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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
keep taking prozac?
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD) , bipolar disorder , dementia , electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) , learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) , panic , personality disorders, phobias , post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , schizophrenia , stress , transitions, and work problems.
keep taking prozac?
by px, Jul 17, 2003 12:00AM
Ý have used prozac in the past. Ýt was prescribed to me for disthymia. Ý have been off it for about two years. recently because of too much stress Ý decided to go back on. Ý started taking it again about 2.5 months ago. first i started with 10 mg then increaed it to 20. From day one i felt worse. with increased dosage it got to a point where i couldn't even do my daily chores. As i take the medication in the morning as soon as it gets mixed into my blood i start feeling dizzy, anxious, sleepy, start yawning,Ý have insomnia at night. at 20 mg of prozac only klonopin could reduce the symptoms which i took a couple of times. When i reduce the dosage i felt better. do you think i'm having some kind of reaction to prozac. Ý had similar things happen to me when i increased the dosage of paxil in the past(3 years ago). At that time my eyes were also getting red due to medication. Also, eating tuna fish and exercising makes me feel better. how does one know that one has a serotonin deficiency rather than say a dopamine deficiency. wouldn't it be bad to take prozac when a neurottransmitter other than serotonin is the problem. Now i'm down to 5 mg a day i still feel it when i take it. i'm considering stopping taking it and maybe using something natural. Ýn the past prozac sometimes made me feel better and at other times it did not help and made things worse. Ý'm usually under a lot of stress and inactive. Ý do not have very many pleasant things happening aroundo me. Ý also feel like there is not much excitement around. Ý would appreciate your comments. thanks.
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Jul 17, 2003 12:00AM
, Jul 17, 2003 12:00AM
Its very difficult to figure out what happens when you try different medications since your mood and life circumstances are so important and your neurochemistry and sensitivites continue to change. When a medication is making you feel worse, and that lasts more than a few days, you have to switch medications or stop altogether. If you can deal with your stress and boredom by attitude or behavior change, you will be much better off than taking medications. If you don't have a therapist, you can try getting some etherapy help at www.masteringstress.com
I researched and found what to be the truth for me, and if you do decide to go "natural" insure you thoroughly research all alternatives, educate, ask alot of questions and best to try to get a referral as usual...
Which transmitters are doing what noone knows until you keep trying so many different meds...they do not know in the beginning what your brain is doing..
But, it is important, too that I acknowledge Western meds have worked for alot of people and I am not discounting that. It just doesn't work for me....
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