Tapertrauma: Prozac Tapering withdrawal symptons

[Tapertrauma]

Hi

I hope that someone will be able to give me some kind of hope.

I have been tapering from 20mg of Prozac and am now down to 4mg (for the last two months) but the side effects have been awful - mainly chronic fatigue, terror attacks, anxiety and generally feeling like I have the start or end of flu. Should I stay on the 4mg until this subsides?

 

I was also on Venlafaxine 75mg (until about a year ago  - but my GP withdrew me from this in a matter of weeks) so I'm not really sure if the symptoms are also due to this too.

Edited August 10, 2023 by manymoretodays
name to title

[Altostrata]

Welcome, @Tapertrauma

 

Please stop tapering for now. When did these withdrawal symptoms start? How much Prozac were you taking then?

[Tapertrauma]

Hi Altostrata,

 

Thank you so much for coming back to me.

 

I first started coming off Venlafaxine and Prozac about 18 months ago - I was on 75mg of Venlafaxine and 10mg of Prozac and trotted along quite nicely for about 6 years with only vey minor side effects. My husband and I then took early retirement and moved to rural Shropshire and I felt great for about 18 months.  Then side effects I had previously had - mainly fatigue returned and my doctor recommended I come off them both - I tapered from Venlafaxine really quickly (over a matter of weeks) and my doctor upped the Prozac to 20mg  to compensate (the side effects have been awful) so I have been trying to taper ever since (about 16 months) from 20 - 15 - 10 - 8 - 6- 4 every month or so. The withdrawal effects have been non relenting, debilitating and terrifying and lately has followed a consistent pattern - despite how much sleep I have - I feel absolutely exhausted in the morning and have to drag myself out of bed, mid morning I get terrible anxiety, then mid afternoon the fatigue comes back but its like I've been heavily sedated - I then have a period of relative normality during the evening - which actually makes all the bad times feel even worse!! I have been on the 4mg since 9th June and the withdrawal symptoms are not subsiding at all. I have not had a lot of support from my doctor as he has said he has never had a patient who has had trouble coming off Prozac (due to its long half life). As you suggest I won't taper any more for the time being.

 

Thank you

[Altostrata]

We advise people not to continue tapering while they have withdrawal symptoms. It could be that giving your nervous system a rest from tapering for a while will help.

 

Please let us know how you're doing. 

[Tapertrauma]

Thank you. I ŵill stay on 4mg for the foreseeable future until the withdrawal symptoms subside. Yesterday was mostly awful; chronic fatigue all day; just about woke up about 7.00pm. Very fatigued again today with headache, nausea and anxiety.

Edited August 14, 2023 by Altostrata
removed blank spaces

[Altostrata]

18 hours ago, Tapertrauma said:

headache, nausea and anxiety

 

Did this occur before or after you took your drugs?

[Tapertrauma]

I take the Prozac in 1ml of liquid at 10.00pm. I then sleep OK but am absolutely awful in the morning. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Addax]

Hi @Tapertrauma.

 

I’m am also tapering Fluoxetine. I am sorry you are feeling so badly and your doctor has not been especially supportive. I’ve gotten a similar response from doctors and other prescribers about not having heard of people having trouble coming off Prozac/Fluoxetine or believing the long half-life means it’s self tapering and therefore should prevent withdrawal.  Unfortunately, many prescribers are just not well informed, if they are informed at all, and their responses can be very invalidating. 
 

I am glad you found this site. Welcome to SA. 
 

 

 

 

[Tapertrauma]

Hi Addax,

Thank you so much for the welcome. It is good to know we're not alone. I'm angry with myself today as I gave into the fatigue and led down for a couple of hours this afternoon (which didn't make me feel any better and then made me super anxious). It is interesting that Wellbutin seems to be widely prescribed in the US but is not licenced in the UK except for people who wish to give up smoking. Hope you are feeling ok today x

[Addax]

3 hours ago, Tapertrauma said:

I'm angry with myself today as I gave into the fatigue and led down for a couple of hours this afternoon (which didn't make me feel any better and then made me super anxious).

