Do you suffer from Depression?

[grimm]

Originally posted by Peaches@Feb 11 2005, 11:07 AM
I've told this story before, but for those who haven't heard it:

I've had migraines since I was 13 and one of the prophylactics for it is anti-depression medication. I've tried several and most had absolutely zero effect on me, including not helping the migraines. Understand that when you spend 3-5 days a month curled up in a ball because of the pain, you're willing to try ANYTHING.

However, they tried me once on Prozac. I started at 10mg I think (maybe 5) for 5 days - nothing, so he had me double it. Within 48 hours I went into a deep chemical depression. It was the most bizarre thing I have ever experienced. I literally felt like a heavy black cloud was over me. I couldn't convince myself to get out of bed, off the toilet, out of my chair, etc. THANKFULLY I knew what was going on, stopped taking the stuff and was fine in another 48 hours. But it really gave me an insight to what people with chemical depression go through. The doctor said this happens to a very, very small percentage of people who take it for non-depression reasons. It freaked me out so bad that when I fill out medical forms and they ask me what I'm allergic to, I put down Prozac. I don't want someone giving it to me for ANY reason.

peaches.. thats odd for such a low dose.. sounds like a chemical allergic reaction.. minimum dosage for prozac is usually 10-20mg, ramped up over a two week period... if you go off of it suddenly, not ramping down your dosage.. it is very dangerous.. severe depression can often result...

with any SSRI it takes a while for the levels to be such in your brain that a plateau is reached and a difference can be felt.. normally a two week period, depending on the dosage and the half-life of the chemiacl compound.. then the SSRI (selective seretonin uptake inhibitor) can work, keeping seretonin flooded to a degree in your synapses, creating a stable level, and hence a stable mood.. In bipolar or manic patients, prozac often elevates the highs too much and needs to be moderated with an anticonvulsant, such as depakote. but in a person who is suffering from just depression... the levels stay such that moods do not drastically elevate or depress drastically, or at least thats the idea.. everyones body chemistry is different, and sensetivityand tolerance are higher in some than others. so reactions should be monitored by a psychiatrist or primary care physician.

Maybe you were misdiagnosed, or have an allergy to one of the mixing reagents, or such a low tolerance that it upset the balance too much