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FleeingFluoxetine: trying to get off Prozac


FleeingFluoxetine

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Has withdrawal caused chest pains for anyone here? I feel like someone is squeezing my heart. I’ve had blood work done and an ECG a few years ago and everything came out normal. 

 

- Fleeing

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

There are many existing topics on this site.  I like to use google and add survivingantidepressants.org to my search term.

 

Searching survivingantidepressants.org pains and a different search survivingantidepressants.org chest both found this topic:

 

chest-pain-and-stabbing-pain-in-the-heart

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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Hey, Chessie. Thanks for this. I didn’t know I could search the site with google, I’ll remember that. 

 

This makes me feel better. I’m glad to know it’s just another withdrawal symptom. :)

 

fleeing 

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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Hey, everyone. I thought I’d post an update. I dropped from 150 mg of Seroquel to 125 back February 6th (2019) and then went to 100 on February 12th. 

 

The reduction was too fast and was really hard on me. I had suicidal thoughts and was crying constantly. I only just stopped crying on a daily basis on around March 23rd. I almost took myself to the hospital. 

 

I see now I reduced the drug way too quickly and I have no intention of lowering the drug in the foreseeable future. All the terrible thoughts are gone and all I’m hoping now is for my brain to level out at 100 mg and to stop feeling so blue. 

 

I would normally be okay with riding out the reduction and just being blah for as long as it takes, but there’s one pesky little problem. 

 

I won a scholarship to a post-secondary school and classes start in September. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m worried that I won’t be back to myself by then. I know it’s only the end of March and I’m scared I won’t be in any shape to move or look for an apartment or take on the school. Part of the irony is what got me accepted was describing my story with antidepressants!

 

Does anyone have any experience with leveling out on Seroquel? Like I said, I’m not even trying to get off the drug at this point. All of the anxiety the antidepressants have caused me for the past twenty years is gone, but I spend most of my time now going for drives or swimming. I’m not ready for school and I’m worried I won’t be in time. :(

 

[Edit]: The point I completely forgot to make is that at what point do I say, "Okay, my brain won't be better in time for Vancouver, maybe I should try updosing?" Or is there some else I could do?

 

fleeing into the woods 

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hey everyone. Long story short: I was put on meds at 19. They made me very anxious as a side effect. Two years ago I realized the drugs were the problem and started my road through hell to get off them. I’m off the Prozac and waiting for my brain to level out after dropping Seroquel by 50 mg. 

 

Up until the Seroquel drop, I used to play the piano and the guitar. I wrote books and got accepted to go to film school in September. Now that I’m off the meds the anxiety that the drugs caused is gone, but I haven’t touched the guitar or the piano in two months. The stories that I used to love that made me want to go to film school now make me cry. I could care less about the school. This is a once in a lifetime chance but I don’t care. 

 

Is this the new/old me or will this all go away?

 

fleeing fluoxetine 

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey, everyone. This might seem like a ridiculous question, but it's 1:06 am and I can't sleep.

 

Is there any way that drop from 150 mg to 100 mg of Seroquel has some kind of withdrawal effect that is causing me back pain? I've already had a spinal fusion surgery years ago (which led to hydromorphone-withdrawal akathisia, hooray!) so the idea of a drug withdrawal causing me back pain seems nuts, but I'm just trying to check out all my options before seeing the doctor.

 

It's weird because the pain isn't in one place like it was before. It's constantly shifting. I'd really like to not have surgery again so I thought I'd ask here.

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey, everyone.

 

Has anyone here successfully gotten off of Seroquel? It's the only drug I have left to go. I find myself breaking out in crazy sweats (even my legs) that are so bad I've started wearing a short-sleeved shirt beneath a sweatshirt. When I break out in sweats I take off the sweatshirt so I'm more comfortable, but then I get cold so I have to put it back on. I don't know if this is caused by the Seroquel itself, or if it's from dropping from 150 to 100 mg back on February 12. I don't remember sweating like this before then.

 

I'm still not interesting in doing most things in life, but at least I'm not crying all the time anymore, so I guess this is a slight improvement, right?

Fleeing

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hey, everyone. I hope someone sees this post. 

 

I’ve lived my entire adult life on meds, and now that I’m down to 100 mg of Seroquel, I’m not sure if the sadness I’m feeling is from the reduction or who I am. I saw my counselor today and I left completely gutted. I went for a four hour drive that didn’t help, and when I got home my sadness took me to this level of scary that I’ve never felt before. Like incredibly sad. It’s so sad it makes me wonder if I should go back on the meds. Is it the meds? Is it what my counselor said? I don’t know. (We were talking about thoughts around defectiveness and she called me a beta male to see how I would react because it’s on my list of negative thoughts). 

