DisplayName3332024: Prozac withdrawal (and my summarized story, too)

[DisplayName3332024]

Hello, I am a 23 year old male suffering from possible withdrawal symptoms (7-8 months in after quitting Fluoxetine).

 

I'll keep it short: since the age of 16 until now, I have failed in all facets of life, with symptoms ranging from the substantial loss of IQ to sleep disturbances which I've never suffered from. Every single day I suffer from body pain underneath my skin (possible sleep deprivation due to my interrupted sleep).

 

I don't experience any waves nor windows. Never. I am unable to enjoy anything and, on top of that, I'm unable to re-enroll back to tertiary education. However, I am grateful for my parents still giving me a roof where I can live — without their support, I would've died in the streets as a homeless person (might be exaggerating, but highly possible as a neurodivergent individual).

 

I want to stop the tingling and the pain on my feet, so I can sleep. Nothing is going away and I only see my symptoms worsening by the day.

 

I... I can't take this anymore. I'm a walking dead person.

[DisplayName3332024]

21 minutes ago, DisplayName3332024 said:

 

It's 3AM here where I live. I'm very tired but wide awake at the same time. My painful tingling/restlessness on my right leg wouldn't let me sleep (been trying since 11PM). I don't know what to do.

[FireflyFyte]

Hello DisplayName3332024,

 

Welcome to SA. Thank you for listing your drug history in your signature.

 

It sounds like you may be experiencing Protracted Withdrawal or PAWS (post-acute withdrawal syndrome).

 

You will heal but it may take a while longer. In the interim, we advise against using alcohol, weed, or strenuous exercise as it may delay your recovery.

 

It might also help to read some Success Stories to keep your morale up. 

 

You may also benefit from better sleep hygiene. You can read more at Tips to help sleep: so many of us have that awful withdrawal insomnia.

 

Thanks,

 

Firefly

[DisplayName3332024]

I started to drink energy drinks 2 days ago and I still can fall asleep alright (tingling on my feet and its intensity remain the same, however). Anhedonia will probably never go away. I f... regret leaving Prozac, because this will take years (if any) just to recover and, as a neurodivergent male, I'm a friendless rat stuck in his bedroom. I'm really, really broken.

[FireflyFyte]

2 hours ago, DisplayName3332024 said:

Anhedonia will probably never go away.

 

It will be might take some time.

 

Would recommend being careful about caffeine intake during withdrawals.

[DisplayName3332024]

Haven't sleep a single hour since Sunday (caffeine doesn't seem to make any difference besides relaxing/keeping me awake). Tingling on my feet worsened last night (it's 9 AM now), tossing around from 12AM down to 6 AM without being able to fall asleep, although I could feel some hypnagogic auditive hallucinations.

 

I'm not even 24 and I already feel like an elder... I don't know what to do at this point. No windows, no waves but my symptoms worsening even further. I wish I could file a lawsuit for my misdiagnosis.

[FireflyFyte]

4 hours ago, DisplayName3332024 said:

Haven't sleep a single hour since Sunday (caffeine doesn't seem to make any difference besides relaxing/keeping me awake).

 

As I mentioned previously, I would be careful about your caffeine intake during withdrawals. You may want to consider cutting it down to see if your sleep improves.

[DisplayName3332024]

5 hours ago, FireflyFyte said:

 

As I mentioned previously, I would be careful about your caffeine intake during withdrawals. You may want to consider cutting it down to see if your sleep improves.

Oh, et me rephrase my other comment: I couldn't fall asleep due to tossing around every 2-5 minutes because of the annoying tingling (same intensity as in before I started caffeine consumption). I'll just stop drinking energy drinks but it doesn't seem to make any difference to my tingling/body pain.

 

From my observations through the forum, no one seems to ever heal about neuropathy. I'm totally devastated.

[FireflyFyte]

21 hours ago, DisplayName3332024 said:

From my observations through the forum, no one seems to ever heal about neuropathy. I'm totally devastated.

 

I know that it is difficult but would try to not focus on the worst-case scenario. A lot of people have healed but many do not return to this site once they are feeling well so topics here tend to skew towards the negative.

