To Continue Prozac or Not?

[cskrone]

Hi - I am a 26 year old male and have had depression and anxiety for quite some time. Recently, I have developed obsessive thoughts which my doctor thinks is part of the depression vs. having a separate OCD condition. I was put on Prozac 4 weeks ago (5mg first week, 10 mg 2nd week, 15mg 3rd week, and have been on 20mg for about a week now). My OCD has gotten WORSE since starting the med and have been very very anxious. I know sometimes these meds can make things worse before better but how do I know whether to continue the drug or get off? I've put in so much time already and my doctor wants me to take Klonopin (small dose) until the drug has a chance to work which I'm also afraid of because of addiction and rebound anxiety. I know that it's not soon enough to judge the efficacy of this medicine but it also is no good knowing that my anxiety/ocd/depression have been WORSE while on this. How do I know what to do? I can give it more time WITH taking the Klonopin and that will help for the short term but I'm having doubts that it will kick in. How should I approach this situation in the best way possible? :roll:

[Itzomi]

Meds are kinda scary in that they could make things worse, or when they are successful, getting off of them is another story.

Personally, I would suggest seeing a holistic doctor to get to the root of why you are depressed and have OCD. Meds are just a band-aid over an existing problem, not a cure. People are often on these meds for years and years, which can be toxic to the liver, etc.

I wouldn't just take myself off the meds (that can be dangerous cold turkey) but seek a doctor's help in making a smooth transition from getting off of them to naturally healing yourself - whether it's supplementing with minerals you may be deficient in or what have you.

As for your depression, how is your diet?? Are you eating healthy?? Lots of veggies & fruits, few carbs, quality proteins, etc.?? And how is your "entertainment diet"? Do you ingest things into your mind that are not good for you (on TV, movies, etc.)? I have noticed that depressed people tend to watch a lot of depressing stuff - too involved in the news, always talking about the latest tragedy, watching "junk" TV (reality shows with shock value), murder mystery novels, etc.

Be careful of what you ingest, both in your mouth, and in your eyes. I believe that has a lot to do with it. Not that it's everything, sometimes it's just the way you are wired by nature (and in this case meds can be helpful), but I believe in many cases a lot of it is based on poor habits - thinking habits, eating habits, etc.

As for anxiety, that one's a little tougher, I think. It seems like there are more things that can go "wrong" to cause anxiety, and it seems tougher to deal with. But, I think watching what you ingest helps a lot as well.

[forwells]

I have developed obsessive thoughts which my doctor thinks is part of the depression vs. having a separate OCD condition.

They are the same thing . It is all anxiety the OCD is just another sympton of anxiety .

As for the drugs , I hate them but i have been through hell on them . You can do it without them but if they are making you worst and you do notice a increase in your symptoms or new ones started then you need to talk to a doctor about them and maybe even think about changing them or giving them up. My anxiety went from a bit high to a nightmare with the help of these drugs so be careful and follow your heart and what its telling you about them .

cheers kev :D

Be careful of what you ingest, both in your mouth, and in your eyes. :o :D I like that good cure for anxiety that i think :)

[hesson81]

I think your right in what your thinking about them taking some time to work. Yea stay on them. I don't beleive 4 weeks is enough time. I'd give them more time. Atleast 8 weeks. Yes things can get worse before they can get better on the meds.

[Terror-x]

i might sound funny on this one but i dont think drugs work with anxiety to be honest no matter what any doctor says

i think its all in the mind and we all have to just learn to controle it and help each other out on the cases we have :unsure:

[forwells]

hesson81


I think your right in what your thinking about them taking some time to work. Yea stay on them. I don't beleive 4 weeks is enough time. I'd give them more time. Atleast 8 weeks. Yes things can get worse before they can get better on the meds.

Its all BS

Yes meds may help some people but what may help them and has been proved is that the power of suggestion that these pills will work is enough to do that .

