Prozac and Parkinson's

[Tahini]

Hello: I took Prozac/Fluoxetine for more than 20 years before I was diagnosed with PD. I asked my doctor if the PD could be caused by the drug but she said there was only a correlation with antipsychotic drugs.

[MBAnderson]

Antipsychotics are not the only class of drugs with a correlation to PD.

IMHO, your doctor does not know if you’re taking Prozac for 20 years did or did not cause your Parkinson’s.

While there is not data showing Prozac will result in Parkinson’s, that does not mean Prozac will not cause Parkinson’s some people and there is data that show SSRIs, and Prozac in particular, can cause tremor and Parkinsonism in some people.

We need to keep in mind that correlations and associations (from trials/studies) do not apply to us as individuals. They provide the odds.

How long ago were you diagnosed? Do you know for certain you have Parkinson’s and not Parkinsonism?

[Tahini in reply to MBAnderson]

I was diagnosed in 2014 with PD and have most of the typical symptoms. It appears to be relatively mild but I am also very proactive and positive.

[MBAnderson in reply to Tahini]

Only a small percent of PD is induced by pharmaceuticals and so the likelihood that your PD was caused by Prozac would be a small percent of the small percent, i.e., probably not, but no one can say for certain -- because none of us know what caused our PD.

Good for you. Stay proactive and positive.

[taurusgirl64 in reply to Tahini]

Hi! I was just diagnosed a few months ago and I'm having a hard time staying positive. I'm a 54 yr old single mother of two daughters in college. I'm struggling with this diagnosis. How do you do it?

[Tahini in reply to taurusgirl64]

Hi! It took me a while to come to terms with PD but these are some things I do: I am glad I know what I have so I can work with it but I also have a certain amount of denial. I believe in the power of belief. I do a lot of exercise including boxing, weights, biking,walking,light therapy,yoga and chiropractic. I am part of a women’s support group. If I want to do nothing and rest I do, but not too long, I am working with diet and nutrition. Being retired with grown children and a supportive spouse helps too. I watch my grandsons after school. I don’t do all of this all the time. Start with one thing at a time and be good to yourself. I think the women’s group is the most helpful. We all understand each other and can talk freely. But the most important thing is exercise. l always say we all have something. Take this opportunity and take care of yourself. Have you ever tried EFT? It helps with emotions. I hope this helps. I’m a Taurus too.❤️

[taurusgirl64 in reply to Tahini]

How do I find a women's support group? What is EFT? Thank you

[Tahini in reply to taurusgirl64]

I don't know where you live - try to google support groups for your city. We have a group for our area but they mainly do presentations. Our women's group started with two of us in boxing. We just picked a day and time and meet once a month. (It started in restaurants and coffee houses but we now meet in our homes. ) It grows by word of mouth. A good resource is the Davis Phinney Foundation. They have a great book they will send to you - Every Victory Counts. It's free. EFT is Emotional Freedom Technique otherwise known as tapping. There is a lot on the internet but right now I like Robert Smith's approach. Here is a link to a video. It's not for everyone but I think it helps.

youtube.com/watch?v=UnTwiQY...(Not working as expected?)

Good Luck and feel free to ask me anything else.

[Shaker33]

I also took Zoloft for depression for 20 years prior to diagnosis. Depression is very common due to low dopamine. Will never really know what came first, yet very interesting.

[Xenos in reply to Shaker33]

"Will never really know what came first"

That's the interesting part...

I would bet on long term anxiety/depression/unmanageable stress being the root cause among a vast majority of PWPs.

[rebtar]

And I took Citalopram for many years before diagnosis. The interesting thing is that although it helped, I never had an optimal response until I started C/L, which I put off for a number of years, If I had only known... it was the dopamine.