Realwomen.co.nz

I notice that you joined yesterday Lingling and have commented on only the health related threads. I was wondering, do you have a medical or health related background? It would be lovely if you could give just a brief introductory paragraph about yourself. There is a special thread for introductions and it gives us all the chance to greet and welcome you properly if you use that. You don't have to be all revealling.. but a little background makes it more friendly.

Totally agree with your comments Lingling . You also seem to have some welcomed information thanks.

I would perhaps, not meaning to offend, mention any advertising, private or professional contact numbers iare not placed on RW Forum pages
Any advertising or promotional information is also not accepted.
There is a page available I believe for that purpose and permission of approval from the Admin of RW is required.

If you add to any posts some person or product you might be promoting you have had some personal experience and would like to share with others, who might benefit, then you can also write to contact you via PM on RW.
Anyone interested can then personally reach you for that info.

PM is the Personal Mail facility easily located under the individual Avatar

So many of our posts are read openingly away from RW on the Internet. Nothing is sacred!!
PM (Private Mail) on RW) is closed to others as far as I know, so 'safe' to reveal privacy matters.

So pleased to see you posting Lingling and looking fo reading more from you too.

Again, welcome .

I was just prescribed it for depression. Can someone who's taken it tell me if it is worth giving it a try. I've never been on anything for depression. I've taken ativan for sleep and anxiety but that's it.

How much does it cost also?

Thanks

Can't answer yr question re cost - It is a fairly common, widely used antidepressant so I would have thought that it would be a Govt. subsidised medication here in NZ . and therefore the usual $3 per prescription. I do not know if you live in NZ or not, for you have not fully filled out your profile. This is a NZ site but we do have members from several countries who post here. It is much easier to give correct or relevant answers to peoples queries, when we have some info to go on. Anyway,I gather you went to your DR because you were feeling a bit depressed, and so, this is what was prescribed for you. With regard to your other question as to whether anyone here thought it would be worthwhile for you to take this drug, my reply is that while I am not a Dr or a medical person of any sort really, I would say this - Obviously if your Dr has prescribed it for you to take, He / she must consider it to be worth a try for you so I would take it if I was you.
Depression can be very debilitating and can sometimes take a long time to overcome if left untreated - I do know that much. I hope it makes you feel better soon.

Have you read all the posts from page one of this thread ks?

In those you'll find a large amount of replies to your very question.

It seems there are as many different out comes, as types of people who have had it prescribed to them.

You will only find out for yourself by taking them, then if they don't work, your GP will prescribe another type for you.

I've been on Apropax in the past, about 2 years in total of regular usage. I found it levelled me out very well and really took the edge off my anixety. I also found that coming off it was easy IF you do it very, very slowly. The first time I tried to come off by cutting back to half a tablet and within a week, I had stopped them altogether. As a result, I experienced very bad dizziness, nausea, headaches, etc. The second time I tried I did it much slower and it took me about a month but it was HEAPS easier and I got hardly any nausea, etc.

I don't think Aropax is a bad drug, you just need to come off it super super slowly to stop your body from freaking out

Hi my names Chris i know its a women's forum but i felt i really need to say something about this drug... Take it how you wish, i feel all drugs have their place just as doctors do but i believe that Aropax is one of the worst drugs one could take. it is not for me to tell anyone what to take, i am not a doctor but i am not stupid and i know my wife.

(just a note, while reading this, know that my wifes case is rare, but not rare enough.)

Our story...

Since we had kids just over 4 years ago my wife has been on and off medication for anxiety, depression, postnatal depression etc... about 6 months ago we went to the doctor because we had gone through some pretty traumatic stuff with family and other things (just a really hard couple of months) and my wife started to get really down and anxious again. The GP thought it would be a good idea to try Aropax. Of course along side seeing a councillor. Ever since then it has just been a battle.

The drugs never worked, she only got worse and worse until i couldn't even go to work because she was so afraid to be left alone when suicidal thoughts started popping into her head, now... my wife isnt the kind of person that has thoughts like this (not that you would be a lesser person its horrible) but we have 2 beautiful kids, shes the best mother in the world (i think) we have a nice home etc.. sure we have issues but nothing that isnt normal.

After looking on the net for 3 days straight the information that started popping up was crazy! turns out suicidal thoughts are an all to common side affect of Aropax when givin to the wrong person. She started feeling scared of her surroundings and her skin was breaking out in sores, she felt like she was a bad mother a bad person and just generally miserable, she kept telling me she feels like shes dying inside. she said that everything is like a dream the doctors said that the drug was making her experience "Derealization" when nothing seems real.

