Is it worth trying out Prozac for a month?

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Alienboy
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16 Nov 2011, 11:24 pm

I know there have been a lot of posts about Prozac and anti-depressants, but I was wondering if I took it for about a month, would I start to notice the effects of it? My psychologist told me that it takes between 2-4 weeks for them to kick in. I am wondering what the chances are of experiencing really negative effects or really positive effects from taking it once a day for 30 days? I am really worried about the Prozac worsening my depression, anxiety, etc. and although I am currently not suicidal nor do I have suicidal thoughts...I am wondering if suicidal thoughts could just appear as a negative effect of taking Prozac? My main problems are related to being anti-social due to being socially awkward and having a fear of non-Asian women. I think the reason I am only comfortable around Asian women is a mix of 3 things: I grew up with a lot of Asian people, they have usually been really friendly to me(where caucasian and latina women have only been rude and immature) and they have "softer" facial features, which just makes them easier to make eye contact with for me. I know some people who are the complete opposite. I have met people who are less comfortable looking at Asian people due to strange reasons because their eyes are slanted. Anyway, I digress only because I thought about returning to Asia to teach English where I felt comfortable and happy enough not to take Prozac, but I thought about also trying to live a happy life here in the US and relate to non-Asian people as well. I am currently torn between whether or not to stay here in the US so that I can finish college and get my college degree(which I need to teach in certain countries, but not all) even though I am not happy here at all...or just return to China sometime next year as it would bring happiness a lot sooner. I thought about taking the Prozac to help cope with living here in the US while I am working towards my degree, but trying to decide is driving me crazy. I know that my problem is not common and actually quite strange. I haven't met anyone in my life who has the same exact problem as me. If there are people like me on here...please let me know.

By the way, I am not one of those Asiaphiles or Japanophiles because I have had a caucasian girlfriend before(only 1) and I have dated a few Latina and African-American women a few times, but I have had a handful of Asian girlfriends who I feel much more comfortable around. I am not with them more because I find them more sexually attractive, more submissive, etc. It all boils down to a mysterious comfort I have around them. They just seem more accepting of me and less openly judgmental, which is easier on my esteem? Anyone on here feel the same way as me or am I truly alone here?



1000Knives
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17 Nov 2011, 12:30 am

I don't know, Asian women are hawt and all, but they seem to think I'm about as weird as white girls do. But hey, they're hot and all and I like them and maybe one day I'll have an Asian girlfriend or wife. However, the girls I feel easiest around, actually, Eastern European girls, or maybe just relatively recent European immigrants in general. I feel so at ease and comfortable with them, they're great. I have to say the coolest Asians I've met have been Hmong and Filipinos, they seem very friendly and nice and all that. One other odd specific thing, these Korean girls on vacation invited me to play volleyball in the swimming pool at a time share, and seemed to really like me. I get where you're coming from, but like, just not the exact same situation as you. One thing I do, whenever I feel really stressed about stuff, my automatic reaction for some reason is to go to the Asian market. It helps me, for some reason, I always feel safe at the Asian market. It's familiar, but different at the same time. So yeah, maybe I'm somewhat like you, I always just feel more like, "at home" with foreign cultures.

One way I can maybe explain this, I had a Bosnian babysitter as a child until like age 10 or so, and we'd always be at her house. So, I was exposed to lots of random Eastern European people early on in my life, Muslim, too. So, I kinda developed with them a little bit, it was neat. Hell I had Turkish coffee at like age 5, haha. But that could be the explanation of it. Asian people, though, I like and all, but can't relate to them terribly much. I don't ever recall any Asian having ever being like, terrible to me in my entire life. Just, I think Asians tend to be kinda reserved around white people, but once they take down their shields, or they're a nationality that's more comfortable with foreigners (Filipinos and Hmongs, some Vietnamese, I can think of) then they've always been awesome with me.

As far as Prozac, eh, I tried Celexa under recommendation like that from a psychologist, and I didn't really like the way it made me feel. No suicidal thoughts, but just something I couldn't put my finger on didn't seem right when taking those. So my personal answer would be don't bother, but again, that's my personal opinion.



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17 Nov 2011, 1:13 am

If you want to try it and you think that it will help, than you should do so.


