NewBeginning: my withdrawal story

[Newbeginning]

Today is mi first day without Effexor. I was so tired this week I think I spent 70% of the week asleep.

 

Still feel tired, maybe a little less. I can at least stay awake for more hours. I don't get much of anything done though.

 

The apathy is worse than ever. Have not showered or brushed my teeth in more than a week. No work done either. Or anything else. I force myself to take the prozac and supplements (multivitamin, fish oil, probiotics, magnesium)-and that's about it.

 

I don't know what to grab onto to find hope. I think about dieing a lot.

 

I imagine some of it is psychological. After living with apathy for so long, I'm almost scared to push myself to do something positive, because I dread the feeling of defeat I get when I can't do it again.

 

I know it's possible this will get better as I decrease prozac, but in the meantime the neglect is destroying my health, my appearance, my relationships, my work, my life. If it was the first time it would probably be easier to tolerate, but I've been living with the consequences of depression/apathy and SSRI use for 13 years now, and going through this now just seems unbearable.

 

Sometimes  I feel like overdosing just so I can be taken to the hospital and stay there for a few months, only to wake up again when I can live normally. I don't know how much longer I can hang on watching myself rot in life like this...

[bubble]

Very sorry to hear things have gone from bad to worse.

 

I went back through the posts in your thread so I saw you were warned things might not go well after everything that was happening in May. When I look at your signature, I would even say that problems might have started back in January when you quit Zoloft seemingly without problems. I say seemingly because problems with these meds don't start immediately after discontinuation nor can new meds fill in the gaps that the old ones left. 

 

That's all irrelevant now but sometimes knowing what went wrong helps me to deal with a difficult situation because knowing the cause makes it more manageable than the feeling that horror came out of the blue. If I know the cause, I know what to do or in this case what not to do: change medication again. Our CNS recovers from everything we did to it if we allow it time to heal and help it by treating it gently and applying beneficial ideas from Symptoms and self-care. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2873-anhedonia-apathy-demotivation/

 

I also used to have dreams about a quiet hospital where I would be sheltered while I heal and be spared of the challenges posed by the outside world which I couldn't cope with. Unfortunately,we know that hospitals are not such places. There is no time to wait for healing to happen but "healing"is forcefully imposed on people with results similar or even worse to the one you are experiencing now. So I hope you are not seriously thinking about going to hospital which inevitably means more meds and more hammering the brain.

 

If I were you I'd make my life very simple and create a safe place for myself. There will be time for jobs and education. There is always time. The sooner we let go, the faster it will come again. Take pity on yourself and nurture yourself as if you were a sick child. After my last scenario that brought me here it took me 4 months to notice a visible improvement. I still wonder how I survived those 4 months: spent a lot and lot of time here and don't have  a clue how I'd have managed without it. There wasn't much I could do and even self-care was difficult. 4 months is an awful lot of time when suffering but I got better and I learnt what was that I did wrong all those years.

 

As hard as it is try to very gently motivate yourself to do little self-care things. I don't believe that doses of medication help. Again, stability and patience heal OVER TIME, not a particular dose, not decreasing as you mention it again.

 

hang in there.

 

best,

bubble 

[Lexy]

I'm going through the same thing...wave of depression has stayed for two weeks now.

I think a lot about giving up and just letting go.

I feel so much anger and frustration for being put on this Med that has robbed me of so much.

 

I am sorry I can't offer words of comfort but just know you are not alone in this. I'm in the same place.

[Lexy]

I wish I knew where I went wrong. Switching to the XR or decreasing by 4% in May?

Bubble is right we need to try to figure where we went wrong and learn from that.

[Newbeginning]

I don't know where I went wrong either....Not sure it's even possible to know for sure. I replaced zoloft with effexor and, since I didn't have any issues until I started decreasing effexor at least 2 months later, I didn't think it was the zoloft.

