Prozac Can Change Your Life

This Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor is used primarily for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder, but also in the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, Bulimia, Anorexia and Anxiety Disorders.

There has been a lot of flack in the press about this drug, and it, and all Anti-depressants carry a black box label:

Suicidality and Antidepressant Drugs - Antidepressants increased the risk compared to placebo of suicidal thinking and behavior (suicidality) in children, adolescents, and young adults in short-term studies of major depressive disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders. Anyone considering the use of Prozac or any other antidepressant in a child, adolescent, or young adult must balance this risk with the clinical need. Short-term studies did not show an increase in the risk of suicidality with antidepressants compared to placebo in adults beyond age 24; there was a reduction in risk with antidepressants compared to placebo in adults aged 65 and older. Depression and certain other psychiatric
disorders are themselves associated with increases in the risk of suicide. Patients of all ages who are started on antidepressant therapy should be monitored appropriately and observed closely for clinical worsening, suicidality, or unusual changes in behavior.
Families and caregivers should be advised of the need for close observation and communication with the prescriber. Prozac is approved for use in pediatric patients with MDD and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). (See WARNINGS, Clinical Worsening and Suicide Risk, PRECAUTIONS, Pediatric Use)

Scary, huh? However I would like to point out that it is likely that what is going on is this; at the worst, people with major depression don't have the strength to harm themselves. It is not until things start to improve that they can muster the effort to do themselves an injury. The danger is as people start to feel better.

There are serious side effects in about 7% of people, so by definition, don't consider any medications without the careful monitoring of a physician. Insomnia, sexual disfunction, and rash are the most common side effects. In extreme cases, death has occurred by pharmaceutical action, rather than by suicide. So be careful.

Now, all that aside, let's talk about Prozac.

There are times in everyone's life when the world seems to turn on you. It isn't one thing; it's several. Everyone gets the blues, but when they hang around beyond a couple of weeks, you need to take notice. If you find major changes in your sleep habits, eating habits, and loss of interest in sex, consult your doctor.

If you are diagnosed with depression, or the related disorder disthymia, consider Prozac. Disthymia is a chronic low level depression, and probably one of the most undiagnosed disorders; most people don't realize they have it.

However, both of these disorders are very fixable. Prozac takes awhile to build up before reaching clinical levels. However, after about two weeks it is astonishing.

My first experience with Prozac was back when it was brand new; I had been taking it thirteen days and was driving around town. I stopped at a stop sign, and suddenly, it was like the storm clouds over me parted, and sunshine broke through for the first time in months. In the next week, the hole in the clouds got bigger.

Now, Prozac does not stop you from being sad over bad things. However, it does stop you from feeling sad for no particular reason. You still feel sorrow, but it is appropriate, and it goes away.

I stayed on Prozac about two years the first time, then weaned off of it with no ill effects. It had done its job.

The next time I went on it was after the death of my father. Once again, I was on it for about two years, and weaned off.

Now, my mother is battling Melanoma, and the dark clouds were closing in. Prozac does not make things go away, but it makes sure that ALL I am dealing with are the normal grief, fear and worry that are normal for a person in my situation.

Life is short and fragile. You should try to enjoy every moment of it. And if something is interfering with this, do something about it. If a person has high cholesterol, no one gives them flack about taking Crestor; in fact, we put pressure on them to take their medicine. Don't let any outmoded idiocy stop you from taking whatever steps you need to be happy.

For my own life, I have Disthymia which I manage nicely on my own. When I am stressed, this can worsen to depression. When that happens, I take Prozac, and carry on.

In an interesting side note, I have experienced a 'lazy eye' for about the past year. This has been very distressing to me. However, once the Prozac kicked in, I noticed the eye no longer drifted. I asked my doctor about this, and he said this is a known side effect of Prozac. So, bonus.

There are few times that you can literally buy happiness, but in this case, you can, with a prescription.