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ScottyN
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17 Nov 2011, 1:30 am

I had a VERY bad reaction to that drug. But it is ok for other people. It will alleviate depression.



Alienboy
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17 Nov 2011, 5:17 am

Yeah I agree that I feel "at home" around certain cultures. I have taught English in China and in Japan and I felt like I belonged there. I know many people who make claims that some Asian people don't like foreigners and they that actually don't want them in their country even if they are pretending to be nice or that Chinese people are only nice to you when they know you have a lot of money. I disagree with this state of mind for the most part. I taught English in China for almost 2 years and I have never once encountered racism or shady people trying to give me a hard time. I have also taught for about 6 months in Japan and I didn't get any negative responses even once while I was there. I know that some foreigners maybe get treated more poorly, but I think I have either been lucky or that they just really like me in that part of the world. I would also travel a lot to nearby Asian countries for my vacations. I have seen most of Thailand, some cities in Laos, and South Korea as well. All the people in these countries were also extremely warm and welcoming. The people in Thailand and Laos are wonderful and these countries are beautiful. I honestly think more people with AS need to check this part of the world out because it is very friendly, laid-back and warm to foreigners. All this talk is making me want to return to China sooner...but I should walk the more responsible path and get my college degree I guess.



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17 Nov 2011, 9:49 am

Yeah, I myself think new geography will be a big "cure." If I stay in USA, I'd like to move to New Hampshire, because it's cheap, but my favorite place is definitely Vermont. Vermont, the people are more relaxed than NH, but houses in NH are significantly cheaper, like they're 15-20K, so my plan is to work here in CT and pay off a house in NH to live in. Vermont, houses are all like 100K, though, and the only way I could live there is if I bought my own land, built a house or made a crazy cargo container house and managed to build it to have utilities and all that.

I do seem really drawn to Asian stuff, especially Japanese stuff. I've never really met any Japanese people, though. The number of Japanese in CT are like, probably in the hundreds. I don't know, I'd like to go to Japan just to see if I like it there. I've heard good and bad about Japan, I know it's not a fairytale anime dreamland there, and some Westerners do terrible there. But, I might do awesome. My only problem is, regulations tend to be really strict there, no firearm ownership for the most part, and owning a car you'll have to pay $2000+ for all the various taxes and shakken. It doesn't have the same sorta libertarian ideas US is based on, but I don't know if in actual practice I'd like Japan or not, so I hope to go at least once in my life. Other Asian countries I've thought I'd like would be Hong Kong, and the Philippines. Maybe I'd like Vietnam, too, I don't know, it looks neat, but also sorta...third world, there.

For Europe, I'd like to try Poland. Most Polish immigrants I've met here have been really cool to me, same with the other immigrants I've met from the Eastern Bloc. Also, I most identify with the Polish part of my ancestry, due to my last name. I'd kinda like to go to Italy, though, but I don't have the impression I'd like Italy. Maybe I would, though, one time I made this Italian guy I gave a ride to really happy inadvertantly by playing eurobeat. He loved it. I was so happy, this random 55-65 year old Italian guy was like the only person I met in my entire life who "got" eurobeat like I did. It was so great. But yeah, Poland, I'd really like to go to Poland to see how it is there.

But yeah, I'd say a lot of Aspies need to check out changing their geography and see what happens. I think it's more like, I feel like a foreigner walking around town, and people no less mistake me for being a foreigner when I'm completely native in my own country, so if you're going to be mistaken for a foreigner, you might as well actually be one, you know? Alot of what people need, too, is a fresh start somewhere else, where the baggage of high school, etc, isn't around. After high school, I really improved after moving to a different town only 1/2 hour away. Another thing I have a hypothesis about, in Asia, I think a lot of Aspies would end up being super cool extroverts or something, since the people there are so reserved.

Good luck, though, dude, hope you can make it back to Asia ASAP.



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17 Nov 2011, 10:14 am

Alienboy wrote:
I am really worried about the Prozac worsening my depression, anxiety, etc. and although I am currently not suicidal nor do I have suicidal thoughts...I am wondering if suicidal thoughts could just appear as a negative effect of taking Prozac?

I think some people might have trouble because their expectations of the medication were too great in the first place. Personally, Prozac did seem to help at least a little for a month or two, but then I stopped taking it because the "vivid dreaming" I got from it was a bit too much for me to handle.


