Prozac Good or Bad?

[bored1]

Ive watched family members on this drug for several years and I have begun to wonder if there lives are any better than before the drugs or do the drugs just mask reality.Im leaning towards believing that they mask reality----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Never refuse to hold your childs hand,As the day will come when they no longer reach out.

 

[hatara]

If It's Not Working They Need to Try Something Else

Honey if Prozac is not improving the people who are on it and it has been a while they need to tell their doctor it's not working and have the medication changed.

If the doctor refuses they need to find a new doctor!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Moridin187]

Prozac, and all those other drugs..

I didn't like them.. They change you, change who you are... They turned me into a zombie.. I'd prefer to be full of pain and depression, at least I'm still Me.

 

[bored1]

I was on Zoloft in the early 90s It took away my ability to feel,I too was a Zombie. I decided I would rather live with the ups and downs of life.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Always look for the positive in bad situations---------------------

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Not sure about Prozac, but Paxil has been a lifesaver for me. It reduces my anxiety level without making me feel like a zombie, and allows me to feel more comfortable with being "myself"!

 

[CeceliaSkye]

www.prozactruth.com

 

[Georgia Girl]

I too spent my time on medication for depression and finally made the decision it was not for me. The things I was trying to block with the medicine I needed to feel, I had to experience that pain in order to grow and to learn.

So the decision of good or bad is a personal one. If the medication is not helping but merely baffling the onslaught of emotion that can help until you are strong enough to deal with it or in other cases where it is a more profound situation you need the medicine. Maybe what they are taking is not what they should be taking, there are many different ones available. Effexor is good as well.

Dawn

 

[Roc]

Prozac, and all those other drugs..

I didn't like them.. They change you, change who you are... They turned me into a zombie.. I'd prefer to be full of pain and depression, at least I'm still Me.

I know exactly how you feel

 

[fgarvb1]

I was in on prozac testing at the "place" i was staying, after a couple of weeks i was interveiwed about how prozac was affecting me. I told them the truth. no effect what so ever that i coud feel. The "Doc" and the head nurse asked some very pointed questions about my sex drive and any difference from taking prozac. When they got around to asking me in plain english if i was any hornier i replied " Hell, i've been that way all my life! Until i was eighteen years old i thought it was a bone!"

Doc busted out hee hawing and the head nurse was laughing so hard i thought we were going to have to give her oxygen. She at one pont almost fell out of her chair.

 

[ksmybuttons]

The intention of psychotropic medication is to get you to a point that you can do your work with a counselor. What I see is that people just take the drug and don't do the work.

I also know that some depression is organic and needs to be treated. I just don't know if SSRI's are the best choice. I lean more towards diet...much more difficult than swallowing a pill every morning.

SSRI's, which include prozac, are so over used. The effects of long term usage isn't known AND the stuff is so expensive! Until brain chemistry is better known, I am not going to use something long term to change it...other than occasional alcohol and marijuana.

 

[teresafannin]

I don't know much about Prozac, my dad was on it for awhile & he seemed to be so out of it. I am not sure what he takes now, but the last time I saw him, he was doing much better. He was diagnosed with clinical depression in 1998. Without the medication, I don't know if he would have survived the deaths of 3 of his grandchildren & cancer surgery in 1999. I take 20mg of Paxil every day & it has helped me immensely. My therapist and my doctor have monitered me closely & I may go off the medication in July, it will depend on how I handle some things that are coming up. A woman whose son was killed the same night as my son took Zoloft for awhile & had some bad side effects, including feeling numb all the time. I think with any kind of meds, the doctors need to moniter the patient, to see what works and what doesn't.

 

[Guest]

Hatara 's on the mark here. Actually, everyone is really........

 

[sigh]

this topic is painful and very personal to me...you see, my son is on prozac, resperdal and adderall and the burden of that weighs entirely on me...i'm a pharmacist...i know the potential for side effects...i know we don't know the long term effects of these drugs because they just haven't been out that long...i know they can alter my child's personality...i know they are overused

but my son has been diagnosed not once, but three times by leading, independent interdisciplinary teams as being autistic...recently i withdrew him from public school because they couldn't manage his behaviors and their solution was to lock him down in a restricted setting without any meaningful interventions

so i said no to that and set out to find a different solution...i changed pediatricians...the one we now see has an autistic child of his own and has lived through all the tough questions i'm faced with now...from him i get experience, expertise, sympathy and empathy

together we've set out upon a chemical quest and it's tearing me up inside

but i can't deny the fact that my son has a developmental problem in his brain and without chemical intervention he simply can't gain control of his life...anxiety and frustration bubble up within him until he loses all restraint...he kicks and hits and screams so loudly that my ears ring for hours afterwards...i've been bruised and had my eyes blackened...i've cried many hours, praying for a child who can't help but hurt his mom

so please don't summarily dismiss these medications as bad...i agree that lazy physicians prescribe them indiscriminately, and i know that pharmaceutical companies market them to within a fraction of breaking FDA regulations, and i'm aware that greed in the marketplace has led to devastating results in the lives of innocents

but these drugs have a place, and they do work, and they are changing lives for the better...since i've started the regimen, my son's daily (sometimes hourly) outbursts have dwindled to a mere handful over the past few weeks...more importantly he smiles more, talks more and functions far better out in the world...this evening he ordered his own food in a restaurant that i would have been afraid to take him to just a few months ago

i'm still scared though...only time will tell if i've made the right choices, and it's the quality of my son's life that hangs in the balance if i chose wrongly

judge me not harshly...i'm trying to save my son

 