 

The other thing is that I’m supposed to go to film school in a new city in September. Everyone here says not to lower one’s meds unless one’s life is stable. I’m still struggling with the sadness and the depression. Moving to a new city all by myself to go to school is I think the last thing I should do. If I were a religious man I’d be praying to god to help me heal faster in time for September. I don’t know if I should go back on the meds, get through school, and try again in a year. 

 

Any thoughts?

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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Hi FF,

I read through some of your post.  I identify with feeling like meds have stolen much of life.  I hope a good nights sleep might make things feel better after the funk you're in.  As for your school opportunity, have you researched your possible options? Can your attendence be delayed a quarter, semister, or year? Will they accept a medical extension? If you go and find you are having trouble, will they accept a leave of absence?  I'd try to get as much information as you can and even write down your options on paper.  Just today I listened to coworkers talk about a 5 year plan.  5 year what? is what I thought - and I'm 48....since loosing my family and taking meds, the thought never occured to me.  But just like driving, if you don't have some basic direction of where your headed you won't get close to any desired destination.  I think I need to do some drafting of some sort of plan myself since I feel like I've wandered completely aimlessly for the last 20 years.  It's never too late to plot a path, just don't put unreasonable time limits on yourself, any foward movement for us recovering from these meds is progress.

Take care, DSS

1997 – 2006:  prozac (40 mg) with trials of desipramine, wellabutrin, lamictal, straterra [CT when stopping the trials]

2005: CT lamictal after 2 years

Mid 2006: CT prozac

Late 2006:  several challenging life situations lead to depression, started prozac, lamictal and straterra again

2007-2015:  prozac (40mg), lamictal (200-300 mg), trials with seroquel and topamax [again, CT when stopping trials, no issues yet]

2016:  3 month taper of lamictal to 0 mg [caused rash], prozac 40 mg to 20 mg

2017:  prozac 20 mg to 10 mg [major oh ****, reinstated to 40 mg – now I know what AD withdrawal is]

Feb 2018:  Prozac 30 mg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey, everyone. I thought I'd post an update.

 

It's now June 7th, and I'm still waiting for my brain to completely adjust to the 50 mg Seroquel drop (150 to 100 on February 12).

 

It's weird because on the one hand, I've never felt better.  But on the other hand, I've never felt worse. All the high-level anxiety from the Prozac I started on is gone, but I have a lot of weird feelings now and I'm wondering if they're med-related or me. I get anxiety waves out of nowhere when I'm playing video games which has never happened before, and I have all of these strange thoughts about perfectionism that I didn't used to have. Twice I've woken up with my thoughts in an anxious loop (about two totally different topics) and my mind spins, but then I just snap out of them and I'm fine. I still get random sweating from some of my thinking, but it seems to be less intense. I'm hoping it's the meds.

 

I saw my doctor yesterday about restarting meds because I'm unsettled and a bit intimidated about school in the fall. She told me that if she ever puts me on another drug it won't be Prozac, given what it did to me. She's gone on vacation and she wants me to spend the next two months while she's gone trying to adapt to life without the drug.

 

So now I have two months to get through. I'm not really sure what to do and I'm scared that I can't handle life without medication because I've been on it my entire adult life. I don't really know what an acceptable level of anxiety even is.

 

The good thing (okay, the great thing) is that the depression that that the Seroquel withdrawal caused is basically gone at this point. I had lots of friends telling me to go back or to try Abilfy (which causes akathisia) but I toughed it out and the sun seems to be shining again.

 

Will the weird waves of anxiety go away as well? I used to play video games as a distraction from the anxiety the Prozac caused. To have anxiety when I'm actually playing games is really unusual.

 

Also, I just want to thank everyone for posting on this site, and for all the people who operate and maintain it. It's been a godsend.  :)

 

Fleeing

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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  • 1 month later...
  • Moderator Emeritus

Please search for existing topics before creating a new one.

 

muscle-and-joint-stiffness-aches-and-pain

 

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • 1 month later...

Hey, everyone. My shrink returned from her 2.5 month vacation today, so we're into the next phase of trying to fix me. I'm pretty scared.

