Date:  Thu Mar 29, 2001 2:37am

Hi, I've been on prozac for about 9yrs now. I'm 33 years
old and I just want to be the person I was before this
stuff got into my system! I was put on prozac after
going through a breakup with my boyfriend whom I lived
with for 4yrs! I was homeless with a 5yr old son and
living from day to day as a cocktail waitress in
Detroit. Paying by the day to stay in a motel. Yes I
was depressed. So my doctor said I sould try Prozac.
Well things only got worse after Prozac. The drug made
me feel very jittery and nervous. I would have strange
chills going from my head through my back, shoulders,
arms, legs. Everything would tense up and people would
look at me weird and I'd play it off and say ooh
someone walked over my Grave! Well I went back to the
doctor and told him I did'nt think this drug was
helping me so he put me on Zoloft. Turns out I broke
out with hives or something all over so he put me back
on Prozac and increased the dose.
Well to make a long story short, I began drinking alot
to calm myself down. I feel like a Zombie. I catch a
glimpse of myself while shopping and don't even
recognize myself. I have tryed so many times to get of
this stuff but when I do go off my temper flares.
Any little thing will agravate me, piss me off or make
me cry. 

Then I couldn't sleep so was put on Trazadone. Now I've 
been taking Trazadone to sleep for 2 and a half years and
can't get off that because I can't sleep at all. I get
so crabbie when I try to off the meds my family
suffers and my husband begs me to go back on. It's so
hard to sleep I even tried to drink lots of shots of
Tequilla to sleep but only sleeped a few hours. 

So I go back on thinking I must be nuts. Still
not sure?? My husband always urges me to get back on
because of my mood swings when I go off.

I was like the most popular girl in high school. I was
prom queen. I was on the basketball team. Everyone
wrote in my high school year book what a happy upbeat
friendly person I was!!! Now I go the store in fear, I
go to work and leave my office door closed all day. I
don't like to leave the house, and when I have to go
to meetings or social events I start sweeting like a
pig!! I feel like I'm doomed to have this suck ass
life. I can't get back to me!
Anyway I found you on the web after typing in Prozac
sucks!

Cola

Date:  Thu Mar 29, 2001 2:36pm

Response1:
Hi Cola, check out our files section and see how to taper off of the 
medication. Also, our personal stories are there as well.

I know the hell you are going through. I was there myself. Try to get 
yourself "drug-free". Believe me, it is NOT easy but you will be so 
much better off in the long run. Try some of the things people have 
posted about in this group about how to fall asleep. That seems to be 
a big thing on this board. I too, have difficulty sleeping even when 
I'm extremely tired. The drugs actually give you anxiety and make you 
"wired". You take care and keep posting here. This is a great bunch of 
people and we've all been through it. You'll get great advice and the 
best thing is that you will realize that you're not alone.

Robin

Date:  Thu Mar 29, 2001 3:51am

Response2:
The thing that astonishes me is that these drugs are given to people with so
called social phobia.  So far all I've seen [and experienced myself] is that
these drugs make people more socially anxious/frightened to the point of
becoming reclusive...

Also, I saw a story on a current affairs show the other night about shopping
addiction.  There was a psychiatrist talking about how people who shop more
than once a week have a problem [in that case most people I know have a
problem then] and that Celexa is a great drug to stop the shopping urge!!  He
used the line that these people have deep-seeded problems and are just
looking for a quick fix. Well I can attest to the fact that Celexa stops the
urge to shop, I'm now too afraid to step out of the house, let alone go
shopping ;)  Incidently, there was NO mention whatsoever of getting
counselling if you have a serious shopping addiction - drugs are the answer -
scary...

Debs

Date:  Thu Mar 29, 2001 3:58am

Response3:
In a message Debbie writes:
<< Well I can attest to the fact that Celexa stops the
 urge to shop, I'm now too afraid to step out of the house, let alone go
 shopping ;)  Incidently, there was NO mention whatsoever of getting
 counselling if you have a serious shopping addiction - drugs are the answer -
 scary... >>

Be afraid; be very afraid.  Pretty soon everyone one of us will have some 
kind of inconsequential problem that the doctors will assure us can be cured 
with these drugs.  Nobody is immune.  They've broadened the definition of 
mental illness so wide that the net catches EVERYONE!!!!  Can you say 
Baaaaaaaaaaa.  They are going to wrangle all of us into the planetary corral 
if it's the last thing they do!!! LOL