Big tandem on Prozac??

[Milo 0]

I got a new assistant at work. He's a big guy, 6'4" 250# or so. We don't have much in common. He restores cars, I wreck them. He's recently divorced and thinks all women are evil, I'm still single and put them on a pedastal.
So, like everyone else I meet, I'm trying to talk him into taking up skydiving.
I made my best pitch for him to try the FJC at our local dz and he seems interested, but he finally admitted he's on an antidepressant like Prozac (Effexor?) and he doesn't know if it would be safe.
So, I have 2 questions: Is this a drug that might make skydiving a dangerous activity for him?
And, if so,
Is he too big for a Tandem?
milo

[Jessica 0]

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he finally admitted he's on an antidepressant like Prozac (Effexor?)

He should call his doctor and ask. The drug itself is no reason not to skydive, but there's a very small chance the depression might be.

[rgoper 0]

i think it would be the best thing for him, i'd hate to see him "off" of his meds, he's a bigun! he's probably lacking from self esteem, there;s nothing like a friend to pick you up and say, "let's go!"
Richard
"Gravity Is My Friend"

[Milo 0]

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but there's a very small chance the depression might be.

Wow, I didn't think of that. But he never appeared depressed to me and he said the medicine 'changed his life', so I don't think he's depressed anymore.
I did ask him to ask his doctor, and I think my unbridled enthusiasm for the sky may have worn off on him a little, so I think he will.
milo

[Jessica 0]

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But he never appeared depressed to me and he said the medicine 'changed his life', so I don't think he's depressed anymore.

Then get that bitch in the air!!!!!!

[PhreeZone 15]

> we've taken up guys that weigh in at 280+, not a challenge for the canopys in the eclipse tandem rigs
Thats funny... these are the same canopies in other rigs that are only rated to a max suspended of 500, so that better be a tiny TM or the TM better be willing to have his rating pulled if the manufactor finds out...
If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will....

[Milo 0]

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there's nothing like a friend to pick you up and say, "let's go!"

I think this is exactly what he needs. Instead of spending his weekends alone in his garage working on 60 year old cars he needs to be at the dz learning new things and meeting all the great people there.
milo

[rgoper 0]

Phree:
why don't we just call them right up and tell them?
Richard
"Gravity Is My Friend"

[Milo 0]

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...he needs to be at the dz learning new things and meeting all the great people there.

Plus, if I get drunk and stubborn at the bonfire it would be nice to have a BIG friend to cover my back or gently tell me to shut the f*** up.
milo

[Rachill 0]

Wow, I know a guy at my DZ that admitted that he used to take anti-depressants before he started jumping and now after a few years, he no longer takes them. I'm not saying your guy will be able to quit also, but this sport is a wonderful aid in relieving all stress and self-doubt.
I think it would be a great thing for him to skydive.
Blue Skies

[Muenkel 0]

I just talked to a friend who takes Prozac. He told me that Prozac is used to regulate the serotonin in the brain. That is it. It is not like valium, etc. It is non-addictive and does not make you lose your senses in anyway. My friend told me it changed his life. He now really enjoys life and nothing holds him back. It is not a "happy" pill in terms of making someone high. I agree your friend should check with his Doctor, but from what I have heard, I don't believe this med will interfere with his skydiving.
If you're not confused, you're not paying attention.
Chris

[chicagoskydiver 0]

I've been taking antidepressents for years. As long as the depression is under control, there shouldn't be a problem. It's a medical condition, like having diabetes, and, like any other medical condition, as long as it's under control there shouldn't be a problem. Getting advice from his doctor is probably not a bad idea, however. Actually, the skydiving may actually augment the medication. The antidepressants that I take stimulate the production of dopamine, which is one of the same chemicals the brain produces more of while skydiving!
Hackey

[flyhi 24]

Let's see if we can put two and two together:

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he never appeared depressed to me

and

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He's recently divorced

Makes perfect sense to me. Take him up.
Until the alimony starts kicking his butt, he's got a reason to live.
flyhi

[steve1 5]

Milo,
You'd be surprised how many people out there are on anti-depressants. I know a couple of teachers who take Zoloft because it helps them with the stress in their classrooms. It may not mean that a person has a serious depression problem. In the high stress world we live in, anti-depressants help a whole shit-load of people. (pardon my French). I work as a counselor in a school and know a lot of people that anti-depressants help greatly. (I know you figured I was probably a sheep herder, turned skydiver.) Steve

[Lindsey 0]

SSRI antidepressants (which are most of the modern antidepressants) simply allow Serotonin to remain in the junction between neurons (instead of being taken back up and recycled). That way you have more Serotonin providing stimulation.....and the antidepressant effect. There's nothing about the medication, itself, that would cause problems with skydiving....
BTW....for those who are interested.....valium does in fact work in much the same way, only on GABA which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter.....just a little factoid.
you can live in happiness too, like the oompa loompa dooba de do....