 

I don't know that she fully accepts that I could still be suffering from reducing my Seroquel from 150 to 100 back in February, but because when we first met 10 years ago I was drugged out of my mind on 80 mg of Prozac, she wants to see who I am without the drugs. She also thinks that there's a possibility that the reason I'm not my happy self (and crying at a lot of stuff I never cried at before) is actually from the Seroquel itself. That would be another paradoxical response. (She told me today that being put on 80 mg of Prozac at 18 with no coping mechanisms or therapy was ridiculous, and an incredible burden to bear. It was nice to finally hear that).

 

The plan now is to drop from 100 mg to 87.5 mg. I know that's a little more than 10% but it's the easiest for me, given the pills that I have available. I'm going to reduce it tonight and pray that I don't wake up in another crushing depression or with akathisia. I'm not working (and haven't really worked in two years now). I'm hoping that my brain will adapt to it, I'll be less depressed, less tearful, and finally on the road to recovery without these meds screwing up my life.

 

If this plan sets off warning flags for anyone, please let me know. The drop back in February made me incredibly depressed for a very long time and I even had suicidal thoughts for a day or two, but they went away. This is 1/3rd the amount of that drop, so hopefully I'll be fine.

 

Love to you all,

 

Fleeing Fluoxetine

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

My thinking is that it would be better to make a small reduction (eg no more than 5%) to test to see how you respond to it.  Especially since you are scared of what might happening reducing by 12.5%.  Because you are scared, you may add anxiety and you will not know if your symptoms are caused from the reduction and/or the stress.

 

Tips for tapering off Seroquel (quetiapine)

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hey, everyone. 

 

Do people experience multiple crashes during the same taper? When I dropped from 150 to 100 mg of Seroquel back in February of this year the crash was awful. I was an emotional wreck with tears, depression, suicidal thoughts, and anxiety. 

 

I got through all of that and two weeks ago I lowered from 100 to 82.5. I meant to go to 94 but miscalculated. 

 

The strange thing is that I’m fine. My Seroquel-induced depression and anxiety lifted almost the day after I dropped to 82.5. I feel like a new person and I’m gunning for zero. 

 

If i keep lowering will there be a second crash, or is there only one? I think I might go down by 6 mg this time, as planned. :)

 

fleeing 

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus
3 hours ago, FleeingFluoxetine said:

Do people experience multiple crashes during the same taper? When I dropped from 150 to 100 mg of Seroquel back in February of this year the crash was awful. I was an emotional wreck with tears, depression, suicidal thoughts, and anxiety. 

 

You made a 33% reduction going from 150mg to 125mg on 6 Feb and then from 125mg to 100mg on 12 Feb.  That probably had a lot  (more than likely everything) to do with your "crash".  I think using the term "crash" is inaccurate because it was in fact withdrawal symptoms.

 

3 hours ago, FleeingFluoxetine said:

I got through all of that and two weeks ago I lowered from 100 to 82.5. I meant to go to 94 but miscalculated. 

 

The strange thing is that I’m fine.

 

You've made another >10% reduction.  17.5% to be exact.  It's been 2 weeks.  It may continue to go well, then again you might experience delayed withdrawal.  I think it would be best to ensure that you have for at least 4 weeks, and possibly 6 weeks to make sure that you start tapering from a good foundation.  If you start reducing too soon, or by too much too soon, you may end up getting withdrawal symptoms from cumulative cuts.

 

It's better to go slowly and comfortably than to risk upsetting things.  If you start having sleep issues that can add a whole new level of discomfort.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • Moderator Emeritus
3 hours ago, FleeingFluoxetine said:

I lowered from 100 to 82.5. I meant to go to 94 but miscalculated. 

 

The easiest way to calculate is to multiply the current dose by 0.9.  Example:  100 x 0.9 = 90

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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I think you’re right. I’m hoping to be off the meds by January when I go back to school, but it’s better to be stable. I think waiting a week and dropping by 6% should help. The Seroquel depression / anxiety is lifting and I’m in a hurry to see it gone. But rushing it could make things worse. 

 

Why don’t you like the term “crash”? Is it because people blame themselves for what’s happening instead of putting the responsibility where it belongs?

 

Thanks for the math trick, too. :)

 

fleeing

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus
4 minutes ago, FleeingFluoxetine said:

Why don’t you like the term “crash”?

 

I think we probably each have our own interpretation of the word.  My use of the word would be that everything is going along fine and then something happens (no drug reduction involved) which causes things to worsen, eg overdoing physical things, poor sleep, external stress, sickness, drinking alcohol.

 

In your case there is an accurate term to use when you reduce your drug and you get withdrawal symptoms.  It is simply withdrawal.

 

I think using the word "crash" when it is just a simple case of withdrawal tends to make it catastrophic.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • 2 weeks later...

