Prozac Essay Research Paper AbstractAt first it

Prozac Essay, Research Paper

Abstract

At first it was the cure all people were looking for. Then it became the drug they

were afraid to take. Somewhere between these two extremes lies the truth about the drug

Flouxetine, better known as Prozac, the most widely prescribed drug on the globe. It is

mainly prescribed to patients suffering from clinical depression. It was first brought to the

market in 1988 by the pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly co. Even though it was originally

prescribed for depression, it has been prescribed for everything from eating disorders to

insomnia. It was first considered the wonder drug of the new decade because of the way

it helped depression patients when no other anti-depressant could and then also found to

help many other personality disorders as well. But now it is frowned upon by many.

Some of the side effects contributed to the growing opposition of Prozac include nausea,

constipation, memory impairment, and excess sweating, just to name a few.

What is depression.

Depression can result from a physical disease, a mental illness, or it can be a

recurring reaction of the body. According to the National Institute of Mental Health,

major depressive illnesses are often the result of imbalances in neurotransmitters in the

brain. It is these critical chemicals that send messages between nerve fibers and control

mood (Creamer, 3). Older anti-depressants worked on three different neurotransmitters,

serotonin, norepinepherine, and dopamine. However, it has been found that serotonin is

the specific chemical in the brain that controls moods. It.s job is to carry an impulse from

one nerve fiber to the next. Serotonin is released by the nerve into the space between

nerve fibers, carries the impulse to the next one, and is then reabsorbed by the first. when

it is reabsorbed to quickly, a person feels depressed (6). .Clinical depression. includes at

least five of the following nine symptoms:

1. Feelings of sadness or irritability.

2. Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed.

3. Changes in weight or appetite.

4. Changes in sleeping pattern.

5. Feeling Guilty, hopeless or worthless.

6. Inability to concentrate, remember things, or makes decisions.

7. Fatigue or loss of energy.

8. Restlessness or decreased activity noticed by others.

9. Thoughts of suicide or death.

Dr. Brian K. Martin, President of the Mental Health Association of Hawaii, recommends

that anyone who has suffered five or more of these symptoms for two weeks or longer see

a doctor (7). Nationally, the Mental Health Association estimates that only one-third of

those suffering from depression actually seek help. Most are restrained, according to the

association, .by fear, lack of knowledge, misinformation, and stigma.. Depression is also

the leading cause of suicide. It is estimated that 15 percent of seriously depressed people

take their own lives (7).

The cons of Prozac

Historically, the use of drugs as fixers of the world.s private ills has run into

serious, if unanticipated, snags. At the turn of the century, the medical community

thought that Cocaine was a completely appropriate, nonaddictive drug, and widely

prescribed it. In the 1950s and .60s, first barbiturates and then amphetimines were

recommended for various psychological ailments. we now know that each of these drugs

came with significant risks. So what yet-to-be-imparted knowledge may cause science,

once again, to admit sheepishly that the exuberance over Prozac was somewhat

premature, if not wholly overblown.

Possibly, the biggest argument against this drug is merely the fact that it is

prescribed for just about anything. It is estimated that it brought in over 1 billion dollars

last year to Eli Lilly, the pharmaceutical company that brought us this wonder drug about

ten years ago. It is prescribed for everything from eating disorders to panic to helping

with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). David Dolan, Clinical director of one of the

psychiatric programs at Jefferson Hospital in Jeffersonville Ky., agrees with many that

Prozac is way oversold as a cure-all when it first hit the market.

.All of a sudden, Prozac was the medication for everything, then all of a sudden it

was anything but. Almost overnight, a new phenomenon hit Louisville: Prozac panic.

Instead of asking for, people were afraid to take it. (Aprile, 2). The change occurred in

the weeks following Joseph Wesbecker.s rampage, where he fatally shot eight people and

injured 12, only to finally kill himself. After the shooting, lab tests revealed therapeutic

levels of Prozac in his blood. Three other antidepressants and two other prescription

drugs were also found in his blood in tiny amounts. Wesbecker.s medical charts indicated

that his psychiatrist thought Prozac may have been contributing to his worsening

condition. At that time, Jefferson County

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