hello my name is bluebell

[bluebell]

Hello, I have been taking antidepressants for so long now, can't actually remember my exact age. Anyway what I can tell you is for about the past 4 years have been taking 40 mg prozac a day as prescribed by my GP. I came across some information online and have been tapering since last October 2012. I am now on 34 mg per day. My GP refuses to prescribe me the fluoxetine liquid so I use jewellery scales to measure the contents of the prozac capsule. It is difficult for me to say really how I am but lately I have been suffering from really bad headaches and feeling sad. I am concerned that I have tapered too quickly but feel so down about my current symptoms and all the stuff I have learned about antidepressants that I feel very loathe to go back up and increase my daily dosage. I am not even tapering by as much as 10 % each time. I feel terribly insecure alot of the time and need to read about how other people are dealing with this situation.

I look forward to getting to know everyone

Lots of love

Bluebell

[Altostrata]

Welcome, bluebell.

 

You have other options for tapering. See http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/759-tips-for-tapering-off-prozac-fluoxetine/

 

What you might want to do right now is hold for a bit and let your nervous system accommodate to the reduction so far, then do what we call a "micro-taper," reducing by a very small amount every xx days, depending on your symptoms. The amount might be as small as 0.10mg at a time.

[Jemima]

Welcome to the forum, bluebell. You've been very wise to take your time tapering off Prozac and are probably going through a period of temporary instability. Hang in there, listen to your body, and take good care of yourself.

 

Do you have any idea why you were put on 40 mg. of Prozac? That's about twice the usual dose. I won't be surprised if your doctor didn't explain anything to you, but just kept upping the dose whenever you had a symptom or even a side effect. Very few doctors have any familiarity with antidepressant withdrawal syndrome!

[tezza]

Hi bluebell,

 

I just want to welcome you here. This is a very supportive group! You will find lots of helpful information and great advice.

 

When you get a chance please add your history by following instructions here:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

It will be helpful to those offering support and advice.

 

Thanks,

Tezza

[bluebell]

Hi bluebell,

 

I just want to welcome you here. This is a very supportive group! You will find lots of helpful information and great advice.

 

When you get a chance please add your history by following instructions here:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

It will be helpful to those offering support and advice.

 

Thanks,

Tezza

 

Thanks but I have done this already,

Kind Regards

Bluebell

[bluebell]

Welcome, bluebell.

 

You have other options for tapering. See http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/759-tips-for-tapering-off-prozac-fluoxetine/

 

What you might want to do right now is hold for a bit and let your nervous system accommodate to the reduction so far, then do what we call a "micro-taper," reducing by a very small amount every xx days, depending on your symptoms. The amount might be as small as 0.10mg at a time.

 

Thanks for that advice, I will do what you are suggesting

Thank you

Bluebell

[strawberry17]

Welcome Bluebell (you know me from elsewhere )

[bluebell]

Welcome, bluebell.

 

You have other options for tapering. See http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/759-tips-for-tapering-off-prozac-fluoxetine/

 

What you might want to do right now is hold for a bit and let your nervous system accommodate to the reduction so far, then do what we call a "micro-taper," reducing by a very small amount every xx days, depending on your symptoms. The amount might be as small as 0.10mg at a time.

 

Hi Alto, I am really struggling from bad headaches. As my GP won't prescribe me the liquid Prozac I have to use jewellery scales. so I take one 20 mg capsule, then break open the contents of another 20 mg capsule, and weigh out 0.145/0.146/ 0.147/0.148/0.149. I don't really bother with the last number as long as it's 0.14 something I figure out it is the equivalent of 14 mg. so 20 +14 = 34 mg. I will not now taper down to 33 mg for a good few months and hope the headaches go.You suggested I do a micro taper in the future. what would I measure out then? I am feeling really anxious about all this especially as it's now the third week I have been getting bad headaches and I am sick of them.

[Altostrata]

You can make your own liquid from Prozac, that might be easier for you to measure. See http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/759-tips-for-tapering-off-prozac-fluoxetine/

 

Are you taking magnesium? That can help with the headaches. See http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1300-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

[bluebell]

Thanks for your reply. I have read somewhere that the Prozac granules can cause stomach upset??? is this correct? If I were to make my own solution, then I would be worried that the granules would cause gastric irritation if they weren't kept in their capsules.

Kind regards

Bluebell

[Altostrata]

Nobody has complained of that that I know of. But if you're worried about it, take it with food.

[basildev]

HI Bluebell,

 

I just wanted to drop by and say welcome.

 

You've done really well getting down to your current dose. As Alto suggests you might want to hold for a while to give your nervous system a chance to settle down.

 

Sometimes after tapering for a while it kind of catches up with you. It's important to go slow and trust your own instincts.

 

Don't be discouraged about having to updose if that's what your body needs. Many people here including myself have been in the same boat.

 

I wish you luck.

[peggy]

Hi blue bell,

I think you may have made an error.... Did you empty and weigh the contents of a capsule? From your explanation you are just weighing out 14 mg- it is very likely that a capsule is heavier than that because of the filler weight inside. You may have inadvertently tapered a lot more than just 6 mg. that could explain your headaches and general sadness.

[bluebell]

Hi blue bell,

I think you may have made an error.... Did you empty and weigh the contents of a capsule? From your explanation you are just weighing out 14 mg- it is very likely that a capsule is heavier than that because of the filler weight inside. You may have inadvertently tapered a lot more than just 6 mg. that could explain your headaches and general sadness.

 

Hi Peggy, Unfortunately I do not fully understand your explanation. Please can you tell me in more simpler words what you mean. I empty the granules of the Prozac capsule onto my jewellery scale, then take some granules off using some tweezers. I pour what weighs 0.14 back into the capsule before taking it. do you know what I mean? I feel abit anxious now and need to know what you are talking about. Please get back to me on this

Love

Bluebell

[peggy]

sorry to confuse you bluebell..

 

i would suggest you empty an entire capsule of prozac onto your scale to see how much it actually weighs. It will probably weigh more than 20mg. 20mg is the weight of the actual drug. you need to find out the weight of the whole capsule to determine how much 14mg of prozac will be.

[bluebell]

Dear Alto, I am having serious problems having to get up out of bed several times ( about 9 times ) overnight to pass urine. I am tapering down from Prozac 40 mg, am currently on 34.5 mg. Do you think this is a symptom of tapering?

Kind Regards

Bluebell

PS if so when is it going to settle?

[Jemima]

Dear Alto, I am having serious problems having to get up out of bed several times ( about 9 times ) overnight to pass urine. I am tapering down from Prozac 40 mg, am currently on 34.5 mg. Do you think this is a symptom of tapering?

Kind Regards

Bluebell

PS if so when is it going to settle?

 

 

There's a very good chance that having to use the bathroom throughout the night is related to withdrawal, which may mean that you're tapering too fast. Here's a topic under 'Symptoms and self-care' regarding this annoying condition:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1969-embarrassed-urination/page__p__19231__hl__nocturia__fromsearch__1#entry19231

 

To my knowledge, no one has any absolute answers to your questions, especially about how long it will last. I'm not sure if a small updose would help with this or not. I hope someone with better knowledge will come along to advise you.

 

BTW, I merged your two topics because only one Intro topic is allowed per member.

[Altostrata]

Yes, it can be a withdrawal symptom. Other than the urinating, how are you sleeping?