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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 21 of 21. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by tanner257 on April 16, 2005, at 9:22:52
I took Prozac several years ago, with good success, for about a year until it pooped out, and I decided to tough it out without ADs.
Yesterday my therapist suggested I go back on an AD (a surprise, since she's not really pro-meds). I guess I have been downplaying the seriousness of my depression, even to myself.
Anyway, I know there are a lot of other ADs out there nowadays, but is anyone still taking Prozac and having good results? At one time it was a wonder drug for me.
Thanks.
Posted by linkadge on April 16, 2005, at 11:04:53
In reply to Anyone still taking Prozac?, posted by tanner257 on April 16, 2005, at 9:22:52
Of all the SSRI's, I think I liked prozac the best. It is the dirtiest of the SSRIs, but I had the most range of experience on it. Celexa was kind of mono-emotion.
Linkadge
Posted by jay on April 16, 2005, at 13:50:53
In reply to Anyone still taking Prozac?, posted by tanner257 on April 16, 2005, at 9:22:52
> I took Prozac several years ago, with good success, for about a year until it pooped out, and I decided to tough it out without ADs.
> Yesterday my therapist suggested I go back on an AD (a surprise, since she's not really pro-meds). I guess I have been downplaying the seriousness of my depression, even to myself.
> Anyway, I know there are a lot of other ADs out there nowadays, but is anyone still taking Prozac and having good results? At one time it was a wonder drug for me.
> Thanks.Yep...I am. It is my main Antidepressant, and I have gone up to 120 mg's, no prob. But, I need other meds to cover my other symptoms, like sleep and mood stabalization. I've been on it for almost 2 years now.
Jay
Posted by Phillipa on April 16, 2005, at 15:53:52
In reply to Re: Anyone still taking Prozac? » tanner257, posted by jay on April 16, 2005, at 13:50:53
I didn't know you could take l20mg of prozac. Wow! But what works for you is what you should take. My daughter was rx'd 20mg of prozac for a short time. She liked it. She had just gotten married, moved to a new state, changed jobs, and hated the new job. Once she quit her job and took a couple of weeks off, she got a job with an attorney which she likes so she went off the prozac. She says she feels fine. So, yes it's still being used. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by ed_uk on April 16, 2005, at 16:10:17
In reply to Anyone still taking Prozac?, posted by tanner257 on April 16, 2005, at 9:22:52
Hi,
>Anyone still taking Prozac?
Absolutely, millions of people still take fluoxetine. At the moment, fluoxetine is probably the most widely used antidepressant in the UK.
Regards,
Ed.
Posted by Paulbwell on April 16, 2005, at 19:28:47
In reply to Anyone still taking Prozac?, posted by tanner257 on April 16, 2005, at 9:22:52
> At one time it was a wonder drug for me.
> Thanks.'and everyone else'
Posted by Maxime on April 16, 2005, at 20:08:57
In reply to Anyone still taking Prozac?, posted by tanner257 on April 16, 2005, at 9:22:52
Prozac was the only SSRI that lifted me out of my depression and didn't cause hypomania. I tried to go on it again, but it didn't work! I don't know why.
But yes, I think Prozac is still used a lot.
At least it has a long half-life so coming off it is easy. You can go cold turkey!
Maxime
> I took Prozac several years ago, with good success, for about a year until it pooped out, and I decided to tough it out without ADs.
> Yesterday my therapist suggested I go back on an AD (a surprise, since she's not really pro-meds). I guess I have been downplaying the seriousness of my depression, even to myself.
> Anyway, I know there are a lot of other ADs out there nowadays, but is anyone still taking Prozac and having good results? At one time it was a wonder drug for me.
> Thanks.
Posted by Maxime on April 16, 2005, at 20:11:38
In reply to Re: Anyone still taking Prozac?, posted by Phillipa on April 16, 2005, at 15:53:52
I used to take 100 mg of it. Of course if you have PDoc who thinks the PDR is the bible then you won't go above 60 mg. But I guess I metabolised it quickly. I wish I could metabolised food as quickly as I do meds.
Maxime> I didn't know you could take l20mg of prozac. Wow! But what works for you is what you should take. My daughter was rx'd 20mg of prozac for a short time. She liked it. She had just gotten married, moved to a new state, changed jobs, and hated the new job. Once she quit her job and took a couple of weeks off, she got a job with an attorney which she likes so she went off the prozac. She says she feels fine. So, yes it's still being used. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by Maxime on April 16, 2005, at 20:17:22
In reply to Re: Anyone still taking Prozac? » tanner257, posted by ed_uk on April 16, 2005, at 16:10:17
> Hi,
>
> >Anyone still taking Prozac?
>
> Absolutely, millions of people still take fluoxetine. At the moment, fluoxetine is probably the most widely used antidepressant in the UK.
