the first time i've cried since being on it (not like me at all!) and i've lost ambition to do things. i need to see my GP about switching AD's. its maybe working a bit too well for me..

OP posts:

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