DG17: What should I do?

[DG17]

Just came across this site, wish I saw it sooner!  

 

My primary care doctor put me on celexa 20 mg in 2012 for some mood issues.  Started seeing a psychiatrist in 2016 who then put me on 40 mg celexa. Switched to effexor, not sure about dose in 2018, then switched to 10 mg prozac in 2020.  Tried coming off cold turkey in 2022, was fine for 3 months then withdrawal hit, psychiatrist had me reinstate to 10mg and I stabilized.  April 2023 psych had me drop 1 mg every 1 months until I got to 1 mg in December 2023.  January 2024 went down to 0.5 mg then February 2024 went down to 0.3 mg.  The crash came at the end of February 2024.  Psych had me updose to 3 mg which I've been on for 8 days now.  Thought I felt some improvement with the updose but still having periods of severe anxiety every other day.  My question is should I stay on 3mg for a few weeks and see if I stabilize?  

 

Thanks for any input.

Edited March 11 by FireflyFyte
Updated title

[FireflyFyte]

Hi DG17,

 

Welcome to SA. Can you update your signature to follow the format at How to Summarize Your Drug History in Your Signature? You may need to be on a computer to complete this.

 

18 hours ago, DG17 said:

Psych had me updose to 3 mg which I've been on for 8 days now.

 

Is this 3mg of Prozac?

 

Thanks,

 

Firefly

[DG17]

31 minutes ago, FireflyFyte said:

Hi DG17,

 

Welcome to SA. Can you update your signature to follow the format at How to Summarize Your Drug History in Your Signature? You may need to be on a computer to complete this.

 

 

Is this 3mg of Prozac?

 

Thanks,

 

Firefly

Hi!  Yes this is 3 mg liquid fluoxetine.

 

My name is Derek by the way.  I'm a 41 father of 2 and thankfully work from home.  I'm a bit scared as it's been hard to make it through the days the last couple of weeks.  

[FireflyFyte]

1 hour ago, DG17 said:

Hi!  Yes this is 3 mg liquid fluoxetine.

 

I would hold at the 3mg and see if you stabilize. 

 

It might be helpful to track your symptoms throughout the day to see if you note any improvements or declines.

[DG17]

5 minutes ago, FireflyFyte said:

 

I would hold at the 3mg and see if you stabilize. 

 

It might be helpful to track your symptoms throughout the day to see if you note any improvements or declines.

Thank you so much.  

[DG17]

Does a reinstatement or updose take a while to show?

[FireflyFyte]

16 hours ago, DG17 said:

Does a reinstatement or updose take a while to show?

 

Yes, it can often take up to several weeks to see the effects of a reinstatement or updose.

[DG17]

Update: I'm on day 13 of my updose to 3mg of fluoxetine and already feel much better.  I've been able to work and carry out my daily activities the last few days and even got on the treadmill for a bit this morning.  If everything keeps improving, my plan is to hold until at least July then start a proper 10% taper.  My psychiatrist is even on board.

 

I just want to say that the experiences described on this website are some of the most terrifying yet inspirational things I've ever read.  

[FireflyFyte]

4 hours ago, DG17 said:

Update: I'm on day 13 of my updose to 3mg of fluoxetine and already feel much better.  I've been able to work and carry out my daily activities the last few days and even got on the treadmill for a bit this morning.  If everything keeps improving, my plan is to hold until at least July then start a proper 10% taper.  My psychiatrist is even on board.

 

I am glad that you appear to be stabilizing. I think a long hold is a great idea before you begin tapering again.

[DG17]

5 weeks since updating to 3 mg and I would say I'm about 95% back to baseline.  My sleep is improved and exercise tolerance has returned.

 

My plan was to wait until July to begin tapering, but am now thinking of starting in May.  

 

Is May a little too ambitious?

[FireflyFyte]

I think middle to end of May would be a safe time to start tapering if you continue to feel stable and well.