 

Actually, I do think it is zoloft. Zoloft at that high dose and for that long sensitized my brain to withdrawal. It is because of zoloft that I had problems withdrawing from meds since. I suppose Bubble means that I could have experienced protracted withdrawal from zoloft, but given that it happened only when I decreased effexor, I'm more inclined to think it was withdrawal to effexor.

 

I had experienced withdrawal twice before May. Once the first time I tried decreasing effexor from 200 to 150 on my own because the nurse refused to even consider helping me decrease the med. The second time when I decreased effexor the first time. Both times the symptoms took several weeks to resolve, but the most disabling symptoms went away after 10 days ore so.

 

This time I've had disabling symptoms even after 5 weeks. I think PMS made it a lot worse.

 

I'm feeling a little better as my hormones balance out a bit. The tiredness and apathy are still awful, but I'm having a little response to the nuvigil and a tiny bit more energy and motivation than I did last week. Having a response to nuvigil is a sign that the withdrawal is improving.

 

Bubble is right that it's important to know what I could have done better. It's so hard to know though. Does the time you spend on a dose that is too low for your body to handle affect how bad withdrawal gets?

 

I'm asking because I wonder if the fact that it took me 9 days to go back to taking prozac daily had anything to do with the worse symptoms I got this time. I think ythe last two times I got withdrawal, I addressed it within 5 days.

 

I'm staying at 20mg prozac for at least another month, so when I said "decreasing", I didn't mean now and I plan on taking many months to get off the prozac once I start decreasing.

 

Looking back, I should have chosen decreasing effexor very slowly instead of cross tapering with prozac. With lower doses of effexor I did not have as much apathy as I had once the prozac started working. It's too late now, so I have to put up with the apathy until my body can handle decreasing to a dose of prozac at which apathy is not an issue.

 

I coud not make the right decisions because I didn't know anything about how my body reacted to these meds. I couldn't understand the advice I was given. I was confused and had to make decisions while the withdrawal was at its worst.

 

I'm still scared of having a reaction to stopping effexor, even though everyone here tells me I probably won't because the withdrawal was most likely from taking prozac every other day instead of daily. Now that I can think more clearly and understand how all this works a little better, I actually agree. But until it's been 2 weeks after quitting effexor, I'm going to scared it might still affect me. I'm sure I'm not the only one that develops a "fear of withdrawal".

 

I have to find hope somewhere to be able to hang in here. I try to remember the few weeks when the apathy improved and try to have hope that when I'm able to decrease prozac enough, I will have more motivation and maybe start feeling better than I have in a long time. Or maybe not....but need to hang in there to find out. After 13 years of suffering, I can't give up without at least finding out if my quality of life is better when I'm med free....even if takes months or years....as long as there is improvement, I can build on that to keep the hope.

 

Thank you Bubble and Lexy for listening and for your support and encouragement.

[Newbeginning]

I wish I knew where I went wrong. Switching to the XR or decreasing by 4% in May?

Bubble is right we need to try to figure where we went wrong and learn from that.

 

I'm sorry Lexy. Wish I could do something to help you. If you want to talk by PM, I'll be happy to offer support that way. Feel free to write to me anytime please. Having someone to talk to more often with might help you.

 

When exactly did you switch to XR? From your signature, it looks like you've been decreasing very slowly. Have you had another episode of worsened depression in the past since 2012 when you started decreasing?

 

Did something happened in your life when the worsening of your mood started? Additional stress, interpersonal problems, PMS, being sick (eg, the flu), not getting enough sleep, eating too much junk food?

 

Maybe we can figure out together if there are other factors involved and ways to address them?

 

Don't despair. You've put so much effort into this for the last two years. We can't give up now. Let's at least try to help each other before giving up.

 

I will put your name in a prayer list I use sometimes where lots of people pray for you. A friend did it for me and it's helped me before.

 

I'm here for you if you need me.

[Lexy]

Thank you so much.

