tunnelvison: Introduction and symptoms

[tunnelvison]

Hey everyone, been lurking for months and finally joined. I was on prozac from January 2023 till April 25th 2023. Was going through alot of life changes and thought I needed something to balance me out. Before prozac I was doing intense cardio, working, lifting weights etc. I started on 10mg of prozac. The 3rd day on prozac I had the worst panic attack of my life, my body was shaking afterward from adrenaline. That was 3am. that went away so I just chalked it up as my body being shocked by it and wont happen again. Then I noticed while I would run, or work out, my heart would beat hard, and fast. I was able to push through but mentioned to my Dr at a follow up appointment 2 weeks later and he said it was still anxiety so bumped me up to 20mg. I felt good for about a week or 2 then all hell broke loose. Very strong middle of the night panic attacks started happening. then my resting heart rate would jump to 130-140 if I stood up so I was bed bound for a couple weeks. Going on reddit was my 1st mistake because they said everything gets worse before it gets better. But it never got better, only worse. My mind was so over stimulated that walking 100 ft outside my house or driving would cause me to be in a panic state. Its a darkness that made death seem comforting at times. I finally couldnt take it anymore and stated to taper for 3 week. 15, 10, 5mg. The panic started to fade over the weeks I developed withdrawal symptoms. They were

 

Insomnia

heart palpitations

severe depersonalization

horrible short term memory

suicidal thoughts

hypertension

burning skin

no appetite ( lost 20lbs)

diarrhea

vivid dreams 

 

Theres many more but would fill up the whole page. Many nights I thought my heart was just going to stop cause it would beat hard at night and i could feel the pulse in my fingers. Sleep was hard. maybe 2 hrs then jolt awake, and repeat. Averaged about 4-5 hrs. But now i sleep 8-9hrs! I noticed Im slowly getting better.  Appetite is back, no more diarrhea, depersonalization has improved etc but Im about 50% Id say better. Im walking sometimes more than a mile now before i feel the panic build so I noticed over time I can walk longer distances. I went out to dinner for the 1st time in June with my sister but that became too much and I was bedridden for 2 days after that but 2 weeks ago in Sept when I was in a window, i tried again and went to dinner for my bday and was able to be there the whole time even tho towards the end i felt out of it. The next day, instead of being bed ridden from going out to dinner in public i still felt good enough to visit my dad then go meet up with my friends at a bar to test myself (no alcohol ofcourse) I walked at the park further than i ever have walked last week as well. I notice after each wave the world feels more real. The smells, the people etc. My main problems are still just not feeling as connected like i should, over stimulated (even though i can grocery shop and drive now, and i do notice it takes more for me to get over stimulated), weird brain glitching at night before I fall asleep sometimes, sometimes manic, and then some days my body feels like its buzzing and i need to just chill on the couch and work from my computer, and the main one is i get really vascular in my legs in my waves. Like veins throughout all my legs pumping with blood, especially after walking or in the sun too long then my legs start to burn like a sunburn. I think its cortisol related because even in my windows when my veins are normal, at night the start coming out again. I say my legs but really my whole body, just say my legs cause i never saw my legs get like that until about 2 months into withdrawl. I get frustrated sometimes but then i think back and realize my symptoms have improved compared to the acute phase but everyday is a struggle. I still cant be out with friends or family much. Pretty much house bound although i make sure to drive around and go to stores etc everyday to help myself get accustomed to it. I went through a break up and my ex took the dogs a couple months ago so Its been lonely. it sucks cause i want to just be me again and socialize but im just here taking it day by day feeling out of it. the only thing that has kept me going is my business that i run online and the hope of one day being me again. I wanna travel alot. So much i want to do to make up for lost time, i will never take life for granted ever again.

 

 

[FireflyFyte]

Hi tunnelvision,

 

Welcome to SA. Can you update your signature to include more details about your Prozac usage and taper? You can follow the guidelines at How to Summarize Your Drug History in Your Signature.

 

It sounds like you are experiencing The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization and are moving in the right direction.

 

We don't recommend many supplements to help during withdrawals but we do suggest the following -

• Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker
• King of supplements: Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil)

We also encourage our members to get out for walks in nature (if possible) and an exercise like gentle yoga to help center us.

 

Please let us know if we can help further.

 

Thanks,

 

Firefly

[tunnelvison]

@FireflyFyte ok will do, thank you. Ya i was taking EAAs, multi vitamins and magnesium glycinate, but now just fish oil, 500mg magnesium with 5mg melatonin at night before bed. Not sure if walking is helping or hurting cause when I do absolutely nothing, my CNS seems to feel better then next day. BUT I feel walking and getting out helps the brain with creating new connections and helps rewire my brain to be able to connect with my surroundings.

Kinda hard if just camped inside all day. 

