Posted by Elizabeth on August 22, 2001, at 12:50:00
In reply to Re: Prozac no longer working, posted by Pannie S. on August 17, 2001, at 11:28:35
> Thank you for the information. It is immensely helpful to "hear" that what I'm going through is not abnormal!
Great! I understand the feeling.
> I AM experiencing the apathy, lethargy, etc. that you described.
Is it a relapse of your original depression, or is it something new? (Or both?)
> I often go home for my lunch hour and sleep...I could sleep almost any time - anywhere, but find it difficult at bedtime.
Heh -- I do that too, but I've always been like that.
> I went on Prozac largely to enable me to focus and be effective in my job...the depression/anorexia had made this virtually impossible. The Prozac helped and this enabled me to focus on work and pour myself into weekly private therapy in which I delved into the reasons behind my slide into anorexia.
I think antidepressants can facilitate talk therapy -- I've found that it's nearly impossible for many people to have successful talk therapy when they're not on effective medication.
> My current symptoms mimic those of depression...AND I'm gaining weight! Yes, I expected to gain...and have done so slowly as part of my recovery from anorexia, but the gain which accompanied the "poop-out" of Prozac has been fast and furious.
Many drugs can cause adaptive changes (and, often, tolerance to the therapuetic effect) with long-term use. There's no reason to suppose that SSRIs would be any different. Because you were on Prozac for a long time, you probably can expect it to take a while for the adaptive changes to reverse.
I wonder whether it might be worthwhile to get checked for endocrine problems, such as insulin resistance or hypothyroidism. Talk to your pdoc about the problems you're having, maybe s/he will have an idea of how to proceed.
> I've been much happier not being thin as a rail, healthy looks great!
It sure does, and it's great to hear that you've adopted that attitude. Anorexia is a very dangerous disease -- it has the highest mortality rate of any psych disorder -- and it's extremely hard to overcome. That you've been able to achieve recovery is a testament to your persistence.
> I will trust your advice and play the waiting game. I'm getting close to the 5-6 weeks when Prozac should leave my system.
That should be adequate. Maybe your doctor can prescribe something to make things easier during the washout period? I just mean a short-term thing; I know you don't want to be on medication for the rest of your life, and I understand. I felt the same way, but that didn't work out at all. So I recommend that you watch carefully for relapses during the months following your discontinuation of Prozac. MB's suggestion of inositol might be worth a try (it's one of the more respected "food supplements," if nothing else), and you could also search this site for past posts about SSRI poop-out.
Best wishes,
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:9648
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010822/msgs/75945.html