Posted by Mitch on July 11, 2001, at 23:46:09
In reply to Redirected: Advice wanted for newcomer, posted by Dr. Bob on July 10, 2001, at 9:45:34
Hello,
It appears that your depressions are related to workplace stress and possibly excessive work. You mentioned that you had "reactive depressions".
Do you mean that these are reactive depressions to *overworking* generally or is there some other "reactive" stimulus outside of work that is triggering them??This raises two possiblities: 1) There are some "obsessiveness" traits that are wearing you out-in which case an SSRI AD like Prozac or Paxil might be a good idea (so you can "switch attention" and "put down" your workplace involvements when you aren't immediately involved in them.
2) You are *reacting* to negative evaluation from others or *perceived negative evaluation from other PEOPLE. In which case either an SSRI AD or an MAOI (ideally) could treat these symptoms.I can understand if you have a complex, difficult, detailed occupation that a sedating antidepressant can wreak havoc on your concentration and attention.
You also mentioned some sensitivity to Prozac-you had panic reactions to it. I am also very sensitive to antidepressants. There have been studies that have shown that 20mg/day of Prozac is effective for approx. 70 percent of people in a major depressive episode-however 50 percent of people will respond just as well with just 5mg/day. I think you may have been *overdosed* with Prozac. Also, Prozac accumulates in the body and for some people the blood levels can get very high with a relatively small daily dose.
The bottom line: You need an antidepressant. You need something that doesn't make you a zombie so you can function with a high-level job. Prozac would be good for attentiveness and for panic. My conclusion: Retry the Prozac at 5mg/day with a benzodiazepine such as clonazepam .5mg-1.0mg at bedtime to stop the panic.
Hope this helps some,
Mitch
poster:Mitch
thread:69585
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010708/msgs/69810.html