A good friend has been prescribed this by a psychologist on his first visit. He was diagnosed with "a small depression". I think Prozac is far too drastic. Do you know anything about its effects?
2006-11-08 22:06:28 · 15 answers · asked by simon2blues 4 in Health ➔ Mental Health
Been there, had it & rejected it. Worked fine for depression, but didn't like the side effects, but then nearly all SSRIs did the same. There should be an information leaflet with the capsules that will tell you the known effects of Prozac. Better for a friend to read it so as not to imagine the downside from just reading about it. If there's no leaflet, just google - Prozac "side effects" - & you should find the same info.
Some antidepressants work well for certain people, but it depends on the person, the cause of the depression & what benefit you hope will be achieved. Unfortunately there's no strict science to the development of antidepressants. It's not like material science where you can observe a cause & effect, development is totally reliant on the subjective opinion & feedback of the user, which can be highly unreliable. So treat any drug that affects the mind with about the same credibility as you would medicine from centuries past. If it works & there are no adverse side effects then OK, but don't expect a miracle from just trying one drug.
Quite seriously, the chemical that had most beneficial effect on me was sunset yellow food colouring. It overcame the lethargy associated with depression, though it made me crabby tempered. At least it gave me the get up & go to try & find a way of getting better without drugs.
Eventually, I found therapy far better long term than drugs, but expensive & less instant. Nowadays I keep marmite, bananas, fish oil, chocolate & brawn in my diet, plus one hypericin capsule a week & I avoid coffee. In combination with past therapy, it seems to work.
2006-11-09 10:03:48 · answer #1 · answered by dzerjb 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was prescribed Prozac and If I could I would have it banned,I took it only once and experienced the most painful headaches ever and thought I was going to die.
Other symptoms the next day was complete depression and moody with a very dry mouth.
Some people seem to be ok with it but for me on just one tablet it was horrific and refused to take anymore.
If you go to google and type in Prozac you will be able to see all the possible effects.
2006-11-08 22:32:21 · answer #2 · answered by mentor 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have taken Prozac (Fluoxetine) for the past 4 years.
I have mental health issues. To me Prozac has been a god send. Since taking it i have been able to live life normally. But i do think its a bit drastic for someone with a small depression. Prozac is for people with SERIOUS problems x
2006-11-08 22:11:15 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I took it for more than 6 years.
It is a very safe drug but it causes weight gain and sexual dysfunction in men after a long term use. These problems are reversible. They vanish in 2 months after you stop the drug.
Whether to use the drug depends entirely on its risk benefit ratio.
I think depression is more dangerous than prozac. Mostly benefits outweigh side effects. Prozac has saved many people.
A person may need to try different drugs to find the suitable one and he/she has to stay on the maximum dose for 3 months to know the full response.
Do not take chances with your friend's life. You have every right to look for more information about prozac but professional advice is recommended.
Prozac is not drastic upto 60mg per day.
You will get more rubbish than valuable knowledge if you search here in the google or other search engine.
Mirtazapine and Bupropion XL may be safer than Prozac. But these drugs should suit his/her needs.
2006-11-08 23:04:08 · answer #4 · answered by Ajeesh Kumar 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You are right... prozac is drastic, though it does depend on the dosage...
I was prescribed both pozac and temazopan, but neither suited me as they made me drowsy and dizzy...
I now take a drug called citalopram that has no side-effects at all... and IT WORKS!
I should suggest that your friend speaks to his GP about this as Prozac can have other unwanted side-effects, such as impotency...
Good luck
2006-11-08 22:13:20 · answer #5 · answered by Harrison N 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Im used to take Prozac, the only side effect i got was a dry mouth and i did notice that i lost weight. Not a lot just down a dress size. I dont think the doctor would have given your friend them unless he/she thought she needed them. Hope your friend feels better soon x
2006-11-08 22:08:48 · answer #6 · answered by spensmum 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I was on Prozac for 2 years. It did help my depression, but, as I suffer from bad mood swings as well, it actually sent me "High" a few times so I had to come off it. If your friend suffers from mood swings, I wouldn't advise Prozac. I'm now on Citalopram and it works GREAT with no side effects!!!
2006-11-09 02:45:19 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Prozac in low doses is quite safe for mild depression. It was given to me several years ago, and the only side effect I had was my hair falling out. I quit taking it. Check out the site below for details on the other problems it can cause.
2006-11-08 22:10:18 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i have been taking prozac for over 10 years for ocd and bulimia. i really dont know if i have any side effects from it as i have been taking it for so long.
i was told by my gp that i lack serotonin (spelt wrong?) and prozac helps to build that up so i think if he needs it he should take it.
its not all bad. i am still here and i have prozac to thank. karen
2006-11-09 09:01:20 · answer #9 · answered by karenwilli70 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
prozac isn't drastic it is just well known, i have been taking it for years and never had any side effects, it is a good thing and if he has any problems they will give him something else, don't worry about it
2006-11-08 22:09:15 · answer #10 · answered by jo 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