Prozac Diary

This book is 20 years old, and the field of psychopharmacology has certainly changed since then. And Ms. Slater's book begins with her experiences ten years before that. I know some people who are taking Prozac now, and I have no idea if the formulation has been altered. However, I have never before read in such detail, or heard personally the account of someone so ill who has undergone such a dramatic transformation. I read Peter Kramer's seminal work many years ago, and I recall (perhaps incorrectly) him discussing run-of-the-mill depressed patients, not those with histories of hospitalization. I no longer possess my copy, so I can't easily check. The author describes her experiences very well, although at times she gets carried away with poetic expression. What struck me most was the fact that I took Prozac not that long after she did, and went off it after a few months because its effects kept wearing off. I was very much in need of help, but never to the point where I needed hospitalization, and, before it wore off, felt better, but not like a different person.. It is mystifying how these drugs affect different people in so many different ways.

I bought this book because it seemed to occupy a strange gap in the literature — that which exists between dry accounts of the mechanisms of action of psychiatric drugs (and the history of psychiatry generally) and actual personal accounts of how one's life is changed by these inventions of modern medicine (as one may expect, I recently started an SSRI medication).In a sense, it does fulfill that literary need. It shares some beautiful insights into the much underdiscussed process of getting well — which isn't the kind of linear process of betterment that those unfamiliar with mental health issues perhaps envision (Slater captures eloquently how the remission of mental illness is both relieving and, oddly, anxiety-producing - for sufferers are entering into new and uncharted territory in how they think and experience life.)Equally, the book was a turgid read. It is written in a turgid, stream-of-consciousness and poetic style. In my opinion, the mechanism did the book a disservice and rendered it unnecessary difficult to wade through. At times, I found the graphic descriptions of the author's sexual encounters offputting and, frankly, unnecessary.Prozac Diary, in my opinion, made an essential contribution to the small literature of patients' experiences with antidepressants. Equally, a more accessible style would have made its important observations more accessible and less ... uncomfortable to digest.

Every single thing Lauren Slater writes is wonderful. I'm very picky about books, but she manages to be totally engaging and relatable and conversational, while being one of the most poetic writers I've ever read. She is oriented toward the inner world more than the outer--so certainly not a plot heavy action-filled story, but I can never put her books down nonetheless. Her voice is beautiful and her books are psychologically and emotionally so honest and also so interesting. She's incredible.

I love this book! It’s evocative and truly paints an understanding for those that are not affected by depression.

This is a very interesting and beautifully written memoir about the life-giving and life negation aspects of taking antidepressants.A worthwhile exploration.

Easy read and interesting to read how someone feels on these drugs and why they don't want to continue to take them even though they can be necessary.

I had read about Prozac and its effects before I purchased this book. What I had read before was a joke. The author of this book describes her journey through Prozac in poetic style. She paints a picture of what life was like before, during, and after Prozac. Before she was nuts, shortly after taking Prozac she was highly functional, after the "Prozac Poop-out" she was nuts again. When Prozac stopped working they had to keep increasing her doseage, even to dangerous levels, to keep her functional. If you are interested in the effects of Prozac on mentally ill people, you will love this book.

Good

Flows so poetically. I love the way its written. Very intelligent.

Doctors, patients, people, all should read this memoir. Well done on Lauren Slater for using metaphors in new ways, for writing fictional and non-fictional memoirs, for in general challenging many fields and of understanding of illness and identity.