justjosh5000: Vision Problems

[justjosh5000]

Hi there,

 

I'll start with a short intro, I know not everyone has time to read a huge block of text. I have taken SSRIs on and off since I was a teenager. Since college (the last 10 years) I took Welbutrin. 

 

This past spring I started having vision problems. Visited several eye doctors who found nothing wrong; but, I could tell things were progressively getting worse.

 

Last spring I started 5mg of Prozac, which I started dividing into 2.5mg approximately. Although, tbh I was not dividing the tablets up super evenly. My psychiatrist at the time said it was ok to do it that was though. After a couple of weeks of this I started noticing my night vision getting worse. During this period my psychiatrist took me off Wellbutrin. Two weeks later I stopped Prozac, and after several days my vision got more blurry and glare around lights increased. My psychiatrist thought I was just obsessing, and put me on 50mg of Luvox. After two weeks I stopped taking it because I thought it was contributing to my vision problems. Soon after stopping it I noticed my visual field shrinking, and even worse night vision.

 

Over the summer I took Zoloft for a few days, then stopped it. And I reinstated Prozac for a couple of months at 5mg. Every time I took Prozac I would have a panic attack for 1-2 hours which would subside mostly. The Prozac seemed to help my mood a little bit, but I couldn't help thinking it was making my vision worse. After 2 months I decided to cut it back to 2.5mg for a few weeks and then stop it. My vision continues to worsen, with glare being a big problem. My visual field keeps restricting, and the world is getting progressively darker and blurrier. 

 

I am very sensitive to previously innocuous things now. When I drink alcohol it makes me dizzy and my eyes hurt. Coffee causes a similar effect, although I tolerate it because I need it to function at work.

 

Can anyone relate to this? I can go into a deeper med history if need be. There is so little information out there about vision problems and SSRI withdrawal. The doctors I talk to about it don't take my concerns seriously. I want to believe my vision might get better over time, or at least stop getting worse.

 

Thank you everyone. Have a wonderful day.

[justjosh5000]

Bump. Has anyone heard of this happening?

[Altostrata]

Welcome, jj.

 

If you use search in our Symptoms and Self-Care forum, you will see several discussions about vision problems on and off psychiatric drugs.

 

You've had thorough ophthalmological examinations, for retina and other conditions?

 

On 10/3/2019 at 9:28 PM, justjosh5000 said:

....Every time I took Prozac I would have a panic attack for 1-2 hours which would subside mostly. The Prozac seemed to help my mood a little bit, but I couldn't help thinking it was making my vision worse. After 2 months I decided to cut it back to 2.5mg for a few weeks and then stop it. My vision continues to worsen, with glare being a big problem. My visual field keeps restricting, and the world is getting progressively darker and blurrier. 

 

I am very sensitive to previously innocuous things now. When I drink alcohol it makes me dizzy and my eyes hurt. Coffee causes a similar effect, although I tolerate it because I need it to function at work.

 

What we see here is that when people go on and off psychiatric drugs, or have adverse reactions or withdrawal symptoms, they can become very sensitive to all kinds of stimuli and may react in odd ways to additional psychiatric drugs. Above, you describe an adverse reaction, a panic attack, to 5mg Prozac.

 

We have seen that light sensitivity is pretty common in people who have been sensitized in this way. Do you look at a computer all day long? It might help if minimize light stimulation for a while, let your sensitivity settle down. You might wear amber glasses or tinted glasses while you work at the computer and keep the lights as low as you can.

 

How's your sleep?

[justjosh5000]

Hi Altostrata,

 

Thanks for the reply! My sleep has been alright. Quite deep actually. The troubling thing for me is that I wake up with my eyes feeling terribly dry, and my vision blurry as all hell. That improves after an hour or so. But My vision is much worse overall than it was 6 months ago. And I fear it will just continue to get worse.

 

I wanted to post on this site to see if anyone could relate to having significant vision changes while starting or stopping SSRI medications like Prozac. It sounds like vision changes are common. Has anyone had permanent vision impairment from withdrawal? Will these effects subside?