So I accidentally updosed myself. :(

 

Last night I was supposed to reduce my Seroquel by another 6.25 mg, but I realized that last week when I (supposedly) reduced my meds by cutting the 25 mg pill into quarters, I completely forgot to cut the 100 mg pill in half. 

 

The net effect was instead of dropping my dose to 68.5, I accidentally raised it to 118.5. 

 

So instead of being on 68.5 for a week, I’ve been on 118.5 for a week. This might explain why my sweating went away and why I was sleeping so well. 

 

When I realized what I had done (and the shock had passed) I decided to take only 100 mg. So now I’m on 100 mg and I’m going to start my taper down again in another week. I realize this isn’t the end of the world but I’m glad I caught it because if I hadn’t, last night I would have carried on and accidentally dropped from 118.5 to 62.25, which could have been really bad. 

 

I understand why people say the path isn’t always linear. I know Seroquel takes two weeks (at least) to kick in, so realizing the mistake now is hopefully going to arrest the depression/anxiety the drug was causing. 

 

😕

 

fleeing

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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  • Administrator

You were taking the wrong amount for a week? If you've made a significant dosage change, it may take longer than a month for it to settle in.

 

What times of day are you taking your drugs, and their dosages?

 

If you were sweating from reducing Seroquel, you may have been going to fast. This might be a good time to take a vacation from tapering for a good while.

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.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hey, everyone. I thought I’d post an update. 
 

I’m down to 50 mg of Seroquel. The drop from 68 to 50 was on October 1st. I know it’s a bit aggressive but I’m running out of time because I won a scholarship to a film school that starts in January, and the higher doses of Seroquel was depressing me and making me cry at movies. The less I take of the drug the better I feel. 
 

But something else has happened that I thought I would ask about. I’ve been a writer for twenty years, and that was borne out of being so anxious from my 80 mg of Prozac that it was the only way I could hold a job. I’ve written for tons of magazines. I used my laptop as a shield to protect me from the world I was too medicatedly-anxious to engage with. 
 

Now that I’m off the Prozac and trying to get off the Seroquel, there seems to have been a role reversal. I tried sketching out the story I want to write for the film school and my anxiety was all over the place: up, down, gone, back. I worked on it for an hour and a half then gave up. This is completely the opposite from my past twenty years where writing was my sanctuary. I can’t go to the school like this. 
 

Is it possible that this is from the Seroquel or the reduction? Even when I was on 80 mg of Prozac twenty years ago, this never happened. 
 

fleeing fluoxetine 

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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  • 2 months later...

Hey, everyone. It’s been a while since my last post. I thought I’d update it and ask a question. 
 

I’m still trying to get off the Seroquel. When I hit 50 mg back at the end of November, I got really agitated and depressed at the same time. My doctor told me it was an agitated depression and wanted me to drop the dose to a point where I wouldn’t be so sad (the Seroquel has been depressing me). She put me in the hospital for three days and they cut my dose in half, down to 25. I know a big drop like that goes against the 10% rule but I think it was the right thing to do because I was having really dark thoughts about not wanting to be here anymore. Cutting the dose eliminated the thoughts almost overnight. 
 

My question is this: I keep getting this new sensation of feeling like someone’s pouring ice water in my chest. I went to a Christmas party yesterday afternoon and this feeling of ice just built and build and spread across my chest until it was so uncomfortable I had to leave. I don’t know if this is withdrawal or some weird way my anxiety has shifted from my stomach to my chest but it was awful. Has anyone experienced anything like this before?

 

I’m supposed to drop my dose in half again on Sunday the 5th, but I think a quarter is all I can manage. 😕

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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Mmm ice water on chest. Haven't heard that one before, but I get a very weird sensation in my chest, as do many, so perhaps could be similar -- just hard to compare everyone's word choices. 

 

I'm glad the Seroquel drop helped that "agitated depression." It's hard to know what to do with adverse reactions. I cold turkeyed prozac because of akathisia but it didn't help. Probably should've slow tapered.

 

You might be experiencing a mix of adverse reactions and withdrawal. I'm sure the advice here will be to keep cuts as small as possible, so perhaps you can do even smaller than a quarter cut.

Aug-Dec 2015 Prozac 20mg / Dec 2015-Feb 2016 Prozac 15mg / Feb 2016-May2016 Prozac 20mg

May 2016-June 2016 15mg

June 2016-August 2016 10mg

October 2016-January 2017 15mg, alternating agitation/akathisia sets in --> cold turkey

January 2017 Clonazepam .5mg 

February 2017 Clonazepam 1mg (for a week) then .5mg morning and .25mg evening for about a month. Came down to .25mg morning and evening. 

