thecowisback: wondering why I'm giving up Prozac

[thecowisback]

i really hoped the prozac was starting to take the edge off things when i got up yesterday and felt so much calmer. it looks like it was a normal window, something i haven't seen in a long time. after a restless night last night i got up to a smack in the face of fear, panic and a gazillion intrusive thoughts. i even started panicking the kids when i couldn't find their uniforms for school this morning and they went off tetchy as well. i feel like i'm balancing on a very sharp, taut wire right now and if just one thing pings the wire i will fall.......

[powerback]

6 hours ago, thecowisback said:

i really hoped the prozac was starting to take the edge off things when i got up yesterday and felt so much calmer. it looks like it was a normal window, something i haven't seen in a long time. after a restless night last night i got up to a smack in the face of fear, panic and a gazillion intrusive thoughts. i even started panicking the kids when i couldn't find their uniforms for school this morning and they went off tetchy as well. i feel like i'm balancing on a very sharp, taut wire right now and if just one thing pings the wire i will fall.......

Dam your strong raising kids TCIB in this process .in regards the uniforms etc ,spend your time planning  the day out ,I respect about the intrusive thoughts taking over [god I know] .keep seeing how you can plan so as to avoid scenarios but some are unavoidable ,your human .remember to breathe as best you can when you feel a situation pop up.

keep seeing how you can make your day easier for you ,use up what ever down time your have to make a note of a scenario and what can help to make it easier  on you.

Total respect to you 🙏.

[thecowisback]

awww thankyou - i never did find part of their uniform despite scouring the whole house. i guess it's ended up in the same place as all the odd socks!! 

[thecowisback]

i'm wondering whether to up the prozac again to 2.5 mg or wait it out for another couple of weeks to see if the 2mg does anything. i said i didn't want to go higher than 2mg but i will do anything right now i'm feeling so desperate. 

[powerback]

1 minute ago, thecowisback said:

i'm wondering whether to up the prozac again to 2.5 mg or wait it out for another couple of weeks to see if the 2mg does anything. i said i didn't want to go higher than 2mg but i will do anything right now i'm feeling so desperate. 

Wait for a mod ,god don't listen to me ha.

be careful when desperate and making decisions .

 

 

[thecowisback]

yeah, that's what i'm worried about - making a kneejerk reaction then regretting it. i'm probably better waiting a bit longer as prozac has such a long half-life. i've only been on 2mg for a week.

[powerback]

26 minutes ago, thecowisback said:

,yeah, that's what i'm worried about - making a kneejerk reaction then regretting it. i'm probably better waiting a bit longer as prozac has such a long half-life. i've only been on 2mg for a week.

maybe a good decision waiting,keep listening to Claire weeks ,I need to myself more ,the power of the mind to tell us things is astonishing ,we keep challenging it .

[thecowisback]

I'm having a huge panic attack tonight because of what my OCD is telling me. I feel at the end of my tether. I'm hiding away from my family. they can't stand me crying and endlessly worrying and asking for reassurance over something they say just doesn't matter. my OCD has gotten so bad since I came off meds. This last couple of weeks it's been the worst it has been in many years. there doesn't seem to be any end in sight. 

[powerback]

57 minutes ago, thecowisback said:

I'm having a huge panic attack tonight because of what my OCD is telling me. I feel at the end of my tether. I'm hiding away from my family. they can't stand me crying and endlessly worrying and asking for reassurance over something they say just doesn't matter. my OCD has gotten so bad since I came off meds. This last couple of weeks it's been the worst it has been in many years. there doesn't seem to be any end in sight. 

Oh japers ,please just float through it as best you can and breathe .

Maybe have a look for the part of the uniform ,sorry TCIB,my attempt at a little joke to try diffuse your panic .

Your far from alone ,my OCD about health kicked me and my brother off and know I just regret opening my mouth.

Be safe. 

[thecowisback]

you have made me smile with the comment about the uniform 😉

[powerback]

1 minute ago, thecowisback said:

you have made me smile with the comment about the uniform 😉

😁🏄‍♂️🙏

[thecowisback]

i can't sleep. my ocd is terrible tonight. people tell me it gets worse before it gets better when you start meds - is this what is happening even on such a small dose????

[thecowisback]

i'm so scared. i keep thinking i should up the dose to the full 20 mg like the doctor told me to. i don't know what else to do. i can't go on being this scared of eveything and so frightened of my own mind. i'm so tired. i never sleep. my mind never shuts off. i just want to stop the constant chatter in my head. 

[thecowisback]

11/02

7 am took amlodipine 5mg, vitamin d3. skipped evening primrose and sage leaf in case they're making things worse.

had breakfast. very very anxious. 

