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Marathon running helped me off Prozac

KATE CHARLES, 33, a finance officer from Sussex, was prescribed Prozac by her GP during her university examinations.

After taking the antidepressants for seven years and with no real sense that they were helping her situation, Kate decided to take up marathon running and use complementary therapies to see if she could improve her condition that way. She says:

My problems began in 1996 when I was taking my final exams at Sussex University. I come from a high-achieving family and I suppose this imbued me with a fear of failure. I became terribly stressed and withdrawn.

I felt everything was spinning out of control and that my world was getting on top of me. I saw my GP who prescribed Prozac - the wonder drug of the moment that promised to dispel such negative and unhappy feelings. The initial physical effects were unpleasant: I suffered insomnia, aching joints and palpitations. But these subsided and I began to experience a new sense of calm.

I could study and socialise, though, at the same time, I felt an absolute emotional detachment. However, I continued taking Prozac as part of my routine and whenever I considered giving up, something stressful would happen, such as a work promotion, and I'd think I needed it to help me cope.

As the years passed I found the drug didn't really stop me feeling low - particularly when I was unhappy with my job or when a relationship ended. I had been back to my GP, who said I'd probably need Prozac for life. It was a horrifying thought.

At the beginning of 2002 I decided to take up running as a diverting and healthy hobby. Then I read about the Kenyan marathon due to take place that June. It sparked something in me. Suddenly I had a new goal and I was determined to achieve it. Completing the marathon made me realise that all that Prozac had done was act as a smokescreen for my true feelings. Running, however, made me feel exhilarated and alive.

After the marathon, I decided I had to stop taking Prozac. As I gradually came off the drug, I began to see a holistic therapist. She helped me realise that all my negative feelings stemmed from a fear of failure. I've now done nine marathons in all seven continents - and am the first British woman to have done so. I feel better than I have ever done before and I've achieved it not because of Prozac, but because of my own determination.