[DisplayName3332024]

On 3/20/2024 at 3:57 PM, FireflyFyte said:

 

I know that it is difficult but would try to not focus on the worst-case scenario. A lot of people have healed but many do not return to this site once they are feeling well so topics here tend to skew towards the negative.

I had to take benzodiazepines due to severe sleep deprivation. I know no one recommends taking benzodiazepines, especially when one's suffering from PAWS. However, I couldn't take it anymore so I was forced to take .5mg Lorazepam for a couple of days. Not taking them anymore starting from today.

 

The only crippling symptoms I still suffer from are sleep disturbances (waking up 3/4 hours later) along with anhedonia. I want to get rid off anhedonia, I'm young guy and I don't want to end up [redacted] myself down the line. At least not today. I truly want to enjoy things and feel, at the very least, some degree of motivation. It's been almost 1 year off fluoxetine and I'm panicking already. If there's no improvement, then... *sigh*

[FireflyFyte]

On 4/7/2024 at 9:42 AM, DisplayName3332024 said:

The only crippling symptoms I still suffer from are sleep disturbances (waking up 3/4 hours later) along with anhedonia. I want to get rid off anhedonia, I'm young guy and I don't want to end up [redacted] myself down the line. At least not today. I truly want to enjoy things and feel, at the very least, some degree of motivation. It's been almost 1 year off fluoxetine and I'm panicking already. If there's no improvement, then... *sigh*

 

For some people, the symptoms of withdrawals can take longer than a year to resolve. It is important to take care of yourself during this time including avoiding alcohol, marijuana, and excess caffeine. We also recommend gentle exercises such as walks outside and non-strenuous yoga. You might also find meditation to be helpful during this process.

[DisplayName3332024]

Quick update: terrible sleep (aided with sporadic Lorazepam intake) as always, ranging from 1.2/2 up to 6 hours - although the sleep still remains fragmented. No changes whatsoever.

Last night was rough, couldn't rest more than 2 hours after getting my sleep disrupted by a family member.

 

No signs of improvement; I'm severely 'handicapped'. Severe pain in various skin patches through my torso, especially those located on my back - having months of sleep 'debt' is (most probably) the main culprit.

 

I'm in pain. Literal, physical pain.

 

Physical symptomatology aside, I've come into acceptance with my horrible anhedonia. It might never go away, and that's okay (not really).

 

 

Oh, I almost forgot. I'll be 1 year drug free next month, despite my debilitating symptoms. Of course, I can't deny that Ativan (damned benzodiazepines...) has helped me tremendously when it comes to absence of sleep.

[FireflyFyte]

8 hours ago, DisplayName3332024 said:

Of course, I can't deny that Ativan (damned benzodiazepines...) has helped me tremendously when it comes to absence of sleep.

 

How often are you taking Ativan and at what dosage(s)?

[DisplayName3332024]

22 hours ago, FireflyFyte said:

 

How often are you taking Ativan and at what dosage(s)?

I take 1mg Ativan every 2-3 days. 3 hours of poor, fragmented sleep worsens my skin pain and it's really not worth waking up the next day. However, Ativan helps me stay asleep for even 7 hours! I don't really know what to do at this point, quite honestly. For now, benzodiazepines such as Lorazepam are the only drugs who can keep me asleep.

[FireflyFyte]

9 minutes ago, DisplayName3332024 said:

I take 1mg Ativan every 2-3 days.

 

How long have you been taking the Ativan every 2-3 days?

There is a possibility that some of what you are experiencing is due to inter-dose withdrawal of the Ativan. You may need to start dosing it 2-3 times a day, stabilize, and then work on a taper.

[DisplayName3332024]

5 hours ago, FireflyFyte said:

 

How long have you been taking the Ativan every 2-3 days?

There is a possibility that some of what you are experiencing is due to inter-dose withdrawal of the Ativan. You may need to start dosing it 2-3 times a day, stabilize, and then work on a taper.

I've been doing this for almost 5 weeks approximately.

[DisplayName3332024]

Horrible insomnia last night. Zero hours of sleep, I kept tossing around until 7AM. I'm not taking Lorazepam ever again.

