Are my meds working??

[George]

This will be my sixth week using Prozac and when asked if they are working I always have to say "I don't know".
Anybody else go through this? I mean, wondering if the meds are right for you or if they are even working? I may have had too high of expectations.
Ive been diagnosed as major depression and hoped a little too high I guess.
I'm somewhat better I guess but I can't seem to come right out and say Prozac saved my life.
Forgive me for rambling. I'm just curious as to what other folks have to say in regards to their meds.
Geo

[paul m]

Hello George . the problem with meds is that they can really help you and still not bring you to the spot that you want. I know that over the time that I have taken meds, that sometimes the meds would take away the suicidal feelings, but not the unhappiness and lethargy. More or less they allowed me to exist, just not happily.

Of course when we get a med that does help us some, we may be reluctant to change as the space we are now in is better than it ever was before. Doesn't mean that we are happy with our life.

Six weeks is not a long time to be taking prozac and usually it takes up to 4-6 weeks from the time you reach maximum dosage to get maximum effects. By maximum dosage, I mean the maximum dosage that is right for you.

Typically Doctors start a person at a lower dose and then move them up after several weeks. I don't know what your doc has prescribed , but according to http://www.drugs.com/dosage/prozac-capsules.html the usual way is to start taking prozac at 20mg and then move up either weekly of every other week by 20mg. until you either hit the max or you find it works. (max dose is 80 mg). However that is a guideline only and some docs are uncomfortable with going to the max. '

I would suggest that you should talk to your doc about you feel and see about either 1) increasing your dose. 2) adding a second antidepressant , 3) changing antidepressants.

I would also suggest that you, and this is not a criticism as I don't know you, learn about additional remedies in conjunction with your meds. For example Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has shown excellent results when used in addition with medication. Some courses like WRAP, (wellness recovery action plan ) while not being a CBT course, do help us to modify our lifestyles to help keep us healthy. Your doc may know where you can access these types of courses. Take Care. paul m

P.S. I see that you live in or near Barrie. In which case you may have a little luck on your side The Centre for Inner Freedom has some great courses and is one of the few places in Ontario that is paid for by OHIP. Unfortunately there is a small wait list until 2016. For more infohttp://www.centerforinnerfreedom.com/

[George]

Thanks Paul,
I appreciate your reply. I guess on a scale of one to ten with ten being the best, I feel about a 5. Whereas before I felt a one. I take 40 mg per day of Prozac and 7.5 mg of Olanzapine before bed.
I was more or less just curious to see if others felt the same way with their meds.
I bet it's common.
Thanks again.
Geo

[paul m]

Hello George. One of the most common questions is "I'm taking my meds and I still feel like crap, why? " There are a lot of factors involved with getting well and taking our meds is only one of them. So you are right on when you say "I bet it's common."

If you will bear with me a bit, I'm going to haul out my soap box and rant a little.

Unfortunately the medical system isn't nearly as far advanced in this country as the politicians would have us believe. The Mental Health Commission of Cda (MMHC) is making slow inroads, but for the size of budget they have it's damn slow.

In England for example if you were diagnosed with depression your GP would try very hard to get you a psychiatrist appt and you would be offered meds plus such therapies as CBT, chat therapy, telephone therapy , CBT books and dvd's from specialized libraries , specialized on line CBT and a host of other help. There are some waiting times, and the more advanced course have a cost, but all in all it's a lot better than our system of " here take these meds and find out the rest yourself".

In Canada, every province moans about it's health care costs. Politicians seem to be able to take junkets all around the world, why can't they examine what the rest of the world is doing. When the MMHC was first formed, they had to get people in from Australia to help set up a framework and some guidelines we were/are that far behind.

Anyway sorry about stealing a bit of your thread to rant a bit, I shall now take my soap box and move on. Take Care. paul m P.S. should anyone ever have a chance to talk to their local politician, please ask them why we can't copy some of the good things that are evolving in other countries for an example ck out http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Depress...Treatment.aspx

[George]

Thanks Paul. Your input is always appreciated. I'm doing ok in light of my situation. I never did go ahead and ask the rep from CPP that visited my work about the disability end of things. I don't think I would qualify anyhow. I envision lots of legal hassles in trying to prove my depression was brought about by my employer. My meds will understandably only do so much. It's my anxiety lately that is flaring up. It makes me nervous and gives me the shakes. I notice my hands are shaking today and over the last few weeks I have this horrible emotion of just wanting to hide myself away from everyone. It's almost as if by doing that I would be at peace. Does this make sense?
What you say about our countries medical system may be true! It's a shame but it is what it is. I just hope things get better for us all down the road.
Take care, it's good to hear from you!!

[paul m]

Hello George. Believe it or not our medical system is much better now than it was 30 yrs ago when it comes to the treatment of mental illness. And it is still improving, but oh so slowly.

In regards to your comment "I have this horrible emotion of just wanting to hide myself away from everyone. It's almost as if by doing that I would be at peace. Does this make sense?"

Yes it makes a lot of sense, I can't say that it will make you get better, but for a short time you may feel at peace or at least not as haunted as when you have to go out.

At some points in my life I did try and hide. I seldom went outside and I wouldn't answer the phone. During those time frames contact with people never seemed to bring me good news. The constant anxiety of worrying about what bad things would happen to me if I answered the phone or if I went out would cause my depression to deepen so I abstained from contact. Felt good for a very short while, but in the long run I would just end up getting more depressed.

At one point I thought about taking my easy chair down to the basement, turning out all the lights and only coming up for the necessities of life. Didn't work out though. I was so depressed that I didn't have the energy to move the chair LOL. I hope that you feel better soon. Take Care. paul m

[George]

Hello again Paul.
It's the anxiety I experience that bothers me the most. The thoughts and feelings I get in the morning are the worst. There is a medical term for this too ( says my psychiatrist ). I can't recall its name.
Thanks for your replies. I do enjoy this forum and often look to it as a form of relief. It's weird but I find myself checking in here frequently. Somehow it's calming.
Take good care,
George