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February 12, 2009, 7:10 pm
Flag as Inappropriate MissyA  

My sister was just given a prescription for Prozac by her doctor. I have heard a lot of negative things about antidepressants lately, including that they can lead to suicide. I know that there used to be a lot of negative things said about Prozac when it first came out. With all the new options I don't understand why her doctor chose Prozac and my sister never asks any questions.

I know most times they have people watched or looked over for the first few months as the body reacts different ways for each person taking them. I would avoid driving a good bit as well since you are not sure how your body will adjust.

Prozac is pretty cheap compared to some of the others that are well more than $100/per month for patients. That could be one of the reasons. Also sometimes people react to prozac less than the others out there.

It's actually believed that any antidepressant can increase the risk of suicide in some people, but this is very rare. And while antidepressants can have some possible side effects, these should be weighed against the possible results of not treating your sister's depression.

As far as choosing Prozac over newer drugs for depression, newer doesn't always equal better. In my professional opinion, you sister's doctor did the correct thing by first choosing a tried-and-true older, more cost-effective medication before resorting to newer, more expensive drugs.

Jacob Milbradt, PharmD

www.MrMedSaver.com

The worry about risk of suicide is greater with teenagers than with adults but it can happen to anyone. Prozac has been given bad press but it works for a great many people without any side effects at all.

I used Prozac for a short period of time. Personally, I couldn't tell a big difference but the people I worked with, those who knew I was taking it, swore I was much easier to work with. A lot of good medications get a bad name because of just a few individuals that had problems.

Jacob makes a good point. I have a friend that has swapped a ton of new stuff for the older and well known meds instead. And its taken two years to get this in order, I would much rather him not have lost two years of a battle but I am happy what he has now is working.

I use it and I really don't have any trouble with it. If I don't take it I really get into a bad place-a place that no one wants to go. Really the possibility of suicide is there with anyone who suffers from depression. If you are driven to go to a doctor for treatment of depression, you are possibly at the point of being desperate anyway.

My husband used it until they switched him to something newer. He didn't have any trouble with it but he was in his 40's when he used it and he wasn't actively suicidal at the time either.