Seroquel instead of Prosac

[Longshot]

I just went to see a consultant psychiatrist who after a 15 minute consultation announced I was "biologically depressed" and proscribed me Fluoxetine (well they proscribed me Valdoxan, but then saw my liver tests and announced that I needed to go on Fluoxetine.

Just off the bat!

I'm utterly livid, and don't want to subject myself to months or years of Prosac.

At the same time, I have critically bad insomnia, and need help, could I replace the Prosac with Seroquel?

[taw]

Seroquel instead of Prosac

I have been on prozac for over 10 years and it has saved my life...literally!!!

[Longshot]

Seroquel instead of Prosac

taw;1057732 wrote: I have been on prozac for over 10 years and it has saved my life...literally!!!

The side effects sound horrendous And to prescribe it to me after just ten minutes of consulting.

[taw]

Seroquel instead of Prosac

the only side effect I have is loss of appetite...

maybe get a second opinion?

[startingover]

Seroquel instead of Prosac

Hi Longshot
They are both very different drugs. Seroquel or Quetipine is an anti psychotic, often prescribed for bipolar and prozac is an anti depressant. I dont think you can replace one with the other. But you would need to speak to your doctor

I too have been on Prozac for almost 3 years and its saved my life too...

[beatle]

Seroquel instead of Prosac

Is it just insomnia? If so, perhaps you could benefit from a more targeted medication, like xanax (generic alprazolam) or zolpidem (brandnames Stillnocht and Ambien)?

[Longshot]

Seroquel instead of Prosac

taw;1057746 wrote: the only side effect I have is loss of appetite...

maybe get a second opinion?

I've had a psychologist for months who did not think I was depressed, this psychologist has seen me for minutes and wants to prescribe me a drug that I could be on for months and months, if not years.

[Booktree]

Seroquel instead of Prosac

Yeah, I agree that it is a bit odd to have made a diagnosis and offered a prescription after a 15-minute consultation.

Personally, Prozac did wonders for me and I took it with no problems for about 5 years... I have taken Seroquel as well, for anxiety, but it did nothing in that department.

There is some info on the holistic thread about "lithium orotate" for anxiety and insomnia... perhaps you could look into that, if you don't want to go the prescription drug route?

[Longshot]

Seroquel instead of Prosac

beatle;1057793 wrote: Is it just insomnia? If so, perhaps you could benefit from a more targeted medication, like xanax (generic alprazolam) or zolpidem (brandnames Stillnocht and Ambien)?

I've suffered from chronic insomnia for months now.

To be honest it's been going on so long now, I don't know what my mood would be like if I just had a few decent nights sleep.

Right now I'm depressed because I had a unbelievably rotten stupid and awful january which I barely got a wink of sleep during it.

I need to get some rest, and then I can decide on my mood.

[beatle]

Seroquel instead of Prosac

I can give you loads of advice on holistic methods to get in a good sleep pattern naturally. I believe they will work for you once you are in an ok place regarding your body. (Forget about the mind at this point... that comes later.)

In my opinion, you need a sleep medicine, and fast. Not sleeping is a sure-fire route to depression. Every time I go without any good sleep for more than a few days, my depression and mood suffer terribly.

I have extolled the virtues of zolpidem, while others think Xanax is the thing. Whatever it takes... get sleep, and deal with the other stuff after.

[Longshot]

Seroquel instead of Prosac

beatle;1057850 wrote: I can give you loads of advice on holistic methods to get in a good sleep pattern naturally. I believe they will work for you once you are in an ok place regarding your body. (Forget about the mind at this point... that comes later.)

In my opinion, you need a sleep medicine, and fast. Not sleeping is a sure-fire route to depression. Every time I go without any good sleep for more than a few days, my depression and mood suffer terribly.

I have extolled the virtues of zolpidem, while others think Xanax is the thing. Whatever it takes... get sleep, and deal with the other stuff after.

I've used zolpidem for a while, I had the most incredibly stressful christmas. Aside from a horrendous first christmas sober,, titrating up on bach, the most stressful work related period of my life (doing 6 weeks work in five days), combined with the death of my wife's uncle (chronic alcoholic, funeral on new years day) I was wound up till all hell till mid January.

Since then I've had three employment disappointments (including being interviewed for a Job by someone who's skill level was inferior to mine). Financial woes, and just about every kind of personal woes.

I'm beyond exhausted, and just need a break, I don't need to go on prozac. On top of it all I've been told to attend four weeks of out patient alcoholic treatment. Despite insisting I did not want anything to do with AA. Now I get the pamphlet home and there's the only contact referenced in the other contacts is the A-fucking-A.

