I'm supposed to take 40 mg of prozac in the morning.... but I've been kinda down and have been sleeping a LOT. The excessive sleep messed up my schedule and I haven't taken the pills in a few weeks. The odd thing is that I feel better NOW than i have in a long time. I can't admit to my psychiatrist/family that I'm not really on the meds, but although I sometimes feel low, I think my over all mood is better. I know you're not supposed to suddenly stop taking anti depressants, but oops too late. I still think I'm pretty depressed, but I also think the pills clouded my thinking and were losing their effect. I'm not suggesting that anyone stop taking their meds, because that would be VERY bad advice, but it's made me wonder if meds are all their cracked up to be... Could I have just built up a tolerance to anti depressants? I've been on soooo many different ones since I was in hospital. Sorry this is long and rambly
Maybe its more then just deppression.I mean my doctor had me on every kind of anti deppressant their is.At one point she said their was nothing else to put me on .Turns out I have Bipolar.Im not saying you have bipolar but maybe its somthing else .
Some meds may not work or the dose may be wrong. It can take months to get the correct med and the correct dose. Many times you need to try the med for 2 weeks before an effect is noticed. Some doctors are better at finding the correct med and dose the first time otherwise just keep trying.....it's worth it to feel and act normal. Many people can't hold jobs with mental disorders. When depression hits or manic highs take over......the boss just can't understand a brain on a roller coaster.
Maybe the Prozac wasn't working for you. I think you should talk to your doctor right away and tell him how you are feeling. Maybe he can help with some different meds. That is what he is there for.
Prozac is nothing. Very light anti-depressant. Ask your doctor about something like Wellbutrin-XL (like, no side effects) or something to that extent. Maybe you're just having a crappy reaction to Prozac.
A lot of times when people go off their meds they do feel better, for a while. However, if you still have the original disorder then chances are, you will see the symptoms return again. Most meds will build up to an extent in your body, so there is a chance that you still have some of the medication in you and you haven't seen the true effect. The others here are correct in that this particular medication may not be the best one for you. I was on I think 3 or 4 before I found the one that worked for me. Most of them worked for the first 3 months or so, then they just didn't work anymore. So, you may have to try something new, but chances are if this one doesn't work for you then these won't either because they are the same "type" of drug: Celexa, Luvox, Zoloft and Paxil. Talk to your doctor about trying something in a different category, that is what I had to do, but it worked for me. Also, it is suggested that while taking medication does help, therapy is also a good idea. I know it helped me get to the root of my problems instead of just taking care of the symptoms.
Hi! I'm new, but I thought I'd put my two cents. I'm bipolar, and one day a few years ago I got tired of taking meds and visiting docs who did nothing to help but give me more meds and constantly remind me of how sick I am and try to train me to be "normal". I stopped everything cold turkey. It was hard for a while after that, but before long I learned different ways of dealing with my bipolar. I hate that label anyway. I'm not saying that everyone should quit their meds, I'm just saying that you shouldn't feel like a bad person because you did. You can make your own choices. Sometimes it works out. That being said, if you quit taking your meds and you feel like committing suicide, PLEASE call your doc. That's all.
