Nutmeg Withdrawing from SSRIs

[Nutmeg]

I was on various antidepressants along with Abilify for many years (Abilify only for the last years or so) and have now tapered down to no meds at all.

I have been feeling so bad that I went back on Prozac, only 10 mgs for the last few days and still feel really bad.

Any advice for me? Should I go back on Abilify for a few days? Did I not taper enough?

The bigger questions is, does anybody ever  get off these drugs and feel okay after having been on them for years? They no longer worked for me and I had to try to get off them but now I feel so bad I can't even work.

Any knowledge anyone has in this area would be appreciated.

Meg B

[mammaP]

Hi Meg, welcome to SA. How long is it since you stopped abilify and how long did you taper? 

The staff will need this info to give the best advice for you.  

 

You can get better, others here have been in withdrawal and recovered, or are well on the way

to recovery after  stopping ssris cold turkey. It can take a long time but recovery is possible. 

I am getting to the end of my 18 months taper and feel so much better after years of feeling ill on ADs .

I feel better than I ever thought I would and so glad I found this forum which has helped tremendously. 

Someone will be along very soon who can advise on the best way forward for you. 

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Nutmeg.

 

It will take at least 4 days for the Prozac to reach steady-state in your bloodstream.

 

Prior to going off drugs, what were you on, at what dosages, and how did you go off?

[Nutmeg]

I was on 10 mg of Prozac (after tapering that down for a long long time, from 20 mg) and 5 mg of Abilify. I also took 10 mcg of Cytomel which helped me a lot at first. I felt lousy on that combo and was switched to Desipramine (which I have taken in the past to good effect) and dropped the 10 of Prozac. I had been taking the Abilify in an tapering way, going down to 2mg for a few days, feeling lousy and back up to 5 mg.

When I went on the Desipramine I stopped the Abilify cold turkey, being told that was okay. I also stopped the Prozac, all but the Cytomel. I felt really horrible after about 5 days and thought it was Prozac withdrawal so reinstituted the Prozac and did NOT get better.

I have felt so so so bad in the last few days it dawned on me that Abilify is the only drug I truly went cold turkey off, so I took 5 mg of Abilify last night and feel infinitely better. Took 10 mg of Prozac too, this morning as well as another 5 of Abilify in the hopes of getting out of this hell.

Does any of this make sense?

What scares me is that I have to work for a living and cannot feel as bad as I have for protracted periods of time!

[Altostrata]

You've made a lot of drug switches. If I were you, I'd try just the 5mg Abilify and not take the Prozac as well -- one thing at a time. That way, you can tell what's working.

 

Good to hear reinstating Abilify helped. Please read this topic about tapering it http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1896-tips-for-tapering-off-abilify-aripiprazole/

 

Going up and down in dosage or skipping doses is not a good tapering strategy, it throws your nervous system into chaos.

[Nutmeg]

 

How do I go about tapering Abilify now that I"ve taken 2 doses of 5 mg each, 2 days in a row and feel much better?

I read the article-how much is 10% a month? I guess that's by 1/2 mg per month! That should be slow enough! My doctor didn't see the need to taper it at all! And to be clear-you recommend I drop the Prozac altogether? Sorry my brain is not working very well.

[Jemima]

Just stay on that 5 mg. of Abilify a day for at least a month and get stabilized before attempting a taper. Please note that Abilify is a very strong drug, so while 5 mg. doesn't sound like much, it's actually quite a lot. Please don't increase your dose by taking it in the evening and the morning.  Pick a time  to take one dose and stay with that. A 10% taper means that you reduce your dose by 10% of the amount you're taking, so your first drop in dosage would take you to 4.5 mg. (5.0-.50); the next cut would bring your dose down to 4.05 mg. (10% of 4.5 = .45, and 4.5-.45 = 4.05, and so on.) This is best accomplished by either getting a liquid version of Abilify or making it yourself.  Keep in mind also that cuts shouldn't be made more than once a month. But don't worry about this now.  Just stay at your present dose for the next month or so.

 

I'm confused about your history with Prozac.  How long were you on it originally and how long has it been since you went off of it cold turkey the first time? When did you reinstate and for how long? We can't give you very good advice without knowing more.

 

Yes, people do get off these drugs and feel okay again, but you must do it carefully and slowly. Changing your doses up and down every time you feel uncomfortable is going to make things worse.