The fatigue and desire to sleep can be pretty intense so don’t be hard on yourself for succumbing to is sometimes.  Our bodies and brains can be pretty stressed by withdrawal, so being kind to yourself - physically and mentally - can go a long way.  Light exercise like walking or yoga can sometimes ease the fatigue, as well as just helping people to feel better and get out of their heads for a bit.  

 

Wellbutrin is prescribed off label for a number of things here in the U.S. Including treatment for some of the side effects of other antidepressants.  I took it for awhile to help combat the fatigue and yawning caused by fluoxetine.  I honestly can’t recall if it helped. 
 

 

 

[Tapertrauma]

Hi Addax,

 

Thank you for your kind words. I felt a little better in the evening. We have two rescue ponies, a rescue cat and a rescue spaniel so they take up quite a lot of my time and having to see to their feed times and needs always takes my mind off "me" for a while. I have ridden one of the ponies this morning and getting out onto the beautiful Shropshire Hills has lifted my mood a bit and eased the chronic fatigue of yesterday.

 

We live in a very remote village, but there is candlelit yoga at the Village Hall on a Thursday - may give it a go this week - it's only a ten minute walk.

 

Your support is very much appreciated - I hope you're having a peaceful day x

[Addax]

12 hours ago, Tapertrauma said:

We live in a very remote village, but there is candlelit yoga at the Village Hall on a Thursday - may give it a go this week - it's only a ten minute walk.

candlelit yoga?! That sounds wonderful. I hope you go. Ponies, a cat and a dog sound wonderful, too. Your home and village sound like a great place be while healing.

 

I hope you continue to feel better.

[Altostrata]

On 8/14/2023 at 12:27 AM, Tapertrauma said:

I then sleep OK but am absolutely awful in the morning. 

 

Please keep daily notes of times o’clock you take your drugs, their dosages, and your symptoms throughout the day. We need to know how you feel before and after taking each drug, and any significant symptoms in between. Post 24 hours of notes at a time in this topic, in a simple list format with time o’clock on the left and notation (symptom or drug and dosage) on the right.

[Tapertrauma]

Hi Addax,

 

Thank you for your kind words. I felt a little better in the evening. We have two rescue ponies, a rescue cat and a rescue spaniel so they take up quite a lot of my time and having to see to their feed times and needs always takes my mind off "me" for a while. I have ridden one of the ponies this morning and getting out onto the beautiful Shropshire Hills has lifted my mood a bit and eased the chronic fatigue of yesterday.

 

We live in a very remote village, but there is candlelit yoga at the Village Hall on a Thursday - may give it a go this week - it's only a ten minute walk.

 

Your support is very much appreciated - I hope you're having a peaceful day x

[Tapertrauma]

Hi,

Yesterday I felt so fatigued when I got up and then this quickly switched to anxiety. We did manage to visit my brother and sister in law in the Cotswolds and I managed the journey there and back but had a terrible headache all day; which made it very difficult.

Managed to ride my pony out when we got back which always takes my mind off things - then debilitating anxiety last night which makes me feel physically soo awful and the same today all morning - my heartrate is over 100, and I feel sort of paralysed if that makes sense and my limbs are tingling. I've got a numb nose (which is a very common occurence when I feel bad) and for some reason I am very very tearful this morning - which is unusual. 

 

It's a beautiful day here and we live in a beautiful place and I should be soo grateful for all the things we have but at the moment I just want to lie in bed and pull the cover over my head, as I feel so physically unwell - like I have the start or end of flu. 

[Altostrata]

Please post those daily notes in a simple list format, 24 hours at a time.