 

A huge challenge for me has been rectifying whats happening with my body with what is commonly believed about these medications. Most doctors I have discussed this with think it is highly unlikely for a medication to have an effect like this. I guess part of my does just want to know that I'm not imagining things in regards to changes in my body that I've struggled with over the last few months.

 

Thank you again. I hope everyone is having a good day.

[Altostrata]

Have you had a thorough checkup of your eyes with a medical ophthalmologist?

 

Not everything is withdrawal. 

 

You might use lubricating eyedrops. If you use the computer a lot, you can get dry eyes.

[justjosh5000]

Yeah, I know. Attributing everything to withdrawal symptoms doesn't make any sense. I have had many ophthalmologists check me out in the last few months. Some of them think my eyes look dry perhaps. But no major issues were ever identified. The fact that the normal eye disease things those doctors look for aren't present in my case suggests to me that there is something going on related to the medications I've taken in the last few months such as Prozac.

 

I'm considering restarting Wellbutrin at a very low dose, like 50mg per day, in order to help my motivation and energy. Since I stopped taking it four months ago I'm worried that I might be sensitive to that medication still. Not taking any meds still feels weird.

[justjosh5000]

Bump. Vision problems are still with me. I have a gut feeling that I was on too many medications for several years, and going off of them has not been good for my body. Change needs to be slow and steady. Doctors don't understand this fact.

[Altostrata]

Please describe your vision problems in greater detail.

 

To help us out, follow these instructions Please put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature You may need to use a computer to do this.

[justjosh5000]

Night vision continues to get worse. Glare is a huge problem while driving at night.

Vision is darker in general. Harder to focus on a screen.

Appears to be 'blossoming' of illuminated text and objects at night.

Light trails from illumination when moving my eyes around. Continues to worsen.

Harder to see during the day through the glare of sunlight.

 

Aside from vision, also a strange issue where the skin on my hands has gotten markedly more wrinkly over the last six months. This seems to be happening in conjunction with the vision loss.

 

Most of my symptoms have been written off by eye doctors, as I described above. One eye doctor is currently treating me for dry eyes using eyedrops, eyelid cleaner, and a hot washcloth nightly.

 

I haven't taken Prozac or any medication since September. I was suffering while taking even a small dose of Prozac. My Psychiatrist was convinced it would be safe for me to stop without a taper, so I did. I experienced severe anxiety a couple hours after taking even a small dose, so I was eager to try to stop it. But it seems to me that not taking it has hurt my vision.

 

My Psychiatrist last recommenced restarting Wellbutrin because I took it so long without issue. My main concern is preventing any further vision loss. I'm afraid to restart anything really because of the unknown effect it will have on my eyes. But, without taking anything I seem to be experiencing withdrawal that effects my skin and my vision.

 

I still am active and workout (3x per week), yoga, go out with friends, work, and do things that make me happy. I drink alcohol in moderation. But I can tell something is still wrong with my body, and its dragging me down. Any further advice guys?

 

Just want to say again, thank you all for maintaining this community. I think a lot of people have been helped here. I wish you all the best. Have a great evening.

 

[justjosh5000]

Top. Any suggestions?

[justjosh5000]

Top

[justjosh5000]

Top.

 

I'm going to go back on Wellbutrin 100mg next week. Psychiatrists I talk to are super dismissive of these issues. My friends and family don't understand what I'm trying to deal with/mitigate. I feel lost. I don't know what else to try. My symptoms get a bit worse every day and its killing me.

 

My theory is that I cut out Wellbutrin and but my nervous system in a sensitive state. Then I started adding and quickly removing SSRIs, which further caused damage and withdrawal. I have a strong suspicion that 12 years on Wellbutrin and then stopping in large steps over the course of three months was way too much for my brain and eyes to handle.

 

The things that are getting worse

1) The glare around light sources

2) The sharpness of my vision in general

3) My ability to discern things in my peripheral vision

4) My ability to distinguish low contrast font elements on a computer display.

5) Light trails and positive after images when I move my eyes quickly, especially in dark environments

6) My ability to think clearly

7) Tinnitus

 

Things that have improved since I stopped taking Prozac in September

1) Anxiety

2) Headache

3) My perception of having tunnel vision has improved somewhat

4) Feeling exhausted in the evening

 

Things I am hoping will improve with restarting Wellbutrin

1) Further damage to my vision

2) My overall level of motivation and energy

 

Wish me luck everyone. Much love.

