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Lukeneale: Withdrawing from Prozac/fluoxetine


Lukeneale

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Hi guys,

 

i know this website since some time but never registered and only read through some experiences of other members. Since my withdrawl already last for so long i am sharing this now in order to get some help/input by some of more experienced withdrawlers and that you can learn by my experience with prozac. I started prozac last year in August where i was in a clinic for eleven weeks to recover from anxiety, depression and general mental problems. My psychiatrist and i agreed on trying an SSRI after 4 Weeks of treatment and the choice went to prozac. We started with 5mg, went up to 10 after a few days and then to 20 after a few days again. It had a very strong affect, reduced my anxiety and relaxed me, increased my mood until it got too much. I remember i was lying in my bed and i got in such a good mood, i had a strong need to talk and felt like on little party drug. The effect continued to increase and i got such unpleaseant euphoria and hypomania with restlessness and racing thoughts that after i went out of the hospital i reduced with my psychiatrist to 10mg. This made me calmer and slowed me down, i now got a bit apathic, depressed and i had 2-3 months withdrawl from which i didnt knew it was withdrawl. It got better and i stayed on 10mg until november where, after a lot of research, my decision to withdrawl completly started. I already knew that slow withdrawl is important and i started with only 2,5mg reducement. Since my effect was still so strong i wanted to get off it quicker because i still had unpleasant side effects. So know the misery started. After a few weeks i started noticing the withdrawl. Impaired memory, sedated, apathic, emotional blunting, careless, super exhausted, fell asleep after taking it, feeling high, no concentration etc. Windows were there especially when i had sleep after i took the medication but it is now, 8 months of withdrawl still miserable and i am angry and frustrated. I will add my withdrawl here:

 

6. April 2017 Start with 5mg Fluoxetin
11. April 2017 10mg Fluoxetin
20. April 2017 20mg Fluoxetin
5. Juli 2017 10mg Fluoxetin Hypomania, restlessness, artificial euphoria
12. November 2017 7,5 mg Fluoxetin
11. Dezember 2017 5mg Fluoxetin
1. Februar 2018 2,5 mg Fluoxetin
15. Maerz 2018 1,5mg Fluoxetin
2. Mai 2018 1,7mg Fluoxetin strong dissociation, depressed, anxious
5.Mai 2018 1,55mg Hypomania again, i am so sensitive to the drug so i went down a bit
Since mai on 1,55mg.

 

The worst of all is the following:

 

I often feel like i can sense less. As if sound cant reach me really, i still hear it but it is passing me. I dont have center. I think it is still dissociation and the drug but it makes me feel very bad and so disconnected. I often dont feel other people, it is like they dont exist really, i can talk normally but i dont feel a connection. That still on 1,56mg. Sometimes i have windows where it gets much better, it gives me a little hope that something is waiting for me after my brain healed. I have more ore less dissocation. My concentration is in bad shape. I am sometimes so far away that i have difficulties to listen and to communicate properly. I am just answering shortly and then get back in my head. It is not always like that. Mostly in the morning and midday after i take the drug. So it think it is still its effect and also the withdrawl. in the evening it is always better. Sometimes so good that i dont want to take it again in the morning. It has been 2 months now after last reducement, still not gone and i still suffer a lot. I am worrying that it will never get back to normal. When i feel so disconnected i think of going cold turkey sometimes because i want to be there and feel something. I would change depressions and anxiety for beeing there more and feeling a connection and joy again. Sometimes when i get very depressed again i want to get back on a little bit more of prozac so its ambivalent.…

My plan is to go with 1,55 the next months and hope for a recovery. Thats it so far, my hands hurt because i played bit too much warcraft last weeks so i cant write much.

 

Looking forward to your response and sorry for my grammar mistakes.

 

All the best to you guys.

 

Luke

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Ah before i forget:

 

I am using Fluoxetine 10mg as a white pill. I put it in 50ml of water in the morning, shake it up with a milkshaker and then take out 7,8ml with a syringe. I am trying to be very precise but it is not 100percent the same dose when i take it. They dont have liquid or any other option here in germany and netherlands. this is my only option. I am trying to be as precise as i can. I am wondering if that is maybe why i feel so bad, that the dose is different for a little bit always but i cant do it differently sadly.

 

I took promethazine 5-20mg rarely when i started prozac to get a bit calmer. Never longer thant 1-5 days. Didnt took it for at least a year. Took it maximally 15times.

 

I took lorazepam rarely, maybe 5times 1mg and always at least a day pause between it. Didnt took it since at least a year.

 

Any advice?

 

Best!

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  • ChessieCat changed the title to Lukeneale: Withdrawing from Prozac/fluoxetine
  • Administrator

Welcome, Lukeneale.

 

From your first post, it looks like you've been holding at 1.55mg Prozac since early May. You've done a good job explaining your symptom pattern.

 

On 7/23/2018 at 11:46 AM, Lukeneale said:

My concentration is in bad shape. I am sometimes so far away that i have difficulties to listen and to communicate properly. I am just answering shortly and then get back in my head. It is not always like that. Mostly in the morning and midday after i take the drug. So it think it is still its effect and also the withdrawl. in the evening it is always better. Sometimes so good that i dont want to take it again in the morning.

 

What time of day do you take Prozac? Do you feel better now than you did in early May? The windows are a good sign.

 

Your method of making Prozac liquid appears correct. Are you using a large bottle to mix it?

 

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Hi Altostrata,

 

I take it around 8-12 in the morning. Never after 13 o clock. 

 

I have rare windows where i feel bad but very real. The indifference and dreamy state annoys me hard. could also be a side effect since it gets worse when i take the drug in the morning. I miss my feelings and my old self a lot. I am using a small glas with 50ml of water in it. my psychiatrist said it should be very precise. 

 

Sometimes the withdrawl effects get worse but then i feel much more real and connected as i break through into reality. maybe it would get better when i go even further down with the medication. 

 

Best,

 

Luke

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