In 2017, Julie moved to Massachusetts to start a new job in biotech. She was maintaining her relationship with her partner long distance, and starting a new position in an unknown city alone had her distressed. Her psychologist and doctor recommended she start taking the antidepressant Prozac (fluoxetine) to feel better, and it helped her function — for a while.
Then years went by, and she started to develop other symptoms. Her insomnia got worse. She felt oddly detached from herself and she started to have thoughts about suicide that she had not had before. During this time, she was processing traumatic experiences from her childhood in therapy, but she felt like these symptoms were being exacerbated by Prozac. So in 2022, Julie started tapering off of her medication after talking with her primary care doctor.
