Does Prozac really help people or is it just in their head?

Question

I've been prescribed many anti-depressents. Been on Effexor and almost tried Lexapro but I am scared to get hooked on something that does not have a good effect on me. Does anyone know which one's best??

Answer 1

Prozac really does help-they even give it to dogs who get very dstructive when the owners leave the house-separation anxiety-saved many a dogs life and kept many with their loved owners.But it is Addictive as is Paxil. Try his first go to a health food store in your area and get some Super RHODIOLA capsules-naural herb from a plant esp the root. Helped me a lot when i was having panic attacks,no bad side effects and definitely not addictive. I'd take 1 in the AM and would not only put me in a very good mood but perk me up (its also used by runners,athletes) if I felt a panic attack coming on or feel very stressed would take one and in approx5minutes things would be better. If I'd have trouble going to slep for very anxious would take 1 and I'd relax and be able to go to sleep. If I'd wake up in a panic would take 1 and anxiety would leave and i'd be calm and able to fall asleep again. Even I'd take arpund 3AM never had a druggy feeling or difficulty getting going. The cost is $20. but since bought at health food stores the pice may vary by a couple of dollars from one health food store to another. I would certainly try the RHODIOLA which is effective and totally safe before I'd get a chemical with side effects and addictive> If the Rhodiola does not work for you there are other health food store products available for depression and most employees are usually also into health food and naural products instead of chemicals so knowledgeable.Just like Pharmacists have drug reference books available to answer customers' questions that service is also available at health food stores for so many natural herbs,products need guides when memory fails. Exercise also helps tremendously (although not enough to by itself.cure clinical depression) for it will have the brain release endorphins-good feel hormones and whats referred to as runners high is the brain releasing serotonin_hormone that has us feel joy and OK with the world.It always helps me esp if i combine with herbal product like Rhodiola. But do stop in your area health food store and check into all thats available from nature.

Answer 2

Prozac can really help some people but I know that some of the newer drugs have less side effects. Lexapro for instance. Cymbalta is good too if you don't have high blood pressure. Don't worry about getting hooked on Anti-Depressants. That doesn't happen. It is true that should you decide to go off you need to do it gradually for safety's sake but you won't have withdrawals from it or cravings for it like you would for Narcotics.
I don't believe everyone needs prozac that gets it, but I do know for people that do need something like that, it can make a profound difference in their quality of life. Because people have different body chemistry from one person to the next, which one works best will be different from person to person. Someone above mentioned how Prozac affected them negatively. It is not unusual for a person to try different ones before finding what works best for them.

Answer 3

The one that is best for you is the one that works! I went through 5 before trying the one that worked for me. That one was Prozac. Because of all the bad press about it I was fearful to take it. But it was the right chemicals for my brain. As with most medicines, there will be some side-effects. When I took the very first one, which was Zoloft, I had a very bad reaction to it and I knew right away within the first few days. But then I started another one and didn't have any reaction. In fact, it didn't even seem to affect me at all. So I started another one. The side- effect was clenched jaws which made it hard to sleep. As with most meds you have to try them for a certain amount of time to see if they help and I did just that. So time went by, approximately one year, before I started taking Prozac. And even though at first I got nauseous, I tried to endure it and eventually it went away, in a fairly short period of time. Don't give up, because if you do have a chemical inbalance you will feel a load lifted when you find what YOUR BRAIN needs. Just like when someone needs an antibiotic, sometimes the antibiotic doesn't work and you need another kind. Every individual is different. What works on one make not work on another.

