Didn't want to threadjack a previous post about someone being diagnosed with depression. Someone on that thread said they got off of Zoloft and were now on Prozac. Been there done that too... and I'm now finding that Prozac isn't all its promised to be either. I'm on Prozac (better than either the Effexor or Zoloft I took before) but I am now trying to get off Prozac too.

I have been reading "Talking Back to Prozac." This all started after I learned I suddenly have high blood pressure for the first time in my life. My research found that some of the drugs I take cause HBP and also may interact with each other (even though doc said they wouldn't). One thing led to another... and I found myself reading about A/D's when I found that Prozac can cause HBP. It can also cause irrational behavior, even violent.

There is also something called seratonin syndrome - quite a scary and life threatening result of too much seratonin. I recognized in the description of this syndrome some of the same symptoms - in a milder form - that I have been experiencing.

The possibility of normal OTC drugs interacting with anti-depressants is also something I had not considered. Aleve, for example, which I take for the pain of an old injury, should not be taken with Prozac. My doc knows I take the Aleve because she gave me a prescription version of it. She did not notice that these should not be taken together. I also bought a "natural" product that was supposed to help with stress. Now, somewhat wiser, I read the ENTIRE label and found that these stress relievers contain not only green tea... but also yet more seratonin! And the fine print says to not take them if you are taking Prozac-type drugs.

The book says that Prozac behaves like a stimulant, which explains the anxiety, incredible twitching of my legs, and many other symptoms I've been having. It was a real eye opener, because when I was much younger and quite foolish, I accidentally od'd on speed. I had forgotten about those feelings - not unlike the milder versions I'm experiencing now - of wanting to crawl out of my skin and thinking I was going to explode from the inside out. I also thought I was going to go mad - or die before the symptoms wore off. If Prozac is a stimulant, it is no wonder my blood pressure is up!

Anyway, I don't know which is worse: the depression or the drugs. For now, I'm going to choose depression.