It is now proven in many studies that these drugs do not work on 80% of people and that's not to take into account the side effects that they cause .Also on every one of these drugs the side effect is anxiety and depression .Small as it may be . But how are you going to prove to a doctor who wont listen that it is the drugs and not your anxiety increasing . This is why people end up on many of these drugs , instead of listerning and seeing that the tablets are the problem they are told that there anxiety is getting worst and that they now need this pill and then maybe a sleeping pill etc etc . There are people that are on a dozen of these pills at a time . It like taking a heart pill that has a side effect of heart attacks.

This is not you but this statement I don't believe 4 weeks is enough time says it all . Can you name one other pill that would make you worst before your get better . Would you take a headache pill if it made you worst .

You could say the same about drugs , smoking . The first 4 weeks you feel like crap but when your body gets use to it then you can handle it . But thats not to say they are doing any good just that your body is use to them now .

I am sorry but if you want to get better you have to face the problem and get past it . Drugs are just a band aid and nothing more and a drug that increases the symptoms should not be taking in my mind . In fact i think that anti Ds and As are nothing but trouble and benzos are a better option to help people cope while they recover but that is also not to say that they should be watched and use well also .

Interesting book to read about these drugs is one ladies journey on then its called dyeing for a cure .

cheers kev :D

[hesson81]

Forwells, I'm sorry but you have fell into the trap that a lot of people who deal with anxiety and depression fall into, they think that their expereience with it is extremely similar to what everyone else is dealing with.

For some people a pill is an answer and not a bad one at that, maybe not for you. They can be very effective in correcting an imbalance that exsist. This is such a hard thing to deal with and cure, because everyone is just so different. Some people can take one dosage and continue living a happy healthy life with out ever upping their dosage.

The people that have had success with these pills aren't on this website talking about how their life has had such great changes on medication. They only come to this site to complain about the side effects and ineffectiveness of medication. The people that are doing good (which is the majority) are out living the happy healthy lives the medication helps them with.

Some people if they want to go down the medication route have to give it some time, and realize that it may take a few different types of meds before they will find the right one that works for them....

Yes if medication was something that I wanted to try, i would take a pill that got me worse before they got me better. They are reffered to as magic pills, but they aren't. Even taking them can be some work. It does take time for them to enter into your blood, and in that process it can be ruff.

Yes there is major reality that these Meds can cause problems to the liver or kidney's, or what ever. I sat around yesterday just pondering that thought, and I realized that I'm medicating myself with dosages of tylenol to get rid of my nasty head aches, and herbal suppliments, and sleep sedatives, to cope with my issues of anxiety. I'm positive that I'm doing worse to my body than any other Med could do. It's my choice for now.

Unfortunetly for some people it can just be chemical, but regardless there is hope for that.

My advise is for people to work on themselves as people. Through my battles (won't even call it a struggle, is an understatement) with anxiety depression, and panic. There's one thing that brings me happyness, a pill might fix my problem. Other than that, I'm a pretty solid individual... accept for my spelling errors..:)

[forwells]

Forwells, I'm sorry but you have fell into the trap that a lot of people who deal with anxiety and depression fall into, they think that their expereience with it is extremely similar to what everyone else is dealing with.

Sorry but i think you have falling into the trap that you are different . That your anxiety is different . This is not the case , yes the cause of everyone's anxiety is different, the problems people have are all different but after two years of solid research i can tell you that in order to recover the cure is the same with every method . Acceptance and adjusting your thinking to life and its problems.

Anxiety is not a chemical imbalance and if it could be proved which it cannot these chemicals change all day every day . They change by the way we think and can also be changed by changing our thinking .

I do not disagree that their is a imbalance there and something that can be corrected by not only thinking but supps . But i do disagree that a chemical drug that has only be research by and paid for by the company that gets all the profit from those findings is the only way . I used supps to support myself as i recovered and it help heaps and i would recommend it to every one . But supps work different by replacing what is missing . Chemical drugs they dont know how they work and at best there favorite saying is WE BELIEVE .

If you research these drugs you will see that many independent studies being done now say that 80% of people these drugs will not work for 2% will have a bad reaction to them and the 18% they do help most likely simply work because they believe that they will .