I do believe in the power of prayer. I will pray for you too.

I can't figure out where I went wrong. Could be the switch or tapering a little too fast.

Instead of doing 1% I tried 3 and half percent during May. The last day of my finals I cut by .50mg the following day hell broke loose. I started having waves of depression all day.

 

I see a new doctor today that Alri recommended.

I am trying not to put all my hope in him as I just can't think what he can do for me at this point.

However if he is understanding of withdrawals that beats out my doctor by a longshot and that's not even mentioning his condensending attitude.

I will report back after I see him in my thread.

[Lexy]

I meant Alto

[Newbeginning]

Maybe cutting more during a time of extra stress (finals) triggered more symptoms? I think most people try to maintain their dose during times of stress (they stop the tapering altogether).

 

It makes sense that any additional stress would make withdrawal harder.

 

If you noticed the problems right after finals and after 1 month of cutting more it could be either the stress, the extra cutting or both. Assuming you have less stress now, it should help.

 

How long has it been since you cut by 3.5% the first time? Why did you decide to cut more?

 

I think a good dr can always help. If nothing else, he can support you through the process and advise you based on your individual case. Since he understands the withdrawal process, it can't be worse than doing it on your own.

 

Now that you gave me your approval, I'll go ahead and put you on the prayer's list. I'll follow your intro forum so I can see how you're doing and, again, PM me anytime.

[Lexy]

Thanks for posting in my thread.

I appreciate all your advice and will try your suggestions.

 

How are you today?

I hope the Prozac bridge will start stabilizing and on lead you to a road of recovery.

[Newbeginning]

Still tired and apathetic but a little better. Hanging in there

 

Best wishes for you too!

[Lexy]

I went to see new pdoc. He is a psychopharmacologist.

He said I should never been given effexor after reaction (suicidal ideations) to Prozac that I had before effexor.

 

He said some people can not get off effexor by itself and prescribed lamotrogine to help with depression withdrawals.

I'm so scared of going on other Meds. Don't have a clue on what to do.

[Newbeginning]

Lamictal? Never heard of that being used to cross-taper. It does have antidepressant effects, but it's mostly used as a mood regulator. Technically, I think it's an anti-epileptic.

 

I suppose as long as it affects the same receptors/mechanisms in the brain as effexor, you could use it to taper. Has the dr had any success using it to cross-taper in the past?

 

I share your frustration and fear. The fact that no one knows what to do to help us is depressing in and of itself. Helplessness is a risk factor for depression. Not having any power or control over this situation. Not knowing when all of a sudden we're sick and dysfunctional again. If at least we could get to the point when we understand how to minimize the symptoms.

 

Some people onthis forum are there. It sounds like you and I are not .

 

If it helps in anything, I'm with you until we both get there.

[Newbeginning]

Some bad news from me too. I woke up today with headaches. Now I'm very lightheaded. It seems quitting effexor is triggering some withdrawal. The prozac did not work to cross taper from 10mg to 0.

 

I need some advice please! I will give it 3 days to see if it goes away on its own, but if it doesn't, what should I do? Get back on effexor 10mg (along with prozac 20mg)?

 

I can't blame the dr because he told me to stay on effexor, and if anything, only cut a bit. I and other people that advised me here thought I could get away with quitting effexor. It seems we were wrong.

 

I don't want to wait too long to do something because I'm scared the longer I stay in withdrawal, the higher the chances I'll spend another month with disabling symptoms.

 

As we speak, I'm getting more and more lightheaded. Probably need to eat too.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Newbeginning]

I went back to effexor at 10mg yesterday and the new withdrawal symptoms are gone. I had to do it because I was getting extremely depressed and it was scary.  I tried to quit effexor but it did not work. 

 

Will stay at 10mg for now.

 

Now I know that the big withdrawal I had a month ago might have also been due to effexor. Either that or I stayed too long on effexor when I reinstated it.

