I've been on prozzac for 2 years, and I want to get a blood test to see if I actually need it... since prozzac gives you more seritonin does that mean I need to be off prozzac for a few weeks in order to take the test?
2007-07-08 19:38:27 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Mental Health
Ask your doctor whether you should go off the Prozac. That is the safest way to proceed. And it can be dangerous to your brain/behavior to suddenly stop a medication like Prozac, so never go off suddenly, but taper off over a period of time your doctor advises.
BTW, Prozac doesn't really "give" you more serotonin, how it works is that it keeps your brain from quickly reabsorbing the natural serotonin that you already produce, so that it stays in the brain longer. Since serotonin is a chemical messenger, if you don't have enough, it can cause a host of conditions (anxiety, depression). Prozac also affects another brain chemical called norepinephrine, so it's not just serotonin levels that will go down if you slowly withdraw from Prozac.
It can take 6 weeks or longer people taking Prozac to get it totally out of their system.
2007-07-09 08:09:24 · answer #1 · answered by Autumn 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As other poster said, prozac doesn't give you more seratonin; it inhibits it's reuptake, keeping it available for longer periods of time in the synapses between your brain cells. Therefore it enhanses communication between brain cells. There is no "test" to measure levels. If prozac is working it shouldn't feel like anything is happening. If you stop meds, in a couple of weeks you'll be able to tell if you feel worse or not.
2007-07-09 22:51:33 · answer #2 · answered by Pat D 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go to a naturopath - mine has helped me IMMENSELY. Health insurance typically does not pay for it, but it WORKS. My Seratonin is low only right before my cycle, for that I take tryptophan (sleepy stuff in turkey that makes you tired after Thanksgiving dinner) - it leveled me right out.
2007-07-08 19:47:19 · answer #3 · answered by mkt 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