Answer 4

Hi there. Your question can't really be answered. What works for one person won't necessarily work for another.
I used to take Zoloft, with no ill effect, and when my best friend took it she had such a bad reaction to it she almost ended up in hospital, and that was after only one tablet.
I've not heard of Lexapro, but from what I know about anti-depressants in general is that they're not actually addictive. People confuse addiction with withdrawl symptoms they might suffer if they try and stop taking it too quickly.
If you're depressed, it's going to take more than medication to get you better. Been there, done that, doing it again!
If you need medication, take it, if you don't, don't. You also need to look at things like counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy, nutritional therapy, relaxation techniques, possible lifestyle changes, etc etc.
Medication messes with your brain chemistry, with the hopeful effect of suppressing the symptoms of depression. It doesn't cure it.
You need to find the cause of your problem and treat that. Treat the cause, the symptoms disappear.
Good luck!

Answer 5

Registered Nurse here; Hi:); The best resource for assisting you in deciding which anti-depressants would be best for you is your physician. You and he or she, should discuss the options and together decide which medication the two of you believe will benefit you most. For each antidepressant works differently on each individual. Futhermore, antidepressants are not additictive, they should be titrated, (reduced gradually if you have been on them for 6 months or longer to avoid side effects). Unfortunately there is no one best anti-depressant and this can become very frustrating for the patient, such as yourself, who has tried several. I do hope that you give the anti-depressants enough time to help you, for the average antidepressant, it takes 30 days for the medication to reach maximum theraputic level. Prozac is a SSRI type of anti-depressant. Meaning Inhibits Central Nervous System neuron uptake of Serotonin, basically what this means is the neurons in your brain are not connecting as they should, visualize two magnets coming togther in perfec harmony, well this medication prozac helps the neurons in the brain to accomplish this with the serotonin, which is believed to be the root of majority of depression. In furthering addressing your question, no it's not just in someone's head that anti-depressants help. Depression is a real disease, such as diabetes, cancer, etc. And Prozac is a real medication to treat depression. I would like to offer you encouragement, don't give up, I'm sure it's very hard to battle depression, and is compounded if your haven't found a medication that will help. But you will, keep the faith. Take Care, and Thank you for allowing me to address such a sensitive and worthwhile question.

Answer 6

It is sort of in your head. Depression is related to a chemical imbalance in your brain. Different antidepressants will work differently on the chemicals in your brain. Some will have good effects for some people, some will have really nasty effects. For example, I tried Paxil, and while it worked for my depression and anxiety, it left me with some seriously wierd side effects. I've tried Zoloft, but it didn't really help. Serzone has been most effective for me in the past, but it caused some serious liver problems in other people. I've heard that Lexapro is good for a lot of people, because of the relatively low levels of side effects. The best antidepressant will be the one that works best for you. You won't know what that is until you try it, though.

Good luck to you.

Answer 7

Ummm...I was prescribed Prozac like 8 years ago for depression, and I started out with 10mg, and was supposed to 'work my way up' to 40mg. I can't imagine what that would have done to me, as I felt like I could kill someone just taking that 10mg for 4 days. I stopped taking it, and started exercising, building up the serotinin naturally. But yes, all antidepressants are supposed to build up the serotinin in the brain to help with depression. and it really is in their head too...lol...how ironic...lol...
Anyways, I don't think I'll ever take another antidepressant-ever, after that 'trial'. scary man.

Answer 8

You just have to try them to find the best fit. Some won't do anything, some may have bad side effects, and evenutally you find one that works. You don't get "hooked" on anti-depressants. If you want to stop them, you gradually decrease your dosage under medical supervision.

Answer 9

I think that the use of anti-depressants is too high. I think it is often over-prescribed by doc's only concerned with the cut they will get outta slanging the stuff. I also think that in a lot of people, it makes them worse off. Turns people into careless zombies. Drug addicted drones. Look up the side effects before you take anything!! I know that some antidepressants make some pepole violent.

Answer 10

Yes it does help. It puts a hormone into your head that makes endorphines. I DO NOT recommend using them. It can make you even more depressed. the BEST way to get over depression is excercise and a daily 'to do' list. This makes you feel like you're achieving something. It also gets you organised.

Do something everday you enjoy!
Make goals!