 

I'm just glad the new withdrawal symptoms are gone.

 

I'm also glad prozac is still helping me quit effexor quicker than I would without prozac. After all, it seems I'm able to cut the dose by 50%, which is a lot.

 

I'm not sure how to proceed from now. Will stay at 10mg effexor and 20mg prozac to see how my body reacts. Then I'll need to decide on a taper plan. The issue is that I don't want to stay too long on effexor or I won't be able to continue using prozac to cross taper. Yet, I can't cut effexor too fast because my body is not tolerating it.

[Newbeginning]

Something I noticed is since I experienced withdrawal the first time the nuvigil does not work the same. It's not effective at giving me energy or helping with apathy. I also have this weird side effect that I never got before: I get very very hungry.

 

It's not that I want to eat. In fact I have to push myself to eat. I just get the physical sensations that I get when I'm starving. I feel like there's a hole in my stomach and it's very stressful. When I eat, it goes away but only for 1-2 hours and then comes back.

 

It may not sound like much, but it is very disruptive to feel the stress of hunger all day long, especially when it comes with a loss of appetite.

 

I eat the portions I normally feel satisfied with and they do nothing.

 

Before withdrawal nuvigil made me eat less and I would not get these weird sensations. In fact, most people get decreased appetite when they take it, as it works a lot like a stimulant even though it's not technically a stimulant.

 

Anyone else taking nuvigil or another stimulant?

[Newbeginning]

4 days after reinstating effexor at 10mg I'm having the withdrawal headache again. I know it's from withdrawal because I never in my life had a headache that lasted hours and did not respond to painkillers until I had withdrawal.

 

I'm going back to 18 mg effexor and stay there.

 

Basically, prozac is not helping ne cross-taper???? It did at first. Now it doesn't.

 

So I'm stuck with a medicine that makes the apathy worse (prozac) but helps nothing and now I have to taper both???

 

Is there another way? Please please advice if you can.

[Altostrata]

Please do not jump around in dosages. It can take a while for the nervous system to stabilize. Inconsistent dosing makes it all worse.

 

One incident does not a pattern make. Do not draw conclusions from single events. Please keep notes on paper about your daily symptom pattern.

[Newbeginning]

Thanks Alto. I understand. I only restarted effexor because I got very bad withdrawal symptoms when I quit it. I will stay where I am now until I'm completely stable and keep notes.

 

The tiredness seems to not go away even after several weeks. It did not get better when I quit effexor. The fatigue and apathy are really affecting me. I'm very dyfunctional and it's getting me very depressed.

 

Can't even make it to the dr right now. I need to though. I need to clarify with him that I will need an extremely slow taper.

 

I'm staying at effexor 18mg and prozac 20mg for at least 6 weeks. I read in the cross taper thread that it's not good to stay too long in the drug you're trying to taper from or prozac might not work to cross taper anymore. Since I'm staying for a while to stabilize my system, does that mean I will need to taper both effexor and prozac extremely slowly, once I start tapering again?

[Altostrata]

I would taper the Effexor to transition to Prozac only, then taper that.

 

We do not advise changing dosages of more than one drug at a time.

[Newbeginning]

Oh, yes. I was not planning on tapering both at the same time. What I meant when I said "tapering both" is that it does not seem like prozac is helping me cross taper from effexor anymore, and I'm wondering if this means I'll need to taper 10% per month of effexor and then when I'm off effexor 10% per month of prozac?

[Altostrata]

Correct. I think we've been over this before. Please read this topic again.

[Newbeginning]

Yes, I know. I just wasn't sure whether I could still use prozac to cross taper from effexor in the future, which would mean I could taper effexor faster than 10% per month once I'm stable again. Based on my experience trying unsuccessfully to quit effexor from 18mg to 0 using prozac, it would seem like prozac was not being effective to cross taper anymore. However, it might be that I was still in the midst of the last withdrawal episode when I tried to quit effexor, so that might have reduced prozac's cross tapering effectiveness.

