thecowisback: wondering why I'm giving up Prozac

[thecowisback]

27/01

7.00 took 1.5mg prozac. had breakfast. felt very anxious since waking at 4.am. 

12.00 had lunch. went down the shops. anxiety building all afternoon. 

4.30 had an argument with family which set off a panic attack. 

5.30 made dinner. 

anxiety very high all evening. spent most of the evening crying. 

11.00 took levothyroxine amlodipine, magnesium. 

had trouble getting to sleep. 

 

[thecowisback]

28/01

got up at 7 after a terrible night's sleep. took 1.5mg prozac. ate breakfast. very dizzy on waking. very anxious before taking prozac. 

8.30 took kids to school. very anxious. 

spent the morning having to make phone calls. very stressed. anxiety building. 

12.00 lunch. still scared. 

all afternoon could feel the anxiety rising. 

5.00 started cooking dinner. tried to distract myself with audio books but anxiety getting worse. 

just after 6 a huge panic attack struck and it didn't really leave all evening. 

10.00 took 

Levothyroxine 75 mcg, Amlodipine 5mg,

Magnesium citrate 200mg,Vitamin D3 1000 iu,Evening primrose oil 1000mg ,Sage leaf 50mg

went to bed early as still panicking. 

huge huge waves of panic all night. finally nodded off about 6.00 am and got up at 7. 

[Orangeblossom77]

Hi there, just writing as also have a family and trying to deal with things while coming off prozac and it isn't easy, 

it sounds like you are still doing lots of things for others, (me too) is there any nice self care things you could do

maybe, have a bath with lavender and epsom salts maybe? I like the gym and find it helps a bit, swimming. Kind thoughts

i too am struggling with anxiety. I'm trying not to drink wine too much or take stuff like painkillers too much to get through 

this. 

[thecowisback]

thankyou orangeblossom. i try to get some time for myself but it rarely happens. i seem to cope better when i'm busy though - if i get too much down-time i have too long to dwell on my thoughts. 

[thecowisback]

29/01

got up at 7. took prozac. very VERY scared and anxious. 

8.30 took kids to school. on the verge of a panic attack by the time i got home. 

spent the day trying to keep busy at home. 

5.00 cooked dinner. very scared and shaking. couldn't eat dinner because of the anxiety. 

spent the evening trying to watch comedies on tv to distract myself. 

11.00 took Levothyroxine 75 mcg, Amlodipine 5mg,

Magnesium citrate 200mg,Vitamin D3 1000 iu,Evening primrose oil 1000mg ,Sage leaf 50mg

couldn't get to sleep because i was panickin so much. on and off sleep all night. 

[Orangeblossom77]

I know what you mean- I have been busying myself spring cleaning, doing a cupboard a day. I hope things improve a bit soon. I will be glad when this winter is over.

[Orangeblossom77]

Are you scared of taking the prozac, is that making you more anxious maybe?

[thecowisback]

i was in the beginning - now i'm just hoping it will work as i'm so desperate for some relief from the constant fear. 

[thecowisback]

30/1

got up at 7, took 1.5 mg prozac. very anxious. had been awake since 4 am. 

8.30 took kids to school. anxiety still bad

went into town for haircut. anxiety high but bearable. 

1.00 lunch. still anxious. 

5.00 cooked dinner, anxiety lowering a little. 

spent the evening doing homework with kids and watching films. anxiety lessened all evening until around 10 when it started to kick in again. 

11.00 took Levothyroxine 75 mcg, Amlodipine 5mg,

Magnesium citrate 200mg,Vitamin D3 1000 iu,Evening primrose oil 1000mg ,Sage leaf 50mg

[thecowisback]

31/01

7 am got up and took 1.5 mg prozac. slightly anxious. had breakfast

8.30 took kids to school. anxiety rising. 

went shopping. anxiety rising even higher. very bad instrusive thoughts. 

5.00 made dinner. tried to distract my mind by playing music but no luck. 

6.00 close to a panic attack. managed to calm down but very fearful all evening. 

