Is Prozac the best anti-depressant out there, or should I try something else?

Question

I get really depressed for no reason but also I have severe anxiety as well when ever there is a lot of people around rushing and stuff. Are there good medicationa for those two things?

Answer 1

Yes there is. Tell your Doc and they should help you out better. Im the same way but i never went and seeked help..im trying to get better on my own,its really tough though..and it seems like my anxiety is getting worse. So maybe i should go...anyways..go to your Doc and seek out the best help.

Answer 2

You may want to look into a diagnosis, with a good MD that knows what they are talking about! It took 8 years for my psychs and everyone to come up with the right diagnosis and medication to treat it. I had anxiety where I could not leave the house, medications in the SSRI classification are very good at treating anxiety. Prozac is an older one, there are a lot of new meds, some a few years old, with less side effects, etc. Depression and anxiety come hand in hand. Though they dont always go away hand in hand. I had to take several different meds, variations and milligrams before finding a mix that WORKED! I have been out of the hospital for a year now, which I am very proud of. Also, I am a cutter, since the age of 15. I have only cut twice this year, which is not perfect, but much much better. Everyone is different, so your system may take better to say Zoloft, than Prozac. Paxil is a good one to start with. And there are many many others. Good luck, I wish you light , love, happiness, health, and HOPE.

Answer 3

Yea but, it might not be prozac. I'd try about 6 weeks of cognitive behaviour therapy (see a psychologist) before medication though. You should exhaust your options before trying medication. Why? Well, some people have terrible times on the medication and it takes a long time to find the right out and even then the right one has side effects. I tried a few anti-depressants and then realised being depressed and anxious was better than being depressed, anxious and on anti-depressants. I'm lucky I survived through that realisation.

Answer 4

FIrst, highly recommend seeing a good general practice physician, who will decide if you need to see a psychiatrist or not. Getting answers on yahoo is helpful but a trained doctor or psychiatrist is better equipped to handle mood problems.

Prozac is an SSRI, (selective seratonin reuptake inhibitor) which basically means it slows down the loss of seratonin in the brain, by slowing down the process of the receptor brain cells, which takes seratonin out of the brain. The increase of seratonin to a normal level gives you a better mood. Maintenence on Prozac will keep the seratonin levels at the same level.

Prozac is not really an anti-anxiety drug, unless the increase in seratonin stabilizes your mood swings -- if you have a "normalized" baseline of emotion you may take the anxious moments in stride with no problems.

That said, Prozac can be rather difficult to get used to in the first six weeks. If you take it, be prepared to actually have an increase in anxious feelings, nightmares, dry mouth, and some increased thoughts of suicide. I guess this "is normal" in getting used to the drug, but those first several weeks are hell.

I hated Prozac when I first got on it but then my moods eventually got better. It took about three months though.

Zoloft, actually, does not seem to have the severe side effects of Prozac and I believe is becoming the Rx of choice for depression. I have been taking Zoloft for 8 years.

Paxil is prescribed for the more anxious but depressed people. I was on it for a short time, but I felt really "out of it" all the time and my short term memory, and hence long-term memory after a while, was affected by it. Hated it.

Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft are all SSRI's. Prozac is the "older" patent of the 3.

Downside of SSRI's is that it delays orgasm in both men and women. You have to ask for a prescription from your doc for Levitra or Viagra to help you reach orgasm (yeah, even while you are able to maintain an erection).

I heard Wellbutrin is pretty good for depression though it gives a person a real strong sexual desire, which may cause additional problems in one's life.

Most psychiatrists will try get you stabilized on an antidepressant first, then prescribe an anti-anxiety if you really need it. Be prepared for a whole other set of side effects. Typical drug is Xanax.

Before going to the doc, and getting on mood-altering drugs, would recommend that you try to exercise your way out of the moods. Stress will cause adrenaline and other body stress chemicals to build up in the blood stream and the blood, of course, goes through the brain. If you get up a good sweat (walking, running, pumping iron) the chemicals are released through your sweat and exhalation of breath.

Be sure to get a full night's rest. Again, the exhalation during sleep gets rid of these chemicals too.

Finally, make sure you are exposed to sunlight about one half hour each morning. You may need to buy a wide spectrum light from a medical supply store -- these are like plant lights.

Hope that this information helps.

Good luck.

PS. If you like my answer, could you please rate it. I am at 232 and need 18 points to get to level 2. Thanks !

Answer 5

Yes, there are effective meds available for depression and anxiety. Perhaps Prozac is best for you. But it's a matter of experimentation -- with different dosage and different antidepressants to find what works for you.

For anxiety physicians usually prescibe meds from the benzodiazepine clasds of drugs, such as Valium or Xanax. Again, you have to experiment with various anxiolytics to find what works best for you.

Answer 6

Prozac has worked for those symptoms in me. Don't expect an overnight cure though. Sometimes it takes four to six weeks to start feeling better. Other times you have to try several different meds. to find the one that's right for you. Counseling should go hand in hand with these meds.. As well be sure your doctor performs periodic liver enzyme blood work.

Answer 7

I have the same problem. My panic attacks were so bad, I still to this day cannot drive on a crowded interstate highway, because of a panic attack I had, that I had to pull off the side of the highway. I truly thought I was a gonner. Sooo....I like an idiot went on the internet and self diagnosed myself becoming addicted to a med. The withdrawl was horrible. Absolutely horrible. Finally went to my doc, who felt sorry for me and had to ween me off of one drug while giving me another.
First he tried Zoloft, I was a total zombie, with derealization, headaches, vomiting, shaking, and more panic than ever before.
He then changed me to Lexapro, which is soooooooooo mild in side effects. so far so good. Only been on for it 3 weeks, but nothing, and i mean nothing like zoloft.
Every drug works differently on everybody. zoloft could work for you. Let your doctor and ONLY YOUR doctor decide this for you.
I learned the hard way. No self diagnosing for me ever ever again.
Good luck, and visit your doc ASAP...

Answer 8

I have Bi polar,manic depression with psychosis and anxiety disorder along with ocd. the only antidepressant that I have found and believe me I been on a lot of them is Lexapro. It really helped my depression and anxiety levels. But its best to talk your doctor

Answer 9

This is what I do when I get stressed out, which is a lot lately. It's a temporary fix but it works for me.

1) Down an energy drink,
2) cry to a friend, and
3) Down second energy drink.

If not, see your doctor!

Answer 10

i managed to control my depression and anxiety along with ocd, with drugs and cognative therapy not all drugs are suited to everyone and I had to try several to find what drug suited me best. Speak to you doctor or you health care proffesional and explain all the symtoms you have you are better off finding out what the best drugs are for you from a proffesional then from others.

I took zoloft for 8 months and it caused severe mood swings, and weight gain.