>
> Regards,
> Ed.Probably because no doctor will prescribe anything else, eh ED? Seems like it's hard in the UK to get on a cocktail of meds, benzos are rarely prescribed, and MAOI aren't easy to come by.
Ed, is there a reason why they are so conversative with psych meds in the UK. I am not saying they should be handed out like candy like in the U.S. but what about people with treatment resistant depression. How do they get by?
And in Canada many of the meds aren't even available.
Just wondering ....
xxxxx
Maxime
Posted by ed_uk on April 16, 2005, at 20:44:30
In reply to Re: Anyone still taking Prozac? » ed_uk, posted by Maxime on April 16, 2005, at 20:17:22
Hi Maxi,
>Seems like it's hard in the UK to get on a cocktail of meds........
For many years, pdocs in the UK have looked down on 'polypharmacy'. Everyone is supposed to be treated with only one drug. Combining ADs has been viewed as 'contra-indicated'.
>Ed, is there a reason why they are so conversative with psych meds in the UK.
I don't know really, I would imagine that teaching quality (RE psych meds) in medical schools is very poor. For many years, benzos were prescribed like sweets- there was a massive backlash. Similarly, SSRIs have often been very carelessly prescribed in recent years. Many doctors view them as being 'very safe' and have very negative opinions of older drugs. Most doctors seem to prescribe an extremely limited range of psych drugs. Treatment-resistant patients don't really exist in the UK because so few people actually get to try a wide range of treatments! If you don't respond to Effexor you are likely to be pronounced 'treatment resistant' and abandonned. Effexor is the latest 'cure-all' in the UK.
>...what about people with treatment resistant depression. How do they get by?
They probably just take one SSRI after another for 30 years.
Many consultant psychiatrists here never prescribe MAOIs. I mean, serious, how can a consultant pdoc have never prescribed an MAOI? I imagine that if you asked them they would say that they were 'too dangerous' or that they had never needed to prescribe one. In reality, all pdocs are likely to have had many patients who didn't do well on the 'common' drugs. IMO, the reason why they don't prescribe them is because they don't know anything about them. In some cases, their knowledge of phrmacology is nothing short of appauling. My last pdoc though Buspar was a tricylic antidepressant. They seem to think that everything can be treated with SSRIs, they don't seem to appreciate the side effects, nor do they have a good idea of the common psychological effects of these drugs. The pdoc I saw as a child never believed me when I said that Paxil was making me drowsy and lazy, she kept telling me that it was 'stimulating' and that it would make me highly motivated. I don't know, our pdocs seem to live in a fantasy world.
Ed xxxx
Posted by temoigneur on April 17, 2005, at 0:50:03
In reply to Anyone still taking Prozac?, posted by tanner257 on April 16, 2005, at 9:22:52
> I took Prozac several years ago, with good success, for about a year until it pooped out, and I decided to tough it out without ADs.
> Yesterday my therapist suggested I go back on an AD (a surprise, since she's not really pro-meds). I guess I have been downplaying the seriousness of my depression, even to myself.
> Anyway, I know there are a lot of other ADs out there nowadays, but is anyone still taking Prozac and having good results? At one time it was a wonder drug for me.
> Thanks.
Hi Tanner, it was a 'wonder drug'for me, the variability in individual responses is so vast - I responded within hours - it could have been a placebo affect, but my thinking processes and everything become coherent, where before I was stuck in a anxious fragmented obsessive depression, it worked wonders for me for 4 months, then suddenly pooped out. I switched back and forth between it and luvox, then they both stopped working anxiety came flooding back in. I wonder about 2 things - could my insomnia, have exacerbated my condition - there was no ambien at that time, also I went to the U.S> national anxiety disorder meeting, and a specialist was saying that even though the generic and 'brand' versions of the drug are considered identical - the generic version only has to have something in the order of 80% of the active ingredient, more importantly, there can be and sometimes are very subtle structural differences, that he said, for some people may make a difference in how the two forms are metabolized.As far as dosage with SSRI's I heard that over 60-80 mg, the response curve is flat, I was told by a friend, not a professional, that over about ~80mg, there is no advantage in increasing dosage - however, he takes 210mg , b/c by some mechanism, it keeps his diabetes in check. Everyone is so different Take care.
Posted by tanner257 on April 17, 2005, at 7:30:11
In reply to Re: Anyone still taking Prozac? » tanner257, posted by temoigneur on April 17, 2005, at 0:50:03
I've always wondered if it was a placebo effect, but I swear I felt better within an HOUR after taking my first dose of prozac. Maybe my brain cells were just starved for serotonin...?
And I knew it was working for real when a few days later I laughed about something -- then realized it was the first time I had laughed in months!