 

I think I'm screwed up for good - maybe I have developed fatal insomnia as a consequence of withdrawal? Okay, I'm exaggerating but I really crave restful sleep. I'm praying for tonight.

 

In summary, this might be a major setback and I'll now take more years to recover... I'm stupid and terribly desperate. Worst mistake during SSRI withdrawal.

[FireflyFyte]

17 hours ago, DisplayName3332024 said:

I've been doing this for almost 5 weeks approximately.

 

This is a long enough stretch of time to develop dependency on the Ativan.

 

You may wish to consider a regular dosing schedule of the Ativan of at least twice a day, 12 hours apart. Since you have been taking 1mg, you could try splitting that dose so taking 0.5mg twice a day. If this helps you stabilize, you can hold and then begin a slow taper of the Ativan.

[DisplayName3332024]

3 hours ago, FireflyFyte said:

 

This is a long enough stretch of time to develop dependency on the Ativan.

 

You may wish to consider a regular dosing schedule of the Ativan of at least twice a day, 12 hours apart. Since you have been taking 1mg, you could try splitting that dose so taking 0.5mg twice a day. If this helps you stabilize, you can hold and then begin a slow taper of the Ativan.

I don't really want to take Lorazepam anymore, since I've been 2 days off them already (almost 48 hours). And I'll be honest with you, my RLS has expanded to one of my hands/forearms right after I took it the first time 2 weeks ago. I do not know if this is permanent but it might go away in the coming weeks, who knows. The only remaining question is, if I've been taking Ativan 6-7 times in the past 3-4 weeks, will benzo withdrawal take more than 1-2 months to resolve on its own?

[FireflyFyte]

20 hours ago, DisplayName3332024 said:

The only remaining question is, if I've been taking Ativan 6-7 times in the past 3-4 weeks, will benzo withdrawal take more than 1-2 months to resolve on its own?

 

We cannot answer this for you as everyone's experience is different. It may resolve quickly but there is no guarantee.

[DisplayName3332024]

I slept 2 or 3 hours (since I remember some dreams)... finally. It's not much rest (perhaps deadly), I know, but it's something.

 

 

[DisplayName3332024]

1 hour ago, FireflyFyte said:

 

We cannot answer this for you as everyone's experience is different. It may resolve quickly but there is no guarantee.

I won't take any more medications, since benzodiazepines seem to aggravate my RLS. I hope I can come to my old self from one month ago (despite poor fragmented sleep)... I really hope so, because I feel hopeless.

[KenA]

I had insomnia for a very long time as well. It sure was one of the harder symptoms to get through, but I made it. Lots of sleepless nights while my CNS healed, but it eventually faded away with all the other symptoms. I easily can sleep 8 hours or more now with no issues. Given enough time, the body will heal. Just have to ride it out and accept the symptoms as a sign of healing as best you can. Hang in there!

[DisplayName3332024]

15 hours ago, KenA said:

I had insomnia for a very long time as well. It sure was one of the harder symptoms to get through, but I made it. Lots of sleepless nights while my CNS healed, but it eventually faded away with all the other symptoms. I easily can sleep 8 hours or more now with no issues. Given enough time, the body will heal. Just have to ride it out and accept the symptoms as a sign of healing as best you can. Hang in there!

I highly appreciate your input. In fact, I barely slept last night unlike the other day (I made it through hypnagogic auditive hallucinations, but that's all). I don't want this lack of sleep (as a consequence of Lorazepam withdrawal after building up dependence after 7 days of intermittent use!) to be that long, at least I'd be fine with fragmented sleep, but getting absoluty zero hours of sleep seems to not only devastate my mental health (I'm fine with sadness), but my physical pain - I won't take any drugs anymore, that's for sure.

 

It's early morning, so hopefully I'll be able to get (at the very least) 1 or 2 hours of broken sleep tonight. I have to fight my restlessness on both my forearm and hand (this symptom appeared right after ocasional use of Ativan in the past weeks), since RLS (usually affecting my feet) might contribute to the lack of sleep as well. Will the tingling on my arm go away in the next weeks? For some people it does... we'll see.

 

Okay, sorry for the long comment. I sound desperate, heh.

