FleeingFluoxetine: trying to get off Prozac

May 18, 2018

Hello, Fleeing.

We haven't heard from you in a long time, we might have been able to help you with the Prozac taper.

Yes, you can still have withdrawal syndrome even though you're taking another drug or drug cocktail. Weeping is a common withdrawal symptom.

As this is a site for going off drugs, we don't advise on med combos for "diurnal depression" or any other condition. That's up to your doctor. Most likely, you are being over-medicated for withdrawal syndrome, not "diurnal depression."

See

Waking with panic or anxiety -- managing cortisol spikes

Neuro-emotions

Deep emotional pain and crying spells, spontaneous weeping

Please update your signature.

May 18, 2018

I don’t have much to add, but I want to say that reading your posts has been very inspiring to me. You should be proud of how far you’ve come. I’m sorry that you’re experiencing anguish and hope that it subsides soon.

May 18, 2018

Hey Tarheel. Thanks for your kind words.

I realize now it was silly to ask for med cocktails here. I apologize. I don’t know what I was thinking.

Diurnal depression is a well-known phenomenon, though. https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/diurnal-mood-variation

I don’t know if I’ll try to get off the meds again any time soon. I couldn’t take ten months of pacing and agoraphobia and crying spells. I’ve only just started to live my life again. I know that’s not what people want to hear but I was so exhausted emotionally that I had to tap out.

Maybe I should change my nickname to Chugging Cipralex.

FleeingFluoxetine

May 18, 2018

Whatever diurnal depression might be, you might not have it. There's also the issue of psychiatry coining new psychiatric diagnoses all the time for iatrogenic symptoms. However, if you want to go that route, see where it takes you.

Having worse symptoms in the early part of the day is classic for withdrawal syndrome, because of the early-morning cortisol surge.

PS The effect of the early-morning cortisol surge, which is amplified by the neurological sensitization caused by going on and off psychiatric drugs, may be reduced with installation of blackout curtains, shades, and use of a sleep mask. It is triggered by sunrise. The drawback is there's no profit for psychiatrists or drug companies in this kind of treatment.

May 19, 2018

I’ve worn a sleep mask and used black out curtains for years, but I still wake up feeling so depressed that I don’t want to be here. It got so bad that I went back on another SSRI.

June 30, 2018

Not sure what we can do for you here. If you feel you need your drugs, stay on them.

It's possible your symptoms are caused by drugs, please research their side effects via Dr. Google. Drugs.com is a good source.

We don't offer treatment for any kind of depression here, other than recommend non-drug means. You might try face-to-face counseling to explore potential situational or historical causes of your depression.

See

Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms

Health anxiety, hypochondria, and obsession with symptoms

Dealing With Emotional Spirals

July 1, 2018

On 5/16/2018 at 10:53 PM, FleeingFluoxetine said:

Seroquel

I can relate to your story. I’ve currently reduced to 4mg and I’m thinking of going back on a higher dose of something - not necessarily Prozac though.

I think for some people withdrawals are easier - if you have a support network: friends a partner etc. I’m just emotionally wide open and raw at the moment. As your Doctor said to, it is no way to live. I honestly cannot handle reality anymore - I think existence is pure evil. That’s not withdrawal.

July 1, 2018

I wouldn't say that existence itself is evil, but medications can definitely change the way you interpret reality. Once the withdrawal eases off things will start to feel better and live won't seem so evil. Hang in there. :)

fleeing

July 11, 2018

Hey, everyone. I’m debating dropping my Cipralex from 15 mg to 12.5 mg to hopefully get rid of or reduce the diarrhea side effect I’m having. I was wondering if I’ll get withdrawal effects from doing this. I know everyone responds differently to meds but maybe people out there have some suggestions? I was fine on 15 mg of Prozac last year but my world fell apart when I dropped to 10 mg and I’m trying to avoid that.

Cheers,

fleeing fluoxetine

July 11, 2018

Please add questions about your drug tapering to this topic. Please update your signature with the date you switched from Prozac to Cipralex.

If you've been taking Cipralex for more than a month, any decrease in dosage may cause withdrawal symptoms. We recommend a 10% decrease to minimize this risk. That would be a decrease from 15mg to 13.5mg Cipralex for you. See Tips for tapering off Lexapro (escitalopram)

When did the diarrhea start? When did you make the switch from Prozac to Cipralex? How did you accomplish this switch?

What time of day do you take each of your drugs, and at what dosage? Please put ALL your drugs in the Drug Interactions Checker https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.php
and copy and paste the results in this topic.