 

Welcome to the forum.  I'm glad you found us.

[Nutmeg]

Thanks for your responses! I have taken only 10 mg of Prozac (after having tapered from 20) for quite some time now along with the Abilify and the Cytomel. They weren't working so I went on desipramine and cold turkey'ed the abilify and took a few more doses of Prozac before dropping that for a few days only. I felt so bad I went back on the Prozac but got no relief (that's only been a few days now). On the 7th of Oct I felt so bad I reinstated the Abilify at 5 mg and felt infinitely better.

Do you think I should leave the prozac alone? Taking it again didn't seem to help.

[Altostrata]

Change only one thing at a time, please.

[Nutmeg]

Allostrata-you say for me not to take the Prozac as well as the Abilify (I had to go back on it remember). I took 10mg of Prozac for a few years then dropped it cold turkey for about 2 months when I went on desipramine (with bad results). Last week I restarted the Prozac but it did not help. I figured out it was the Abilify I was withdrawing from.

Now I feel better.

If I don't do a proper taper off the Prozac aren't I in for a withdrawal in a few weeks?  (I never really tapered it just stopped it abruptly and resumed it after 2 months only to drop it again after a few days.

Sorry to be so thick-my brain is not working right but that withdrawal is the worst I've ever felt in my life! I don't look forward to another round from another drug in a few weeks (my shrink says it takes 5 weeks for Prozac to leave one's system altogether).

Thanks for your indulgence

Meg B

[Rhiannon]

So let me get this straight, you were on 10 mg Prozac for some years, then about two months ago you CT'd it, then a week or so ago you started taking it again, and then you quit again a couple of days ago?

 

If this is correct then I think you might benefit from a partial reinstatement of the Prozac (you may be able to do well on less than 10 mg, say 3-5 or so) as well as the reinstatement of Abilify. Prozac can be obtained in liquid form so you can get those small dosages.

 

I would say, once you figure out what you are going to take, find a dose and stick with it, be very consistent with what you take and what time of day, and hold there for as long as it takes to feel stable. Then you can begin a slow, safe taper.

 

The more you change dosages and drugs around, the longer it will take to feel stable.

[Nutmeg]

I forgot to mention that I also irregularly take Neurontin-but that's a recent addition and I don't take it that often. Am I going to have to withdraw from that someday too? 300 mg once a day and sometimes 600 at night.

[Altostrata]

If you take it every day, you will need to taper it.

[Nutmeg]

Hi thanks for all the responses folks.

I honestly don't remember how many different drugs I was on when, I just know that I've been on various antidepressants since 1984 and the one I was on the most frequently and with the most efficacy is Prozac which I have been on for at least 10 years straight. It was augmented with Abilify (which I went off cold turkey and had to go back on, I'm now down to 2 mg a day down from 5) and Cytomel.

I've been off Prozac since the beginning of October and I feel lousy. I am anxious and irritable and tired all the time, and depressed! I have a rare good day and wondered of folks feel better after, what, a year off SSRI's? Can I expect to feel lousy for awhile more? Am I ever going to feel better? If I knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel it would be easier for me to hang in there. My doctor wants me to go back on the drugs saying my depression has returned. I do not believe that. This is the same doc who had me go off the Abilify cold turkey!

I am on Abilify 2mg and Cytomel 10 mcg and that's it right now.

[Altostrata]

How did you decrease Abilify from 5mg in October?

[Nutmeg]

I went from 5 to 2mg by tapering it by a milligram a month and am now at 2 mg. I thought I might be feeling lousy from tapering too fast but went up for a few days and it did not help like it did when I first realized I shouldn't have cold turkey'ed it and went back on 5 at the start of October.

BTW<I did taper the Prozac (which I was told I wouldn't have to because Prozac is a "self tapering" drug) and have been off that since early October.

[Altostrata]

From 5mg, a 1mg decrease would be 20%.

 

From 4mg, a 1mg decrease would be 25%.

 

From 3mg, a 1mg decrease would be 33.3%.

 

It seems this was too fast for your nervous system.

 

You might try going back to 3mg and see if you can stabilize.

[Nutmeg]

Good folks:

I have been on Abilify 2 mg for over a month and off Prozac after tapering since October 7.

