TexasC: after Prozac struggles!

[TexasC]

My story begins about eleven years ago. In 2011 my best friend died, and I began to have debilitating anxiety and a horrible fear of death. A family doctor made it worse by giving me xanax and lexapro, but I knew nothing about either one. I started having interdose withdrawal with the xanax, so they gave me ativan. Praise the Lord though, I found a good doctor that placed me on Zoloft, which worked well. After 5 years though, with my wife and I losing another great friend, then a stillborn, both grandparents, and two miscarriages all in a year and half the zoloft stopped working. I continually had ruminating thoughts that would not stop, so a psychiatrists placed my on Prozac, and eventually moved it up to 60mgs, along with valium to help ease the transition. I eventually weaned off of the vailum (which went really well), and stayed on Prozac ever since. After taking a year off from work, I slowly tapered off of prozac over that year, and now have been off of prozac roughly two months. I seemed to be doing well but two weeks ago the anxiety started to appear, and then stopped for about a week and a half. Today though, my anxiety and fear returned with a vengeance for most of the day. I start a new job in July, and I am working on my dissertation for my doctorate. I am seriously considering starting back on my prozac, and my pyschiatrist told me if I needed to,  just start taking the prozac at 20mg again. The smallest dose I have is 20mg capsules, so I'm not sure how to start with a smaller dose, which seems to be wiser than starting right back on 20mg.

 

My anxiety was so bad last night that I did not sleep. I had to take 5mg of valium to get just a little relief. This morning I reinstated 5mg of prozac by separating the 20mg capsules into 20ml of water. Any help or encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

[getofflex]

Hello, and welcome to SA.  We are a volunteer-run community of people who have been or are getting off of psychiatric drugs.  First of all, I'm deeply sorry for your many losses.  This must be very devastating, and it is very understandable that you are having troubles with anxiety.  

 

It is likely that your nervous system is still trying to adjust from getting off of the Prozac.  Anxiety is a hallmark symptom of withdrawal from SSRI drugs.  It is not uncommon for symptoms to appear after several months.  Since Prozac has a long half life, this is even more likely with this drug.  

 

Can you please give us more specific information in your signature about your recent taper off of Prozac?  It would be especially helpful to have the details in a concise vertical list (no symptoms), only drug names, specific dates (as best you can say for example early March if you don't recall the day) and dosages of each medication decrease or increase.  Use this format:

 

Drug name: date, dose, date, dose, date, dose…

Drug name: date, dose, date, dose, date, dose…

Etcetera

 

Are you on any other drugs or supplements?  

 

Please read the link below for instructions.  This will allow us to give you the best guidance.  

 

How to List Drug History in Signature

 

Here is some important information about how these drugs actually work.  This explains why we get symptoms from going off of these medications, and why it's so important to taper slowly and carefully, and be very cautious about changing our doses: 

 

How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain

 

 

This helps you understand what withdrawal syndrome is: 

 

Video on Recovery from Psych Drugs

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

Here is a link with checklists of common WD symptoms: 

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen Withdrawal Symptom Checklists

 

 

Here are some techniques to cope with symptoms: 

 

Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms

 

Stability is really important when we are tapering off psych meds.  Please read the link about stability:

 

Keep It Simple, Slow, and Stable

 

 

We don't suggest many supplements, but 2 that many of us find helpful are magnesium and omega-3 fish oil. Here are the links for info about those. It is suggested to add one at a time, and start with a low dose to see how it affects you. 

Magnesium

Omega 3 Fish Oil

 

I see you decided to reinstate to 5 mg Prozac.  That is fine, but you may want to consider doing a smaller reinstatement, starting right away.  Reinstating at a higher dose, such as 5 mg, puts you at risk of kindling your nervous system, which can make your symptoms worse and further sensitize and destabilize your nervous system.   I believe you said your full dose was 20 mg, so I would go with a daily reinstatement dose of 1 mg instead of 5 mg.  If you do OK on 1 mg, and need more, we can always increase the reinstatement dose in the future.  

 

Here is some information about reinstatement.  

 

About Reinstating and Stabilizing to Reduce Withdrawal Symptoms

 

I know it is difficult to measure this very small amount.  But you are doing well by 20 mg capsules in 20 ml or water.  Please use distilled water, and store it in the refrigerator.  It will last 14 days like this.  Just take 1 ml  of the liquid (I see you are mixing 20 mg in 20 ml water, so 1 ml contains 1 mg) using a syringe.  This link will explain more:  

 

Tips for Tapering and Dosing Prozac/Fluoxetine

 

I've given you quite a bit of information here.  Please read through it, and mull it over, and we will take it from there. In the meantime, take care of yourself, and take heart.  We in this forum have been through this, and we understand first hand the pain and discomfort you are going through.  Please know that the brain is amazing in it's healing abilities.  It takes time, but healing can and will happen. 

Edited May 27, 2022 by getofflex

[TexasC]

I weaned off of Prozac over the last year after taking a sebbatical year from school. I started with 40mg, then slowly went down to 20mgs over several months, and then started taking 20mg every other day for several weeks, once stable, I went every third day for several weeks, then 20mgs every fourth day, then every fifth day, then every sixth day, and lastly 20mgs once every seventh day. My last dose of prozac was towards the end of March of 2022. Each time I would wait for stabilization before moving to the next decrease. To be honest I did not have a single problem weaning over the year, with the exception of irritability now and then.

 

Two weeks ago I had fairly bad anxiety, but it subsided, and then I had 12 good days. Then mother of all anxiety attacks hit, and it has not stopped. Since I am working on my dissertation for my doctorate, and starting a new job at a great school on July 5th I knew that I needed to reinstate the prozac. During the last two days I have also used valium at 5mgs during the night, and the next morning. My anxiety does not stop, thus I do not sleep. The valium is very helpful, and I have had success weaning off it safely twice in my life, which is why I thought I would be successful at weaning from prozac (wrong). I'm thinking that the new job, dissertation, and a friend dying of a heart attack last week was too much for my nervous system.

 

On another note, I did not use distilled water for the first reinstatement of prozac this morning. Is that a problem?

 

I will also add to my signature more specifics, as you requested.

 

Also, thank you so much for taking the time to write back to me so quickly.

[TexasC]

Just FYI, I took 2.5mgs of valium at 5pm yesterday, but did not have to take anything else for the rest of the day. By the grace of God I slept all night (8 hours)! I woke up and took 1mg of prozac like you recommended. My questionhow long will it take to notice a difference with 1mg, and then how long do I go with 1mg before moving up? Thank you for your help! Have a great weekend.