Prozac again and again...

[pacopaco]

I recently stopped taking Prozac after having been on it for about a year and a half. It worked great, and in August I stopped. Today its October 15 and I feel like death and I believe I need to start again.  Is there concern about how soon I am taking it again? Is there a problem with taking it for longer than a year?  Nothing can be worse than how I feel but if the risks are high I would consider some natural way of fighting this.How worried should I be?

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

Prozac is considered to be safe for at 5-7 years so taking it again should not present any known long term risks.

[3rdMajor]

Hi paco,
   It looks like prozac is relatively safe to take over the long run, especially if it works great, and otherwise you would feel like death.
There should be no problem with you starting back immediately.
Prozac has been out for more than a decade, and many people have been taking it every day since it came out.  The long term effects of taking SSRIs have not been fully evaluated, but it is a risk/benefit scenario like everything else in life.  hope you feel well soon.

[StupidMe]

Your condition relapsed after stopping Prozac for 2 months. You can retart Prozac as soon as possible. If you have no side effect from Prozac for 1.5 year, the possibility of having sexual or other unwanted effects is slight. Prozac is a safe drug for long-term maintenance as long-term untoward effects are rare. Psychotherapy may give you a longer remmision. Please refer to the link: http://www.drugs.com/Prozac/

[pacopaco]

Thank you for your kind replies. Has the doc answerd?

[3rdMajor]

hi paco,
    The doctor answering questions on this forum is Roger L. Gould M.D..  His posts are followed by his user signature "Forum MD RG".  He has not reponded to your post as of the time of this post.

[moonma]

Well, I would like to share my prozac experience with you. Ive been on prozac for close to seven years. Mainly, it did help with depression, up until about 2 months ago. In all my life, I have never been through such a deep depression, nor have I ever had suicidal thoughts. I started flying off the handle, which I had a very hard time controlling. On days I would skip my prozac, I was fine. On days I took it, within 2 hours, I became VERY agitated. I could literally feel something going on in my brain!Looking back, I now know that the prozac was responsible for my moodswings that I had a hard time in controlling. Having been off for a month now (one must be weaned) I have total control of my actions and can think much more clearly. I have opted NOT to take any other SSRI again. Instead, I have realized that I have to get rid of alot of baggage, for example , past traumas in my life. All meds only mask the symptoms. Ive watched a loved one go into psychosis after taking effexor for a short period of time. Dont be fooled...Prozac can do the same thing. Many recent crimes have been commited by people just STARTING on prozac, for example...The Columbine High shooting (he was on prozac) and Phil Hartmans wife, who shot him dead, was on prozac, just to give you an idea. Here is a little advice ....Get rid of the demons that torment you.  Best of luck

[joyce45]

The Columbine shooter student was on Luvox, not Prozac; and Phil Hartman's wife was on Zoloft, not Prozac......not that it matters.  These medications do not help everyone and mixing alcohol and othr drugs [in Hartman's wife's case]does not help.  These meds just don't help everybody, but Prozac sure helps me and many others.  I stopped taking it a couple of years and restarted it and feel great now.