Posted by linkadge on April 29, 2003, at 11:42:50
In reply to Zoloft, posted by canwetalk on April 29, 2003, at 8:25:41
Antidepressants can cause subtle changes
in personality. If these changes are too
great then you need to change the med
or adjust the dose.The problem is that even though your mother
may feel better, this does not mean that
she is cured. The medication may still be
helping.If she is not satisfied with it then change
it. MAny times, older people get placed on
medication for the benifit of the caretaker,
and not for the patient themselves. Try
and focus on how your mother feels, and perhaps
not as much of how you want her to feel. Personalities do change over time. My grandmother (not taking any meds) has completely different opinions and
thoughts than when she was younger. Sometimes older people revert back to a personality of when they were growing up.I, persoally would recomend reducing the
dose and see what happens. It may be a
return of the depressive syptoms, It may
be a reduction of side effects.Whatever you do, make sure you taper the drug,
don't ever simply discontinue. Older people
are expecially susceptable to medication
alterations.You may even want to try another drug. Prozac has a very long halflife. For this drug, a missed dose does not mean as much as some other drugs. It can even be taken in a once/week format.
I understand you want your old mother back,
but that may not be entirely possible. Try
and focus on her feelings, and mood. And
remember that even if she acts differently
it doesn't mean she isn't still the same
person. As you can imagine, she may have
had to deal with certain personality changes
while you were growing up through adolecence.Best of Luck
Any other questions ?Linkadge
poster:linkadge
thread:223113
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030429/msgs/223159.html