Have you discussed Cipralex side effects with your doctor? What advice did you get?

July 11, 2018

Okay, I’ve updated the date of the Cipralex. I didn’t do anything special to switch, I just stopped taking the Prozac and started taking the Cipralex.

I’ve been taking it for more than a month but I don’t know how to measure a single milligram of a tablet unless I get it compounded. I think going from 15 to 12.5 would be okay because I can always restart the Cipralex. I’m not trying to get off it right now.

There’s apparently a heart arrhythmia side effect from combining Cipralex and Seroquel. For some reason I wasn’t told of this but I seem to be fine after being on Cipralex for four months, though sometimes I feel like I’ve been punched in the mouth because my gums hurt. I haven’t had my teeth cleaned in 18 months, though, but the sore gums started around the same time I started the Cipralex.

I take the 15 mg of Cipralex in the evenings. I was taking it when I would wake up at six but then I would go back to bed. When I got up at 9 I would feel terribly bleak and unmotivated. My doctor hypothesized that it was sedating me, so I started taking it at bedtime and I feel like my old self again.

The diarrhea has plagued me for twenty years. It was awful on 80 mg of Prozac as a teenager but my doctor told me I needed to be on it for the rest of my life and then left town. It brought with it a bunch of other side effects that I thought were part of my personality. When I realized the Prozac was the cause of them three years ago I started trying to get myself off. Then I learned about drug withdrawal and that’s what landed me here. The Cipralex causes diarrhea still but it’s not nearly as bad as the Prozac. I’m hoping that a lower dose will reduce the diarrhea enough for me to do things I haven’t done in twenty years, like go on hikes and do things outside where there aren’t any toilets.

Some people dream of power and millions of dollars. I just want control over my bowels so I can be like everyone else.

-fleeing

November 22, 2018

Are my anxiety symptoms waves or are they just me?

Hey, everyone. I'm wondering if the waves of anxiety I'm getting around death/dying are withdrawal waves or if they're just me. Note that I'm not in any way wanting to hurt myself.

Since I started coming off the Prozac last year, I get these moments where I fear that either I'm going to die or that I won't be able to handle my parents' inevitable death. As I type this, I'm fine with it. I accept it as a normal part of life and all is well. But I get moments where I can't shake the fear of it all, and then it's suddenly gone. It happened yesterday. I was working and found it really hard to think of anything else, so I went to the gym. I tried to keep the thoughts from my mind and exercise, and then in one moment it was suddenly gone and I was my old self again. It came back in the evening, then suddenly it was gone again.

The worst was a few days ago when I woke up and felt this weird pressure behind my eyes and had all of these horrible thoughts about it all. I don't feel like I was even thinking about it. I felt like it was being put upon me by some outside force.

Do these sound like withdrawal waves? Right now I'm perfectly happy and all is well. I'm just tired of the rollercoaster.

- Fleeing Fluoxetine

Edited November 22, 2018 by ChessieCat
added topic title to post before moving to Intro topic

November 22, 2018

Sounds like like your brain is healing

November 22, 2018

Looks like withdrawal to me. See this link on neuroemotions.

http://survivingantidepressants.org/topic/14397-neuro-emotions/

November 22, 2018

I have quite similar thoughts since I came off Paroxetine three months ago. I feel alright and then suddenly comes this intense fear about my own death. Never felt something like that when I was on Paro.

November 22, 2018

Hey, everyone. Thanks for the support and thanks to Gridley for the link. That describes it perfectly. Neuro-fear. I’m mostly fine and life is good, then wham! I’m terrified. I thought it had to be the meds. I’m so glad I’m right.

This website is a life saver.

Fleeing

November 22, 2018

are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take

January 12, 2019

Hey, everyone. I thought I’d post an update. I’ll update my profile when I have my laptop again.

I’m currently at 2.5 mg of Cipralex and going to ask my doctor about dropping it to zero when I see her next week. The Prozac has been out of my blood for a year now and it’s taken all the anxiety it’s caused with it.

What’s been interesting is that I’ve kearned that the more Cipralex I take, the sadder I become. When my doctor put me on 20 mg of Cipralex to get me off of the Prozac, all of my favorite television shows, movies, and songs we’re making me cry. It was super weird. I thought maybe that’s who I was without the Prozac. But every time I lower the Cipralex I feel stronger, less anxious, and less depressed. I even showed my doctor a scene from Wonder Woman that had me fighting back tears on 20 mg, but on 2.5 I’m almost completely dry-eyed. I think when I get back to zero I’ll be fine. Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

I still get these weird waves of fatigue and depression at about 7 pm every night. They last about twenty minutes and then they’re gone. But they’re becoming much less significant the less of the Cipralex I take. Can anyone else speak to this?

fleeing fluoxetine

January 12, 2019

18 minutes ago, FleeingFluoxetine said:

I’m currently at 2.5 mg of Cipralex and going to ask my doctor about dropping it to zero

Q: Are you considering jumping off from 2.5mg Cipralex?

