Why are so many people against prozac (fluoxetine hcl)?!
Question: Some people are against antidepressants, and taking medicin that effects the brain, or taking stuff for moods full stop. Normally these are hte people that think the clinically depressed can just snap out of it and don't understand what depression really is.
Another reason is the potential for an increase in suicidal slef harm thoughts when you first start taking it. This can scare a lot of people.
Some people may not like the thought of taking anything that can effect the brain (pyschotrophic medication). It can be a scary prospect.
Some people may think its a weakness to resort to medication, as they feel that they should be able to control their emotions and problems themselves.
Answers: Some people are against antidepressants, and taking medicin that effects the brain, or taking stuff for moods full stop. Normally these are hte people that think the clinically depressed can just snap out of it and don't understand what depression really is.
Another reason is the potential for an increase in suicidal slef harm thoughts when you first start taking it. This can scare a lot of people.
Some people may not like the thought of taking anything that can effect the brain (pyschotrophic medication). It can be a scary prospect.
Some people may think its a weakness to resort to medication, as they feel that they should be able to control their emotions and problems themselves.
Because it's questionable whether it actually works.
In addition, there is a link between fluoxetine and suicidal/homicidal behaviour. Fluoxetine has been linked to at least 50,000 deaths since it was licenced.
There are better ways of dealing with depression than using medication such as fluoxetine. Exercise and social contact both raise levels of serotonin in the brain. Eating a diet which includes foods which are rich in the amino acid tryptophan, which is a precursor to serotonin will also help.
Perhaps most importantly, making changes to behaviour and thinking - which isn't easy, but perfectly possible.
That having been said, fluoxetine does appear to work very well for some people. The problem is that it's been overly prescribed and is by no means effective for everyone presenting with depression.
they have found a new drug supposed to be better
I`m not against it,i needed someting and was prescribed prozac,and yes it did work,no it wasn`t addictive,and it wasn`t hard to come off.
All anti-depressants have the pontential to increase suicidal thoughts,and prozac has been known to cause other intersting side effects.Hell i grew up on the stuff,but thats neither here nor there...
Fluoxetine is one of a number of SSRI's (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) which stimulate serotonin in the brain. (Serotonin is a chemical that affects mood). Its' benefits include the fact that most people taking SSRI's only need to take one dose per day, it's safer to take with other drugs and it poses less risk in overdose.
Like any medication however, it will work for some people and not for others. On average, 60 - 80% of people wil find it helpful. But for those that don't, they should return to their GP/prescriber who may decide to change their prescription to an alternative anti-depressant.
Prozac has had it's bad press because when it was first prescribed, many people thought of it as the 'miracle' cure and were therefore disappointed. Like any drug it will have side effects for a minority. But for many others, it is helpful to them.
probably because if you've been on it for a long time,you can be addicted to it and have to be weaned off it .Plus it sometimes does'nt suit everybody that takes it.I was put onto Prozac when i had post-natal depression and tbh,it made my depression worse.I was only on it for 6 months in total and still had to be weaned off it.A lot of people are against anti-depressants because they'd rather try alternative therapies such as counselling rather than go onto the drugs because there's been such bad reports about them.I did'nt even get the choice to go to counselling and was stuck on the pills by my doctor which made things worse.
I was on prozac some years ago it lifted my depression and made me feel great,the only problem was I decided life was not good enough for me and I would be better of dead.I would like to try it again but that side effect does worry me.
because some people abuse it, the stigma that there is a pill for every problem.
*lol*
Because it only makes use of the available serotonin in the brain - it doesn't create new serotonin. This is why the drug wears off after about 6 months and the dosage needs increasing.
The side effects are intolerable and the withdrawal is hell.
5htp is much better. It's an amino acid and actually helps the body create new serotonin. It has no side effects and is well tolerated.
I've been taking antidepressants on and off for years, but found nothing works properly apart from the 5htp.
SSRI antidepressants really are just a 'sticking plaster' method of treating depression.
Oh yeah, and Prozac (as with ALL the SSRIs) ruins your sex drive and prevents you from having orgasms! Isn't that enough to make you feel fed up?! *lol*
I can only offer personal experience. I was put on Prozac about 10 years ago for severe depression. I took it for about 3 months, and during this time I gradually felt worse and worse (I didn't think at the time I started that I COULD feel worse). I could not sleep while I was on Prozac, even though I was VERY depressed. I could hear EVERYTHING my neighbours were doing and saying, when I couldn't hear any of this before. It almost drove me mad. I eventually felt so bad that I overdosed.
I know people who have had similar experience of Prozac, but I also know of people who have found it helpful. I guess it works for some but not for others.
Probably because it's addictive and very hard to get off it.