I hate that I put myself here. I hate living like this. I have to be rational but this year my body started doing things doctors don't seem to understand.

[justjosh5000]

Hey guys, I haven't restarted the Wellbutrin yet. I've been at this so long, I'm exhausted. Any advice would be appreciated. Most of the things on my 'The things that are getting worse' list above are continuing to get worse. Its really hard for me to drive at night, but I have to, or I'll be isolated completely from friends and family.

 

Love you all. Hope everyone is doing well.

[justjosh5000]

I haven't restarted the Wellbutrin because I know that my tendency to sample SSRIs last year is what killed me. Or at least I am fairly convinced of that. I was on a medication roulette wheel for a few months early in the year. My psychiatrist always told me 'none of this will hurt you, this is all in your head.' Well, its not in my head.

[justjosh5000]

My current approach to the withdrawal I am experiencing is to take nothing. It would be nice to hear some validation from some of you that I'm not being foolish by staying off of prozac/other SSRIs while my vision continues to worsen. My fear is that I could have done something differently earlier on and kept this from happening.

 

Thanks again everyone. I'm so glad this community exists. Have a blessed day.

Well, I am still planning on restarting Wellbutrin soon. Has anyone restarted Wellbutrin at 100mg SR and had issues?

[justjosh5000]

I'm sorry if some of my posts have not been clearly written or confusing. I'm just looking for some help. I used to have so much in my life, but I've lost a lot of it over the past year. I'm looking for some help to salvage what I have left. My remaining vision is precious and I need to have a plan to protect it. Based on the history I have described above, what would you guys do if you were in my situation?

 

God Bless

[Icip]

Hi @justjosh5000,

 

100mg is too high to reinstate on! I hope maybe you have decided against that.

 

How are you doing? Seems to have been a long time since anyone has replied to you.

Have you restarted Wellbutrin? From what I've seen online, this has a very good chance of worsening your vision problems - i share them too to a mild degree.

A haze on walls and certain textured objects, after-images/light trails, and tinnitus.

 

I too had a lot to look forward to in life, has completely ruptured my degree. How are you coping with you existentialism? I'm not sure if i am really.

 

I really hope that you're okay. God bless, i'll be praying for you,

 

Icip.

[justjosh5000]

Fear about sensitivity to topical prozac (fluoxetine)

 

Hi,

 

Three years ago I went on and off various SSRIs in a failed attempt to regain control of my life. Eventually I went cold turkey from Prozac because taking any amount of it caused me to have a panic attack. I was suffering from night vision loss and visual trails/halos I attributed to the medication as well.

 

Fast forward three years later, I recovered quite ok from the withdrawal from Prozac, but I've accidentally exposed my skin to Prozac because of a spilled capsule in an old bag I had from when I was taking it. After getting skin exposure I feel like I am on the medication again. I fear that I have accidentally spread a small amount of Prozac around my apartment and contaminated my belongings and clothes. I've found that touching things makes me feel panic. My vision symptoms (visual trails, poor night vision, blurryness, flashing lights at night) have been getting worse in the last few weeks and my tinnitus is getting worse.

 

My friends and family are pretty adamant that my current situation cannot be due to getting Prozac on my skin. What do you all think? Am I imagining this all? At the end of taking it I was very sensitive to it, and I'm not surprised that getting some on my skin is effecting me. I'm becoming obsessive about protecting myself and wearing gloves and avoiding my belongings. It's difficult.

 

Thanks for listening. What are your opinions? Am I imagining this completely? Is there a chance such a small amount absorbed through my skin could have this effect?

 

Edited July 20, 2022 by ChessieCat
added topic title before merging with intro topic

[ChessieCat]

7 hours ago, justjosh5000 said:

Is there a chance such a small amount absorbed through my skin could have this effect?

 

Do an internet search for transdermal Prozac fluoxetine.

 

I think that yes, there is a possibility that some may have been absorbed through your skin.