10.30 took meds and went to bed. woke up nearly every hour throughout the night. very tired but very restless. 

 

[thecowisback]

1/02 same routine but started off the day feeling low and depressive feelings increased all day. very tearful by evening. couldn't be bothered with anything, just wanted to cry a lot. 

 

[Orangeblossom77]

Hi, just wanted to say sorry you are still suffering a lot. I'm going through similar and it isn't easy. 

[thecowisback]

are you still tapering or holding at 5mg for now? 

[Orangeblossom77]

I am trying to hold for now as went down a bit too much to start with I think. 

I noticed a few others seemed to have kept a dose of 5mg as well

but not sure whether to continue or stay..my problem is the severe side effects

i seem to get at anything higher now. So tricky. 

[thecowisback]

i hope things settle for you soon xxx

 

[thecowisback]

i'm wondering whether to up the dose tomorrow to 2 mg. i don't  seem to have any side effects at the moment after upping the dose just over a week ago. my depression is bad today and i'm finding it hard to stop crying.

[thecowisback]

3 weeks taking the tiny dose of prozac now and i feel like my depression is getting a lot worse. could this be because of the prozac? i feel so angry because i never had depression before coming off the meds. sometimes i wonder if i'm depressed because of the menopause and this would have happened despite the meds but i guess i'll never know. i've never felt like this before in my life. i don't want to do anything. i spend my spare time curled up in bed crying. i don't have any interest in anything. if my family phone i have to fake a cheerful mood then once i'm off the phone i go back to crying in a corner. 

i'm in two minds whether to carry on with the small dose of prozac or ditch it now. i know no-one can answer my questions but i really have no idea what to do. i feel like my life is in pieces. i feel like i want to die but i don't really - i just want an end to all these horrible feelings. i thought things would get better as time went on. i'm 23 months out from going off prozac and feel worse than ever. 

 

 

[Aquarius]

So sorry you feel like this and yes the menopause can cause these symptons....i have been where you are and ended up going back to doctors ....i am not recommending this to you or anyone else but the doctor prescribed me 15mg of Mirtazapine and im ashamed to say i took them luckily for me they worked at giving me my sleep back and stabilising...you have to do what is best for you though i know at the moment you don't know what that is ...i feel for you and wish you all the best ...

[thecowisback]

thankyou. my family have asked me to stick with the prozac. i know symptoms normally get worse when you start up a drug. i really didn't expect things to feel this bad though. 

 

[Aquarius]

I am five years postmenopausal...all my troubles started since the menopause..the anxiety depression which i never had before also empty nest syndrome which is what put me on the path to antidepressants everything seems overwhelming now as before the menopause i could deal with it ...i hate the crying bit its awful ...not sure if you have tried hrt ? Keep strong 

[thecowisback]

i can't use hrt unfortunately as it does seem to help a lot of people. i just hope this passes as time wears on. 

[Aquarius]

You have to beleive it will ....maybe start researching menopause and do all you can to help symptons like diet exercise it will distract you from the ad's and may make you feel like you are taking control back which i think mentally is very important to try and be proactive even if its a small thing ...if you start doing things to fix a problem it may not fix it but gives you back some control which is what we need 

[thecowisback]

i've been trying to get a handle on diet and excercise to help the withdrawals but it doesn't seem to have helped much at all. i try to go for a long walk every day (up some very steep hills to get a good workout) and have cut down on sugar and other bad stuff. i've lost weight but it hasn't had any effect on my anxiety or depression. 

[Gridley]

1 hour ago, thecowisback said:

i try to go for a long walk every day (up some very steep hills to get a good workout) 

 

Unfortunately, getting a good workout isn't always the best for withdrawal.  Many members find intense workouts activating and anxiety-causing.  If your workout works for you, fine, but we generally recommend a gentle 30-minute walk (if possible in nature) as the most helpful form of exercise for those of us in withdrawal.

