Fluoxetine (prozac): I have just found out my... - Headway

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Fluoxetine (prozac)

sue-66 profile image
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I have just found out my partner, who had

a tbi 9 months ago, is on fluoxetine. I was told, the red tablet was to help wake his brain up more. As I am weary of him being addicted or it affecting his health more, I am really looking for advice from anyone who has had to take it and their experience of carrying on long term or withdrawal?

I'm not against him taking what he needs, just needing to learn more about the need for it etc.

Thanks x

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12 Replies
Kirk5w7 profile image
Kirk5w7

Really it would be best to consult a medical practitioner, this is my understanding of the antidepressant families.

They have other uses when given in lower dosages. Neuropathic pain and migraine relief being two.

Personally I was prescribed citalopram at 10 mg when I was in the hospital, I took this for over 3 years, eventually deciding I no longer needed it and had no problem coming off it.

Modern antidepressants are not like the older ones, there is much less chance of dependency.

I have recently been prescribed pregablin also an antidepressant in high dosages, this is for my neuropathic pain and pressure headaches.

It is still early days but at the moment looking quite promising. The information leaflet with this medicine tells me it is also prescribed for epilepsy but I don’t have this.

It is still early days for your partner and he may need a change of medication as he progresses, trust the medics they don’t prescribe willy nilly.

I am 6 years on and still trying to refine mined

Janet

sue-66 profile image
sue-66 in reply to Kirk5w7

Thank you Janet, you help me understand better about why he is taking something like he is. Ww will both be at the next MDT meeting, so I will ask some questions about what he's taking.

X

steve55 profile image
steve55

sue 66 im on an anti depressant, but ive got adhd so its to help me with concentration.

sue-66 profile image
sue-66 in reply to steve55

Hi steve, I have always looked at taking tablets as a negative, so it's hard to understand him taking anything like what he does and I'm a natural worrier about chemicals

steve55 profile image
steve55

sue 66 when it was suggested to me cliff richards summer holiday came to mind......................theyre going where the sun shines brightly!!!!

sue-66 profile image
sue-66 in reply to steve55

That is a real feel good film and I bought it lol

cat3 profile image
cat3

Hi Sue. I've heard a good deal on how recent studies suggest that antidepressants, especially SSRIs such as Prozac, benefit recovery from brain injury so, as Janet mentioned, they're not always aimed at mood but at assisting the injured brain in a more physiological sense.

I've taken an SSRi for the past 30+years, with no side effects and I'm convinced they've helped me through some really challenging years. My thinking is, If a drug radically improves your quality of life, and has no adverse effects, it's worth its weight in gold because life's too short..........................

Hope you get the answers you need at your meeting m'dear. Cat xx

sue-66 profile image
sue-66 in reply to cat3

Thank you Cat :-) you have all been helpful for me to understand and for that, I'm grateful

X

steve55 profile image
steve55 in reply to cat3

cat that was my first reaction when i was diagnosed with adult adhd and the neuro psychiatrist wanted to prescribe me meds that when i looked them up turned out to be anti depressants.

three years later i had an appointment with my psychiatrist and we discussed in depth the pros and cons of anti depressants, in particular the one the neuro psychiatrist had suggested for me...........for concentration purposes, i agreed to give it a go but not at the dose she had suggested, so i take 1*37.5mg tablet in the morning

cat3 profile image
cat3 in reply to steve55

Yes Steve, it's important to get the dose right and a good idea to start at the lowest...........which is often sufficient to fix the problem. I was originally prescribed 30mg of Seroxat but only took half, and have stayed on 15mg ever since. x 😸

Puppypoppy profile image
Puppypoppy

I was already taking fluoxetine when I had my accident and injury in September. I’ve carried on taking it all the through. I’m still on it now. I didn’t take it for about 4 weeks at the beginning because the hospital had overlooked it and my mood went down really really low. I got back on it and have been much better mood wise. Hope this helps x

sue-66 profile image
sue-66 in reply to Puppypoppy

Yes it helps :-) it helps to understand different experiences, then I can understand the reasons for Alan having it.

X

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