 

HOWEVER, I think the length of contact time would be a factor in how much was actually absorbed.

 

7 hours ago, justjosh5000 said:

I'm becoming obsessive about protecting myself and wearing gloves and avoiding my belongings.

 

I can understand your concern but I think it would be better to try to be practical about it.  Instead of thinking that everything is contaminated, try to work out what things could possibly and realistically have fluoxetine powder on them and take appropriate precautions, and think about things that realistically most likely don't have fluoxetine powder on them.  For example if you have washed your clothes then it is highly unlikely that there would be any left, especially since fluoxetine is soluble in water.

 

If you still have the bag you could wash it or get rid of it and get a new one.  If there are items that cannot be washed then you could put on gloves and wipe them over with a wet cloth.  You could do that a few times with clean water if that would give you more peace of mind.

 

7 hours ago, justjosh5000 said:

My vision symptoms (visual trails, poor night vision, blurryness, flashing lights at night) have been getting worse in the last few weeks and my tinnitus is getting worse.

 

This might be because of the stress of your worrying.  I think it is important for you to try to relax and stay as calm as possible.

 

I find that self talk can be helpful.  If I was in your situation I would be reminding myself of the possible and the unlikely contamination as I posted above (you do have some control of this and the precautions you take for the "real" places it might be) and also telling myself that the drug has already caused me enough problems and I am not going to let the worry about the contamination add to the issues.

 

And regarding the possibly transderm absorption, if you did absorb any it was probably only a very small amount and if it has affected your symptoms then it will they, most likely, with time, will gradually reduce.

 

[justjosh5000]

Thanks @ChessieCat. I agree it seems really irrational to believe tiny amounts of fluoxetine could be getting absorbed through my skin and making me miserable. The first week I totally ignored the issue because I really didn't spill any powder anywhere. I was quite anxious the first week though and started to have vivid dreams, wake up anxious, noticed more visual disturbances, and had trouble concentrating.

Its interesting that fluoxetine can be prepared in a transdermal applicator (for animals it would seem). I really need to get a handle on this situation because it it effecting my life greatly. Do you really think visual trails and poor night vision could be caused by increased anxiety?

I was doing so well for so long after a rough patch. I feel like I really screwed up and I will have a tough time going back.

Thanks again for the thorough response.

[justjosh5000]

Its already been several weeks since the initial event and I'm unfortunately unable to regain my normal living situation. I've become really sensitive to caffeine (which happened while I was taking prozac three years ago) and even drinking decaf sets off my anxiety. It feels like if I just lived somewhere different for awhile I would be ok, but thats not practical right now.

[justjosh5000]

@ChessieCatMy mental state is totally different than it was a couple of months ago which is really discouraging. Its difficult to pull myself through each day and time feels like it is slipping by too quickly. Do you think I'll be able to regain my previous level of functioning anytime soon? Sorry to be so dramatic, but at the point I'm at reassurance from people who have experience in this area is encouraging :).

[ChessieCat]

10 hours ago, justjosh5000 said:

increased anxiety

 

From https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/anxiety-self-help/

 

[greyinmotion]

@justjosh5000 Did your vision improved over time? I am experiencing vision deterioration throughout my currently 1.5+ years of WD. For me near vision worsened as well as night vision, astigmatism. This is certainly linked with WD and not just aging (I am in my mid forties) as it coincided with the WD. 

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4723200/

 

Edited July 24, 2022 by ChessieCat
unbolded

[justjosh5000]

On 7/23/2022 at 11:18 PM, greyinmotion said:

@justjosh5000 Did your vision improved over time? I am experiencing vision deterioration throughout my currently 1.5+ years of WD. For me near vision worsened as well as night vision, astigmatism. This is certainly linked with WD and not just aging (I am in my mid forties) as it coincided with the WD. 

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4723200/

 

After my post two years ago I was able to feel like my vision got tolerable. I accepted the changes and started living my life again (which was hard and probably took longer because the pandemic started a month after that original post). I would suggest you regularly get your vision checked and update your glasses prescription, that helped me for sure. Keep your glasses clean and treat any dry eye symptoms you have. Over time vision will fade as an issue.