nervous about taking meds

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-21-2004
nervous about taking meds
15
Tue, 08-31-2004 - 2:42pm
Last week I went to a walk-in clinic to find out where I could get treatment for ED (therapists, etc) in my hometown. The doctor I spoke to was not of much help. First of all, he wanted to put me on prozac right on the spot, not knowing any of my medical history or the severity of my bulimia. I was shocked by this. I thought it was extremely unprofessional of him to just assume how severe my ED is. So I refused the meds, mostly because I'd rather get over this without them. I am not very comfortable with having to take meds to get better because I'm sure how safe they are. Plus there was something about him that made me not trust him. He was very unsympathetic about ED, and made me feel stupid about it. Needless to say, I'm never going back to him again! What got me the most, though, was that he used to treat people with eating disorders! I would NEVER want him to be my therapist! Not in a million years!!

So since that visit, I've been thinking about anti-depressant drugs and how safe they are and all that stuff. I did some research today on the net and found out that SSRIs (prozac) are the kind prescribed the most, and when used in conjunction with therapy (which I'm starting next tues) is the most effective way to recover from bulimia. So I'd like to know how you guys feel about prozac. Do you think it's safe? I'm going to talk about meds next week during my therapy seesion. I guess I just need to learn more about it before I go on them.. if I go on them, that is.

If any on you ladies has any info or insite on prozac or other anti-depressants, please feel free to share it. I'm nervous about putting stuff into my body that I don't know very much about.

Thanks,

Stephanie

Pages

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-30-2004
Fri, 09-03-2004 - 9:46am
Stephanie,

I took prozac the first year and 1/2 of my ED recovery. But, mine was anorexia combined with OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). I think the pills were a great help to me. But just because they worked for me doesn't mean they will for you. However, this doctor does sound like a jerk. Do you have a family physician who knows you well? I wouldn't take the pills yet. Visit someone else and see what they have to offer.
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-21-2004
Fri, 09-03-2004 - 9:56am
Thanks for you input, nreneep :) I appreciate it!

In answer to your question, I unfortunately don't have a family doctor. She resigned about three years ago, so I've had to resort to walk in clinics since then. It really sucks, and it's near impossible to find a family doctor in Canada (well Ontario, at least -- our health care is messed up, thanks to the government!). I'm hoping that the woman who is my therapist will be able to offer me some perspective on my situation. I'm also hoping that she's a little more understanding about what I'm going through than that other doc I saw. He was a jerk!

Anyway, I'll let you guys know I decide to do. Thanks so much for your support! You girls are the best!

Stephanie

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-24-2004
Fri, 09-03-2004 - 10:24am
Thanks for your great advice! I definitely appreciate it.
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-03-2004
Fri, 09-03-2004 - 10:42pm
I think I've been on every drug under the sun:

Effexor (depression) -very few side effects, but not very effective for that matter.

Geodon (new drug -- anti-depressant with anti-psychotic affects) -many doctors consider this a new miracle drug. It helps eliminate distorted thinking and cravings. A lot of my friends say it's wonderful. It made me really anxious. (another possible side effect: lactating)

Klonopin (anxiety) -bad, bad, bad! It made my nauseated, drowsy, gave me a headache, and I had hallucinations when I was on it.

Trazodone (hiccups) -ok, this isn't marketed as a cure for hiccups, but it helps me keep food down.

Prozac (depression) -this is one that I'm currently on. Seems fine, as far as I can tell.

Ativan (anxiety) -my best friend in the whole wide world! It does wonders for panic attacks, and fits in my purse! I've never expirienced any side effects, but most of my friends can't take it because it knocks them out.

Paxil (depression/PTSD) -not terribly effective, but no side effects.

others: Reglan (gastric emptying), Vitamins, Fish Oil (fat suppliment) -my doctor makes me take this. It tastes like fish every time I burp.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-15-2004
Tue, 09-07-2004 - 3:39am
Dear Stephanie,

I've actually been working on this response on-and-off for at least 4 days now (time to take this baby to press already!), in an attempt to really consider my thoughts and provide you with a genuine sense of consolation. I completely understand your apprehension about putting chemicals into your body that may or may not be beneficial to your general health. After being on various medications for Depression/Eating Disorder-related symptoms over the course of the past 9 years (I've been taking a drug coctail of Wellbutrin SR (200 mg) and Paxil (30 mg) for about 1 year now, though I've tried most of the major psychotropic medications on the market at some time or another (i.e. Prozac, Lithium, Zoloft, Valium, Xanax, Celexa...), I am still somewhat skeptical of what *exactly* is going on in my body on a molecular level and worry if there will be any unforseeable long-term side effects (in the future, I would also like to have children and am concerned that being on antidepressant medication would disrupt pregnancy and/or affect my personal health via the circulation of the drugs into the bloodstream of the fetus or having to stop taking prescription medication altogether); on the other hand, if I was to stop taking the medication, my mood, drive and rationality would be insufferable and I'd be a completely different person. After taking such potent medication for so long, I often find it frustratingly difficult to remember who I was beforehand (if I was, in fact, any different at all), what prompted my doctors to prescribe the series of drugs that they did and if they were, at any point, absolutely necessary. I am much more inclined to be pro-medication if someone's ill- health "neatly" boils down to a neurological chemical imbalance of sorts (e.g. clinical depression being the genetic result of premature Seretonin breakdown in the synaptic clefts between nerve cells)/clear-cut diagnosis with treatable symptoms, but am still rather skeptical about the role of medication in the treatment of eating disorders, where symptoms tend to be a bit more abstract and treatment very individually based.

In my opinion, I wouldn't discount the possibility of reaping benefits from commonly-prescribed medications (that is, depending on what your doctor is advising you to take them for), but I would definitely encourage you to continue your research until you arrive at your own intelligent understandings and conclusions. As a young lady with so much ahead of you, I could only hope that, in the end, you'd do whatever you think is in your *best* interest, whether that means taking medication or not. Personally, it's been a long haul of trial and error, though I wouldn't hesitate to say that compatible medication(s) has played a really pivotal role in my treatment and ability to live life to its fullest. I wish you all the best and am always here for support- be well...

Pages