Rainy Days

A doctor recently suggested I try the anti-depressant Prozac. While prescribing the medication, he expressed surprise that, considering the events of the past year, no other medical professional had suggested I try anti-depressants. The thought had never occurred to me.

I have never taken an anti-depressant. In my ignorance, I assumed that you could take them the same one one takes an anti-anxiety drug -- on an as needed basis. Turns out that is not the case, and now I am leery of trying the prescription. After discussing the prescription with my therapist, I now understand that one needs to take the pills every day for multiple months before even knowing if the pills work. I'm not so sure I want such a daily commitment.

The potential benefit of Prozac is the end of my random bouts of crying. The downsides are too numerous to count. So the question I ask myself is which side effect would be most beneficial to me. Would the halting of crying outweigh any of downsides?

For the moment, I am leaning towards not taking the pills. I had the first month of the prescription filled, but that was before I became aware of the necessary commitment. The bottle of bicolored pills sits among my many prescription bottles waiting for my decision. At the very least, I know the pills are available if I should change my mind.