[tunnelvison]

I just walked on the treadmill for 1.5 miles which is the longest Ive walked since this all started. Pretty happy but anytime i get done with a walk, my legs from the knee down are hot, i feel out of it and i get these small little leg twitches all over my legs afterwards. Not sure if anyone has experienced the same. Everything slowly calms back to baseline after about 30 mins so not sure if walking is something that is hurting or helping. Im sure being sedentary all day prob isn't better. 

[FireflyFyte]

13 hours ago, tunnelvison said:

I just walked on the treadmill for 1.5 miles which is the longest Ive walked since this all started. Pretty happy but anytime i get done with a walk, my legs from the knee down are hot, i feel out of it and i get these small little leg twitches all over my legs afterwards. Not sure if anyone has experienced the same. Everything slowly calms back to baseline after about 30 mins so not sure if walking is something that is hurting or helping. Im sure being sedentary all day prob isn't better.

 

While some exercise is good, try to listen to your body and not over-exert yourself.

[tunnelvison]

I have been feeling like my brain is slowly readjusting. I keep having these changes in my perception of reality. Like glimpses of normality. Feels so peaceful on the other side but is often short lived. BUT i am noticing the fog is slowly lifting and my senses of the world around me is slowly coming back. I still can't walk more than a mile without getting a bit overwhelmed stimulation wise, and can start to feel my legs heat up and anxiety but when i'm relaxing, things seem to be healing some.  I wonder how those in withdrawal also feel if they walk too long. Sometimes my mind goes 1000mph lately then I burn out and feel even clearer after tho. I don't know but hopefully this is just my brains way of finding homeostasis. Eventually Id like to walk where ever and not get anxious of a panic attack if im too far away from my house or car.  Its usually if Im just walking too much. Just miss how my mind was before all this. I also notices my lower legs no longer burn after a walk or if i get too stimulated. Its moved to my knees which is weird.  Next week marks the 6 month off prozac. Just taking it month to month at this point.

[tunnelvison]

thought id leave an update. In November I got akathisia real bad and my mind was non stop for the whole month which the only benefit was I was able to get a lot done for work but then I suffered burn out and crashed hard in December and was bedridden for more than 3 weeks with crushing fatigue. Literally couldn't wake up or stay up for longer than 4 hrs and had the worst brain fog. That slowly got better and then in February I got another round of akathisia but Id say at about 50% of last time and then followed by another fatigue wave at about 50% of the last fatigue wave. Both of those were about 3 weeks maybe the fatigue wave was 3 weeks and akathisia was a month long but both milder and a bit shorter. Today is Im 11 months off Prozac and feeling alot better since coming out of that last wave. My senses are becoming more and more clear and brain fog is minimal. Im still pretty hyperstimulated but my symptoms now are just not feeling 100% in tune with my surroundings like one would thats completely healed, feeling out if it in public places and if I walk too far. Still dealing with neuro emotions which can be annoying, icy vein feeling in legs at night sometimes, random parts heat up like my toes, knees or hands if i walk too far. And my hands turn like spotty blue and red when i go for walk which may be circulation. My veins in legs still pop after I go fo a walk but I just realized my leg muscles dont twitch after wards. also I feel more intune with my surroundings while walking etc but still not there yet. I kinda feel like i'm about to turn a corner. The symptoms I have left are just more annoying than anything. My heart doesn't pound at night, hypertension seems to be gone, gut health is normal, depersonalization and derealization have improved greatly, I can tolerate foods better, thinking is becoming clearer and emotions leveling more. Don't have heart palpitations and sleep has improved. I still wouldn't be able to work, thankfully I run an online business. I need to try and get out more, been pretty much in my house for the past 14 months. This is such a draining experience. Hopefully in another 6 months I'll be in a even better place.

[tunnelvison]

Im currently at the 1 year mark and feel like Ive turned a corner. I can feel the world around me and my senses slowing coming back. I still am easily stimulated when it comes to heat and walking too far and cant exercise yet etc but lately I've been stuck in my head daydreaming. Pretty much like I live in my head in whatever fantasy world I create. I either feel clearer than Ive felt since this nightmare began or Im living in some fantasy world in my head. Anyone experienced this before?

[Farm24]

5 hours ago, tunnelvison said:

Im currently at the 1 year mark and feel like Ive turned a corner. I can feel the world around me and my senses slowing coming back. I still am easily stimulated when it comes to heat and walking too far and cant exercise yet etc but lately I've been stuck in my head daydreaming. Pretty much like I live in my head in whatever fantasy world I create. I either feel clearer than Ive felt since this nightmare began or Im living in some fantasy world in my head. Anyone experienced this before?

You are probably happy to get your imagination back again. I needed to read this tonight.  Hope you keep healing more and more