KingPrawn: early days withdrawing from fluoxetine

[KingPrawn]

I've had a cold for the past 3 or 4 days so have been feeling even worse. Although (maybe to do with being stuck in the house by myself for 4 days) maybe just even more unavoidable WD horrors I'd feel this bad mentally anyway.

 

Aside from the cold things have actually been getting worse with the anxiety not slacking off until at least mod-evening - yesterday it got so bad that I was on the verge of taking myself to an emergency department to see if I could get an admission. My intrusive thoughts/'thinking I was going mad' got so intense and wouldn't leave that I was on the verge of complete panic. I eventually took 5 mg of diazepam which I had avoided doing for a few days - I've got none left now so that safety-net's gone now. I was due to see my mother for the New Years holiday but the cold meant I ended up spending 4 days alone in my house - which obviously was a far from ideal situation.

 

Today is just as bad and I've been catastrophising since I got up not seeing any way out of this - thinking maybe hospital admission is the only way out and knowing that this will probably mean I lose my house, job everything but that's how doomy (but very probable) things are getting. Still suffering from effects of my cold today.

 

Anxiety today so bad that I've only just managed to stop moving my lower legs - woke up sweaty today and feet have been sweating badly all day for last 2 days.

 

I have a sort of plan now.

 

When my GP opens tomorrow I intend to make an emergency appointment I am determined to give RI on fluoxetine one more try because however scared I am of kindling and even believe my short just under a week attempt of a couple of weeks ago could have cause that because it could also have been that ridiculous use of alcohol at Christmas so I want to rule out once and for all the chance that a RI could stabilise me and keep my life together for a bit longer. I will try 1 or 2mg - probably 1mg.

 

I am also considering asking my GP if I could go back on Sertraline and then taper from that. I took that for a couple of years as my first SSRi and found it mild with no side effects of any kind it stopped working though although I wonder if it would still work 5 years later for stabilisation - unlike Fluoxetine which gave me awful nightmares every night so I would never be willing to go above 2mg of fluoxetine. Although RI Sertraline would be a final resort. I know this is a WD forum and you don't give out advice on starting new meds but as I was on it previously I wonder if you'd deem it as one of the less hard to get off SSRIs like you do Fluoxetine - which caused all my problems and which I can't do at a 'therapeutic'' dose.

 

I'm also starting on a strict new low carb  keto type diet. Strictly no processed foods anymore, no bread, cakes, sweets, no refined grains. As I believe this should bring about a reduction in my cortisol and cortisol over-adrenalisation remains my worst symptoms. Even the ultra rumination/intrusive thoughts/hyper vigilance which are sheer terror seem to spring from that.

 

As well as sugar I am now off alcohol and caffeine for good. I'm still beating myself up so badly about drinking those 4 bottles of beer at Christmas. It brought on even worse symptoms left me still wondering about RI after getting nearly a week into RI and negatively compounded everything about this WD. 

[KingPrawn]

I have a question- as I mentioned I reinstated again a few days ago as although I feel my first RI of a week was responsible for an increase in my symptoms I wasn't 100% sure as I stupidly drunk some beer at Christmas and wanted to maje sure it wasn't just the beer messing things up.

 

Anyway I tried RI again (1mg Fluoxetine) but within a couple of days have started having the weird almost radio static like sounds/feelings in my head which I had regularly when I first started with my WD symptoms back in November. 

 

This seems like too much of a coincidences and that I may be too over sensitised to even take 1mg - having read all about kindling etc this seems a message to abandon the RI which I am doing.

 

However I have a big question if someone does not reinstate is there any way the WD symptoms will ever go (I did a ridiculous taper in line with my GPs instructions to end up in WD) or without RI and then a micro taper is my outlook pretty grim. Does anyone know if WD symptoms can go even without RI and taper if you just grit your teeth after a too fast taper and dont reinstate because I've tried RI twice now and both times things seem to have got worse when I've tried so I no longer have that option.

 

Also as well as alcohol I've cut out caffeine but is it ok to eat chocolate or is that still too much caffeine? 

 

Finally (I'm on my mobile so can't add it to my signature yet but will do later) after reading many positive things about magnesium on here and generally on the Internet I started taking magnesium on 2/1 - am I correct in saying that if this has benefits it takes about a week to show anything. My symptoms seem to get worse every day so after my failed RI this is all I've got to hang on to at the moment. 

 

 

[Gridley]

1 hour ago, KingPrawn said:

I may be too over sensitised to even take 1mg - having read all about kindling etc this seems a message to abandon the RI which I am doing.

 

Sorry you're going through this, KingPrawn.  Our general advice is that if symptoms worsen after a reinstatement, stop the reinstatement.

 

1 hour ago, KingPrawn said:

 

However I have a big question if someone does not reinstate is there any way the WD symptoms will ever go (I did a ridiculous taper in line with my GPs instructions to end up in WD) or without RI and then a micro taper is my outlook pretty grim. Does anyone know if WD symptoms can go even without RI and taper if you just grit your teeth after a too fast taper and dont reinstate because I've tried RI twice now and both times things seem to have got worse when I've tried so I no longer have that option.

 

 

There are basically two choices for dealing with WD after a too-fast taper: reinstatement (which twice hasn't worked) or, as you put it, "grit your teeth" and wait for things to stabilize.  (As this is a site for going off drugs, trying another drug, such as the Sertraline you mentioned, is something you'd have talk with your doctor about.  I can recall a number of members who've had a very hard time going off Sertraline.) Regarding the "stay the course until you recover" option, it has been our general experience that everyone does stabilize and recover from WD.  I wish I could give you a timeline as to how long this will take, but I can't.  There is just no way to know.  

 

You know your body and situation better than anyone else.  Use your self-knowledge and intuition to make your decision.  

 

If you decide to stop the RI and stay the course until you recover, I'd suggest you do a deep dive into our Symptoms and Self-Care section.  They are many, many suggestions that have helped people deal with WD.

Some work for some people, others for others.  See what will work for you.  

 

1 hour ago, KingPrawn said:

is it ok to eat chocolate or is that still too much caffeine? 

I'd stay away from it.  Caffeine plus sugar, very activating.

 

1 hour ago, KingPrawn said:

I started taking magnesium

It's not a miracle supplement, but it certainly has helped me and many others.

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

I'd also suggest you read through, perhaps daily, the Success Stories forum of this site.  They're a real-life boost.

 

Gridley

 

  

Edited January 5, 2023 by Gridley

[KingPrawn]

Many thanks for your informative and very quick reply Gridley. 

 

The return of a symptoms I've not had since the first few weeks means I'll definitely not persist with the RI as I'm extremely scared about kindling etc and your words that people do recover without RI and a taper are encouraging to me to stay the course without introducing anything else.

 

I've thought better of trying another AD especially if you day Sertraline can be one of the more problematical to get off. It was just that my GP suggested it when I rang to get the fluoxetine script for my failed RI. 

 

And of course there's sugar in addition to the caffeine in chocolate- double trouble! I should have thought that through but feeling like I was desperae for a treat!

 

Once again thanks for your kind reply in what to me seem darker times by the day.

 

 

 

 

[Celestria]

Hi KP, I've been off Prozac for a little over a month and am debating on RI @ 1mg. I would love to know how you are doing, as it's been a few months since your last update. Thinking of you and hope all is well!