[KenA]

Not a problem at all. For me, the secret to getting through the insomnia was acceptance. I had to learn how to not fight against it and not be afraid of it. I realized that even if I didn't sleep, I could still make it through the day. Was it hard? Extremely!! But, I knew that I wasn't going to die from it, so I learned how to live with it. I knew that it was just temporary and one day I would sleep normal again, so that brought me comfort and I just rode it out. As far as the tingling, it will go away at some point too. Impossible to say how long it will take, but it will go away at some point. All the symptoms you experience are just temporary while your nerves are healing. Just have to wait for the healing process to complete. Time time and more time. Hang in there. You will make it!

[DisplayName3332024]

Quick update: I'm doing better. The only remaining painful symptoms are wrist/forearm pain/stiffness (as a consequence of Lorazepam intake; pain disappears/lessens from midnight until morning), skin pain all over my back (accumulated sleep deprivation through these past months?) and the tingling/occasional skin pain in my feet (SSRI withdrawal). Sleep is gradually improving and heading into pre-Lorazepam sleep quality (AKA 4-hour fragmented sleep due to SSRI withdrawal). I've recovered from the other disturbances that appeared right after the benzo withdrawal, and I'm thankful for these positive developments. 

[DisplayName3332024]

I was being too overly optimistic. Didn't sleep last night, at all... tossing around for hours without feeling tired. These sleepless nights are happening just after I stopped Ativan. 

[FireflyFyte]

10 hours ago, DisplayName3332024 said:

I was being too overly optimistic. Didn't sleep last night, at all... tossing around for hours without feeling tired.

 

It sounds like you are experiencing The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

You may also want to read Tips to help sleep: so many of us have that awful withdrawal insomnia

 

10 hours ago, DisplayName3332024 said:

These sleepless nights are happening just after I stopped Ativan. 

 

As I mentioned earlier, you may be experiencing withdrawal symptoms from Ativan. You can choose to dose properly, stabilize, and taper or try to accept that it might take some time for your sleep to return to normal.

[DisplayName3332024]

I had a 2 day window from Ativan withdrawal and now I feel pain over my wrist and forearm again. I managed to sleep more than 5 hours yesterday... first time in months I think? I was truly, truly lucky (although I felt exhausted as always regardless). When is this pain going to end? 

[DisplayName3332024]

Yet another update... no, it didn't get any better. In fact, I've been struggling with a much more severe condition during my (non-existent) sleep these past days (I don't really know if the following explanation I'll provide could fit under insomnia category), but allow me to elaborate: as far as I remember, I was tossing around for a couple of minutes to an hour and a half (I take a long time in order to fall asleep), so I'm wide awake and aware of how I'm tossing in and around. However, for some reason unbeknownst to me, I still remember a series of dreams, yes, actual dreams where a clear plot is present, but here's the catch: I was totally awake during that whole time... How is that even possible? In fact, this is something totally new to me. Now, without deviating further from what I'm trying to explain, I glanced my eye over my desk clock and I noticed 3-4 hours have passed. No, I DIDN'T SLEEP since I remember myself changing positions all the time, although an absence of consciousness could've happened sometime between 2AM and 3AM (maybe I was still awake but daydreaming without acknowledging it?). However, I still remember 2-3 dreams with concise story plots and the characters involved. I think this is commonly referred as "fake sleep". 

 

ZERO - HOURS - OF - SLEEP... or, perhaps, half an hour of actual REM rebound sleep!? Could be the latter, who knows. I don't know, but I think I haven't sleep a single hour despite remembering around 4-5 dreams during these past days. I'm dying? I'm hallucinating?

 

Now, you'll think that this is a consequence of SSRI withdrawal but you have to keep in mind I took Ativan for a couple of days (intermittently) and my insomnia was not really insomnia per se but broken sleep (couldn't sleep more than a stretch of 3-4-5 hours). Now, I'm sure what I've been suffering from these past weeks is one hundred percent related to Ativan withdrawal (even though I took it intermittently, again, is that even possible?). I see an actual pattern (given the forearm tension/hand tingling happened a few days after I stopped taking Ativan), even though it is impossible to suffer from 'withdrawal' after taking it intermittently for 3-4 weeks — at least, according to some people.