[Michele 1]

See, I wasn't going to add to this thread - most of you know my story, although not necessarily the nitty gritty details.
I resisted going on Prozac and trazodone for quite some time after my split with my husband. It was hard to acknowledge that I was so depressed that I needed medical help to manage my day-to-day situation. I did go on the meds. And they helped - they didn't stop the problem, they didn't make me feel high, they didn't alter my intelligence or judgment.
What they did do was put a floor under me so I could stop falling, spiralling forever down ...and start getting on my feet again. I don't exactly understand how they worked, but I know they did. And I am glad they did. I took my last dose on the morning of May 6, 2001...anyone care to guess which day that was?
I came home from jumping, and dumped the meds down the toilet, and haven't taken one since. Yes, I still occasionally struggle with depression, but it is surviveable, now. Where I couldn't see any hope because of the depression before 5/6/01, I do now. I reckon it has something to do with knowing that if I can leave a plane in the middle of the sky - often with a smile - I can tackle pretty much anything else which comes along...with a smile.
If he wants to tandem, encourage him. Bring him to the sky, introduce him to the rest of his life. You will have helped him move into his future, and help change his perspective on himself, his world, and his abilities. You will be bringing him to a doorway which, should he step through, will allow him the understanding that he is free again, free at last...for if he can do that, what else can he do?
Everything.
Ciels and Pinks-
Michele
If you really want to, you can seize the day; if you really want to, you can fly away...
~enya~

[PhillyKev 0]

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> we've taken up guys that weigh in at 280+, not a challenge for the canopys in the eclipse tandem rigs
Thats funny... these are the same canopies in other rigs that are only rated to a max suspended of 500, so that better be a tiny TM or the TM better be willing to have his rating pulled if the manufactor finds out...

Is your math off or do you consider anyone under 220 to be tiny? I'm 200 and never been described that way.
cielos azules y cerveza fría
-Kevin

[Muenkel 0]

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Is your math off or do you consider anyone under 220 to be tiny? I'm 200 and never been described that way.

OMG, I'm 160...I must be intsy!
If you're not confused, you're not paying attention.
Chris

[PhreeZone 15]

Math's not off by much, why do you think there are limits of 225-250 at most places on the tandems? Also remember a tandem rig weighs about 40-45 pounds....
200-225 for TM, 40-50 for gear leaves 225-260 for the student, and ask a TM if they would rather take a 225 pound person or a 250... Smaller TM's like Chuckie can take bigger boys, the landings just requite more help in most cases from the student on the flare.
If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will....

[sumadoggie 0]

I have an aquaintence who did a first tandem on an SSRI antidepresant. I was told that the only side effect of the drug on the jump was he was nonplussed about the whole experience. However, since then the jumper decided that the whole antidepresant scene wasn't the ticket and has taken up skydiving. So, what's the lesson here? Maybe skydiving should be part of a prescription for depresson.

[jfields 0]

Let me start off by saying that this is NOT directed at any particular individual here or elsewhere....
[insensitive rant]
I think our society is way too chemically dependent. We have taken to prescribing drugs for everything. Depressed? Pop a pill. Have a hyper kid? Give 'em drugs. High cholesterol? Don't exercise, take this pill daily. Come on, people!
Doctors are way too fast to diagnose "disorders" and prescribe drugs. People as patients are equally willing to try a quick fix instead of examing the roots of the problems. There are tons of kids that get defined as "ADD" or "ADHD" and get medicated where they are really just a little wound up and in need of some more disciplined caring parenting. Some people that are "depressed" ought to change their jobs and hop off the gerbil wheel they have been running on all their lives.
While there are some valid reasons for people to take medications, we shouldn't just jump at the chance. There are people who think they might have once had a reaction to milk once so they decide they are permanently lactose intolerant and take still more pills. It is almost like people think it is cool to have some affliction requiring drugs.
In my (medically uneducated) opinion, I think lots of the people that are perpetually on medications, even under doctor's orders, really just need to freakin' get over it! They need to look at themselves, their life and evaluate where they want to be and what they want to be doing. Then take steps to get from point A to point B.
[/insensitive rant]
I'll leave you with some lyrics...

