Erin Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 (edited) Hi..I'm new to this site and am hoping for some insight into what I have been experiencing. I was on Prozac for 15 or so years and tapered off (following Dr orders) over the course of a month. After 2-5 days after starting tapering I started having diarrhea daily which has now persisted for 7 months. Been to the GI docs and they did not find anything. Have also lost 30 pounds. Tired a lot and haven't been sleeping the best are really my only other symptoms. All my blood work has come back normal. Emotionally I feel pretty good. I don't want to go back on Prozac just to make the diarrhea stop because emotionally I feel ok. Has anyone else experienced something like this? Thanks Edited January 3, 2018 by Altostrata added screen name to title - Prozac 40 mg 15 years not sure of start date..end date May 2017 currently not on it - Lamictal 350 mg daily 15 years or more - Over 15 years ago was on a variety, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, ability, trazadone that were switched - Tapered self on my own one time (2003) due to not being able to afford the medications. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted January 3, 2018 Administrator Share Posted January 3, 2018 Welcome, Erin. How long have you been off Prozac? What is your sleep pattern? Reconstituting your sleep cycle may help you overall. Going off an SSRI such as Prozac can indeed upset your digestive system. Your poor gut got confused and hasn't been able to settle down on its own. Going on a non-irritating diet such as Elimination or exclusion diets for reactions to food (food intolerance) may help -- it won't have to work so hard. It could also be you've developed some sensitivity to certain foods, the exclusion diet will help you identify them so you can avoid them for the time being. Also see Digestive problems: Nausea, Diarrhea, Bloating, GERD This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Erin Posted January 3, 2018 Author Share Posted January 3, 2018 I've been off of the Prozac 7 months now. Sleep-wise I think I wake up on and off through the night...not always to full wakefulness. At least according to my Fitbit which isn't the most accurate measure...if anything it says I toss and turn a lot. The idea of an elimination diet is a good one and now that the new year is here probably easier to implement. I will give that a shot. Don't mind the weight loss but 30 lbs is scary when u aren't even trying to lose it. I also wonder if that is my body returning to it's premedication weight? Thanks! - Prozac 40 mg 15 years not sure of start date..end date May 2017 currently not on it - Lamictal 350 mg daily 15 years or more - Over 15 years ago was on a variety, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, ability, trazadone that were switched - Tapered self on my own one time (2003) due to not being able to afford the medications. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus scallywag Posted January 3, 2018 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted January 3, 2018 Erin -- Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants (SA)! Congratulations on 7 months off Prozac after more than a decade of taking it! What was your doctor's advice for discontinuing -- Cold turkey? Decreasing doses over time? Altostrata mentioned that going off prozac can affect your gut. Here's why -- SSRIs like prozac affect the digestive system because there are many serotonin receptors in your intestines. This explanation talks about neurotransmitter receptor cells in the brain but the same process is likely going on in your gut. Things will get back to "normal" but it will take time. How your brain responds to psychiatric drugs - aka "Brain remodeling" Youtube video, 4 minutes: Healing from antidepressants It can take a while for your body to settle down after a discontinuation. Understanding how you discontinued will help us help you. Please let us know -- as best as you can remember. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to 0.0 mg Aug. 12; details here scallywag's IntroductionOnline spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet Link to comment
Erin Posted January 3, 2018 Author Share Posted January 3, 2018 Thanks...it's good to hear from others that this is the cause! I mentioned the possibility of this being the cause to the GI docs and my psychiatrist and none of them had heard of this problem coming off of Prozac. I was on 40 mg and for 2-3 weeks went down to 20 mg then to 10 mg for another 2-3 weeks...I think I went the 3 weeks for both (my psychiatrist left that up to me to decide) so a month to month and a half. How long does it take to get back to normal? Thanks again! - Prozac 40 mg 15 years not sure of start date..end date May 2017 currently not on it - Lamictal 350 mg daily 15 years or more - Over 15 years ago was on a variety, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, ability, trazadone that were switched - Tapered self on my own one time (2003) due to not being able to afford the medications. Link to comment
nz11 Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Erin it appears you have not started an introduction topic in the intro threads. Why not start one and then you can journal your recovery story. While you are at it please do put up a drug signature. Are you taking any other drugs at this time? 17 hours ago, Erin said: Hi..I'm new to this site and am hoping for some insight into what I have been experiencing. I was on Prozac for 15 or so years and tapered off (following Dr orders) over the course of a month Personally Im surprised that after such long term use and such a fast taper from 40mg that all you are suffering is GI issues. Again I ask are you taking any other drugs at this time. Look forward to reading the intro post and drug sig. Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing. http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651 Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos. Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you Recovering paxil addict None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped." Dr Mosher. Me too! Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015 I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015 Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017 Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus scallywag Posted January 4, 2018 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted January 4, 2018 Thanks nz11 for the reminder about asking Erin to post a signature. Ooops! Erin, a request: Would you summarize your history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly? Any drugs prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years. Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago) Spell out months, e.g. "October" or "Oct."; 9/1/2016 can be interpreted as Jan. 9, 2016 or Sept. 1, 2016. Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses. A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. Link to Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to 0.0 mg Aug. 12; details here scallywag's IntroductionOnline spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet Link to comment