They tell you to never hop off the medication because it's dangerous.... that's not just good psychiatric advice..... from what i've gathered, the brain gets highly addicted to these drugs, just like cocaine. and yes, prozac probably does something to the brain that it loves. Now.. you said drugs are not what they're cracked up to be... i think there's some truth in that. But the problem is is that society doesn't leave much room for experiments. I have schizophrenia.. or at least a substance induced disorder that created symptons like schizophrenia. I have taken drugs for it since 1999, and yet were prescribed drugs back in 1992. I never took the stuff except for when they had to come drag me away and place me in a hospital. Here's the problem i encountered.... physically, when i was getting better, and my mind was slowly getting used to being off medication.... i would unfortunately not be sleeping.... the reverse effect of like you say, if you slept all the time, eventually, your body would adversely decide just to stay up for a while. This is newtons 2nd or 3rd law, i can't recall. For every action there is an opposite reaction. that's what i believe about it anyway. common sense says you sleep all day and you'll be up all night. but anyway, after geting off the medication, i would stay up all night and they would put me in a hospital for need of rest... Bummer....cuz then they would pound drugs into me just in time to screw up a brain that was almost healed!... DAMN them!! Well, that's how society works my friend!!! If you want to beat the system you have to be smart enough and have enough on your side. You may not have that though. On the flip side, going with the flow of medical help can be of usage too. I fought for many years and did get a major victory, with some help. I've had other problems that those who take the medicine may not have had. I have a friend who is more humble than me and has been regular with medicine from the beginning. He has just moved to Dallas and probably is getting married since he moved there to be with his girlfriend. He was in Boston. Going with the flow and LISTENING probably is the key here. And always cooperating with the doctors, something i didn't do. ALWAYS communicate though cuz medicine really is hard at times and i'm not sure psychiatry is as advanced as it needs to be. My final advice would be to take the medication and cooperate... Listen to what providence is saying, and maybe someone out there is on your side. I discovered that talking it out with the doctors help and they allow me such minor dosage that i can live... you need that... i think many doctors want that too. Good luck!!! I'm your friend Cranberry Juice
hello! Maybe in your case you just needed a good rest to make yourself feel better. Sometimes, we need to do things ourselves to get rid of depression. We need some motivation factor to help us with it. But since you are involved with medication, you better consult your doctor and tell him about this. --------------------------- motivation Free Report reveals how to develop lasting motivation. Get it here: http://www.getmotivatedstaymotivated.com/special.htm self help Free Report reveals why Think and Grow Rich did not make you rich!. Get it here: http://www-abundancecourse.com/
Lavigne, i didn't say that i didn't take medication. I do take a drug every night. I'm just saying that there may be reasons for things when people do go through things like depression. Some panic and immediately run to the psychaitrist at the first suggestion by an alarmist friend. In some cases a psychiatrist may not be needed at all, but a rearrangemnt of life, adjustment of time, change of cultural conditions. Chemicals can get unbalanced, sure, but what are the reasons why they do. Solve that problem and your mind just might go back to normal. Drugs are dangerous in some cases, debilitating. A person can suffer for years because of bad medication, until finally they find something that works or has less side effects. Necessary, well, i wouldn't tell a person to jump off their drugs. And like you said, a person may need them. I'm just stating facts about drugs. i just want people to think a little before running to a psychiatrist. Mental Health is not a perfect science... just like any field, for instance.... they spent 5 years misdiagnosing me and then one day i told them i heard voices. So, their observations didn't suffice. Most of psychiatry anyway is observation from what i've gathered and personal experience, so there is room for error.
Best post in the thread. No meds is the way to go. One of my friends recently shot himself over his med addiction, they won't solve your problems, just dull the symptoms until the problem gets to be too much.
It's been a while since I've been online, and I just checked this thread and read all of your responses. I've actually been on a number of drugs(including Wellbutrin) but nothing has really 'fixed' me. My psychiatrist is the only one in town and I can only get appointments like every 3 months. I tried to kill myself once and he called back later that week. I guess they'll realize eventually that I've stopped filling my scripts. My mood is a little better, and I'm almost positive the meds are pretty much out of my system by now. I'm feeling more open to some form of couselling now(which I was firmly opposed to while on the meds). I think over all there has been some improvement, but I'm concerned as to how things will be when school starts this week. Last year I ended up in hospital after only a few months. My shrink once proposed that I could have some variation of bipolar disorder, since I suffer from severe depression, yet I have intermittent periods in which I am more active and my mood seems elevated. It never reaches the point of 'euphoria' or 'mania', which is probably why I've never been diagnosed. He suggested that I could be bipolar and then prescribes another SSRI... I don't really understand this. I feel very frustrated with doctors. It seems like they just keep trying different drugs, but don't really have a clue what will help. I'm open to trying different meds, but it seems pretty hit and miss at this point. Each time I try something else, I have to stay on it for at least six weeks... with new side effects and what not, I don't really like that. Don't really have a question, just wanted to update you on my situation, and thank those who have responded. It's nice to know that I'm not alone in this.