May 1, 2017 Clonazepam .25mg morning and .125mg evening. // May 20, 2017 Clonazepam .25mg morning and .0625 evening (.3125 total).

early June .28125 // early mid june .25mg // mid june .21875 // late june .1875 // early july .15625 // early mid july .125 

mid july .09375mg // late july .0625 //early August 2017 down to .03125mg once a day, hopped off in mid August

reinstated at .0625mg late August // Oct 16 - updose to .07mg and switch to oral Rosemont solution

Nov 17 2017 reinstate Prozac .5mg // Nov 21 2017 prozac 1.6mg // Dec 18 2017  3mg prozac / fast taper off the reinstatement -- probably completely off early Oct 2018

June 2019 begin tapering off .07mg Clonazepam, Finish taper December 2019

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hey, everyone. My doctor put me on Seroquel to get me off Prozac. Would it be a mistake to go back on Prozac to get off the Seroquel? Seroquel is depressing me and I’m caught between the depression the drug is causing and the crying spells/agitation every night as my brain adapts to dropping from 50 to 25. I know it’s way too big a drop but the Seroquel was causing me to have suicidal thoughts at 50 mg. They’re gone now (thank god) but my evenings are just miserable. I’m mostly fine during the day but every night between five and six I get incredibly agitated and have to walk it off. Then closer to bedtime I’m fighting off falling into tears. Once I take the 25 mg again I’m okay and I can sleep, but this happens every evening and it’s awful. Would it be a mistake to go back on a small amount of Prozac and finish the Seroquel taper or should I just tough it out? I made the big drop in December (the 5th). I’ll update my signature tomorrow. 
 

fleeing

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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  • Administrator

It sounds like you still have withdrawal symptoms from decreasing 50%. There are many numbers between 25mg and 50mg. How about updosing slightly to 26mg? We often see even a little more might make a difference without triggering the adverse effects. You'll have to ask your doctor for a prescription for a compounded liquid or make your own from a tablet, see Tips for tapering off Seroquel (quetiapine)

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.

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Thanks, Alto. It’s nice to hear reassurance from someone and that I’m not crazy. I think I’ll just stick it out for now. I don’t see my shrink for another week. I’m going to tell her I can’t take another med reduction right now.

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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Hey, everyone. 
Back in July when I was at a higher dose (and felt much more stable) I accidentally killed a coyote with my car. It was bad but I got over it. 
 

Today (after dropping my Seroquel in half way too quickly but I didn’t have a choice) I finally went to the repair place to have the car looked at. When the guy told me the damage was so much I’d have to file a police report, I felt like someone electrocuted my chest with a giant horseshoe. I’ve never felt this feeling before in my life and it came totally out of nowhere. It scared the crap out of me, but it didn’t feel like all the panic attacks I’ve had over the years. When I got home I burst into tears. 
 

Could this be from a destabilized nervous system? Can I fix this by going back on Prozac/Cipralex, which is something I was thinking of doing for obsessive thoughts anyway?

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Title:  How do I fix interdose withdrawal?/ trip to psych ward

 

Hey, everyone. I thought I’d post an update given what’s happened to me over the past week. 
 

I’m struggling with interdose withdrawal from Seroquel after dropping from 50 to 25 back in December of 2019. I didn’t really have a choice and I realize the drop was way too much. 
 

The problem now is that every night, at around 5 pm, I get increasingly agitated and depressed as it becomes time to take my next dose. I end up in crying spells and last night was awful. As the evening goes on I get really dark thoughts about wanting to kill myself. I wasn’t sure it was me; I thought it was maybe a worsening mental condition. In the past I would have taken my Seroquel and just gone to bed but because the Oscars were on last night I took it and stayed up to watch them. I couldn’t believe how within about ten minutes of taking the drug my tears were all gone and so were the suicidal thoughts. 
 

The problem is that this happens every night and I don’t know how to stop it. It was getting so bad that I spent the past six days in the psych ward, pacing around the room and crying. I came home when I decided the doctors and nurses were clueless. One doctor told me all my problems were from repression. The nurses told me that my issues couldn’t be from Seroquel because it wasn’t that big of a drop.

 

I see my shrink on Wednesday and I don’t know how to fix my evenings. It’s starting to wear me out because it’s been going on for two months. Does anyone have any advice?