8.30 drove kids to school. picked up some shopping. chatted to a neighbour. anxiety still rising. 

12.00 had lunch. feeling a little calmer. 

3.30 picked up kids. anxiety rising. should go for a walk but feeling dizzy and disorientated because of the anxiety. 

5.00 cooked dinner. ate then took kids round to friends houses for the evening. 

had a panic attack while they were gone. rest of family kept telling my my fears were just my ocd and nothing real but i don't believe them. 

8.30 picked up kids. slightly calmer but still having the same intrusive thought. 

tried to watch tv after the kids went to bed but anxiety rising again. 

up until 2 am questioning my husband constantly about the thoughts i'm having. he couldn't sleep because i was tossing and turning so much. 

went to bed just after 2 but only dozed on and off all night and just waited for the morning alarm to go off. 

[thecowisback]

12/02 

7.00 got up, took amlodipine 5mg, vitamin d3. high anxiety and ocd. 

11.30 got very dizzy. high anxiety, getting worse. 

12.35 had lunch. still feeling dizzy and a little 'high'. 

3.30 picked up kids from school. still feeling high. 

5.00 cooked dinner. feeling very depressed and can't stop crying. 

7.00 fell asleep on the sofa for an hour. 

9.10 bad headache started. 

11.00 took levothyroxine 75mcg and tried to sleep. nodded off around 1. woke throughout the night, hot and restless all night. 

 

[thecowisback]

still having terrible anxiety and intrusive thoughts. still dithering over whether to increase my dosage or keep going on the 2mg. i just want some relief from this.  

[thecowisback]

mooching around on the internet i came across this https://www.madinamerica.com/2013/08/ssri-discontinuation-is-even-more-problematic-than-acknowledged/

i've never heard of this guy before - is he credible? he says in this article that long term users off ssri's should never come off! it's too late for me now but this article made some scary reading. he also says reinstatement hardly ever works. 

i'm more confused than ever after reading the article and spoke to a friend of mine about it as he's the same age as me and has been on and off ssri's for many years, taking them for a year or two then tapering off per the doctors recommendation when he's feeling better. he has never had problems coming off so i guess he must be one of the lucky ones, especially as he has been reinstating for years with success each time. 

 

i think i may go up 0.5 mg tomorrow and take my chances. things are still pretty bad today and i'm fighting the symptoms at every turn. 

[Tattyapple]

I have spoken to Shipko by email. He told me that what I described was Akathesia and it could take 7-8 years to make progress..he told me that there are no set rules that some people can take SSRIs for years and come off with little problems whilst other will fall down a hole that is extremely difficult to get off. It can also make you very sensitive to medications. 

 

I personally think these kinds of articles just terrify people and can tip people over the edge. To me it was basically like saying your doomed and trying a drug could help but could make it worse. 

 

I personally stay off the internet now 

[powerback]

2 hours ago, thecowisback said:

mooching around on the internet i came across this https://www.madinamerica.com/2013/08/ssri-discontinuation-is-even-more-problematic-than-acknowledged/

i've never heard of this guy before - is he credible? he says in this article that long term users off ssri's should never come off! it's too late for me now but this article made some scary reading. he also says reinstatement hardly ever works. 

i'm more confused than ever after reading the article and spoke to a friend of mine about it as he's the same age as me and has been on and off ssri's for many years, taking them for a year or two then tapering off per the doctors recommendation when he's feeling better. he has never had problems coming off so i guess he must be one of the lucky ones, especially as he has been reinstating for years with success each time. 

 

i think i may go up 0.5 mg tomorrow and take my chances. things are still pretty bad today and i'm fighting the symptoms at every turn. 

please stop making the cut deeper TCIB[ I don't mean to come across judgemental] .the negative part of withdrawa will seek these stories out all day if you let  it .start flipping the channel ,put a ban on certain sites for months even a year .you'll do yourself a big favour .

Respect to you 🙏. 

 

[thecowisback]

👌

[Rachellynn]

24 minutes ago, Tattyapple said:

I have spoken to Shipko by email. He told me that what I described was Akathesia and it could take 7-8 years to make progress..he told me that there are no set rules that some people can take SSRIs for years and come off with little problems whilst other will fall down a hole that is extremely difficult to get off. It can also make you very sensitive to medications. 

 

I personally think these kinds of articles just terrify people and can tip people over the edge. To me it was basically like saying your doomed and trying a drug could help but could make it worse. 

 

I personally stay off the internet now 

Omg😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[thecowisback]

13/02

7.00  took amlodipine 5mg and vitamin d3. very scared on waking. frightened to face the day ahead. very dizzy and on the verge of tears for most of the morning. 

11.00 broke down in tears and couldn't stop crying. feeling very scared. 

12.00 lunch. still very sad. 

