Printable View
Hey everybody, I was wondering if anybody knows the effects of marijuana and prozac being taken together. I got put on prozac a few months ago for depression and just recently have started up blazing again. Is this a bad combination? Or does it not matter? All responses are welcomed and I hope you all have a good night. Peace.
http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/1553.html
^^^ found by searching google for "Prozac and Marijuana". ;)
Dear Concerned Friend,
You're smart to have questions about combining anti-depressants and other substances. Indeed, whenever taking a prescription drug, a thorough discussion is warranted with health care providers in order to minimize negative effects and maximize positive ones.
Prozac is the brand name for fluoxetine, an anti-depressant in the class known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These drugs affect your brain's ability to absorb serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is involved in the regulation of emotions and mood. Prozac is perhaps the most well known of the many different medications prescribed to help people whose symptoms of depression are caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain. Marijuana, in its own drug class, is not a strict depressant. It has different effects based on the user's mood, surroundings, dose, and frequency of use. These can range from sedative to hallucinogenic to stimulant.
One of the most important factors when combining drugs — whether they be prescription or over-the-counter, controlled or illicit — is to be able to measure if and how much each drug is affecting mood and behavior, and what side effects each has. This is particularly important in a case such as this; presumably your friends are taking Prozac in the hopes that it will bring them relief from recurring, unpleasant feelings. Interestingly, marijuana and Prozac can actually produce many of the same emotional effects.
Some of the most common side effects of Prozac include nervousness, drowsiness, and anxiety; in some people, the anxiety is expressed as intense excitability. Some people experience insomnia while taking it. It's possible that the changes you have noticed in your friends are these. On the other hand, marijuana is also known to cause mood swings, sleepiness or sluggishness, and, sometimes, decreased motivation. In higher doses, hallucinogenic effects are possible, which may be expressed through anxiety or rapid changes in mood. Sometimes marijuana is laced with other drugs, like LSD or PCP, and then misperceptions, or even a sense of paranoia, are even more likely. Marijuana use can also cause some of the symptoms of depression, particularly in heavy users (which you say your friends are). There's a possibility that the emotional states your friends were experiencing (before being prescribed Prozac) were caused, or at least worsened, by their marijuana use. If they stopped or lightened up a bit on their use, they might find that they felt better, perhaps even without the anti-depressant.
There are also some other things to consider. Marijuana impairs the ability to concentrate and alters one's perceptions. Schoolwork, job responsibilities, and, particularly, driving a car or operating machinery may become more difficult. Prozac can also affect motor and decision-making skills, as well as perception. When a person first starts taking an anti-depressant, it is usually advised that activities like driving, climbing ladders, or using power tools be avoided until it is determined that it would be safe to do so. Combining Prozac and marijuana may increase the likelihood of an accident. It may also make it hard to decide if it would be safe to do these things if Prozac were being used alone. In addition, marijuana has been found to decrease the effect of Prozac. Using the two drugs together could make it hard to determine whether or not Prozac is truly useful for your friends, and if so, appropriate dosing.
It's really important that your friends talk with their health care providers about these issues. As a friend, you can provide them with this information, expressing your concern for their well-being. They're lucky to have someone as observant and caring as you are looking out for them.
I know alot of guys that take prozac, oxycodone and stuff like that and they freely smoke weed. I dont think they take the other drugs to increase the effect but I think they have a prescription. I dont see anything wrong with them lol.
If you smoke enough weed, you won't need the prozac...