 

fleeing fluoxetine 

Edited by manymoretodays
merged 2nd intro topic with 1st, title added

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hey FleeingFluoxetine, @FleeingFluoxetine

I found your questions posted as a new introduction topic, and so merged back here.  Just one introduction per member please.  And so helpful, to have you ask questions around your particular situation, right here........where you have been posting now since May 2017.  Your previous history with us is all here and accessible.

Any chance you could update your signature to reflect recent changes?  And are you just on Seroquel now?  What I see in your signature last February, is that you were holding at 100 mg Seroquel indefinitely.  Just go to Account Settings/signature to add in some of the last years changes.  Thank you.

 

2 hours ago, FleeingFluoxetine said:

I’m struggling with interdose withdrawal from Seroquel after dropping from 50 to 25 back in December of 2019. I didn’t really have a choice and I realize the drop was way too much. 

 

Why didn't you have a choice? ^  And so sorry that you wound up in hospital, as the symptoms were so tough.  Did you use any additional medications during this recent hospital stay?

 

On 1/17/2020 at 12:09 AM, Altostrata said:

It sounds like you still have withdrawal symptoms from decreasing 50%. There are many numbers between 25mg and 50mg. How about updosing slightly to 26mg? We often see even a little more might make a difference without triggering the adverse effects. You'll have to ask your doctor for a prescription for a compounded liquid or make your own from a tablet, see Tips for tapering off Seroquel (quetiapine)

 

^ Did you ever get a chance to try this?  Have you been able to look at the Seroquel topic and comprehend?  Or are symptoms still too tough to do so?

 

On 1/20/2020 at 5:21 PM, FleeingFluoxetine said:

Today (after dropping my Seroquel in half way too quickly but I didn’t have a choice) I finally went to the repair place to have the car looked at. When the guy told me the damage was so much I’d have to file a police report, I felt like someone electrocuted my chest with a giant horseshoe. I’ve never felt this feeling before in my life and it came totally out of nowhere. It scared the crap out of me, but it didn’t feel like all the panic attacks I’ve had over the years. When I got home I burst into tears. 
 

Could this be from a destabilized nervous system? Can I fix this by going back on Prozac/Cipralex, which is something I was thinking of doing for obsessive thoughts anyway?

 

Again, why did you feel you had no choice in making a 50% reduction?  I'm not trying to make you feel bad, I am just not following the logic here.

 

And yes, of course you are into WDsyndrome now with a destabilized nervous system.  I don't think, unfortunately.......that you would get any "quick fix" from adding an AD now.  Sometimes just time, non-drug coping, and patience is best, after too rapid reductions.

 

FF, you can actually plan WD's and tapers around the things you would like to do.......and it is possible to do judicious tapers while continuing on pursuing ones' passions and goals.  I'm just referring to some of your previous posts.

 

All for now, and do try to fill us in with a bit more information, re: my questions, that are bolded.

Could you also just note the time that you take your Seroquel and the present dosage?  Perhaps you could do a simple list of a day, with the time on the left, any drugs and supplements on the right, with the dosages, that you might be taking throughout the day.  Then again, time on left, with symptoms as they occur now throughout the day.  I'm not sure yet if perhaps splitting up your current dose into 2 doses might help or not.  So, please be patient, and I'll ask the other mods to take a look here as well.

 

L, P, H, and G,

mmt

Edited by manymoretodays
added an @ notification for member

Late 2023- gone to emeritus status, inactive, don't @ me, I can check who I've posted on, and I'm not really here like I used to be......thanks.

Started with psycho meds/psychiatric care circa 1988.  In retrospect, and on contemplation, situational overwhelm.

Rounding up to 30 years of medications(30 medication trials, poly-pharmacy maximum was 3 at one time).

5/28/2015-off Adderal salts 2.5mg. (I had been on that since hospital 10/2014)

12/2015---just holding, holding, holding, with trileptal/oxcarb at 75 mg. 1/2 tab at hs.  My last psycho med ever!  Tapered @ 10% every 4 weeks, sometimes 2 weeks to

2016 Dec 16 medication free!!

Longer signature post here, with current supplements.

Herb and alcohol free since 5/15/2016.  And.....I quit smoking 11/2021. Lapsed.  Redo of quit smoking 9/28/2022.  Can you say Hallelujah?(took me long enough)💜

None of my posts are intended as medical advice.  Please discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical provider.  My success story:  Blue skies ahead, clear sailing

 

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Hi all. 

I take my seroquel at 10 pm at night. I know the half life is around seven hours. Then the next day at around three I start to get obsessive about straightening things (I have ocd). At about five I get anxious, and at six or so I get this hideous wave of anxiety that I have to burn off by walking and I fall into crying spells. When I take my meds again at 10 pm I’m back to normal, only for it to start up again the next day. 
 