Quote

What a drag it is getting old
´Kids are different today´
I hear every mother say
Mother needs something today
To calm her down
And though she´s not really ill
There´s a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter
Of a mother´s little helper
And it helps her on her way
Gets her through her busy day
´Things are different today´
I hear every mother say
Cooking fresh food for a husband´s
Just a drag
So she buys an instant cake
And she burns her frozen steak
And goes running for the shelter
Of a mother´s little helper
And ´two´ help her on her way
Get her through her busy day
´Doctor please..some more of these´
Outside the door - she took 4 more
What a drag it is getting old
´Men just aren´t the same today´
I hear every mother say
They just don´t appreciate
That you get tired
They´re so hard to satisfy
You can tranquilize your mind
So go running for the shelter
Of a mother´s little helper
And ´four´ help you through the night
Help to minimize your plight
´Doctor please..some more of these´
Outside the door - she took four more
What a drag it is getting old
´Life´s just much too hard today´
The pursuit of happiness just seems a bore
And if you take more of those
You will get an overdose
No more running to the shelter
Of a mother´s little helper
They just helped you on your way
Through your busy dying day
Hey!
~ Rolling Stones

Justin

[Michele 1]

This is where I agree with you.

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[insensitive rant]

Ciels and Pinks-
Michele
If you really want to, you can seize the day; if you really want to, you can fly away...
~enya~

[jfields 0]

Michele,
As I said at the outset, my comment was not directed at any individual. Most specifically not at you, despite your being the post I read before replying. There are valid reasons for medications, but it just my opinion that they are way overprescribed. Please don't take my comment as being aimed at you. Ditto anyone else perhaps seeing it that way.
Justin

[steve1 5]

JFields,
I agree that medication is probably being way over prescribed, but I also disagree with your comment that people just need to "Get over It". It's not that simple. There's a lot of people out there that are dragging around a lot of baggage from the past. Many are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress because of the screwed up family they grew up in. It would be wonderful if there was a way that they could just get over it or to forget about all the crap that happened to them earlier in their life. The fact of the matter is that this garbage is going to be with them the rest of their life. They can learn to deal with this through therapy and yes, medication at times. It never just goes away though. I work with kids every day that are extremely screwed up because of the trauma they have suffered growing up. Many are still being abused, and mistreated on a daily basis, yet the courts here are choosing to look the other way. Medication helps them focus on their studies and survive. Some are taking ant-depressants. Others are taking ritulin. I have to admit ritulin is probably being over prescribed, but it also helps a number of kids learn in school rather than being so hyper-active that they can't focus. Is medication being misused and in some cases being used as a quick fix? Probably. But in many cases it is also spelling the difference between life and death for some people. For a person who is severely depressed, anti-depressents may keep them alive. They may also need therapy, but this is often very time consuming, expensive, and non-productive in some cases. As far as stress in our daily life, it does little good to pretend it isn't there. How many times are death certificates written out for heart failure, and other diseases, when the underlying cause is just plain stress in a person's life. I was a classroom teacher for over 18 years in a public shool, and I'll tell you it is a damn stressful, often thankless job. If an anti-depressant helps a type-A person deal with stress, why not! Steve

[GrumpySmurf 0]

I'm actually surprised that more people in our society are not on medication. We have so much to deal with in terms of expectations, information, and obligations in the 21st century that we never really achieve focus on what makes us happy. We have so much to do, that we are bored of all of it. "All we are waiting for is something worth waiting for." And because the foundation of our lives is so fragmented, any little thing that disrupts it causes the whole structure to collapse.
Maybe that is why we are seeing such a surge in extreme sports - the life and death challenge of 'here and now' gives us focus and makes us forget about all the trivial things that never really mattered anyway?
I think our entire society needs a 12-step program, "Hi, my name is Mark and I'm a member of the 21st Century in Western Civilization...". or at least everyone should jump out of a plane once to realize what really matters and what doesn't

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