Prozac, is it worth giving to an elderly person?

[bong914]

My father is 73 years old Type I DM, and he had symptoms of deppression when his doctor prescribed him prozac for his deppression and temazepam to induce his sleep. 16 day after taking the medications my father suddenly refuse to take his medication and refuse to eat and his condition had worsened, As if he has lost his will to live. He is now in a psych unit and now taking clonidine and lorazepam, we hope that this combination will work for him coz, we, the family, are already suffering from his condition. Does the benefit outweighs the risk in trying prozac for an elderly patient? and does clonidine better in teating deppression?

[ParamedFlorena]

Hi bong,

The first thing that strikes me is that it might not be the Prozac at all. Maybe just the mix of the two?

It is so about getting older, that the longer you've lived, the more does the body change. I am not a medical doctor, only one who have slipped into geriatric care. What I think most of is of course: Do these persons get adequate care?
The life doesn't end only because you pass a certain age. I often look at the persons I meet and think: "Many years have been lived and many experiences have taken place." It is good that there is a branch of medicine and care that knows at least a little bit.

Medications such as AD's should of course be followed up closely. Maybe spending time under closer psychiatric care is a good idea? Maybe some meds will be changed too. We're all so individual. Many can take prozac and feel that life opens and improves, while some notice side effects. This is one thing the psychiatric team will see too.

I will say: Yes, it is worth trying with medications with elderly just as it is worth for someone who has barely passed 20 of age. Why not?

Please stay in touch

Florena

[Bob_D]

I am going to take a leap and assume that what you meant to ask was "Is it a good idea to give Prozac to the elderly?" and not "Is an elderly person worth treating?".

The FDA approved Prozac for use in geriatric populations in 1999 so it would seem it is relatively safe to prescribe it for your father.

The web site "www.Drugs.com" states that Prozac may increase suicidal ideation in children and young adults, but there is no mention of that occurring in the the elderly.

Clonidine is not normally prescribed to treat depression. It is primarily used to control blood pressure. It has a number of other uses.

I wish your father well.

Bob D

[Snake_Plissken]

Agree with statement "Is an elderly person worth treating?".  Stories in the newspapers about creating "elder ghettos" scared the sh** out of me.  No offence to anyone - the first thing I thought about were the Jewish ghettos prior to WWII and what happened to those who lived in these ghettos.  There is a growing sentiment of hostility towards baby boomers and elderly people in general.  Is your father worth treating - yes.  Maybe an anti-depressant other than Prozac would help.  CTB might also help.  Your father is an elder with a lot of knowledge and experience to offer.  A crime it would be for anyone to dismiss that.