Posted by Adam on July 10, 2000, at 22:56:07
In reply to Prozac destroying lives, posted by Nise on July 10, 2000, at 6:16:05
Nise,
This is one individual's possible reaction to taking Prozac. I have heard it mentioned occasionally that Prozac may have a disinhibiting effect on some people, such that qualities not readily apparent before the drug's anti-anxiety and anti-obsessional effects kick in become more pronounced. The theory, if I understood it correctly, is that Prozac does not change personalities so much as bring out of latency aspects of a personality masked by inhibitions. Wheather or not these inhibitions are appropriate, I don't know.
I find it doubtful that your friend's husband was suddenly transformed from a model husband and father to the unreliable and self-destructive person you describe. If Prozac has anything to do with this (which is far from established, in my mind), it has been to reveal the nature of a person perhaps now blithley unconcerned with the consequences of his actions, where before he lived in restrictive fear of his impusulses. Perhaps if your friend delved deeper, she might find evidence of trouble stretching further into the past than the initiation of Prozac therapy. Just more well hidden.
Even in the worst case, where Prozac somehow changed an honest, loving husband into an oversexed lout and a spendthrift, this is far from the normal reaction to Prozac, which (on top of some common side-effects like insomnia and sexual dysfunction) is either a beneficial alleviation of depressive symptoms, or a lack of therapeutic response. There are a small minority who may react (sometimes very) adversely to Prozac and other SSRIs, such as those with a bipolar disorder, as stjames mentioned. It's hard to tell if he is now in the midst of a manic episode. Things don't seem that severe (I've seen SSRI-induced mania). It's hard to imagine someone suddenly displaying such complex dysfunctionality and deciet just because a drug changed their mood or releived their anxiety. Rather, I would imagine trouble was there all along.
> I am an independent onlooker to a failing 7 year old marriage. 8 months ago the first baby was born to this couple after many years of trying. The husband had wanted a child for many years and was overjoyed by the new arrival. There were two very successful individuals with a new home and now a new baby.
> The husband, a month or so later, began to feel stressed at work and tired in the mornings. 4 months after the birth of his child he was prescribed prozac (a dose of 20mgs a day).
> A few weeks later he started to behave strangely, started drinking more, stayed for hours on the internet, or watching TV without communicating, said he had strange dreams. Then he invited a girl from his office back to the couples home for dinner with other friends, he stayed up all night drinking with her, until 5 or 6 in the morning, his wife in bed with the baby. He missed work and didn't take his child to be minded. He called in sick to work and slept, leaving the 5 month old baby by itslef in the chair where the mother had laeft it in the morning. Further things he started spening money on extravagant things that he could not afford (as they had just bought a house and he had subsribed do a PHD 6 months previously). He stopped communicating, continiued to show no regard or reponsibility for his child or his wife.
> This is when the wife asked him to return to the doctor, and ask if prozac has any side affects. He returned and the doctor told him that prozac was not the cause of these problems. But some weeks later(after 4 months of prozac)realising that prozac was not doing waht he wanted it to do, he quit cold turkey.
> Then he started acting suspiciouly erasing numbers called from his phone, this is when the wife started suspecting something was up. A man that never ventured from home had found work to do all over the country staying away for days only calling once every 2 days. Still not communicating, the wife discovered through other channels that her husband is having an affair. She confronts him and tells him to think about it. This is a man with a new born baby, that has loved his wife, and wanted a baby for years. He returns to her and says that he is leaving. This is approxiamtely 5 weeks since quiting prozac.
> I have read alot of peoples experinces wirh prozac, and I suggest that prozac is avery dangerous drug and for those in relationships/ marriages it should be avoided or prescribed with caution only after indpeth analysis of the condition and the underlying problems realting to the condition. I think it is a human disgrace that doctors can get away with this.
> Any comments suggestions?
poster:Adam
thread:39956
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000708/msgs/40020.html