Why are antidepressants such as Fluxotine given bad reputation in the media?

Question

I think it is an effective antidepressant,ok there can be side effects with any prescription pill but they are usually mild.I know if I told my mum I take prozac every day she would react the same as if I was taking illegal drugs such as Ectascy or speed,this is down to scare stories that are published in the paper,for example people becoming suicidial after taking certain antidepressants,becoming mentally ill when they werent before or self harming when they have never done before,other people saying that it can cause people to be in trouble with the law (previously lawabiding citizens).I have taken this pill for over 6 months and would say it has caused effects such as mood ups and downs but on the whole helpful.

Answer 1

it depends on the taker, sometimes it can work really well, but for some people it doesn't. It never worked well with me which is why i stopped taking them, they made reality very hard to define and my depression got worse along with my self injury...but i know a couple of people who are on it and its really affective.

Answer 2

Do you trust the media (who don't let facts get in the way of a good story) more than your doctor?

Any medication will work better for some people than others. In the event of undesirable effects your doctor may prescribe something else.

If Prozac suits you it works very well. Don't be put off by the doubters.

Answer 3

Good question

A lot of people dislike psychiatry (the medical approach to mental illness), and are scared at the idea of taking medication for mental problems. A lot of these people work in the media. Thus, any story that ties into their way of thinking (such as  drugs possibly causing suicidal thought side-effects) makes big news.

[The link between antidepressants and increased suicidal thoughts is extremely tenuous, by the way].

There is also a political angle, some people feel that medication is wrong because it blunts emotions, or dampens down behaviour, or something, and this makes it a 'chemical cosh' wielded by the evil medical establishment. Newspapers love that angle.

This view, from the 1960s, is lovely if you are a hippy with no mental illness of your own. But most of us, like you, feel that our medication is the best treatment currently available.

Sadly we do not edit the Health section of national newspapers, though, so our story [which isn't very s**y, from a news point of view] never gets told.

Answer 4

be careful with it... seek Jesus He can heal all the illnesses . the only you have to do is to repent your self with all your heart and confess Jesus as your Savior....i talk about salvation , not about religion  , churches etc...

Answer 5

the only 2 side effects are nausea (for some) and loss of libido if taken for too long. otherwise I think it is the greatest thing to happen.  

Answer 6

well i've been on fluxotine for a couple of years now and it's been good for me, no side effects :)

Answer 7

I am glad it has helped you, but the two friends of mine that I have knwon whose lives it tore apart with its addiction problems and side effects would beg to differ with you...you are one of the lucky few

Answer 8

You are quite right, doctors don't know everything. However the risk benefit ratio of APPROPRIATE use of SSRI antidepressants like Prozac (fluoxetine,) is really quite good. I am old enough to remember the time when the standard antidepressants were Tricyclics like amitripylline. They were nowhere near as effective, had much more unpleasant side effects and were often fatal in overdose.

Answer 9

People think mental illness is all in one's head and they just need to get over it.  Unless one has suffered through depression for many years, they just don't understand what it feels like.

Answer 10

If it is helpful to you then that is a good thing.  Wouldnt be prescribed if it is not safe.