3.30 picked up kids from school. very anxious. 

5.00 cooked dinner. very distracted by anxious thoughts and feeling very angry. 

7.00 started a huge pile of irnoning. feeling a little calmer. instrusive thoughts trying to push in but feeling better than earlier. 

9.00 watched a film. still feeling a little calmer. 

11.35. took levothyroxine 75mcg and went to bed. slept until 4 am. 

 

[thecowisback]

14/02

got up at 7 and took amlodipine 5mg. very scared on waking. 

8.30 took kids to school. much calmer. 

11.10 got a really bad headache. 

12.00 had lunch. 

1.00 drove to city for an appointement. still got a bad headache. 

3.30 picked up kids. headache fading. 

5.00 cooked dinner. messed it up again! terrible anxiety. very scared. 

8.45 another bad headache started. 

11.00 took levothyroxine 75 mcg and went to bed. slept until 3, then dozed on and off until 6. 

[thecowisback]

i wonder if i should be upping the prozac slightly now i've been on 2mg since the 4th? @ChessieCat

[powerback]

5 hours ago, thecowisback said:

11.00 took levothyroxine 75 mcg and went to bed. slept until 3, then dozed on and off until 6. 

Hi TCIB ,does this disrupt your sleep at night ,you very well need the rest [god I know] but be careful getting in a habbit.even nap for an hour .

the fact you've kids sure get your rest when you can I suppose .

keep well .

[thecowisback]

thankyou  no i've tried switching it to morning for a few weeks but it made no difference at all. i've always taken it at night (been on it for 15 years). 

[powerback]

1 minute ago, thecowisback said:

thankyou  no i've tried switching it to morning for a few weeks but it made no difference at all. i've always taken it at night (been on it for 15 years). 

ok scratch my reply and ignore it,I read it totally wrong lol,11.00 I took as the morning ,im a 24hour clock man ha.

me thinking you slept through the day lol

[thecowisback]

LOL - i wish!! 🤣

[powerback]

Just now, thecowisback said:

LOL - i wish!! 🤣

😁

[thecowisback]

i've dipped into joseph glenmullen's book and that makes grim reading too, saying people who've been on ssri's for over 3 years can't come off and that the drug damage the brain. 

i had to stop reading as it was upsetting me so much. 

i've upped to 2.5 mg today. not sure if i'm doing the right thing upping again. if there are any mods around maybe one can advise. 

i'm feeling very lost right now. yesterday was another day filled with tears and panic and i feel like i'm not living any more, merely existing day to day. 

i've missed out on the past 2 years thanks to withdrawals and i'm sick to death of this whole thing. weekends are always worse for me for some reason and i'm thoroughly despondent this morning at starting yet another saturday terrified of everything, as each week i keep telling myself it will get better, then another saturday comes and reminds me i'm not actually getting better at all - at best i'm just the same as 2 years ago and on bad days i'm actually feeling a lot worse. 

my family are asking why i'm not taking my full dose of prozac. they don't see how such a small dose can help and on days like this i wonder the same thing, but i'm trusting the advice on here as there is nowhere else to turn. 

@Altostrata @ChessieCat @Gridley

[ChessieCat]

communications-with-dr-stuart-shipko

 

mia-blog-entry-by-dr-shipko-on-wd

[ChessieCat]

See also this discussion recently:  mdwstrx-lexapro-taper-or-not

 

[thecowisback]

has anyone else apart from keepingthehope reinstated a full dose and had success? i've tried searching the forum but it's not easy to find info on my tiny tablet. 

 

[Tattyapple]

https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/

[thecowisback]

thankyou Tattyapple  

a lot of what's written there makes so much sense. 

i;m not sure whether to keep slowly upping the dose of the prozac or go all-in and take the full 20mg capsule. i feel like i'm just tinkering round the edges at the moment and am ending up feeling worse for it. i've been on 5 weeks now and thought i would have had some small bit of relief but nothing yet. i've had a couple of days when i had some calm but that is how my windows were before christmas so i'm maybe they've come back with the longer daylight hours. who knows? 

i wish i could find more anecdotal evidence from people who have reinstated at full dose. 

[Tattyapple]

I Know what you mean for people with high anxiety like us tiny doses just prolong the fear because you are constantly on tender hooks waiting for something bad. However I totally understand why tiny doses are suggested because our nervous systems are so sensitive so it’s a tough call. 

 

You could always jump to 5 and see if you tolerate that ?

 

i don’t think you had akathesia on withdrawal so I think you have a good chance of success. 

 

I would give anything to go back 5 years and reinstate, I had a decent opportunity to do it and being the stubborn silly b**** I am I who toughens everything out, I didn’t do it. 

 

Good luck I’m rooting for you