So to be clear,

After a 15 minute consultant

A) I'm being set to 4 week course which is mid morning mid week that is mandatory to attend

B) I'm stuck on Prozac for at least the next 6 months.

I hope you can see why I'm incredibly upset.

[redhead77]

Seroquel instead of Prosac

Longshot, most people would say that Prozac has fewer side effects than Seroquel by a "longshot". As one posted earlier, one is an antipsychotic and one is an antidepressant. I have suffered from depression since I was a teen. Prozac didn't help me, but it also had few side effects. Everyone is different of course, but maybe if you have terrible insominia, you shouldn't rule out an antidepressant. Prozac is probably not a first line therapy for a person with insomnia. It tends to make people more speedy rather than tranquil. I personally liked that effect, you probably wouldn't.

As Beetle said, there are many natural remedies: Melatonin, Valerian root, Kava Kava, Calcium and Magnesium, just to name a few. I think that most people will tolerate at least one or more antidepressants, though. Maybe you should just consider something, even if not Prozac. Lexapro is a good drug for many. I do wonderfully on Wellbutrin (which is also a good drug for drinkers, apparently).

Why do you have to stay on a drug for 6 months? Most of the time, a drug is tried out, and changed if not tolerated. I'm confused as to why you are doomed to only Prozac for 6 months? Can you not try something else, if it doesn't work?

[Longshot]

Seroquel instead of Prosac

redhead77;1057972 wrote: Longshot, most people would say that Prozac has fewer side effects than Seroquel by a "longshot". As one posted earlier, one is an antipsychotic and one is an antidepressant. I have suffered from depression since I was a teen. Prozac didn't help me, but it also had few side effects. Everyone is different of course, but maybe if you have terrible insominia, you shouldn't rule out an antidepressant. Prozac is probably not a first line therapy for a person with insomnia. It tends to make people more speedy rather than tranquil. I personally liked that effect, you probably wouldn't.

As Beetle said, there are many natural remedies: Melatonin, Valerian root, Kava Kava, Calcium and Magnesium, just to name a few. I think that most people will tolerate at least one or more antidepressants, though. Maybe you should just consider something, even if not Prozac. Lexapro is a good drug for many. I do wonderfully on Wellbutrin (which is also a good drug for drinkers, apparently).

Why do you have to stay on a drug for 6 months? Most of the time, a drug is tried out, and changed if not tolerated. I'm confused as to why you are doomed to only Prozac for 6 months? Can you not try something else, if it doesn't work?

Thanks for that. You have to understand the Prozac was kind of dished out in a one size fits all, "depressed wham Prozac" I'm baffled as to how a physician can literally with minutes of taking history (one didn't even take my history, she took my wife's and was interrupted at the start)

I'm left with the nagging impression that if I go in, in a months time, they'll go "keep taking the Prozac, you've yet to see the effects", and I'll probably see them every two months after that, and it will just be "keep taking the Prozac. sure it'll be a hassle to titrate you down", next thing you know it'll be six months that I'll be on.

Speaking on Irish forums, apparently theres a real problem with psychiatrists dishing out Prozac for everything.

I mean for fucks sake, I was in there barely in there 15 minutes before "biological depression" was diagnosed, and a month long course at 20mg a day was ordered.

I'm deeply unhappy and suspicious about this health service's attitude to pharmacology, and mental health.

[beatle]

Seroquel instead of Prosac

I believe that psychiatrists' primary role is to find chemical ways to relieve your illness. I think they are mainly educated in medications (they probably know all of the chemical makeups and how they affect the brains and body), and they find medications that help your mental state -- be it depression, anxiety (which are both part of the same complex, according to my psychiatrist), OCD, etc.

This is based on personal experience and what others say (including my psychotherapist).
Psychotherapists, on the other hand, have a different education, based on therapy -- delving into a patients problems, helping them work through their issues, guiding them towards a better understanding of themselves. At least this is my understanding. And according to what my psychotherapist said. She does not have a degree in medicine and cannot prescribe. She sent me to a psychiatrist because she believed my mental state was partly due to a chemical imbalance.

[beatle]

Seroquel instead of Prosac

Longshot;1057875 wrote: I've used zolpidem for a while, I had the most incredibly stressful christmas. Aside from a horrendous first christmas sober,, titrating up on bach, the most stressful work related period of my life (doing 6 weeks work in five days), combined with the death of my wife's uncle (chronic alcoholic, funeral on new years day) I was wound up till all hell till mid January.

It's not clear -- did zolpidem work for you?