[SexuallyGifted]

I dont know if it's good or bad, but I am willing to try it

 

[alexandraaah]

I would never judge someone taking prescribed medication...they're only trying to get better. Prozac is pretty user friendly as far as anti-depressants are concerned. If you ever feel like a "zombie" you should no longer take the drug. As far as "masking" real feelings...that could be a defense as well as trying to let a drug solve your problems. In my opinion, only the MOST irresponsible psychiatrist or MD would prescribe psychotropics in the absence of therapy.

 

[alexandraaah]

sigh...i wish there was a magic pill for your son.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

sigh...i wish there was a magic pill for your son.

I echo that thought, sigh. I cannot imagine the pain you are feeling, and I hope you will find the right drugs to allow your son the life he deserves.

Paxil has been helpful to me with my conditions and I would never continue with the treatment if I felt it was masking my feelings. It just eases the anxiety enough so that you can fight through tasks and life in general. I feel myself more accurately now thanks to my treatment and meds.

 

[hatara]

sigh Stay Strong Hun

sigh you are doing the best that you can for your son. I know it hurts but you are doing everything possible in his best interest.

Far from judging you I will pray for you both. You and your son will not have an easy life. But just know that you are doing your best and what you are doing is only out of love and concern for your child. No one can ever ask more than that. This is probably harder on you than anyone else and that just makes you a wonderful Mom. hugggggggggsssssssss

 

[MissTaken]

My thoughts are with you sigh.

I would have to agree with Ksmy who said that psychotropic meds are to be used to help someone do the "real" work in therapy. For some, the nature of and behaviors associated with their mental health issues are the biggest obstacles to treatment.

I have seen some use paxil, prozac and other meds with great success.

I have also many children misdiagnosed and placed on ritilan simply because their behavior is challenging.

I have seen adults and children use meds as a crutch. i.e. the eight year old who says, "I didn't take my pill this morning so I am having a bad day."

However, when meds are warranted and used properly they can work well to improve a person's quality of life and ability to benefit from treatment.

Anytime I have worked with someone who felt like a "zombie" on meds, I have chased their ass to the doctor for a med review. The proper med isn't working if it changes who you are.

 

[Jimi]

Psycho -Tropicana

My thoughts are with you sigh.

I would have to agree with Ksmy who said that psychotropic meds are to be used to help someone do the "real" work in therapy. For some, the nature of and behaviors associated with their mental health issues are the biggest obstacles to treatment.

I have seen some use paxil, prozac and other meds with great success.

I have also many children misdiagnosed and placed on ritilan simply because their behavior is challenging.

Working with a youth group - I've seen this all too often... Medics and parents not willing to take the extra time... or go the extra mile.

...However, when meds are warranted and used properly they can work well to improve a person's quality of life and ability to benefit from treatment.

Anytime I have worked with someone who felt like a "zombie" on meds, I have chased their ass to the doctor for a med review. The proper med isn't working if it changes who you are.

That last statement, MissT - is the most sane and compassionate advice re: SSRI's and other pscychotropics that I've seen for some time... Well said!

Jimi

We are healthy when we remember that all of us put on our trousers one leg at a time...

 

[Gingersnap]

Antidepressants must be used in conjunction with pyschotherapy in order for a lasting effect to be obtained. These drugs are not meant for the person who is feeling "blue". If your problems could be cured with two aspirin and two weeks of vacation then those drugs are not for you. These drugs should be ordered and monitered by a knowledgable professional who provides the client with a plan of care to deal with the underlying depression. It should have the patient's and family/S.O.'s input too.

These drugs are to be used in the treatment of the clinically depressed and are a godsend to those people. It can literally save a life. It is important to remember too that people started on these meds should be watched carefully as often in the couple weeks it takes to achieve a theraputic level a risk of sucide is present. Depression is a brain chemistry problem yet the stigma persists and people are still shamed and seen as "weak" by the uninformed. The people who suffer from depression feel terrible about themselves. They need support not pity. If you have a friend or family member who you think is depressed please urge them to seek help. Go with them as they may be "numb" and unable to act. I hope all who suffer from this know you can be helped to feel better.

 

[miles]

Rule #1: If you need medical advice, visit a doctor, not Literotica.

 

[bored1]

Wasnt asking for medical advice just other peoples experiences