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17 Nov 2011, 12:29 pm

@alienboy

Interesting comment about Asian ladies having 'softer' facial features, making it easier to make eye contact.

I hadn't really considered that particular point before but I would immediately agree with you .........but only in relation to women raised in Asian countries. (My opinion based on my experiences in the West and in Asia)

Your comments on Prozac are interesting. I have recently been prescribed Lexapro but am reluctant to start taking it due to the side effect warning of suicidal thoughts! Who the ***K needs that?


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17 Nov 2011, 12:42 pm

It works for some people and makes things worse for other people.......the way they effected me I think they should actually be called psychosis pills.



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17 Nov 2011, 1:19 pm

Honestly? Smoke pot instead.

Two reasons, it's natural and it effects will wear off with hours or a day max. With Prozac it will take weeks to wear off if you start feeling bad or really down.



impulse94
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17 Nov 2011, 3:44 pm

Whatever you do, if you do start on it, don't just stop taking it suddenly. You should wean off of it, as the withdrawal effects can be worse than any side effects while taking it. All under advice of your own doctor, of course!



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17 Nov 2011, 3:51 pm

If I were you I would not take Prozac. I took Sertraline once and after a couple of weeks I became hyperactive and it was awful. I stopped and have never took them since.

Unless you feel completely depressed all the time, and the depression is deemed to be clinical then you should not take them at all.



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17 Nov 2011, 3:52 pm

It will take about a month for the effects to even start, you need to take it for two months for it to make any difference. I took it for about 6 months, no joy.


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17 Nov 2011, 3:55 pm

Prozac was the only med that worked for my anxiety for about a year, then lost effectiveness and I couldn't up past 60mg or I'd get weird side effects. Lexapro, Celexa and all the others either gave me really bad side effects or did nothing at all. No suicidal thought however, that's supposed to affect younger people. So if you're twentysomething you may want to be careful.

You should do this under psychiatrists guidance. Internists tend to give people higher doses. Go up on it very slowly, start with the lowest dose and stay on that for at least two weeks, then go up and wait two weeks again. If you get side effects at higher doses don't drop it immediately. Go down to a lower does and gradually wane off over a week. Sometimes Wellbutrin can offset the side effects of SSRIs. Talk to your doctor.

shrox wrote:
Honestly? Smoke pot instead.

Two reasons, it's natural and it effects will wear off with hours or a day max. With Prozac it will take weeks to wear off if you start feeling bad or really down.


I'd try but it's illegal in NY and many people claim it might induce depression.



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17 Nov 2011, 4:02 pm

AdamDZ wrote:
Prozac was the only med that worked for my anxiety for about a year, then lost effectiveness and I couldn't up past 60mg or I'd get weird side effects. Lexapro, Celexa and all the others either gave me really bad side effects or did nothing at all. No suicidal thought however, that's supposed to affect younger people. So if you're twentysomething you may want to be careful.

You should do this under psychiatrists guidance. Internists tend to give people higher doses. Go up on it very slowly, start with the lowest dose and stay on that for at least two weeks, then go up and wait two weeks again. If you get side effects at higher doses don't drop it immediately. Go down to a lower does and gradually wane off over a week. Sometimes Wellbutrin can offset the side effects of SSRIs. Talk to your doctor.

shrox wrote:
Honestly? Smoke pot instead.

Two reasons, it's natural and it effects will wear off with hours or a day max. With Prozac it will take weeks to wear off if you start feeling bad or really down.


I'd try but it's illegal in NY and many people claim it might induce depression.


ALL prescription antidepressants can cause depression and thoughts of suicide, says so right on the label.



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17 Nov 2011, 7:33 pm

shrox wrote:
ALL prescription antidepressants can cause depression and thoughts of suicide, says so right on the label.

So can pot and essentially every psychoactive substance.
Effects are particularly less predictable in neurodiverse people, for what should be an obvious reason...

Prozac has been really helpful for me at helping to reduce anxiety issues and that has helped alleviate my depressive symptoms.
Start very low, as many people don't need much to take the edge off. Higher doses can lead to just feeling flat and lifeless, which isn't my idea of a fun time.

At just 20mg I no longer have regular anxiety explosions.
I still get anxious, but it doesn't feed on itself and build up to panic attack any more.