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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 2 of 2. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dr. Bob on June 9, 2003, at 3:33:04
In reply to hello, new to the board, posted by lucy_fyrr on June 8, 2003, at 23:33:36
> hi everyone, I've read over a couple of random threads over the past month or so, and now I'm just about ready to post my own.
> Here it goes...
> I have a long history of depression, anxiety, marked by several nervous and emotional breakdowns. Currently, I'm on Prozac, and unlike other times, I do not see a psychiatrist. (Hopefully, though, I will find a psychiatrist once I get back home from my vacation)
> I'm not very trusting of drugs, but I got to a very low point at which I was very desperate so I agreed to try this Prozac. During this low point, I had a flood of suicidal thoughts interchanged with cravings for cocaine or amphetamines. I generally have a bad relationship with drugs of most sorts. I become easily addicted.
> Anyhow, I went to my reg. doctor to see my blood test results. (I had gotten a blood test done because I recently put on quite a bit of weight during a short period of time). The doc told me my results were fine, so I admit that the weight gain must have been due to my depression... my doc suggested Prozac.
> She took a look at my body, and weighed me. She claimed that Prozac would help me lose some weight and that it should help. I had never before been told that I needed to lose some weight, it was always quite the opposite. I was anorexic on and off for about three and a half years, and only lately did I recover. I am currently (what I think is) a normal weight (5'7, 127lbs.) I don't want to fall back into my awful obsession of exercising and counting calories, but then again, I don't want to put on anymore weight. I've already gained 20lbs over the past year and a half, I don't know if I could handle anymore. It's very depressing to see my body become fatter.
> I've only been on prozac for 2 weeks so I'm not feeling very much yet. I've been sleeping a lot more than usual, and my mind was a little cloudy the first couple of days, but otherwise nothing physical has changed significantly. My depression has cooled down a bit. I don't have half as many suicidal thoughts, but my outlook isn't exactly the most sunny. But I guess I prefer feeling some sadness than not being able to tap into that part of me at all.
> Last year I was on Effexor, but I took myself off of it after 3 months because it was making me numb. I was not able to feel anger or sadness. I don't know if my dose was too high, but nevertheless I didn't react to it well.
> I apologize now for my excessively long post.
> But there's a question of sorts in here...
> I am feeling nearly like myself, but I am not sure if it would be a good idea to be on prozac for an extended period of time? if I should try to deal without it? or if I should take it during times when I need it?
> It would be great to hear about anyone else's experiences with coming off of prozac, or any other experiences with any SSRIs. I am a university student, so i'm very concerned with how SSRIs may affect concentration skills, or anything study-related.
> This forum is a great idea, and thanks for reading if you got this far.
> bye for now.
Posted by paxvox on June 9, 2003, at 18:45:57
In reply to hello, new to the board « lucy_fyrr, posted by Dr. Bob on June 9, 2003, at 3:33:04
Well, I took Prozac when it first came out as the new "wonder drug" for depression. I can tell you that you will probably NOT lose any weight while taking it, most people gain about 5lbs. Personally, I have found, as many would echo, that Prozac "poops out" after a year or two of use. It can be a very good med to start with, but I think there are many others that are better. Effexor (IMHO) is NOT one of them! I guess most of us would need to hear a little more about your medical history before we would proffer much advice about what might be "good" or "better" for you. You said you have an addictive personality. That WAS one thing that Prozac helped me with, as I was able to give up drinking entirely for several years (that was, like 1991). Currently, I take Wellbutrin, which is not an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) like Prozac and many of its ilk. It has NOT pooped out on me after almost 6 years on it. And I can almost guarantee that you will lose weight while taking it if you are not taking too many other meds. However, I clearly do not think anyone at 5'7" and 127 pounds would be considered "heavy" by ANY standards! Clearly not by BMI (body mass index)look it up and see (check for BMI on Goggle or some other search engine). If you would like to discuss other issues, feel free to "let it rip" over on the psycho-social board. Cheers.
PAX
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