
03-29-2008, 08:10 AM
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Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: US
Posts: 11
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I am by no means an expert on depression and Prozac, but I will say since I started it there has been a world of difference in how I'm now feeling. So I'll give you my experience with it.
Some of what you say sounds a bit familiar to how I was becoming. And I also recognized it wasn't me. I was also one who didn't think I was the type that needed to turn to AD's to make me feel better.
I started on Prozac over a year ago. After just a week I was beginning to feel better, the 'black cloud' was lifting and I could feel what felt like a load begin to lift off my shoulders. I did think a few times before talking to my doctor that maybe things would be better off if I wasn't around. I didn't think that was suicidal thoughts either, but indirectly it was...not that I would ever do anything to myself. But we need to be careful because when we're at the end of our rope we don't know what we might do!
If your doctor is a good one she will start you out on a dosage she thinks will help to begin to lift you out of this. I'm a pretty drug sensitive person, so it didn't take long for me to notice feeling better.
The only effects I've had were recently, we felt maybe I needed to boost my dosage up. The doctor chose to boost up to 40mg from 20. He left it up to me to see if I felt I wanted to stay there or if I didn't like the way I felt I could go back to the 20mg. I have a problem if I take 40mg more than 3 days in a row, I get a rash...a reaction to that dosage. I believe its my bodies way of telling me I don't need that much. So I'll be dropping back to the 20mg.
The rash reaction is the only negative...I did feel a little better with the dosage, but again I don't think its something I need ALL the time...maybe a booster once in a while.
I'm not sure about stopping the AD. I have had thoughts of 'gee maybe I don't need this now' and tried skipping some days to see how I would feel. (We're not to go off the AD cold turkey.) Each time I would get this notion, it seems there was something that would remind me they really were still helping me.
Talk to your doctor about how you feel if you would go off the Prozac. It most likely would be up to you to realize if you still needed to be taking it after a while of knowing how you feel.
Keeping the communication open with your doctor is the key. You've recognized that you are having trouble and made that first step to talk to her about it. I don't know your age, I will be 50 this year and I do believe a lot of mine has to do with age. But, as I learn more about myself I can see that depression symptoms have been there most of my life. I'm just glad I finally recognized that I needed some help.
Don't be afraid to try to help yourself...and if you don't like how you're feeling with the Prozac talk to your doctor, she will help you.
I hope this may have helped some.
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