2 months ago it got really really bad and she was put under mental health (our health system in NZ) we had 24 hour "support" and nurses calling every day. One day we called up to say she couldn't take it any more and a doctor on the other end of the phone said "just take 2 pills tonight" without even checking her records, we decided to not take the advise and i demanded something be done about it, we wanted tests done, proper help and us to be listened to.

After a few intense meetings an independent doctor and an independent psychologist they found out that the drug was doing much more harm than good, they said you need to come off these drugs as soon as possible, my mother and her went to a meeting with the manager and a couple of doctors and it was an hour and a half of them apologizing and saying what can we do, we are sorry, we didn't intentionally harm you. some of the phone calls she made they would tell her to just calm down, your being silly. and im not being over the top. they actually said that. i said to them, would you like to swap positions with my wife and ill say that to you?

So anyway... she came off the drug 4 weeks ago, at the doctors advice because the drug was "poisoning" her. from taking it daily to nothing in the space of about a week... well it has just been the worst time of her life and mine. she has experienced what the doctors call a withdrawal similar to coming off heroin cold turkey. which includes, severe shaking, intense sweating, blurred vision, dizziness, painful ears (intensified hearing), really bad skin sores, really uncoordinated (banging her head on things etc) fear of being alone, fear of driving, the list just goes on and on, we have had nurses at our home from 7am till 8pm everyday, and through this whole ordeal doctors, psychiatrists, managers etc round "researching" her and trying to find out what they done wrong.

Just today i have decided that i am putting my foot down and telling them to leave us alone (after talking about it with my wife) the drugs have done nothing but hurt her, the doctors have not listened, mental health have not cared. and i have had enough. I feel this whole system is not good enough and i will do anything i can to get this drug banned like many other country's have, yes we are way behind the ball, this drug has been banned in many country's.

I cant say enough how bad this drug has affected our whole family, the withdrawal affects have only just started to ease over this week but she still cant drive, she still cant be left alone and she is very very emotional, i find myself going to my limits as a human just to try and protect my family and my wife and i would hate this to happen to other people, I don't know how old you daughter is but this drug is already been banned for people under the age of 18 and will soon hopefully be banned completely. i remember sitting in the doctors office just 6 months ago looking on our health system computer network looking at the side affects listed and its insane! things like a dry mouth, lowered sex drive. what a joke.

Please think about it and research it before taking it, some people are lucky and have had help by this drug, but look for yourself there are thousands and thousands of websites and articles about this drug damaging and even killing people and very little good news. is it really worth the risk? my wife is a perfectly healthy human, she was going to the gym 4 times a week (before she was to scared to drive after taking Aropax), looking after 2 kids, eating healthy and look what happened. i don't mean to scare anybody but the doctors them self have said that my wife's life was at risk. Just at least look up about the symptoms and what they don't tell you.

Thanks allot for reading and like i said, i dont mean to scare i just feel it irresponsible not to say anything, and i will keep saying it until i am heard. If i had lost my wife i would be nothing, my kids need there mum, and she is the best mother i could ever ask for even while going through all this. but its just not fair we didnt get the help we needed and its not fair she has had to feel like this, same with all of you going through it. One of the happiest days of my life was yesterday when i made my wife laugh harder than she ever had after 6 months of being sad. You will get through it, she has. and you can do it but you need good support and a good doctor / councillor. I will say one thing that has made a huge difference is CBT (Cognitive-behavioral therapy). i would look into that if you are suffering from anxiety and other like symptoms, you can get it funded through your GP. I hope this has helped, i feel doctors are far to free with SSRI drugs and you dont get a proper diagnoses or review before being put on them, like i said i have read about people that have been helped with it, but very few and they them self say they could have done without after trying to come off it.

Another quick point, people dont need drugs to keep them happy, why be on them for 8 years, relying on them to keep you happy, a certain amount of anxiety is natural but drugs can make you reliant on them and when you try to come off after 8 years... well, it wont be nice. and this is from doctors, not me. as i said i am not a doctor i am only sharing my story.


Thanks

Chris

Wow Chris, letting us know about this could not have been easy. Your lovely wife yourself
and family have been thru' absolute hell, and my heart goes out to you all. You seem to be
a nice sort of a bloke, a lot of men would have taken off. On behalf of your wife, I say
thank you for sticking with it and supporting her. Great stuff.
My arms are around you both, and my prayers are with you every day, for this horror
to be over as soon as. Love to Mrs Chris-- Gems