edub26: Prozac withdrawals and reinstating

[Edub26]

 I was on Prozac 60mg for about 2 years. I was put on Prozac by primary care doctor for OCD, anxiety, and an eating disorder.  I was still having OCD and anxiety and I didn’t want to up my dose so I began going to counseling. Counseling really started helping and I decided I didn’t want to be on Prozac anymore. My doctor then tapered me off within a month. I began have withdrawal symptoms that were manageable until they weren’t. I started having extreme anxiety, feeling like I wasn’t real, couldn’t be alone, and also physical withdrawal symptoms. It was and still is terrifying, I still haven’t been alone. 
 

I went to a psych doctor and she reinstated 30mg of Prozac. It’s been a rollercoaster. I’m just now on week 7 of taking Prozac again and I’m starting to feel better, but I still feel the heaviness of anxiety. I’m so scared I’m going to feel this forever.. I feel like I’ll never be myself again. I haven’t been to work since December 5th. All I want is to be able to function without feeling this constant fog/anxiety cloud over me. 
Has anyone ever been through this with Prozac? Any advice or encouraging words? 
I plan on tapering off VERY slow once I’m stabilized for a while.

[Onmyway]

Hi @Edub26, 

welcome to SA.  I am so sorry you have been suffering for the last couple of months. It sounds terrifying. You seem like you were desperate enough to restart Prozac and I am glad that you are seeing some effect from it. We recommend a much smaller reinstatement here (1-2mg seems to be enough for many people to achieve stability) but if this is working for you, you can stay at it. 

 

When you are ready, you can start tapering again. I would recommend that you read the threads linked in the first post of this thread BEFORE you start tapering. 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/300-important-topics-in-the-tapering-forum-and-faq/

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/759-tips-for-tapering-off-prozac-fluoxetine/

 

I am hoping that your symptoms will abate fully soon. I would wait for at least 5-6 months before you taper again. Do not start again if you don't feel fully stabilized. Please keep us updated on your symptoms and feel free to ask any questions you may have. 

 

Can you please fill in your drug signature so we have your history for quick reference. This signature will appear after each of your posts. 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/28240-how-to-summarize-your-drug-history-in-your-signature/

 

I am glad that you have found us and we are here to help, 

OMW

 

[littlebird]

Glad you're here! It's a good spot. Tapering from 60mg in a month, ai-yi-yi, no wonder you're feeling so awful. That seems way too fast. A lot of doctors seem to think you can move quickly, or even cold turkey these things.

 

Hope you can find some relief soon, and find a slower/safer schedule! Glad you're taking care of yourself, and found this site. There's a lot of good help to be found here.

[Edub26]

@littlebird @Onmyway thank you for your replies and kind words. My doctor just put me on 20mg and then raised it to 30mg. I feel like some of my anxiety symptoms now are from reinstating it, like the side effects. 
 

I keep telling myself this will end soon and I’ll be back to myself 100%.  There have been others that have had to reinstate their medication and they were still able to come off of it? I never ever want to go through this again.. I am so thankful for this group because I felt like I was going crazy. 

[mstimc]

Hi @Edub26.  You came to the right place. I attempted two tapers from Paxil before I got it right on the third try.  I can assure you that you're not going crazy and you can recover.  I found a site very much like this one where I got a ton of support, and that was immeasurably helpful.  Its so important you hear from people who've been through it and come out into recovery.  There were days when I'd pray to make it through the day on my way to work, and pray I  wouldn't collapse at night on my way home.  You mentioned you saw a psych doctor.  Did she help you with any coping skills like CBT or ERP?  I found those were they key to my recovery.  

[Edub26]

I had a really good week where I woke up and felt I could think straight, but the past two mornings I’ve been anxious again and am so terrified this will last forever. I just want to be myself so bad.. I just entered into week 8 on 30mg of Prozac. I hope things level out soon. 

[Onmyway]

Hi @Edub26, 

wouldn't the fact that you had a nice window already contradict your prediction that you will be in this state of suffering "forever"?

[Edub26]

@Onmyway I guess so, but I feel so drained.. I just automatically think I’m stuck in a loop of ups and downs & will never be myself again.. 

