mrfawks: Fluoxetine kindling and tapering

[mrfawks]

Hello,

 

I am a 31 year old male that has been suffering intensely from Fluoxetine for years. After multiple failed tapers and being told all of my symptoms are just "anxiety" I am going to stick to it and get off this poison for good. I know at this point I most likely have some form of brain damage but it's the only choice I have if I want even the slightest chance of having a future. I am going to see my practitioner to see if I can get liquid fluoxetine so I can do a very slow taper possibly over 1-2 years and this time hold through instead of reinstating like I know I'm going to be told to.  

 

I wish everyone good luck in their healing and I hope to join you all soon!

Edited December 15, 2024 by Emonda
Name to title

[Jane318]

Greetings @mrfawks and welcome to SA.

 

Thank you for completing your drug signature.  I would ask that you please add the drug name (fluoxetine) throughout, with dose) so that it is clear in your signature what the drug is.

 

I am so sorry for all you have suffered.  Unfortunately, you are not alone in having suffered at the hands of ignorant / incompetent healthcare practitioners.  You are are in the right place to receive support.

 

On 12/15/2024 at 11:15 AM, mrfawks said:

I am going to stick to it and get off this poison for good.

I commend you for your commitment!  The key to success is to taper sufficiently slowly to keep withdrawal symptoms in check.  This is especially important for you given your prior history of cold turkeys and kindling upon a high-dose reinstatement.  

 

On 12/15/2024 at 11:15 AM, mrfawks said:

I am going to see my practitioner to see if I can get liquid fluoxetine so I can do a very slow taper possibly over 1-2 years and this time hold through instead of reinstating like I know I'm going to be told to.  

Here at SA, we recommend the hyperbolic taper method, which you can read about here:  Why taper by 10% of my dosage?  With a hyperbolic taper, the reductions are based on the prior dose and so get smaller and smaller each month, for example: 10mg, 9mg, 8.1mg, 7.3mg etc. Importantly, if you develop unpleasant side effects from tapering, halt the taper, give yourself time to settle, and once stable, taper more slowly and by smaller amounts moving forward. The experience of others suggests that the lower you go in dose, the more slowly you need to go with tapering. 

 

Given that you are at a pretty low dose right now, you might consider choosing with longer holds or smaller cuts.  Here is information on an approach that allows you to easily adjust the amount / speed of your taper:

The Brassmonkey Slide Method of Micro-tapering (Download calculator as Excel Spreadsheet here: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/27883-the-brassmonkey-slide-method-of-micro-tapering/#findComment-412439)

 

We have some great tools to help you with this at:  https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/9167-how-to-calculate-dosages-and-dilutions-spreadsheets-and-calculators/

 

Since you are looking at switching to a liquid, please read: Transitioning from pills to liquid

 

Please also read:

Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ

Tips for tapering off Prozac (fluoxetine)

 

As you taper, and even in protracted withdrawal, it is very normal to have periods where you feel better, and periods where you feel terrible.  This is what we call the windows and waves pattern of stabilization.  This is actually a good sign of healing!  Read more about windows and waves here: 

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

 

It’s important to keep tabs on your symptoms and adjust your taper amount and schedule as needed.  You can use the following list of typical withdrawal symptoms to track the severity of your symptoms over time: 
Daily Checklist of Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms (PDF)

 

Please know that you will heal with time and patience.  There are a few things you can do to help your nervous system heal.   Eat a balanced, whole foods diet, stay well hydrated, engage in gentle exercise, and get adequate rest/sleep.  Avoid all neurologically active substances, like caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and recreational drugs- these are like pouring gasoline on a fire for your symptoms.  Avoid adding any further psychiatric medications to deal with your withdrawal from psych meds- the effects of these meds on a destabilized nervous system is unpredictable, and taking something else could make you worse.

 

We recommend only two supplements here - magnesium (glycinate is a good form) and omega 3 (fish oil). Many people find these to be calming to the nervous system.

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

If you decide to try a supplement, even those we recommend here, add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems.  If you tolerate it well, you can increase the dosage slowly over time.  

 

You may also find information useful for you here:  Important topics about tests, supplements, treatments, diet

 

We have many threads on how to cope with symptoms – I encourage you to check out the various forums / links on the SA.org home page.

 

To look for information on any topic of interest to you, you can click through the topics listed on the home, browse the various forums (menu at top), or use a search engine.  One way to search this site for specific information is to use your favorite search engine. Type in survivingantidepressants.org then the symptom, treatment, supplement or information you wish to search for.   I use the search bar at the top of the site, but always make sure I am on the home page first, when I want to search the whole site.  OR - to search a specific form / thread, navigate to that page and use the Search bar there.

 

This is your introduction topic.  Each member gets one intro topic- please post updates and your questions here, in this thread.

 

Again, welcome to SA and best wishes.