Posted by jomavesa on August 18, 2000, at 13:28:50
Hi:
I have been on Prozac for 4 months and have gained 15 pounds. I really don't seem to care, except when I try to buy clothes, and then I realize I have a big problem that keeps getting bigger and bigger.
I did some research and found a great book from the library called "7 Weeks to Emotional Healing" by Joan Mathews Larson, Ph.d. c 1999
She also has a web site at: www.healthrecovery.com.
She lists the most modern technological findings along with healty alternatives. She has empowered me in speaking with doctors. My youngest has suffered all year with colds and flus which I thought might be associated with allergies, so I took her to an allergist who just gave her a skin test which showed no allergies. I asked if she could have a blood test done to check her histamine levels (recommended by Joan Mathews), and the doctor said there was no such test only for IgE. I called Diagnostic Labs and found that there were actually three tests to check histamine levels including a blood test. The doctor was nice and ordered the test. We are waiting for the results. I mention this, althouogh it has nothing to do with Prozac, because it is an example of how it is our responsibility to keep up with the latest data available regarding our health and well-being because unless you know your doctor is, you cannot rely upon them to take care of you or your family as well as you would want them to, especially if you are on an HMO like we are.
Another good book is by Dr. Amen called "Change your Brain, Change your Life." It was so popular during the holidays that all the stores were out of it. It is now available in paperback, and at the library. What impressed me was that although Dr. Amen is a proponent for anti-depressants, he states that when his patients ask if they have to be on them for the rest of their lifes, he says no, because after a certain amount of time the medicine should correct the problem and no longer have to be taken.
At Eli Lily's own web site, I found the following:
"You should know that the AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) recommends that treatment with an antidepressant should last for 6 to 12 months because the long-term goal is to keep depression from troubling you again. Your doctor will monitor your progress and determine the length of treatment with Prozac. Be sure to tell your doctor about any medications you may be taking. Your doctor can discuss these and other safety matters with you in more detail."
They also stated if you discontinue Prozac that you should not take MAO inihibitors for at least a week.
I have a friend who has been taking Prozac for over ten years, and according to Joan Mathews Prozac could cause irreversible damage. She quotes from Dr. Peter Breggin's book "Talking Back to Prozac" "The brain develops an ominous reaction (from taking Prozac) that continues to increase over time. The mechanism - called down-regulation - causes receptors for serotonin literally to disappear from the brain. In many areas in the brains of experimental animals, the receptors drastically diminish in number, sometimes with losses as high as 60% in regions of the brain involved in mental functioning."
I plan on stopping taking Prozac once I can get an alternative set-up through my doctor since one of the items will be L-tryptophan which can only be bought with a prescription from a compounding pharmacy such as Hopewell Pharmacy 1-800-792-6670 or College Pharmacy 1-800-888-9358. These are listed in Ms. Mathews book. However, I was able to find one locally by using the www.raging.com and putting "compounding pharmacy" and the city where I live.
I wish you all well.
God bless.jomavesa
poster:jomavesa
thread:53
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20000813/msgs/53.html