 

In other words, do you think it's worth trying to taper a little faster than 10% from effexor once I'm stable after several weeks? Why did prozac helped me taper down to 18mg but not quit? Why did I end up having to taper two meds at 10% when I was using prozac to quit effexor?

 

I'm trying to learn from my mistakes and from how my body reacted to these changes, but this seems so unpredictable and confusing that I feel I'm still right where I started

 

Thanks a lot Alto!

[Altostrata]

Again, I am completely confused about what you're doing, how long you've been on this and that, etc.

[Petunia]

I just read back through your last several posts and I think I understand what you were trying to do, and it seems like the Prozac bridge hasn't worked for you:

 

see

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1463-the-prozac-switch-or-bridging-with-prozac/?p=13616

 

Drawbacks of bridging
For most people the switch goes smoothly but for some it doesn't. A bridging strategy has the following drawbacks for a minority of those who try it:

• Adverse reaction to the bridge drug, such as Prozac.
• Dropping the first antidepressant in the switch causes withdrawal symptoms even though you're taking a bridge drug.
• If withdrawal symptoms are already underway, switching to a bridge drug doesn't help
• Difficulty tapering off the bridge drug. All of the bridge drugs can be difficult to taper themselves.
• So, like anything else, the Prozac switch is not guaranteed to work. But if you are having intolerable withdrawal from another antidepressant, it may be worth risking the worst case in the Prozac switch: It doesn't help and you have withdrawal syndrome anyway.

Unfortunately, I don't know what to suggest but its not a good idea to continue taking both effexor and prozac, as is cautioned in this point:

• Do not stay on the combination of the first antidepressant and Prozac for more than 2 weeks, or you run the risk of your nervous system accommodating to the combination and having difficulty tapering off both antidepressants.

You may need to drop either the effexor or prozac and then learn how to handle the withdrawal symptoms until your nervous system manages to stabilize, but I don't have any experience of how to handle the situation when a prozac bridge hasn't worked. Please read through the entire post linked above.

 

I'm really sorry this has been so difficult, some people just seem to have a harder time and I don't like having to say this, but I think you need to accept that which ever way you go from here, you are going to be experiencing some uncomfortable symptoms and will need to learn how to manage them as your nervous system takes its time stabilizing.

 

The symptoms and self care section may provide some ideas:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/forum/8-symptoms-and-self-care/

 

Perhaps others will have some suggestions.

 

[Newbeginning]

I know Alto. I am confused too. I think Petu understood what I was trying to explain all along with little success.

 

Basically,

 

1-January this year I used effexor to cross-taper zoloft 200mg to 0mg. I ended up on 75mg effexor with no issues.

 

2-February-May: I tapered effexor following dr's instructions, but got withdrawal. Dr added Prozac. Was able to taper effexor with no issues down to 18mg.

 

3-May: Dr made huge mistake: I told him prozac was giving me apathy and I didn't like it. He had me go from 18mg effexor to 0. Then 4 days later beginning tapering prozac by taking t every other day. I got bad withdrawal and it was impossible to know if it was from prozac, effexor or both.

 

3-a: After few days went back to prozac every day. Few days later, no improvement at all.

3-b: Dr told me to go back to effexor 18mg and prozac daily.

3-c: Some problems went away (severe headache, dizziness), but extreme tiredness and apathy persisted.

 

**At this point I started consulting with you guys. You suggested taking prozac every other day was most likely the problem. You suggested I get off effexor, as the tiredness I was experiencing might be due to taking both effexor and prozac.

 

4-June: withdrawal all month long. Mostly extreme unbearable fatigue. Tried going off efexor (took 10mg 4 days and then quit). God bad withdrawal. Tried going back to 10mg effexor, withdrawal went away but came back after 4 days. Went back to effexor 18mg.