Erin Posted January 4, 2018 Author Share Posted January 4, 2018 Thanks..wasn't sure how this site operated..is my signature accurate? Sorry I don't have a lot of dates.. - Prozac 40 mg 15 years not sure of start date..end date May 2017 currently not on it - Lamictal 350 mg daily 15 years or more - Over 15 years ago was on a variety, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, ability, trazadone that were switched - Tapered self on my own one time (2003) due to not being able to afford the medications. Link to comment
nz11 Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 No worries SW. Great to see you back behind the counter moving things along, I missed you. nz11 Trying out a new ice cream flavor- 'premium awesome vanilla choc chip cookie dough'....boy this is good stuff! Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing. http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651 Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos. Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you Recovering paxil addict None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped." Dr Mosher. Me too! Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015 I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015 Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017 Link to comment
nz11 Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 7 hours ago, Erin said: Thanks..wasn't sure how this site operated..is my signature accurate? Sorry I don't have a lot of dates.. You did okay it will suffice. So looks like the only drug you are on now is lamictal. May I ask why you are taking 350mg of lamictal. That seems to me to be a large dose. Let me guess .....could it be you got lumped into the once rare illness now striking almost as often as the common cold.....the catch all bi-polar basket? Are you aware this drug can cause rashes or skin disorders ? Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing. http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651 Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos. Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you Recovering paxil addict None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped." Dr Mosher. Me too! Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015 I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015 Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017 Link to comment
Erin Posted January 5, 2018 Author Share Posted January 5, 2018 I did get the "common cold" diagnosis of mental illness after I started antidepressants...so am really doubting that diagnosis now (especially since for many people it seems to come after starting an antidepressant). I didn't realize that 350 was a large dose. I guess I just followed drs orders. I will have to look into that. I decided to stay on the Lamictal since it is good w depression, as Prozac flat lined any emotions. What kind of rash or skin disorder issues? Never heard of that. I want to come off it all but want the symptoms from coming off the Prozac to stop first...I will taper much more slowly off the Lamictal. I struggle why people are kept on medications for such a long length of time when depressive episodes usually clear after 6 months. I know I really had to advocate for myself to come off of the Prozac and had a circle of support around me (friends, therapist) when I did taper which was very helpful. I picked friends who knew me the best. I would recommend that to anyone who wants to come off. Another question..was it hard to figure out emotions after coming off? - Prozac 40 mg 15 years not sure of start date..end date May 2017 currently not on it - Lamictal 350 mg daily 15 years or more - Over 15 years ago was on a variety, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, ability, trazadone that were switched - Tapered self on my own one time (2003) due to not being able to afford the medications. Link to comment
nz11 Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 10 minutes ago, Erin said: What kind of rash or skin disorder issues? Never heard of that. Well if you don't have any then there is nothing to worry about. Isn't that the truth once a person swallows one of these pills for whatever reason then that's it ...they have a mental illness. yes emotions can take a long time to right themselves. Don't worry I had real bad diarrhea for a long time and lots of public embarassments. nz11 I think its time for another bowl of ice cream !! Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing. http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651 Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos. Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you Recovering paxil addict None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped." Dr Mosher. Me too! Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015 I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015 Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017 Link to comment
Erin Posted January 5, 2018 Author Share Posted January 5, 2018 Sounds good...but too cold out here! - Prozac 40 mg 15 years not sure of start date..end date May 2017 currently not on it - Lamictal 350 mg daily 15 years or more - Over 15 years ago was on a variety, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, ability, trazadone that were switched - Tapered self on my own one time (2003) due to not being able to afford the medications. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus scallywag Posted January 5, 2018 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted January 5, 2018 Thanks for posting a signature, Erin. What you've written will do the job. Some people find reading others' experience with emotions helpful: Neuro-emotions. And should you want to learn about tapering and Lamictal: Before you begin tapering -- what you need to know. Why taper by 10% of my dosage?. Tips for tapering off Lamictal (lamotrigine) This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to 0.0 mg Aug. 12; details here scallywag's IntroductionOnline spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet Link to comment
Erin Posted January 9, 2018 Author Share Posted January 9, 2018 Thanks for the support. I really appreciate it. Saw my GI Dr today (second opinion) and he believes it is medication related...he's seen it before. Amazing how many drs don't know this stuff and want to give easy solutions like "just go back on the meds". - Prozac 40 mg 15 years not sure of start date..end date May 2017 currently not on it - Lamictal 350 mg daily 15 years or more - Over 15 years ago was on a variety, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, ability, trazadone that were switched - Tapered self on my own one time (2003) due to not being able to afford the medications. Link to comment
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