If yes, I strongly caution you against doing so. If you are feeling reasonable now, why risk upsetting things and making things worse? When to end the taper and jump to zero?

The thing to realise is that we might feel that we don't need the drug any more. But it's not about us, it's about what the brain needs.

January 12, 2019

Hi FF,

Please don’t jump off at 2.5mg as you might regret it. You might think it’s a low dose, but it really isn’t. Off course, you have to make your own decision, but if I were you I wouldn’t do it. I won’t be jumping off until I’m down to 0.0something. Some people have jumped off at doses they thought were low and had withdrawals for a long time afterwards.

Slow and steady is the way to go. Please stay safe💚

January 12, 2019

8 hours ago, FleeingFluoxetine said:

I’m currently at 2.5 mg of Cipralex and going to ask my doctor about dropping it to zero when I see her next week.

hello, FF, I don't know anything about Cipralex and i haven't ready your whole thread but I wanted to caution you as the mods posted above.

I went off 2.5 mg of lexapro because I thought the dose was so low that probably hardly anything would happen and I had significant withdrawal.

good luck with whatever you decide!

January 12, 2019

Hey, everyone. Thanks for the replies.

I’m considering the jump because I want to regain my evenings. I don’t really go out at night anymore because of the waves of depression/fatigue that I’m sure are caused by the Cipralex. It’s very likely that I could end up in withdrawal hell if I just jump completely, though. I felt better and better reducing the Prozac until I got below 15 mg, which is when I fell apart. Or I could keep easing down. I guess I’d have to have the drug compounded or get a liquid version. I’m way below the therapeutic dose though, which is why I think I’d be okay. I really just want my evenings back.

Fleeing

January 12, 2019

3 hours ago, FleeingFluoxetine said:

I’m way below the therapeutic dose though

"Therapeutic dose" is an arbitrary term* that the pharmaceutical companies use (think $$$$$) and the pharma reps are the ones who provide the information to the doctors. SA prefers to use the term "lowest effective dose".

I completely understand how you feel. Just before Christmas I was considering jumping off from 5mg. Then I started thinking about all the members who have had issues since I joined SA over 3 years ago. The trouble is we think that we don't need the drug, and we forget that the brain needs the drug.

From Post #1 of the Reinstatement topic (Altostrata made the font large and red, not me):

On 10/9/2012 at 10:17 AM, Altostrata said:

Don't suddenly go off medication assuming that reinstatement is a safety net. This is one of the reasons we advocate gradual tapering to minimize withdrawal symptoms. Once the nervous system is destabilized by withdrawal, all bets are off. Humpty Dumpty has fallen off the wall. (Humpty Dumpty is a character in a children's nursery rhyme - he is an egg.)

Reinstatement does not always work, and you may have to live with severe withdrawal syndrome for a long while. Medicine wants to believe the acute phase of withdrawal lasts only a few weeks. From what people have posted on the Web, it can last many months.

* based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system.

January 13, 2019

I hadn’t thought about reinstatement failing. I think I’ll have my dose compounded.

January 13, 2019

Phew! Glad to hear it.

January 20, 2019

Hi FF,

Just checking in to see how you’re doing. Did you end up getting a compounding or liquid formula? I hope you continued with your decision not to jump off at 2.5mg of Cipralex, and you’re tapering down instead. Take care💚

January 24, 2019

Hi FF,

Just popping in again to see how you’re doing.💚

February 17, 2019

Hey, everyone. I thought I’d post an update. I’ll update my signature again, soon.

After 25 years of being on SSRIs, I’m finally off Prozac and the Cipralex I used to bridge off it. I still have 100 mg of Seroquel to go.

I am _shockingly_ less anxious off the SSRIs. I’ve been able to do things I haven’t done in years with no anxiety at all: go to the mall, go grocery shopping, get a haircut, go swimming. I know everyone has a different story and different chemistry but it’s safe to say all I ever needed at 19 years old was to be taught that I didn’t need to be perfect, that I deserved to be in school, that having a sexual attraction to women was okay, and that people weren’t looking at and judging me like I thought. I never needed the 80 mg of Prozac or the generalized anxiety disorder it created as a side effect.

