Jump to content
SurvivingAntidepressants.org is temporarily closed to new registrations until 1 April ×

nghitran: trying to taper prozac


nghitran

Recommended Posts

Hi,

 

I've been lurking on this forum for a while, but I have never formally submitted my introduction.

Here it goes:

 

After suffering pretty severe depression for 3 years,I went on SSRIs in 2000. While the medications helped me significantly initially. Their effect diminished with time but the atrocious sexual side effects still stayed there throughout my treatment.

So, on two occasions,first time in 2009 and second time in 2012 I went cold turkey off ssris. First time Prozac second time lexapro. Doing both of those tapers my depression returned full force and I had significant withdrawal symptoms ( insomnia, akathisia, dizziness and profound coldness of extremities). Additionally my sex drive not only did it not return, but it actually became worse than on medications. The try to quantify it, if my sex drive was 3 out of 10 on medication it was 1 out of 10 off them).

Both times actually I went off cold turkey,so that could have been part of the problem.

 

At the moment I am taking 20 milligrams of viibryd and my fluoxetine is roughly on five milligrams.

 

My questions are:

 

Is there anybody out there who had no sex drive three months after stopping SSRIs, who eventually regained their sexuality.

 

How long do you think I should give between dosage drops? Is one month enough?

 

How long after stopping fluoxetine in particular did you guys regain sexual functioning?

 

Thanks much,

 

Alex

Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

Welcome nghitran,

I'm glad you decided to post an introduction, this is the best place for information and support for safely coming off psychiatric drugs. I'm sorry to hear you had some side effects, sexual difficulties are common and people often find these continue for a while or get worse if the drug isn't tapered properly. But most people recover their full functioning eventually.

 

It would be great if you would put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature. Doing this helps people understand your context, it appears below each of your posts. Here are instructions for how to do it:

 

http://survivinganti...your-signature/

 

Are you tapering anything at the moment? Its best to only taper one drug at a time. We suggest reducing by no more than 10% of the current dose every 4 weeks, this reduces the risk of withdrawal symptoms arising. Please read through this which will explain why:

  

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Tips for tapering off Prozac (fluoxetine)

 

Tips for tapering off Viibryd (vilazodone)

 

You may find an answer to your other question here:  Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) - Symptoms and self ...

 

You can use this thread as your ongoing journal to track progress, write about symptoms, ask questions and communicate with the community, add to it whenever you want. Its a good idea to bookmark it or follow it, so its easy to find again.

 

Petunia.

I'm not a doctor.  My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one.

My Introduction Thread

Full Drug and Withdrawal History

Brief Summary

Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects

2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010

Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal

DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms

Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal)

May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins.

Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes

Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine

Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D

June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens.

Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered

Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days.

April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close.

VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from?



VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made?



VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes?



VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects?

VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes

 

 

 

Link to comment

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use Privacy Policy