natty: Tapering off prozac

[natty]

Hi everyone, I have been on Prozac for 27 years, I was told by had a chemical imbalance after suffering from chronic anxiety from a young age, about 6 years ago I was diagnosed with OCD and have done a lot of recovery work and am doing much better, I would like to start coming off prozac as would love to live without it, I take 60mg a day and for the last month I have been doing 60mg one day and 40 mg the next, I have been feeling fine but all of a sudden I'm starting to feel a little anxious and extremely tired, is this normal? Am I doing the right thing ? Should I continue? Will I ever get off them ? What should I expect?

 

Edited October 6, 2023 by Emonda
Added name to title

[Emonda]

Hi @natty,

Welcome to S.A..

 

Could you please include your drug signature by following these instructions.

 

Here is a link to the topic of chemical imbalances myth that you may benefit from reading. Again, chemical imbalance is a myth. Stop the lies, please. I was told the same thing myself years ago.

 

On 10/6/2023 at 8:04 AM, natty said:

have done a lot of recovery work and am doing much better, I would like to start coming off prozac

 

That's great that you've been able to do some work to improve your situation. Do you mean counselling?

 

The first thing to note is do not alternate doses (60mg one day and 40mg the next) to taper. It is very destabilising.

 

On 10/6/2023 at 8:04 AM, natty said:

all of a sudden I'm starting to feel a little anxious and extremely tired, is this normal?

 

This is likely to be a combination of alternating doses and tapering too quickly. Tapering should be done slowly, no more than 10% per month of your most recent dose: Why taper by 10% of my dosage? The amount of each monthly reduction gets smaller and smaller.

 

On 10/6/2023 at 8:04 AM, natty said:

Should I continue? 

 

Given you are now most likely feeling WD symptoms, I would pause the taper. Hold where you are for at least a month or longer. Wait until you feel settled again before considering tapering as per the maximum 10% approach mentioned above.

 

On 10/6/2023 at 8:04 AM, natty said:

Will I ever get off them

 

After taking ADs myself for ~27 years, and having multiple failed cold turkey attempts, I've successfully reduced my dose by 81% by following the above 10% maximum monthly taper. So based on my experience, yes, you can get off them if you do it slowly and don't skip doses.

 

On 10/6/2023 at 8:04 AM, natty said:

What should I expect?

 

Everyone's experience is different, however, if you read this Windows and waves pattern of stabilization,  it'll give you an idea of what to expect. I also like to reflect on this WD symptom checklist., I find it reassuring to reflect on it when I experience 'something' on my tapering journey. It reminds me that it's just a withdrawal symptom, not a relapse.

 

You may find some of these non-drug coping strategies helpful.

 

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

Magnesium

Omega 3 Fish Oil

 

Avoid alcohol. It won't help with your anxiety.

 

Please post any updates here in your thread. It is helpful to keep everything related to your journey in one spot. You are very welcome to jump onto someone else's page and interact with them. The encouragement members give each other on this site is wonderful to see.

 

Sing out with any questions. 

 

Once again, welcome to S.A.

 

Emonda.

 

Edited October 7, 2023 by Emonda
corrected wording

[natty]

Thank you so much for your response Emonda, that is so very helpful, I think this website is going to help me a lot, this is very much appreciated, thanks again 😀

[Emonda]

Pleasure, natty. It's a great community here 👍

[natty]

Emonda ,when you say stay as I am at the moment do you mean stick with 60 mg one day and 40 mg the next ? 

[Shmalan]

Hi Natty, I am not a mod here but I can say that alternating 60mg one day and 40mg the next can have a destabilizing effect. When you taper you will want to drop no more than 10% a month and take the same dosage every day preferably at the same time. Also it will help the mods help you if you update your signature with med history. 
“please include your drug signature by following these instructions.”

[Emonda]

Hi @natty,

Given that you have been taking 40mg one day and 60mg the next for a month, that averages out at 50mg daily. So 50mg might be a good place to try and stabilise.

 

Make sure you take the dose at the same time each day.

 

Let us know how you are doing.

 

Emonda.

 

p.s. remember to add your drug signature...

Edited October 7, 2023 by Emonda