[Tapertrauma]

03.00am Dog woke me barking. Woke from intense nightmares.
7.45am Alarm woke me. Very very fatigued and feel like a tight band round my head.
9.00 Rode pony for an hour. Light headed
10.00 Terrible tight headache and nausea and terrible anxiety
12.25 Very very anxious. Worst of the day. Tingling limbs.
1.25 Still very very anxious. Horrid sensations.
13.55 Anxiety taken over by heavy fatigue and very heavy feeling legs
15.30 Still very fatigued but  very anxious now too. Very dry eyes.
17.00 Really fatigued but walked 2 miles round the village to feed friends' ponies and then back and fed my own
20.00 Finally feeling relatively OK
21.00 Took 4mg of Prozac in 1ml of liquid suspension
22.00 Feel awful like I'm made of stone and have no control of my body.
22.30 Walked round the garden in the rain with the dog. Now feel like I've been heavily sedated and super burning hot. Banging headache back.

[Tapertrauma]

7.30 Dog woke me up. Super sleepy but not soo sedated
9.00 Still sleepy. But now feel really down about the day ahead and how bad I'm going to feel. No motivation at all.
10.25 Terrible headache and fuzzy brain and Nausea. Like I have a terrible hangover ( I haven't)
12.30 Upset stomach. Not feeling quite so bad.
13.30 Not feeling quite so bad
15.30 Rode pony. Felt faint. Had to get off
16.30 First big panic attack of the day. Horrendous.
17.00 Anxiety continues apace. Very scary.
21.00 Very fatigued and headache. Very very hot
22.00 Calmed down for a little while before anxiety returned.

Edited August 20, 2023 by Altostrata
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[Altostrata]

Do you feel better or worse after taking Prozac? Please post notes 24 hours at a time.

[Tapertrauma]

Do you feel better or worse after taking Prozac? Please post notes 24 hours at a time.

 

I usually take it an hour or so before I go to bed so I don't really have time to feel better or worse. I do usually sleep really heavily and could sleep until noon if I could.

 

20th August

5.45am Dog woke me up from nightmares

7.45am Woke up again. Not quite so fatigued as yesterday morning.

9.00am -12.00am Super anxious all the time the World Cup Final was on. Heart rate 120

12.00-15.00 Anxiety subsided but still there

16.00 Super fatigued and achy limbs. Anxiety still there.

18 45. Still anxious. Legs feel like lead. Headache for first time today. Like I have a tight band around my head!

17.10 Super anxious. Very very uncomfortable

20.00 Feeling a bit better

20.55 Feeling anxious again

21.30 4mg of Prozac in 1ml liquid form

23.30 Feeling almost ok

Edited August 22, 2023 by Altostrata
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[Addax]

It sounds like you are sleeping well, although you felt faint during a recent ride it’s good to see you are getting out on your pony. Do things that include gentle or mild physical activity and pulls you outside of your head is always a good idea.  Even coloring in mandalas or similar coloring pages or books geared towards adults can be good for distracting from the symptoms and the accompanying distressing thoughts. The symptoms can take up a lot of mental energy and focus - as if the fatigue wasn’t, in and of itself, bad enough. And when they are bad it can be difficult to think about much else.  

 

[Altostrata]

20 hours ago, Tapertrauma said:

I usually take it an hour or so before I go to bed

 

Do you sometimes take it at other times?

 

Please post only plain text, do not use the <> style. Please post notes at least 24 hours at a time, e.g. from 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. the next day.

[Tapertrauma]

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I always take the Prozac in the evening - some time between 9.00pm and 10.pm

 

 

[Tapertrauma]

Hi Addax

Thank you so much for coming back to me. You're right it does do me good to get out on my pony. I always go with my friend who's about the same age as me (I've just turned 60) and I have to ride my pony every day so that gives me something to aim at.

 

You are absolutely right in that thinking about the WD symptoms does take up much of my waking hours and I am so much better if I do something to take my mind off it. 

I have just applied to do a Masters' Degree in Medieval History starting next February so I hope I will be on the road to recovery by then. I have been very tearful over the last couple of days, thinking I might be stuck feeling like this for ever.