Posted by stargazer on April 17, 2005, at 22:28:20
In reply to Re: Anyone still taking Prozac? » temoigneur, posted by tanner257 on April 17, 2005, at 7:30:11
That's the truth. He has done much better on Prozac than on a few other meds we tried including Clomipramine and Elavil.
Do you think that since no one is getting rich on the generic version of Prozac it is not prescribed as much? That is why I suggested to the vet trying Prozac. I had loads of Prozac left over from when I had taken it and I couldn't bear to throw it away. I figured it was worth a try to see how our dog would do on it.
It works for his OCD symptoms and his aggressiveness/hypervigliant behavior.
Go figure.
Posted by stresser on April 18, 2005, at 16:08:50
In reply to Re: Anyone ( my dog?) still taking Prozac?, posted by stargazer on April 17, 2005, at 22:28:20
Just read your post, and wanted to let you know that two of my friends are taking Sarafem (spelling problem), the same thing as Prozac. They love it. I took it around ten years ago, and then switched to Zoloft. I can't remember why? Anyway, now, my dog is taking it! He has anxiety, and I think it's helping him quite a bit. I wouldn't think twice about going back to it if I need to do so in the future. -L
Posted by alohashirt on April 18, 2005, at 17:44:35
In reply to Re: Anyone still taking Prozac? » Maxime, posted by ed_uk on April 16, 2005, at 20:44:30
> Hi Maxi,
>
> >Seems like it's hard in the UK to get on a cocktail of meds........
>
> For many years, pdocs in the UK have looked down on 'polypharmacy'. Everyone is supposed to be treated with only one drug. Combining ADs has been viewed as 'contra-indicated'.
>> >Ed, is there a reason why they are so conversative with psych meds in the UK.
>
> I don't know really, I would imagine that teaching quality (RE psych meds) in medical schools is very poor. For many years, benzos were prescribed like sweets- there was a massive backlash. Similarly, SSRIs have often been very carelessly prescribed in recent years. Many doctors view them as being 'very safe' and have very negative opinions of older drugs. Most doctors seem to prescribe an extremely limited range of psych drugs. Treatment-resistant patients don't really exist in the UK because so few people actually get to try a wide range of treatments! If you don't respond to Effexor you are likely to be pronounced 'treatment resistant' and abandonned. Effexor is the latest 'cure-all' in the UK.
Someone famously said that the US and the UK are two nations divided by a common language. I think a lot of the difference is cultural. Self-improvement is almost a moral imperative in the US whereas in the UK it is often viewed as "having ideas above one's station." I have had a friend who works as an NHS concultant staying with me and we were chatting about differences. As I described my med history he was in disbelief at the amount "tweaking the meds" to optimize the response to ADHD meds. Of course many US doctors are also reluctant to prescribe to improve the quality of life rather than fix a dangerous condition. A great example of this would be the slow recognition that in aging men testosterone deficiency can have real negative implications for quality of life. Supplementation is controversial for many reasons, one iof which is the parable of Dr Frankenstein.I like to have an informed partipative role in my treatment and am happy to try something that may or may not improve an already helpful treatment as my pdoc gives me clear information about the risks and instructs me to contact him immediately if any of symptoms X occur.
I think that medication should eb more accessible than it currently is, perhaps in the same fasion that cigarettes are.
Infantilizing people helps no-one. That doesn't mean I want a doctor who abdicates. He/She is still the expert and their guidance is vital. But ultimately I'm the one living with the coindition, the treament and the side effects.
> >...what about people with treatment resistant depression. How do they get by?
>
> They probably just take one SSRI after another for 30 years.
>
> Many consultant psychiatrists here never prescribe MAOIs. I mean, serious, how can a consultant pdoc have never prescribed an MAOI? I imagine that if you asked them they would say that they were 'too dangerous' or that they had never needed to prescribe one. In reality, all pdocs are likely to have had many patients who didn't do well on the 'common' drugs. IMO, the reason why they don't prescribe them is because they don't know anything about them. In some cases, their knowledge of phrmacology is nothing short of appauling. My last pdoc though Buspar was a tricylic antidepressant. They seem to think that everything can be treated with SSRIs, they don't seem to appreciate the side effects, nor do they have a good idea of the common psychological effects of these drugs. The pdoc I saw as a child never believed me when I said that Paxil was making me drowsy and lazy, she kept telling me that it was 'stimulating' and that it would make me highly motivated. I don't know, our pdocs seem to live in a fantasy world.
>
> Ed xxxx
>
Posted by theo on April 22, 2005, at 8:35:48
In reply to Re: Anyone ( my dog?) still taking Prozac?, posted by stresser on April 18, 2005, at 16:08:50
Hey stresser,
How is the Concerta treating you? Are you still taking 18mg?
