Prozac Ruined Me

Back in November of 2016 I made the decision to seek help in dealing with some depression and anger issues that I had been suffering with for a very long time. I called my health care provider (KP) and they had me talk to a general practice doctor, saying that I needed a referral in order to see anyone in their behavioral health department. I wasn't sure what a regular doctor was going to do for me, but I did as I was told.

The day that I saw this person would end up being the beginning of some of the worst days of my adult life.

This doctor listened to me for all of about 10 minutes and then prescribed Prozac for me. I had heard of it before, and was willing to try anything, so with little information on what I was getting myself into, I proceeded to follow Doctor's orders and began medicating my mind. The period from November through March was horrific, not only did the Prozac fail to help my depression, it destroyed my ability to handle anxiety and made me extremely prone to severe panic attacks.

As time went on, I expressed multiple concerns to my doctor about the way I was feeling and it wasn't until the middle of January, when I was threatened with losing my job, that my doctor finally referred me to someone in behavioral health. I was then further medicated to try and counter-act the negative effects of the Prozac, only to discover a new array of life altering mood and physical issues. I continued to express concerns with my 3 doctors and each time I did, they wanted to change my meds, which I was no longer willing to accept. So finally, they allowed me to speak with one of their psychologists in order to get a better idea of what kind of treatment would work for me. I met with 2 different staff members over the course of about 6 weeks and was then signed up to partake in a group therapy session during the 2nd week of February. This sounded like something that would help, but I had to inform my boss that I would like to miss more time in order to attend these sessions. I was nervous to bring up this request at work, but then pleasantly surprised when she told me to take that week off and get whatever help I needed so that I could come back 100%.

This was the last pleasant surprise I would have for quite a while.

On the 4th day of the group therapy that I had permission to be attending, I received an e-mail from my boss....firing me. I read this e-mail while I was actually in group that day, needless to say it was a heartbreaking experience for me. I was now faced with the situation of needing medical care, but losing my insurance within 2 weeks. I couldn't begin to afford Cobra, and I am STILL waiting on Medicare.

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Well that was the cheapest shot I've ever heard. I'm sorry you went through this! Wonder if ADA could be of any help to you? You opened up and got slammed. Reminds me of something I experienced. Mental Health is still stigmatized. If you needed surgery or cancer they couldn't get away with this very wrong behavior. It's possible that came from another level up the chain. Stay your course, get well, find your balance.

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I am very sorry about what happened to you. That's horrible. While these types of medications can sometimes cause worsened anxiety, depression and the like as side effects, according to FDA reports, there also a chance it was due to your condition worsening, or a combination of both. Though my stating this really doesn't help much.

Being in the midst of perimenopause myself, I've had to deal with some crazy stuff myself, as well as insane levels of anxiety. Prozac, however, did help me calm it down a bit, though it doesn't totally relieve all the symptoms.

As to the comments the other poster made about surgery, or cancer treatments..... well Donald Trump wants to change all of that, so no insurance company has to cover anything preexisting anymore, including conditions people are born with, or are genetically predisposed to. I'm not trying to bash him, or anything, just warning others that things may get a lot worse, before they get better, sadly enough. I could be wrong, though, you never know. As a matter of fact, I would prefer to find out that I am.

Have you tried checking to see if there are state programs that may help you? Where I live, there are some you can get, based on income, that cover doctor visits, as well as making medications super cheap. Most large hospitals have a social worker that you can consult about such issues.

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