 

So, to wrap everything up: is this some sort of brain damage? Did I screw my recovery after taking Ativan last month? Anyone? Please. This feels like torture. I want my broken sleep back.

[FireflyFyte]

3 hours ago, DisplayName3332024 said:

So, to wrap everything up: is this some sort of brain damage? Did I screw my recovery after taking Ativan last month? Anyone? Please. This feels like torture. I want my broken sleep back.

 

Taking the Ativan may have caused you a setback as previously mentioned. Insomnia is a common withdrawal symptom and intermittent use of Ativan, even for a few weeks, might have had an impact on your healing.

 

I know I have linked it before but if you haven't already, I would recommend checking out the thread at Tips to help sleep: so many of us have that awful withdrawal insomnia.

 

You may also want to read Dealing With Emotional Spirals and Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms as heightened anxiety over your sleep patterns could be affecting your sleep.

 

While the Ativan usage might have caused a setback, it does not negate your ability to heal but it will take time and consistency.

[DisplayName3332024]

Here's a quick update after 1 month of inactivity. Nothing has improved so far: my sleep is very, very fragmented. I regret taking Ativan 2 months ago. Cognitively wise, I'm doing far worse than in the past 3-4 months.

This is too much to bear; improvement might never happen to some people. So, why me?

 

Anyways, I will keep this post short since I cannot come up with more words. I'm terribly, terribly exhausted and I truly want to improve, but my condition seems to keep worsening despite being 1 year off Prozac.

[DisplayName3332024]

I haven't noticed any improvements over the course of June. This does feel like a permanent condition.

[imcomingback]

Hi, there. While I am going through my own tapering process as of late, I can't really comment on that. However, the sensations you are describing I have dealt with throughout the last 15 years. The neuralgia(or neuropathy) fibromyalgia, tingling, twitching, back pain, you name it. I've even had the peripheral neuralgia  Have you ever heard of Dr. John Sarno? You should google him. He is now deceased, but his work was very important and life changing for me. He now has several proteges who have taken his work over and spread the word. Essentially, a lot of us with chronic pain or chronic sensations, have some deep-rooted and unresolved trauma or emotions that we are not facing, our bodies believe that physical pain and sensations are less of a threat than the emotional ones, thereby producing the pain as a distraction. I suggest you look up Nicole Sachs on any podcast platform. She hosts the podcast "The Cure for Chronic Pain" and she interviews people who have done the work (excessive journaling and mediation) that have recovered completely. Some people she speaks with are in the throws of their conditions. I have listened to what you are describing (neuralgia)  on that podcast and I was stunned, finally someone felt what I was feeling. I now, after doing the work, have no (most of the time) symptoms like you describe. Any time I feel them returning, I ask myself what is truly bothering me and do the work of journaling and sitting with my emotions, teaching my body that it is ok to feel them and that i am safe, and then the sensations cease. This may sound hokie to you, possibly not, but it is worth researching if you are desperate. The firs book of Dr. Sarno I would recommend is called The Mind Body Prescription! It lists almost all of the chronic sensations or pain that people can experience and the type of people and their personalities who typically suffer from it. I hope this helps somehow!

 

[DisplayName3332024]

Fortunately, my sleep is back to its baseline, that is waking up after 3-4 hours followed by interrupted sleep in between 30-50 min. long dreams. As of anhedonia, I haven't experienced any improvements so far. it seems like engaging in arguments late at night plus abrupt outdoor temperature changes (from cold to warm and so on, climate change related) affect my overall quality of sleep.

 

Ah, and my neurological pain is unchanged. My daytime fatigue seems to have worsened during the past 3 months as well.

[DisplayName3332024]

I've got bad news... we're now back to square one. My sleep schedule has now been reduced to a mere 3 hours of sleep (sometimes 2) followed by the inability of falling asleep— apparently no reason. This setback is also accompanied by unexplainable hair thinning (even though AGA age onset on my family is around mid 30s). I don't think I suffer from any stress besides my involuntary sleep deprivation.

 

I'm tired of this crap: perhaps recovery may never take place. Hair loss is definitely the most depressing aspect out of my debilitating condition, since it shouldn't happen at my age but, oh well.