I cut the dose in half because the seroquel was depressing me (like, literally causing a depression as an adverse reaction). It made me feel that all the pills had ruined my life (I’ve barely worked in three years). I’d been spending most of my time on the sofa doing nothing, depressed. But every time I lowered the drug I got less and less depressed. Eventually I got to the point where I was so angry at the damage the pills had done to my life but I wasn’t so depressed enough to just lie around. I started having suicidal thoughts about hanging myself and was driving recklessly. My doctor recognized this as an agitated depression and certified me so I wouldn’t hurt myself. In the psych ward the doctors told me I needed to get out of the depression, so they cut my dose in half. That ended the depression almost overnight, but now I’ve fallen into the crying spells and the agitation from such a huge drop. 
 

My doctor was trying to end the crying spells and agitation but knew she couldn’t put me back on Seroquel or I’d be right back where I started, so she’s put me on Prozac (10 mg on Feb 6) to hopefully end the withdrawal spells.
 

But the problem there was that after all the damage the 80 mg of Prozac caused to my life for twenty years and a fear of developing akathisia, I started developing intrusive thoughts about slashing my wrists. I asked my parents to hide their knives (just in case) and was crying at everything. This completely freaked them out and so I was sent back to the psych ward for six days so that if I developed akathisia from the Prozac, I’d at least be monitored. It hasn’t happened yet and the intrusive thoughts are going away. I’m able to take the drug again. When I told the nurse in the psych ward about all the problems the Seroquel had caused me, he said it was impossible for it to happen from such a small reduction, said it was related to repressed emotions about anger towards my mother and gave me a handout on CBT. When I was pacing and crying in the ward and asking for help, all the nurses would do is tell me to take a shower, do push-ups in my room, or put an ice pack on my neck. I asked one of the doctors four times about extended release seroquel to help me through the withdrawal but each time I tried he blew me off. Eventually I got so frustrated I checked out against medical advice. Really sh*tty medical advice. 

 

The Prozac is sort of working. I’m crying less and though I feel the agitation, it’s less. I see my doc tomorrow. I’m also taking the odd beta blocker to prevent the agitation and an Ativan if I fall into awful crying spells. But I know Ativan is awful and I just flushed what was left of my bottle down the toilet. 

 

So right now I’m on ten mg of liquid Prozac in the morning (which hits me like a truck and makes me exhausted and feel like I have the flu) and 25 mg of seroquel at bed. 
 

So, that’s the latest. 

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi Fleeing, and thank you for the update,

 

Do try and update your signature for us.

And then, it may be best to just HOLD now, for some time, with the 10 mg Prozac and 25 mg Seroquel.    Get to a point of WD stability before attempting any further tapers.  Your nervous system needs some time now to recalibrate and stabilize. 

 

And it sounds like you are working with your doctor now on most of this. 

And oh.......I sure hope that it gets easier for you as soon as possible.  Sounds like it has been really tough.

 

And work with some non-drug coping.  Have you traveled over to the Symptoms and Self care forum yet?  Please do so, this is a good time to hone up on coping skills and strategies.

 

L, P, H, and G,

mmt

 

 

Late 2023- gone to emeritus status, inactive, don't @ me, I can check who I've posted on, and I'm not really here like I used to be......thanks.

Started with psycho meds/psychiatric care circa 1988.  In retrospect, and on contemplation, situational overwhelm.

Rounding up to 30 years of medications(30 medication trials, poly-pharmacy maximum was 3 at one time).

5/28/2015-off Adderal salts 2.5mg. (I had been on that since hospital 10/2014)

12/2015---just holding, holding, holding, with trileptal/oxcarb at 75 mg. 1/2 tab at hs.  My last psycho med ever!  Tapered @ 10% every 4 weeks, sometimes 2 weeks to

2016 Dec 16 medication free!!

Longer signature post here, with current supplements.

Herb and alcohol free since 5/15/2016.  And.....I quit smoking 11/2021. Lapsed.  Redo of quit smoking 9/28/2022.  Can you say Hallelujah?(took me long enough)💜

None of my posts are intended as medical advice.  Please discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical provider.  My success story:  Blue skies ahead, clear sailing

 

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  • 2 months later...

Well, everyone, here’s the latest update. I’ll try to update my post tomorrow from my laptop. 
 