[Edub26]

I’ve been on 30mgs for 16 weeks now, and recently went through (and still feel like I am in) a wave. I was on 60s before being ripped off. My doctor suggested bumping it up to 40mg to level out. I feel like I could level out on 30mg but it’s just taking a lot of time. Do you have any insight? I don’t know what to do..  

I have seen a huge improvement since being reinstated, but the waves are still scary and hard when they do come.  
 

I ended up becoming desperate and took 40mg yesterday and today because the nurse said a week or so it would help.. I feel like I messed up by taking 40s. I’m very torn, tired, drained, scared, and sad. 

[Onmyway]

Hi @Edub26

 

Can you please update your drug signature with dates? I'm not sure what happened when right now to advise you properly. Please only include drug dose and dates rather than the story of how you came to them. You can flow my signature example.  How are you feeling since  you went to 40?

 

OMW 

Edited April 1, 2023 by Onmyway

[Addax]

I am glad you posted and that OMW is on deck as soon as you update your signature … but I am also very sorry you are feeling distraught and scared. It is scary and while no one can tell you exactly when it  will happen, you will feel okay again.  And hopefully with other voices able to chime in, it’ll feel less scary.
 

[Edub26]

@Onmyway I updated my signature. I am feeling fine since taking the 40s, I am just worried about messing my brain up more than it already is. 

[Onmyway]

Hi @Edub26, thanks for updating your signature. 

In general we prefer that you don't go up and down with your dose much as it destabilizes the nervous system. The risks of upping your dose are that your system may be hypersensitive and this can activate you too much (anxiety, insomnia etc.) And we also like to increase the dose much more slowly to achieve whatever relief without creating too much of a burden. 

 

Having said that, you seem to be doing ok on 40mg so if that is the case you can stay on it. I would advise a few months at least at this dose before attempting to taper. The full effects of prozac will take about 10+ days to fully register in the brain - this drug has a long half life. 

 

Even with 40mg you would be expected to have waves so the goal is not to be symptom free during withdrawal. Well, the goal is to be symptom free but it is rare to achieve that for a while unless you tapered properly from the very beginning. So you might need to learn to use some non-drug techniques to manage emotional symptoms and put up with some of the other symptoms. 

 

What we think is happening in your nervous system is that it attempts to adapt to the new reality of less drug and when you updose half way through it then adapts to the new new reality and so on. And during that adaptation period you may get symptoms. 

 

So the choice is yours in this case. The brain likes stability but if 40mg makes you feel better, it is ok. 

 

 

[Altostrata]

Hello, @Edub26, please explain more about your symptom pattern when you were taking 30mg. Were your symptoms better at any particular times of day? What time o'clock do you take your Prozac dose? Did you skip any doses after reinstating in November?

[Edub26]

@Altostrata I take the Prozac at 7am. no, I did not miss any doses since reinstating in November. Anxiety would be high in the morning and linger throughout the day. Slowly the anxiety throughout the day got better, and the highest would be in the mornings. I have been having good days/weeks on 30s, but then I’ll hit a wave and begin to have high anxiety and worry that 30s will not be enough to stabilize me. These past two weeks the anxiety would fluctuate up and down throughout the day. I don’t plan on tapering until I’m stabilized for 6+ months 

[Altostrata]

Is the anxiety better or worse after you take 40mg Prozac at 7 a.m.? What time of day is the anxiety at its worst?

[Edub26]

I’ve only taken the 40s two days, the anxiety is the worst in the mornings/early afternoon. I feel like the past couple mornings have been a little better. I don’t feel instant relief or anything after taking them. I took 30s today and yesterday because I got worried 40s were too much. I just want to level out and on a dose. How long does it take for reinstating the medication to level out? I’ve been on 30mg for 16 weeks and I was off Prozac for 1 month before restarting it 

[Edub26]

Are windows and waves normal after reinstating Prozac after being tapered off rapidly? 
 

I’m going on 20 weeks of 30mg of Prozac. I do see improvement from the beginning of reinstatement, but feel like I experience waves of neuro-emotions, especially close to menstrual cycle and ovulation.