Posted by stresser on April 23, 2005, at 18:28:48
In reply to Re: Anyone ( my dog?) still taking Prozac? » stresser, posted by theo on April 22, 2005, at 8:35:48
yes, still on 18mg, and I don't notice the same effects as in the beginning. At first I had much more energy, and had the jitters, but that has gone away. I go back for my follow up in a couple of weeks, I think she may increase my dosage a bit. She told me she always starts patients out on a very low dosage, due to side effects. I really can't tell if it's helping my concentration, the dose may be to low. She did tell me not to worry if I didn't notice any difference there either, at least for the first month. How are you doing? -L
Posted by theo on April 24, 2005, at 12:29:53
In reply to Re: Concerta » theo, posted by stresser on April 23, 2005, at 18:28:48
> yes, still on 18mg, and I don't notice the same effects as in the beginning. At first I had much more energy, and had the jitters, but that has gone away. I go back for my follow up in a couple of weeks, I think she may increase my dosage a bit. She told me she always starts patients out on a very low dosage, due to side effects. I really can't tell if it's helping my concentration, the dose may be to low. She did tell me not to worry if I didn't notice any difference there either, at least for the first month. How are you doing? -L
Sorry I posted below, I couldn't find this and just stumbled across it.
I'm feeling the exact same way you are. I guess I should try to go up in dose before giving up on it, like I'm so good at doing. Did you mention below you are also taking Zoloft? I need to add an antidepressant, anticonvulsant with AD properties or a TCA but don't quite know what direction to go yet. My doc wanted me to try a stimulant alone to get a true.
Concerta does give some physical energy and gets me going somewhat but not as motivating like I was hoping. Maybe a small dose increase will help. The next dose strength is 27mg. I'm tempted to take two 18's to see how I respond before a pay for a scrip of 36mg to find out it's to much. Did your doc mention what he was going to increase yours to? The good news is that it doesn't cause any anxiety.
I see Concerta as a good add-on but need to focus more on my low grade depressive type symptoms now that I've been off SSRI's and all other meds for a couple of months. Now that I've tried a stim and know what it does for me, I need to find something to keep that low grade worthless feeling I have at bay. I don't crash or feel sad when the Concerta wears off, but can definitly tell it wears off around 4-6pm when I take it at 7:00am. I also get a little headache about 6 hours after taking it sometimes. What's also good is I skipped a couple of days and it was no problem at all.
Posted by stresser on April 24, 2005, at 19:15:54
In reply to Re: Concerta » stresser, posted by theo on April 24, 2005, at 12:29:53
Zoloft is working well for me, you may want to consider it. I really don't have that worthless feeling anymore, and I consider that a miracle! I keep wondering how medication can work so well for one person and not the other. I also am thinking about taking two 18mg of concerta before my doctor increases my dosage, to make sure it's the correct thing to do. I did try some Adderall, and I liked it also. My daughter's doctor had her try Concerta, in place of Adderall, and she didn't like it at all. She said she couldn't concentrate on homework, or get anything accomplished during school. She is back to Adderall. I think 20mg of Adderall is not doing much for her, what would happen if she took 40mg? I am thinking that will be too much of an increase. I think I will ask the doctor for 30mg, if I can get it.-L
Posted by theo on April 24, 2005, at 22:35:05
In reply to Re: Concerta » theo, posted by stresser on April 24, 2005, at 19:15:54
> Zoloft is working well for me, you may want to consider it. I really don't have that worthless feeling anymore, and I consider that a miracle! I keep wondering how medication can work so well for one person and not the other. I also am thinking about taking two 18mg of concerta before my doctor increases my dosage, to make sure it's the correct thing to do. I did try some Adderall, and I liked it also. My daughter's doctor had her try Concerta, in place of Adderall, and she didn't like it at all. She said she couldn't concentrate on homework, or get anything accomplished during school. She is back to Adderall. I think 20mg of Adderall is not doing much for her, what would happen if she took 40mg? I am thinking that will be too much of an increase. I think I will ask the doctor for 30mg, if I can get it.-L
I forgot, did you take 20mg regular Adderall or Adderall XR? Was it as smooth as Concerta when wearing off? How was it different for you?Also, do you take your Zoloft and Concerta at the same time? I wonder if Concerta is safer with Zoloft (SSRI's in general) than Adderall (XR) would be.
Posted by stresser on April 25, 2005, at 15:24:28
In reply to Re: Concerta » stresser, posted by theo on April 24, 2005, at 22:35:05
Adderall XR 20mg, and I take 100mg Zoloft at night. It makes to tired if I take it in the morning. I took to 18mg of concerta this morning, and I really don't notice too much of a difference today, maybe a little more energy. I will have to wait until later this evening to see if my alertness falls early as will 18mg. I can really tell with that 18mg, that my mind wanders and I CANNOT stay focused like I could with Strattera. This may take a few days. -L
This is the end of the thread.
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