Back in December of 2019, the doctors in the hospital psych ward told me after cutting my dose from 50 mg to 25 that all I had to do was drop my Seroquel from 25 mg to 12.5 and wait a month. Then 12.5 to 6.25, wait a month, and then go to zero. That by March, this would all be out of my life. Unfortunately, I believed them. 
 

instead what happened has been total hell. 
Three days after cutting to 25, I ended up with such terrible sweating that I couldn’t leave the house, and prolonged crying spells (up to three hours). Every night as the time approached to take the next drug, I would become increasingly agitated and pace around the basement for hours, in tears. My doctor restarted me on the Prozac I took two years to get off of to help with all the crying spells. They somewhat went away. All the other withdrawal effects like waves of nausea were going away. I thought I was winning. 
 

Then, last Thursday (April 16), I was lying in bed resting and I felt like someone was rocking the bed. I stood up and felt like there was an earthquake because the floor was moving. What’s actually happening is that now my feet have this awful awful buzzing/vibrating sensation like someone has hooked them up to a Diesel engine. It’s scary and o don’t know how to make them stop. I used to lie in bed but now my bed feels like the entire thing is trembling. 
 

I talked to my doctor over Skype today and she told me it’s an extra-pyramidal side effect. I don’t know why this is happening because I’ve taken both these doses for years without anything like this. She’s prescribed Ativan and Propranolol to help turn off the buzzing/vibrating, but it doesn’t seem to help. 
 

She spoke of a drug called Cogentin to help with this, but google tells me it can cause TD, which I would really rather like to avoid. 
 

TLDR: 14 years ago I went to see my psychiatrist for help sleeping. She put me on Seroquel and after trying to stop taking it by tapering down over last year, my legs/feet have an uncontrollable feeling of vibrating/trembling that makes sleep impossible and lasts for hours and hours. 
 

Can anyone help me?

 

fleeing fluoxetine :(

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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  • Administrator

I am sorry you had this difficulty going off 50mg Seroquel over a few months, after we've been discussing how to taper since 2017.

 

The buzzing or vibrating may be a withdrawal symptom and may go away over time. Or, it could be the Prozac irritating your nervous system.

 

As you are under a doctor's care, please bring your concerns about the adverse effects of drugs she has prescribed to her. This is a site for going off drugs, we don't fine-tune cocktails, that's your doctor's job.

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.

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Thanks, Alto. You’re right, of course. I told her all about it. I’m still planning on getting off the meds completely. I don’t want to be on them anymore. 

 

I did the best I could trying to get off the Seroquel considering it was making me cry at movies and I had a film school that I was trying to get to. I know I went too fast but I was trying to get to the school in time. I had no idea the withdrawal would be so awful or so prolonged. I’ve learned a lot from my attempt. 
 

I will get off of these drugs once I’m stable, school is over, and Covid is gone. I consider this a failed taper. I’m just trying to make the best of what I thought was the only decision I had. When I try again I’m compounding the Seroquel and going down 5% a month, then ditching the Prozac. I just hope to god that the vibrating is withdrawal from Seroquel because I can’t see myself getting off the Prozac any time soon and I’m emotionally exhausted from all of this. :(

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey, everyone. Am I heading for disaster? I know you don’t fine tune cocktails. I just want to make sure I’m not heading for catastrophe. 
 

Like I wrote in my last post, this weird vibration feeling started in my body two weeks ago and still hasn’t gone away. I’m pretty sure it’s delayed withdrawal from the hospital cutting my Seroquel from 50 to 25 back in December. My doctor reinstated my 50 mg of Seroquel in January and added 15 mg of Prozac to it as well. 
 

The vibration still isn’t going away so I went to the hospital today with my father because the trembling made it impossible to sleep. The ER doc says he’s far more concerned about my endless tears and suicidal thoughts than the vibrations, and recommended I bump my Prozac to 20 mg tomorrow after I have a conversation with my shrink. 
 

What are the chances that raising the Prozac is going to make the buzzing worse, or give me TD or akathisia? I want to stop crying but I’m terrified of getting either of these. I’ve had akathisia before and I’ve got a plan in place so that if I get it again I can, uh, eject from life. Am I over reacting or will adding 5 mg screw me up? I’m scared as hell and I’m trembling as I write this post. 
 

fleeing fluoxetine :(

As of September 5th, 2022:

13 mg liquid Prozac - Reinstated in March, 2020. Prior to that, 1994-2019

43 mg Seroquel - Started in July 2006

9.375 mg Imovane - Started in March, 2020

20 mg Propranolol 3x a day - June, 2020

0.5 mg Clonazepam 3x a day - June, 2020

 

 

 

 

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