ColoradoMtns: Hello

[ColoradoMtns]

I am introducing myself, as the forum suggests.  I have been taking SSRI antidepressants, mostly in the form of Prozac, for over 30 years. I have always taken a low dose, 20mg.  They did help get me through a difficult time in my life but now I don't need them and am having awful withdrawal symptoms.  I am here for guidance, which doctors have none of regarding this.  It's been like a mass experiment on people.  I want to be free from this drug and learn how to get through withdrawal. 

 

[FireflyFyte]

Hi ColoradoMtns,

 

Welcome to SA. Please summarize your drug history in your signature by following the instructions at How to Summarize Your Drug History in Your Signature. You may need to be on a computer to do this.

 

21 hours ago, ColoradoMtns said:

They did help get me through a difficult time in my life but now I don't need them and am having awful withdrawal symptoms.

 

How large were the drops that you made that led to withdrawals? What withdrawal symptoms are you currently experiencing?

 

21 hours ago, ColoradoMtns said:

I want to be free from this drug and learn how to get through withdrawal. 

 

You can find information on tapering Prozac at Tips for tapering off Prozac (fluoxetine). We do not recommend people make drops when experiencing acute withdrawals but once you are stable, we advise that you drop no more than 10% per month which is explained at Why taper by 10% of my dosage?.

 

Thanks,

 

Firefly

[ColoradoMtns]

I just summarized my medication history in the signature (I think).  I saved it. 

 

To answer the question, "How large were the drops that you made that led to withdrawals? What withdrawal symptoms are you currently experiencing?"....

I took my last regular dose of the meds around August 20th, 2023. 

I stopped the Lamictal completely because it was such a small dose.  (I was only put on the Lamictal because of Prozac side effects.)

Once a week since the end of August I would take one 20mg capsule of Prozac. 

My last dose of Prozac was about a week ago.

This last week I have felt awful, with headaches, irritability, insomnia, fogginess, inability to concentrate, fatigue, some anxiety, sometimes tearful but I don't actually cry, some aches. 

Yesterday was the worst.  At the end of the day, I used a sauna, and that seemed to help.  Maybe I sweated out toxins. (?)

This morning I woke up feeling much better - I feel calm and can concentrate better.  But I have no idea if this will last.

 

I read the post about how to Taper off Prozac.  I've never been good with math, and especially at my age (65, almost 66) I find it harder to learn complicated things than it used to be. 

I have no access to liquid Prozac.  I live in a rural part of the state.  There is a compounding pharmacy here, though.

Since I already have stopped the Prozac, with the exception of a 20mg capsule once a week, I don't know if I need to just stick it out and go forward or if I should go back on some regular dose of it. (?)

If I need to restart it, which I really don't want to do, I don't know how much to use and how much to taper off since I have capsules.  I would need some kind of chart. 

 

Thanks for your advice.

 

 

[FireflyFyte]

2 hours ago, ColoradoMtns said:

Since I already have stopped the Prozac, with the exception of a 20mg capsule once a week, I don't know if I need to just stick it out and go forward or if I should go back on some regular dose of it. (?)

 

We do not encourage people to skip doses as a method of tapering. The details as to why can be found at NEVER SKIP DOSES TO TAPER. I would recommend returning to a dose every day so if you are on 20mg once a week, you could try transitioning to 3mg/day.

 

Thankfully, Prozac has a long history of being made into a liquid so you could take 20ml of water and open the 20mg pill and stir in the contents to create a liquid where 1 ml = 1mg. To get a 3mg dose, you would take 3ml of the mixed liquid. 

 

Once stable on an every day dosing, you could reduce by 10% of your previous dose per month so your first drop would be 3mg -> 2.7mg which you calculate by taking the dose (3) and multiplying by 0.9 so 3 x 0.9 = 2.7

 

Please let me know if you could use further clarification.

 

 

[ColoradoMtns]

I just summarized my medication history in the signature (I think).  I saved it. 

 

To answer the question, "How large were the drops that you made that led to withdrawals? What withdrawal symptoms are you currently experiencing?"....

I took my last regular dose of the meds around August 20th, 2023. 

I stopped the Lamictal completely because it was such a small dose. 

Once a week since the end of August I would take one 20mg capsule of Prozac. 

My last dose of Prozac was about a week ago.

This last week I have felt awful, with headaches, irritability, insomnia, fogginess, inability to concentrate, fatigue, some anxiety, some aches. 

Yesterday was the worst.  At the end of the day, I used a sauna, and that seemed to help.  Maybe I sweated out toxins (?).

This morning I woke up feeling much better - I feel calm and can concentrate better.  But I have no idea if this will last.

 

I read the post about how to Taper off Prozac.  I am really not good with math and at my age (65, almost 66) I don't learn things quickly. 

 

 

[ColoradoMtns]

Thank you SO much for your reply and this information!  This is a very easy-to-follow schedule for me and gives me hope~

I will do this, and I'll post updates as to how it's going.  Very grateful, thank you  

[ColoradoMtns]

I tried to take the 3ml (3mg) of liquid Prozac today, but I feel so horrible today that I can't last any longer.  I took two 20mg Prozac as a loading dose (which the doctor has prescribed before and will do that again tomorrow), along with the 12.5mg Lamictal.  Then I will go back to my regular daily dose of 20mg/day.  Once I feel back to normal, I will start the taper you gave me to taper VERY slowly. 

 

I am very disappointed at having to do this.  I really didn't want to.  I am afraid I'll never get off the med, or else maybe I really need it.  I don't know.  I just know that I can no longer stand the symptoms of feeling so horrible internally.  I am crying and have a headache and am a complete mess.  I have no energy to cope so I restarted the Prozac. 

[ColoradoMtns]

PS - I am writing everything down on the calendar so that I know what I've done and what I'll be doing.  From previous experience, I should feel back to normal in a day or two.

[FireflyFyte]

33 minutes ago, ColoradoMtns said:

Once I feel back to normal, I will start the taper you gave me to taper VERY slowly. 

 

I would recommend holding for at least 1-2 months after you stabilize before starting your taper. You have made a lot of changes in dosages recently and your body will need time to settle.

[ColoradoMtns]

I agree.  And I plan to keep track of everything daily on my calendar.  I'm disappointed but I know it's for the best.  I will be able to do it right the next time.  And if it doesn't work next time doing it the proper way, I will never try to go off it again.  Thank you very much.