I just got a 'scrip for prozac... and I am a little freaked out

at the risk of becoming locked - mods : Please know I am not taking any medical advice here, just asking about experiences.

So...who has ever had to take this stuff? and have you taken it with other meds? did you feel drugged?

i have been feeling SO bad lately, thought my hormones were all over the place or I was dying of something awful, turns out I am just really depressed to the point of not handling walking through life.
I am not suicidal, never have been... just exhausted and in pain ALL the time. Cymbalta only does so much.
I am a single mom, domestic violence survivor and have just been scratching by in life for the past 5 years. I wonder if there is even some residual PTSD going on, I am hell jumpy and get really mad when my one raw nerve gets pulled by the kids or whatever... like walking a tightrope just "living" life... and I have just had migraines and been wanting to crawl UNDER the bed for the past couple months its got worse.

the doc is reccomending a yoga or tai-chi class I HAVE to show up for. Finding a specialized therapist in women's issues, and taking disability for the next 6 mos at least until I can find a balance point.

I hope to channel what little strength I have into the positive siolutions, but a new med is always a little scary. so just came here to shoot the breeze and see what your experience has been...

I've been where you are. I suffered a clinical depression about twenty years ago -- like you, I wasn't suicidal, but I just kind of "collapsed"..could barely talk, was totally miserable.

I found that meds definitely helped. My only problem was that, in my case, it took a whole month for them to "kick in"...Now that was twenty years ago, so things may have improved.

As for prozac, yes I was on it...It lifted my mood to "normal" but it caused gastrointestinal problems, so I was put on Paxil...And it worked!

Sometimes it takes time to find the RIGHT meds and adjust to the right dose...These meds were all but miracle workers for me.

it would be easier to see this as a bump...but the reality is that I can se periods of 'self sabotage' that were like depression and the physical pain that goes with it...but I am stubborn and have had to really trust by allowing this to become a medicated thing.

Isn't it funy that we can have high blood pressure or diabetes and sya okay to taking meds for that - but depression is something that makes me feel like I am weak, like it is MY fault...

I've been taking Cymbalta for 8 mos and it has helped, but I just seem to have hit another wal, so I am hopin it will help. But the mixing of meds is scary too...

I am SUCH the Holistic-girl...if there is an herbal thing to do or a meditaitonal way to approach things, I am there..but this is truly too big now, it has been to many years in the stresspoint and now I am broken and need to mend.

thanks for the input and support, it helps :)

feeling bugged at the idea of having to take these "for life"...I know the feeling...

Just about everyone (myself included)feels this way at first..But a couple of things worked to get me, at least, over that.
One -- You feel SO much better, that you really don't care...That's the way I felt, but occasionally, this "why am I on this FOREVER"?..feeling would creep up, and I remember saying to my shrink..I feel good, but I feel like it's not my "real self". She had an interesting answer, I thought...She said..No, this is your true self --It was your DEPRESSED self that wasn't "real"...This is who you are without the "faulty chemistry" screwing up your moods.

I know some people may dispute that, but it seems more and more, people are seeing it as a "chemical imbalance"...I had had depressive episodes since childhood -- starting at eight years old, so I really think that the "chemical thing" may be real...Also, it seems to run in our family -- My father and uncle suffered from it and my niece -- who shares a lot of my personality traits -- has it as well.

My advice?...Don't worry about it -- at least not at this point -- Just enjoy feeling better...You can work out how long you may or may not need it later..Good luck:-)