 

_______________________________________________

 

At this point I think Petu is right. Prozac is not helping cross taper effexor anymore. This could be because I'm still in withdrawal or because I stayed on the combination for too long.

 

Right now back on effexor 18mg I seem to be stabilizing. The headache has gone away. I seem to be doing a little better than I have in weeks. A little more energetic.

 

Not sure what to do. I will read the cross-taper thread again.

 

If it's too late to get off effexor, I might just have to taper 10% of effexor per month until I'm done with it and then do the same with prozac.

[Altostrata]

What I needed to know was how long you've been on Effexor and Prozac NOW.

[Newbeginning]

Alto, I had been off effexor for 4 days only. I reinstated effexor on June 18. Took 10mg for 4 days hoping it would be enough. I had withdrawal after 4 days so I went back to 18mg. I have been on 18mg for about 6 days now.

I have been on prozac 20mg since April, 2014. I only took it every other day for about a week in May. All the rest of the time I've taken it at the same dose non-stop.

 

Is this what you were asking?

[Altostrata]

Thanks for that attempt at clarification. Please update your signature with current information.

 

As I understand it, you decided to use the Prozac switch to get off Effexor in late April. Everything seemed to go well until you alternated doses of Prozac in May. That triggered withdrawal symptoms.

 

Then you went back to taking Prozac regularly. Your withdrawal symptoms improved a bit, but you got anxious and threw in the Effexor.

 

On June 14, you dropped the Effexor. On June 18, you got a headache, so you added some Effexor again. 4 days later, you got another headache, so you added more Effexor.

 

Here it is June 27, and you want to know what to taper?

 

What is your daily symptom pattern now? Are you keeping notes on paper?

 

As I think I've said a number of times, you haven't given anything enough time to work or to distinguish a symptom pattern. At this point, your situation is so complicated, I have no idea what you should do. I don't know if Prozac is helping or hurting or if Effexor is helping or hurting.

[Newbeginning]

Thanks for your honest opinion Alto. I'm not sure withdrawal improved when I started taking prozac every day. It might have, but what I recall is that I was doing very bad and one week after reinstating daily prozac I was still doing very bad and in some ways worse. It's possible it was a mistake to readd effexor. It's also possible it was not. Since I experienced withdrawal quitting effexor, there is a possibility that it was not. But it's impossible to know right now.

 

One thing I have learned and I don't know if this is just how my brain responds or if it is a common experience, is that if I let my brain stay in withdrawal past a few days, I always experience worse symptoms that last much longer. Whenever I have let withdrawal continue past 5 days or so, I've had at least one month of symptoms, whereas when I have addressed it promptly my brain has a better chanve to recover quicker. This is why I have tried to address the situation within a few days of having withdrawal symptoms.

 

Right now I'm quite stable. Still struggling with tiredness and apathy, but at least I'm not physically sick like I was in June and I can function some. I believe the tiredness and, especially the apathy, are at least partially a side effect of prozac. I'm considering asking dr to help me taper prozac in a few weeks, at 10% per month. I'm very scared of trying this and getting destabilized again but I have faith it might be ok.

 

I realize my case was complicated by the dr's huge mistake in May and my own "experimentation". I'm hoping now that I'm stable I can start over based on the advice I received on the forum and taper very slowly one drug at a time. I know the usual advice is to start tapering effexor first, but since prozac does not seem to help cross taper anymore and my side effects are more due to prozac, I'd prefer to start with prozac.

 

Any thoughts you have would be greatly appreciated.

 

PS: yes I'm keeping notes of symptoms on paper as you advised.

[Altostrata]

Good, you're stable. Don't make any sudden changes.

 

You seem to think Prozac is your problem, without any evidence. If anything, I would try a very gradual reduction in the Effexor. However, it's your choice what to taper and you haven't followed any of my tips so far, so it's up to you.