I have made one huge mistake in my life that i would change if giving it again . I was on these drugs for 15 years and i can tell you they did nothing . Yes i lived my life well but all they did was cover the problem and when it came a time again that my life went out of whack i lost it again . Why because as i said the drugs covered the problem and did not teach my how to cope with those problems . You see it all the time were people seem to recovery to fall back down again when times get tough again . I know that because i chose to recovery without these drugs that it will never come back because it was me that recovered and not a drug .

I have to say as much as i fought that anxiety is all about the way we think , i have to say that i agree now that it is all about the way we think .I can pick moments in my recovery were my thinking changed and i took huge steps in recovery .

It does take time for them to enter into your blood, and in that process it can be ruff.

I think you will find that this is a not correct . These drugs if you have a bad reaction to them will happen within days of taking them . There fore this prove that they are working in the bloody straight away. I personally believe that the reason they seem to take a while to work is that we are told that and we believe that and therefore get some hope and change our thinking from i cant handle this , i will never recovery to one of hope and i will recover now .

Look i dont care if people wish to take these drugs , its not my problem but i believe that it is about time that people got the true facts and then were able to make up there own mind on things . Many doctors prescribe these pills like they are lollies . That they have no effect on the body and this is not correct . Also many of the doctors that dish these pills out have no training in mental illness at all.

ccept for my spelling errors.. There is a spell checker you know . I think i have worn mine out :lol:

Cheers kev :D

[hesson81]

Kudos to you Forwells, your obvisouly an anxiety success story. That's awesome I think we all look forward to being in your shoes one day, pill or not.

I have done a lot of research to, but I have done a lot of is talking to people that have taken these Meds successfully, and are living happy lives today. One person I know took 7 different meds, before she found the right one. Yes kinda cheesy that it took that many. I could agree, but now that she found one it's doing wonders. Might she be able to recover succesfully with out?? yes, extremely possible. Is it possible that there is just health imbalance, Well yes, that's possible aswell. Is she the 80% the 2% or the 18%. She doesn't fall under any because if she did she would of been fine with the first one she tried.

The truth is, I can't live with the certaintly that other people are the same as me, and are going to deal with, and get over their's the same way you or I do. Some people are just different.

She's not the only success story I have heard. I have heard of people doing it in combination with psycotherapy, and coming off them in the long term.

Your completely right. When using these med's you have to be properly informed, and make the right decision. I do beleive that some people are put on meds when they don't need them. There are still some people though, where that's not the case.

This world is full of a billion shades of white black and grey, only one shade is black, one is white, the rest is grey...

[lawandorder]

I used to come on here all the time...
started taking anti d's - been on them for almost 3 months now.
If I ever have to go back to the way I felt before I don't know what i'll do. I tried everything, everyones suggestions here, i saw a therapist for months, i exercised and tried to eat well. Medication was my last option, and I was ofcourse very hesitant to do so because I thought what if I start this med and nothing gets better. Then what do i do.
But it worked. And I am much happier, and feel almost normal again. I don't care if I have to take this pill for the rest of my life. If it stops working? I'll switch to a new one, I don't care. I've been through every aspect my life, the way i think, my past, to find the cause of it. It all helped toward me feeling better - but I was losing it, I would wake up unhappy and fall asleep unhappy, the depression followed a never ending cycle of anxiety that I couldn't rid of.
So that's my two cents, medication hasn't fixed my anxiety problem, but I can actually live my life now and I only live once. I would say im about 4 times happier on this med, not because it just 'makes me happy' but because my brain doesn't just spiral out of control like it used to. Torture.

While I agree with forwells in the sense that doctors are trigger happy with the prescriptions, and have very little interest in making you feel better, I still think theres validity in the medication they give us. My mum goes off and on medication like once every 5 years for 6 months because she works really hard. She goes on for 6 months, and then quits cold turkey. She feels nauseous and weird for a week, then returns to normal. Obviously this is not the case for everyone, but when the time comes that I want to stop taking it i'll just take it on then. I did my fair share of worrying for too long, now im just enjoying the ride.

Cheers