I’m wondering if anyone here has found that their drugs have actually depressed them. There’s no doubt that my Cipralex was depressing me because I could barely get off the sofa in the morning at 20 mg. It’s been out of my body for two weeks now and every time I reduced the dose I got less depressed.

I’ve never been on just the Seroquel like I am now, and I’m wondering if the drug is what’s making me sad. I don’t have a major depression or want to jump off a building or anything, but I can’t seem to watch my favorite movies anymore without getting choked up. It’s ridiculous - I was fighting back tears at Jaws when the blew the shark up!

Has anyone felt that their meds have made them sad? Is this why meds now come with “be aware of suicidal thoughts” warnings? I’m planning to drop from 100 mg of Seroquel to 75 mg next week. I know this is faster than the recommended 10%, but if I’m right and it’s the drug that’s making me sad, I’ll feel better and not worse.

Thoughts, anyone?

Fleeing (fled) Fluoxetine

February 17, 2019

16 hours ago, FleeingFluoxetine said:

I’m wondering if anyone here has found that their drugs have actually depressed them.

I think so, yes. long term I mean.

February 22, 2019

Hey, everyone. Here's my latest update.

I'm off the Prozac, and I'm off the Cipralex and the Trintellex that I was put on to get off the Prozac. Almost all of the anxiety that the Prozac was causing for the past 25 years is gone. I'm on 100 mg of Seroquel to help stabilize my mood.

I'm still in tears a lot of the time. Most of my favorite music and movies are making me cry (or at least getting choked up). I'm hoping this is from the Seroquel and will go away as I get off it. But I don't know how stable my mood is or will be _without_ the Seroquel so I'm caught in a damned if you do, damned if you don't predicament. I've been at 100 mg for a week and don't know when I should reduce it again. My shrink suggested going down in 25 mg amounts but I think that's too much so I'm going to drop it by 12.5 mg instead. Or I guess I could get it compounded. I still have a bunch of syringes from getting off the Prozac.

I'm off to the pool. I wish I could say I'm happy these days but I'm not really. Just hoping it will all improve.

Fleeing

February 22, 2019

How long have you been taking 100mg Seroquel? What time of day do you take it?

It could be that going off the drugs has made your nervous system sensitive and you are having Neuro-emotions

It could also be that your feelings were numbed by the drugs and now they are coming back more intensely. Your emotions may be moving towards "normal" -- this is not a symptom of emotional instability, who told you that?

Good to hear you do not have overt withdrawal symptoms.

February 22, 2019

I’ve been taking at least 50 mg for over 12 years. I was originally put on it for sleep but my doctor raised it to 150 mg to help me get off the Prozac. I lowered it to 125 on February 6th and then to 100 on February 12th. I take it before bed at around 11 pm. I don’t know if it’s the reduction that’s making me feel sad or if it’s the drug itself because I haven’t been on it without an SSRI at the same time. I’m not sure what to do. What I know for a fast is that the less I took of the Prozac and the Cipralex, the less anxious and depressed I was. If I stay at 100 and wait to get better, I could just be prolonging my suffering. : /

Fleeing

March 3, 2019

Hi FF,

How are you doing?💚

March 3, 2019

Hey, Carmie. Thanks for checking in.

The past two weeks have been really really hard. I cried a lot and really struggled with thoughts about not wanting to be here, but they seemed to have gone away, at least for now. I’ve been going for drives and swimming to help myself feel better and it seems to be working. I’m not dropping my meds again any time soon, if ever again, because this is so hard to take. But at least I can see light at the end of the tunnel.

How are you?

fleeing

March 3, 2019

Hi again FF,

I’m sorry you’ve had a few bad weeks. Going for drives and swimming sounds glorious, I love being in nature, it really is good for the soul. 🌊🌲

You’ve made a lot of changes and your poor brain is trying to get a little bit of equilibrium back. Good for you for holding, it might take a while to stabilise because of the changes, but you will get there. I’ve gone through many waves after tapers, but I’ve always stabilised in the end.

I’m not too bad, thanks for asking, but I’m bedbound a lot because of my illness. I’m never bored though, I have a million distractions. I’m planning to do a taper in a week or more of just over 3%.

Could you please update your signature and write down when you came off which medications and how quick you tapered them. Thank you.

Keep enjoying your drives and swims💚

March 3, 2019

I will. It’s bedtime here but I’ll update my meds tomorrow on my PC.

Fleeing

FleeingFluoxetine: trying to get off Prozac

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