PROZAC thoughts

[J-J]

I think prozac should only really be used in the treatment of un-naturally low seratonin levels.
Dosent giving people with existing psychiatric problems a substance that interferes with brain chemistry seem like a dangerous proposition.
SSRIs have been linked to psychotic episodes where the patients have brutally murdered loved ones and then killed themselves.
These episodes have occured in people in their first week of using the drug. Whats more fucked up is that the pharmaceutical company has covered up the data from the studies that they conducted indicating that in some test patients reported thoughts of suicide and homicidal rage.
comments?

 

[silverfucked]

Yeah, but whose to say that that wasnt going to happen anyway.. The FDA cant approve pharms if there is an over 1% chance of ""severe"" side effects.. So those people are probably just the 1%.. Who justifies, svere i dont know.. but i do believe Prozac is being abused as a fix all perscription these days in which case if the person really didnt have a problem, the prozac could create some.. like serotonin down regulation.

 

[PottedMeat]

"Serotonin down regulation" That would suck big time.

 

[stardreamer]

^^^
hehe do you understand what downregulation is? it's only a problem if the medicine is discontinued - but i think mostly now people take this medicines for LONG periods of time, I know I have.
"Dosent giving people with existing psychiatric problems a substance that interferes with brain chemistry seem like a dangerous proposition."
Well, its not really an interference. Its a step towards how the brain functions normally, not abnormally. For people with depression, finding the right medicine to help it is a life-saver.

 

[negrogesic]

Though not an anti-depressant, I've always found this one funny:
" Mental depression has occurred in patients with and without prior history of depression. Symptoms have ranged from mild to severe and have included suicidal ideation and suicide. Metoclopramide should be given to patients with a prior history of depression only if the expected benefits outweigh the potential risks. "

 

[fairnymph]

Look, we have a forum for these types of discussions...it's called the HEALTH FORUM. Please use it.

I think prozac should only really be used in the treatment of un-naturally low seratonin levels.
"un-naturally low serOtonin (not 'serAtonin')" doesn't accurately explain depression/psychiatric imbalance. That is merely a theory, and not a very comprehensive one at that. More recent models include other neurotransmitters and take a more detailed look at subreceptor types.

Dosent giving people with existing psychiatric problems a substance that interferes with brain chemistry seem like a dangerous proposition.
Yes, altering brain chemistry has its potential risks, but many people with "existing psychiatric problems" have a (BIO)CHEMICAL ABNORMALITY in their brains...and one very effective way to repair this imbalance is by directly influencing neurochemistry. You fight fire with fire -- a chemical problem is sometimes best treated with a chemical.

SSRIs have been linked to psychotic episodes where the patients have brutally murdered loved ones and then killed themselves.
I'd say you are blowing things way out of proportion -- psychosis and suicide have occurred with SSRI use, but this is VERY RARE and SSRIs most certainly save more lives than they take. Also, SSRI-related crises usually happen either because of poor medical treatment (such as doctors misdiagnosing a bipolar person -- this would lead to mania on an SSRI), or b/c the patient doesn't follow the dr's instructions for taking the drug, or because the person stops treatment abruptly, leading to withdrawal. SSRIs are far from perfect drugs, but they do serve a very real and important purpose in psychiatry.