[Tapertrauma]

21st August

09.00 Woke up, still very very tired

10.00 Anxious but not as bad as yesterday

11.00 Very dry eyes and anxious

13.00 Very anxious but rode pony and felt a bit better

15.00 Had half an hour when I felt fantastically normal

16.00 Anxiety back. Tingling limbs and headache

19.00 Anxious and sleepy

20.15 Feel like I have flu and very tearful 

21.15 4mg taken un 1ml of Prozac liquid

21.30 Feeling almost normal!!

22.00 Very very hot and anxious again

[Altostrata]

Does feeling hot always occur after your Prozac dose? How long does that last?

[Addax]

12 hours ago, Tapertrauma said:

I always go with my friend who's about the same age as me (I've just turned 60) and I have to ride my pony every day so that gives me something to aim at.

I don’t know how recent “just” is, but I send you happy birthday wishes.  As strange as it may sound having to ride your pony everyday will serve you well while you’re healing, especially if you have days that you feel like it’s the last thing you want to do.  I found that my responsibility to my dogs was sometimes the one thing that could get me moving and ultimately provide some relief when I was in a particularly bad way. There is research that indicates that physical contact with pets like petting, and even eye gaze can promote the production of oxytocin, a chemical out body releases that not only facilitates cal and bonding, but counters the effect of cortisol, the stress hormone that goes a little haywire during withdrawal and mucks a lot of things up. So there are multiple benefits to riding, petting and cuddling your pony. 
 

12 hours ago, Tapertrauma said:

I have just applied to do a Masters' Degree in Medieval History starting next February so I hope I will be on the road to recovery by then.

This sounds fantastic! Keep holding and incorporate Altos guidance and relief will happen. It not possible to predict how soon you will find yourself feeling better, but it will come.  
 

12 hours ago, Tapertrauma said:

I have been very tearful over the last couple of days, thinking I might be stuck feeling like this for ever.

Tearfulness and the belief you are “stuck” are very typical of withdrawal.  It might sound odd, but believing that you will feel the way you feel forever is incredibly common and I would argue, is a withdrawal symptom in and of itself.  I will often experience those thoughts when I’m hit with a wave of symptoms. It doesn’t even have to be a particularly intense wave.  And despite the fact that the waves and thoughts always eventually end, when the next wave hits I can become convinced I’m stuck all over again.  You will see similar or even identical patterns all over this site. 
 

I suppose the one upside to having experienced multiple waves that include the thoughts that I will feel “this way” forever, is that I have gotten much better at recognizing that I am in a symptom wave, and better at disputing the inaccurate and often catastrophic thoughts I have when I’m in a wave.  The short story is that, while it might be hard to believe right now because of how you are feeling, you are not stuck. You will not be stuck feeling the way you currently do.  
 

[Tapertrauma]

Does feeling hot always occur after your Prozac dose? How long does that last?

 

No - not always and I'm not sure it's Prozac related - it may be menopausal but I have HRT patches for that so I'm not sure. 

[Tapertrauma]

The short story is that, while it might be hard to believe right now because of how you are feeling, you are not stuck. You will not be stuck feeling the way you currently do.  

 

Thank you. That's so reassuring. Sometimes I feel that as I'm now in my 60's (I was 60 in May) I may be stuck like this always and that feels devastating. 

 

I have two ponies, a dog and a cat and my husband purposefully doesn't feed any of them so I have to get up and see to their needs which is a reason for getting out of bed when I feel so exhausted in the morning. 

[Tapertrauma]

When I woke up this morning - I had the feeling I was going to have a better day - but I have deteriorated as the day has gone on and now I feel absolutely horrendous - like I have a really bad bout of flu - should I give in to it and go to bed or try and push on through - I am really struggling now and its making me very teary.

[Tapertrauma]

The short story is that, while it might be hard to believe right now because of how you are feeling, you are not stuck. You will not be stuck feeling the way you currently do.  

 

Thank you. That's so reassuring. Sometimes I feel that as I'm now in my 60's (I was 60 in May) I may be stuck like this always and that feels devastating. 

 

I have two ponies, a dog and a cat and my husband purposefully doesn't feed any of them so I have to get up and see to their needs which is a reason for getting out of bed when I feel so exhausted in the morning. 

