Test to measure my seriton levels...?!
Question:
Test to measure my seriton levels...?
I've been on prozzac for 2 years, and I want to get a blood test to see if I actually need it... since prozzac gives you more seritonin does that mean I need to be off prozzac for a few weeks in order to take the test?
Answers:
Ask your doctor whether you should go off the Prozac. That is the safest way to proceed. And it can be dangerous to your brain/behavior to suddenly stop a medication like Prozac, so never go off suddenly, but taper off over a period of time your doctor advises.
BTW, Prozac doesn't really "give" you more serotonin, how it works is that it keeps your brain from quickly reabsorbing the natural serotonin that you already produce, so that it stays in the brain longer. Since serotonin is a chemical messenger, if you don't have enough, it can cause a host of conditions (anxiety, depression). Prozac also affects another brain chemical called norepinephrine, so it's not just serotonin levels that will go down if you slowly withdraw from Prozac.
It can take 6 weeks or longer people taking Prozac to get it totally out of their system.