[Orangeblossom77]

How about something relaxing just for you, to distract you, and treat yourself a bit? A nice book, or even 

something like cooking, something sort of meditative I find good. Radio 6 music has uplifting tracks on

at the moment in the mornings called Cloudbusting, that helps in the day. 

[thecowisback]

i keep trying to do things i like but i just can't get into anything. i used to love knitting but i've been working on the same baby jumper for so long the baby it was for is now a large toddler and it won't fit her any more. i've been reading the same book for over a year. i really miss my hobbies. 

[thecowisback]

40 minutes ago, Gridley said:

 

Unfortunately, getting a good workout isn't always the best for withdrawal.  Many members find intense workouts activating and anxiety-causing.  If your workout works for you, fine, but we generally recommend a gentle 30-minute walk (if possible in nature) as the most helpful form of exercise for those of us in withdrawal.

i usually walk 20-30 minutes each day, but living on the side of a steep valley means i get a rigorous workout without even trying   the only time i get to walk on the flat is if i drive to the local park. 

[Aquarius]

I did find if i overdo it i will suffer for it afterwards as you are working your body too much when you arenr 100%....sorry but not read all your posts but i assume you have tried the recommended supplements and had epsom salt baths and take time out to li

[Aquarius]

Sorry phone malfunction...listen to meditation videos it really helps me ...i was also told to get a hobby i havent found one yet 😊

[thecowisback]

yep, have been trying all those things for the past 2 years but nothing cuts the mustard. 

[JackieDecides]

7 hours ago, thecowisback said:

i've been reading the same book for over a year.

 

while it's OK to just not read, there are some options to try.

 

I get audio books from my library (or could buy them from audible.com) and listen - that's a lot easier. I also get children's books for an easy read. also, books I have read over & over until I know them by heart, those are easy. 

 

3 hours ago, thecowisback said:

been trying all those things for the past 2 years but nothing cuts the mustard

 

it's a long time, I know. but you were on prozac for 20 years! you have to build a whole new brain. ☹️

 

can I ask why you call yourself "the cow is back"? 

 

[thecowisback]

it's from a joke song called magical trevor where he makes a cow disappear, then the cow is back. it's one of the few things that makes me smile nowadays ☺

[thecowisback]

i'm still dithering over taking this dose of prozac. 

what if my healing was about to turn a corner any day? i've been hanging on to that thought for the past couple of years and yet things were getting worse instead of better. 

am i sabotaging my healing? or am i doing whatever i can to ease the mental torture in my head? i wish i knew.....

[Steve61]

I feel for you. You are going through hell. My journey isn’t very nice st the moment but I haven’t got all the responsibility’s that you have. It must be tough. I have to keep hold of the thought that it is the withdrawals. If I start thinking that ‘this is it’ forever then I make myself worse. I have to force myself to think that I’m going through a storm to get to the sunshine on the other side. I have to believe that this will pass.  I’m going through a stage where any exercise seems to make me feel better immediately afterwards and then the day after my withdrawals are worse. Full of anxiety. My nervous system seems so sensitive to anything. Even supplements. So I have to be very careful. We will get through this, though. It’s a process that we have to go through to get to the other side.

Good luck

Steve

 

[thecowisback]

thankyou steve. i've just realised i haven't been keeping notes the last couple of days as i've been in such a tizz about everything. will update things now. 

[thecowisback]

4/1/2018

7.00 got up, took 2.00 mg prozac. had breakfast. took kids to school. feeling very low after a disturbed nights sleep. 

12.00 had lunch. very depressed. can't stop crying. 

4.00 took children to dentist. trying hard not to cry. feeling very low. 

6.00 made dinner. very depressed and weepy. 

7.00 helped kids with homework. mood lifted a little while doing this. 

8.00 tried to watch tv but very distracted. anxiety levels rising. 

11.15 took  Levothyroxine 75 mcg, Amlodipine 5mg,

Magnesium citrate 200mg,Vitamin D3 1000 iu,Evening primrose oil 1000mg ,Sage leaf 50mg

mood has been extremely depressed for the last few days.