Hello Rubicon: I share your concern since I have had the same experiences. However the suicide episode is no light matter. Go to the top clinic in your state. I finally gave up the home town shrink and went to the top hospital in Oregon. I saw a great shrink. He found the right drug, Paxil, and the right dose the first time. Some doctors can't seem to match the two variables: drug and dose. If the dose is off, there is no effect or terrible side effects. Sometimes, I change the dose if the drug is really hammering me. For bipolar, I take Lamictal and Effexor now. They work fine...but after a few years they can stop working is what I have found with other drugs. One doctor prescibed Seroquil and the dose just hammered me the next day. I then took 1/8 of what was prescribed, and it worked like a charm. However, you need to know the maximum dose so one doesn't OD. When I get depressed, I will take more of the drug until I feel better. Don't give up.........
Ask him what he thinks about giving you a mood stabilizing drug. I just started one, and it really seems to work good. You say your mood swings, so maybe that may do the trick for you. Good luck.
Sometimes you have to adjust your medication yourself.... that doesn't seem wise but sometimes i think it's necessary... you can later tell your psychiatrist though.... i take an abilify every now and then just because the drug has certain effects that are beneficial to me...it's not my regular drug, usually, the psychiatrist allows this.... i'd stay away from psychiatrists who don't give grace!
Exactly.. Psychiatrists are all too often fond of giving their patients prescriptions. However, these doctors are well aware of the fact that most psychiatric medications merely mask the problem. Medication is a suppressant. In all honesty, it is a, "quick fix", much in the same way illegal drugs are.
So many things I could say here. I've been dealing with psychologists, psychiatrists and psychiatric drugs for a long time. The last time I was medicated was mid march 05. I had lowered my doses quite a few times before that, stopped taking certain drugs (I had 4 prescriptions) and I wouldn't take them everyday, at first I did, but like you I did it by mistake and felt the difference and felt like I really didn't need all of that crap in me, every single day. So eventually in March I just decided to stop it all, altogether. But I didn't decide to just stop medicating and do nothing else to deal with my *bipolar(don't like the term either) I did a major diet change, and I sorta created a treatment plan for myself, exercise, meditation, going for walks outside, journaling, herbs and vitamins, drinking more water, and paying a lot of attention to my moods and actively finding techniques to work with them. Now it is quite over a year later, I've slacked off quite a bit with my treatment, but I have not needed to be back on medication since then, and I have felt like I am still getting rid of the build up of those drugs in my body. But I did really, really well for at least a year. It's the first year since I was 16 that I felt like a normal person, and not a person with mental illness. But I look back on all the drugging up that they did to me, and I think that even though it does help some people, the inconsistancy isn't worth it even then. I've seen people go through so many different drugs and doses and it fucks them up for a long time, even when they do get a more accurate prescription. I can almost predict now if I meet a psychiatrist what they will prescribe to different patients, it's kinda funny really, except that it's sick, there are so many incompetent ones, it's just like any other profession, but it really sucks when you have an incompetant doctor and that affects your future. So I think if you can find something that works for you, and you know how you feel more than anyone else, if it's worth for you, go for it, but do your research and be careful about it.
That is so encouraging, honeyhannah..... I have a friend who's bipolar and i actually think he's just that way because his dad would get mad if he got off his medication.... and he's 33 years old... When i was having my problems back from 1992-1999, i never took the medication they gave me.... but damn, they gave me some serious stuff, haloperidol!... What's terrible is that my mind and emotions would tell me that i was getting better with the schizophrenia, after getting off the stuff... which i was off of it for 7 months usually, then my parents would start freaking (i was living with them at the time, age 23-30.)....i'm 37...and they would put me into a mental hospital just when my brain started adapting normally like other people's brains.... so i never had a chance to fully recover like you... I think my brain is addicted to zyprexa, which is what i take now... i take it in such a small dose though, 10mg...which is minor for what i've seen schizophrenics take... but i think the brain gets addicted to these drugs like it would cocaine or something..... I do hope one day to fully be off the medicine like you, though!! Wow, you have a great story!!! cranberry juice