I feel lousy and wonder if I just hang in there, even for months, can I look forward to getting better. I read other's stories and it seems they feel bad WHILE tapering when I've already done that with Prozac, and got down to Abilify 2 as I said.

I am faced with going back to work at a very stressful job when I feel bad, but then I felt bad all those years ON the SSRI's and don't think going back on them is going to benefit me.

Question I'm posing:

Do people feel better after a slower taper or do they feel better after tapering, then getting off and being off for months? I can't decide whether to reinstate the Prozac for a period.

Sorry if I'm being redundant and unclear but my cognition is not great.

Meg B

[Altostrata]

Sorry, how long it will take your nervous system to recover from the drug decreases cannot be predicted. We believe a slower taper decrease the risk of a prolonged post-withdrawal recovery -- but that ship has sailed for you.

 

Reinstating Prozac or a small amount of Abilify may help your symptoms, or it may not. If you can stabilize on either, you will be able to "do over" your taper.

[Nutmeg]

Hi good folksI am so desperate to feel better I have gone back on 10 mg of Prozac. I have to go back to work at a very stressful job on Jan 15 and cannot feel this bad! I work with severely mentally ill patients!

Anyhow I am praying that after reinstating Prozac for a month or 2 I will feel better and be able to "do over" my taper, as you say.

God this has been awful!!!

Thanks for the support I have gotten!

[mammaP]

I hope the reinstatement works for you Nutmeg and you feel better soon.. 

[Nutmeg]

Dear good folks:

I had to go back on the Prozac at 10 mg because I was feeling so bad. It is not helping me. I feel horrible and am scared I will feel like this forever. I am faced with going back to work at a stressful job this month.

I started taking the Prozac again on Dec 27, so 5 doses so far. Should I continue and then taper off again after a few months? I don't know what to do at this point and despair of ever feeling better.

[areyouthere]

Nutmeg,

 

I am not an expert but have been a part of this forum for over a year ..so around to see the advice for people in your position.

 

Until someone with more expertise comes along I will tell you that you will very likely be told to continue with the reinstatement….that you have not given it NEAR enough time to work yet.

 

I think that the worst thing you could do today is to stop taking it.

 

Please continue taking 10 mg. Someone will be along...

 

I hope that you feel better soon. I have seen many, many people reinstate, panic, be told to hold on and then be so grateful that they stuck with it…. but remember.. I am not "staff" here. Please take the 10 mg. today and tomorrow and wait for Alto or similar to pipe up.

 

RU 

[Altostrata]

Yes, please be consistent with the reinstatement, give it time.

 

Have your symptoms changed at all?

[Nutmeg]

I actually feel a tad better today. Thank you for your responses.

I can't help but think about David Foster Wallace, that young man (brilliant author) who was severely depressed, took SSRI's for years, went off them and suffered greatly, went back on them and suffered more. He ended up killing himself.

My thoughts go there when I feel this bad.

I'm trying to find examples of people who have had to go back on the drugs but eventually felt better despite not responding to the reinstatement initially.

I need some hope.

Thank God for this forum!

[Altostrata]

Good to hear you're feeling a bit better.

 

I think of David Foster Wallace myself. In fact, just yesterday. He killed himself in the midst of Nardil withdrawal syndrome. I wrote an e-mail to his psychiatrist about that.

[Nutmeg]

It's very sad that he saw no options for himself and I pray I start to feel better before I get to that point. I do not have the option of offing myself; it would destroy my son and the rest of my family. I have to find a way through this.

People with my history of reinstatement with no initial response do get better eventually, do they not?

[Altostrata]

I believe if DFW had known he was suffering from withdrawal syndrome and not some new untreatable psychiatric illness, he might not have killed himself.

 

Your reinstatement is very early, we don't know how it will work yet. It may be you'll need to add in a tiny bit of Abilify.

[Nutmeg]

Withdrawal from these drugs is so horrible-far worse than heroin or cigarettes as far as I know-you just want to rip your skin off. My doc says it's depression coming back-I don't believe that for a minute-my depression was never this bad.

I am feeling better today and just have to admit defeat in getting off these drugs in 4 months time. It's obviously going to take me years of incremental tapering!

[Altostrata]

Feeling better! Yay!

[Nutmeg]

Thanks for the support. I may call upon you all again!