Premenstrual Disorders

•

hope I get it. I’m tired of baby-sitting and I want to get to see some

kids after school (kids my age, not just little kids).

Not everyone taking the SSRI antidepressants experiences side ef-

fects but for some women, mild side effects such as difficulty sleep-

ing, anxiety, weakness, tremors, sweating, nausea, drowsiness, ner-

vousness, or yawning, may be a problem when they first take Prozac

or Zoloft. In many cases, these annoyances will go away within a few

weeks and may not be serious enough to stop taking the medica-

tion. For others, however, the side effects can be severe enough that

the discomfort outweighs the effectiveness of the drug.

Mattie is such a person. She began taking one of the SSRI antide-

pressants in a very low dosage because of her sensitivity to medica-

tions of any sort. Her doctor had her start by dividing the pills in half.

Each week she increased by a half a tablet until she was taking the

25 milligrams her doctor thought she needed. Once that seemed

to be effective but not harmful, Mattie moved in these same low

increases until she was at 50 milligrams per day. Her doctor decided

she should stay at this level for one month, and they would decide if

she needed to change her dose at her next visit.

Both Mattie and her doctor were pleased with the results and

neither expected what happened next. About two weeks into that

month, Mattie began to develop gas pains each evening. She didn’t

think much of it until her stools became looser and looser. By the

time of her one-month visit, her stools were totally liquid, and she

was still experiencing gas pain regularly. Mattie had begun a very

bland diet that included foods such as chicken, turkey, rice, bread,

applesauce, and bananas, but this wasn’t enough to ease her stom-

ach pains. Her physician felt she needed to stop taking the antide-

If a dry mouth is one of the side effects experienced while taking

an SSRI, sucking on hard candy, chewing gum, or ice cubes may

help.