 

22nd August
7.30 Cat woke me up. Not too bad
8.45 Got up. Still very fatigued like I've been sedated
9.00 -10.30 Rode pony. Anxious and very fatigued 
12.00 -15.00 Very very anxious and very fatigued. Aching legs; tingling in arms and headache
15.30 Had to give up and go and lie down in bed, so tired can't keep my eyes open but restless and not able to actually sleep
18.00 Got up and felt a bit better
19.00 -21.00 Anxious but not quite as bad as yesterday 
21.00 4mg of Prozac in 1ml of liquid
23.00 Anxious but not too fatigued 
23.30 Headache, like a tight band round my head. Sore dry eyes.
 

[Altostrata]

7 hours ago, Tapertrauma said:

should I give in to it and go to bed or try and push on through - I am really struggling now and its making me very teary.

 

Get up and plan a day with activities that are not very demanding. It's likely you'll feel better later in the day.

 

7 hours ago, Tapertrauma said:

22nd August
7.30 Cat woke me up. Not too bad
8.45 Got up. Still very fatigued like I've been sedated
9.00 -10.30 Rode pony. Anxious and very fatigued 
12.00 -15.00 Very very anxious and very fatigued. Aching legs; tingling in arms and headache
15.30 Had to give up and go and lie down in bed, so tired can't keep my eyes open but restless and not able to actually sleep
18.00 Got up and felt a bit better
19.00 -21.00 Anxious but not quite as bad as yesterday 
21.00 4mg of Prozac in 1ml of liquid
23.00 Anxious but not too fatigued 
23.30 Headache, like a tight band round my head. Sore dry eyes.

 

Do you feel better or worse after your Prozac dose? Does Prozac make you sleepy?

[Tapertrauma]

Hiya,

 No I don't think the Prozac makes me sleepy after I take it. It tend to feel the most normal just before I go to bed about 23.00 and I take the Prozac between 21.00-22-00. My sleepiest time is in the mid-afternoon at least 18 hours after I have taken it.

 

I've just realised that Effexor is another name for Venlafaxine. I notice how many people have had extreme issues coming off Effexor. I tapered from it very quickly over a matter of a couple of weeks about 20 months ago and am wondering if I could still be suffering the withdrawal from this, as well as the withdrawal from the Prozac.

23rd August 

9.00am Woke up without pet intervention and felt not quite as fatigued as usual
11.00 Mucking out ponies. Starting to feel very poorly like I have flu. Trying not to give in to it.
14.00 Feel horrendous. Achy all over. Terrible headache; nausea and very upset stomach. Fatigue coming back. All my joints ache.Numb nose (very common get this a lot) tears coming on.
15.30 Managed to get out on my pony. Very anxious and I've made her anxious too which made me even more upset.
18.00 Still very anxious. Worst of the day. Feel like I'm.losing control. Like I've been drugged!! 
20.00 Feel a bit calmer but very dry eyes and very fatigued now and headache.
21.30 Took 4mg of Prozac in 1ml of liquid form. Very thick headache.
23.00 Felt a little better on going to bed

 

 

 

 

[Tapertrauma]

24th August

8.45am Woke up without any of the pets waking me - not too fatigued

11.00 - Feel anxious but not too bad

13.00 Still feeling anxious but bearable

16.00 Terrible anxiety - feel awful - really scary

18.00 Still really anxious but not quite so bad. Fatigue not so bad today 

21.00 Terrible headache

21.30 Took 4mg of Prozac in 1ml liquid form

23.00 Very tired but not quite so anxious

 

On the whole, slightly better

 

[Altostrata]

Please post only unformatted text in the Reply box.

 

You have been taking 4mg Prozac in liquid form since June 9? How has your symptom pattern changed since July 15?

[Tapertrauma]

You have been taking 4mg Prozac in liquid form since June 9? How has your symptom pattern changed since July 15?

 

The actual symptoms are the same - fatigue, anxiety, headaches but they have got worse. This is definitely the worst period of tapering I have done and the symptoms have lasted the longest. I can't see me tapering any more in the forseeable future.