Posted by SLS on October 27, 2015, at 13:19:30
In reply to Re: Prozac lesser effective than other AD's, posted by Lucy_B on October 27, 2015, at 10:02:15
> Prozac has been by far the most effective AD for me, and I've tried them all. It's also a breeze to wean off of (although I've never personally been able to go more than a year without having to start it again, as my depression/anxiety always comes back). The last time I re-started it, it took about 9 weeks to kick in, which is a pretty long time. I was absolutely miserable in the interim (weight loss, worsened mood, INSOMNIA, muscle twitching, etc.) but it was so worth the wait. One morning, it was literally like someone turned on the lights. Everything was normal again. And it's been getting better and better every day (I'm at about 15 weeks now). That being said, everyone is different. Celexa also worked well for me when I first took it a long time ago, but it pooped out at around 4 years. I've never had any poop out issues from Prozac, even after more than a decade of use.
What is your motivation for discontinuing Prozac? I'm sure you know that SSRIs often don't work as well when they are discontinued and restarted too many times. For some people, even one discontinuation is enough to prevent achieving remission upon restarting the drug. Paxil is notorious for this. That it takes longer and longer for Prozac to kick-in for you upon restart is worrisome.
The brain likes homeostasis (staying the same), and will make adjustments in order to maintain it. If you are one of the lucky people whose brain establishes a new homeostasis that approaches normal while taking an antidepressant, you may not want to upset it. If you remove the drug, things change enough so that the brain must establish a new equilibrium again that doesn't always replicate exactly that which existed before the first drug exposure. In other words, the brain might be "ready" for re-exposure to the same medication, and is less likely to respond favorably.
It is not always indicated that someone remain on an antidepressant indefinitely. For instance, it might not make sense to treat someone for longer than a year for a first episode, especially if there is no family history of mental illness. However, if depression becomes recurrent or chronic, indefinite treatment should be considered - especially when first-degree relatives are affected.
Okay - that's the traditional wisdom. Perhaps your responsivity to Prozac will continue, despite pulsing. I understand how resistant one can become to the idea of being dependent on a drug.
- ScottSome see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.- George Bernard Shaw
poster:SLS
thread:1083100
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20150929/msgs/1083715.html