[Newbeginning]

The reason I attribute the apathy to prozac is that earlier this year when I was on 20mg effexor and off zoloft, I had several weeks where the apathy improved considerably. That changed after 2-3 weeks on prozac, which is around the time ssris usually start having an effect in the body.

 

That's why I suspect a lot of my apathy is due to ssri use....

 

I'm trying to follow your advice Alto. I swear. I just didn't follow your advice on waiting longer to see if withdrawal improved because I just couldn't. I was getting suicidal. I was risking another month of being disabled. I have asked for extensions for deadlines but I don't have the money to put everything on hold for a year. I need to keep up with a minimum amount of work and with commitments I had before all this started that I was already paid for. As it is, I have asked for a lot more time to finish stuff but I can't be completely disabled for months.

 

I already struggle to do the simplest things like showering and brushing my teeth. If I stay even more disabled than that for months, I start getting suicidal. ...

[bubble]

It is quite possible that you have increase in symptoms not from a particular medication (be it Prozac, Effexor or something else) but just because of all the changes: stopping, resuming, updosing, reducing... in an attempt to be more functional. These attempts at instant fixing very often make us more disabled pretty quickly.

 

Stability and patience is what we have found to be healing. Not any particular medication nor its particular dose (unless it's very extreme).

 

We discussed while ago the importance of understanding what went wrong so that we don't repeat the same mistakes again, especially since our brains are not made of rubber and each mistake makes it harder to recover from.

 

I find this going back to basics very helpful reminder and a check list: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6632-the-rule-of-3kis-keep-it-simple-keep-it-slow-keep-it-stable/

 

If we allow ourselves at least a brief period of sparing ourselves from external stressors and just let the symptoms abate on their own without interfering with medication, we will in the longer run be more functional. What I did for instance, in times of stress exacerbated by WD was to take a wednesday off and just walk in the nature and lie in the sun. This one day meant a world to me. It took me years to realise that and to become aware that I was burning out when it was hapepning and to step out of the river. It's not easy and it's alwas easier for people on the side to see what is happening to us but you are doing it.

[Newbeginning]

Hi Bubble,

 

Yes, I understand that very well now. No matter what I do, I will not be tapering more than one med at a time or more than 10% per month. No matter what any doctor recommends. I understand the importance of stability now.

 

It's quite possible the withdrawal symptoms were aggravated by my attempt at quick fixes. I don't deny that. At the same time, sometimes I've had to reinstitute prior dosages because I was getting suicidal. I didn't have much of a choice. Also,  as I explained, my body seems to experience worse withdrawal if I let the symptoms last beyond a week. Everyone isdifferent and that's just my experience with how my brain reacts.

 

Obviously it is best to prevent having to decide on whether to do a quick fix or not by preventing withdrawal to start with. I'm crossing my fingers that by tapering very slow I'll avoid bad withdrawal episodes in the future.

 

Alto & Bubble, what are the advantages of tapering effexor before prozac? I thought the only advantage was that prozac could allow a quicker taper from effexor but since it does not seem like prozac is helping me cross taper anymore, what difference does it make?

 

Thanks for the comments and advice. It's al;ways appreciated even when I can't always follow it (even when I'd want to).

[Altostrata]

Please re-read this topic. If you prefer to taper off Prozac and then deal with Effexor, it's your choice. I hope you've read the Effexor tapering topic.

 

The 3KIS are the only ways we can control what happens to us in going off these drugs. You can try to bargain with me or fate all you want, ultimately it's your nervous system that will be calling the shots.

[Newbeginning]

Quick update: I'm still tapering both effexor and prozac (one at a time). So frustrated that I got stuck with Prozac when trying to taper effexor. Wish I had stuck to tapering effexor only!! The dr made it seem it would be much easier to taper effexor if I started prozac. Wrong decision. At the very least I should have taperred off prozac long time ago before I got hooked on it. But I didn't know how my body reacted and had to make decisions in the blind-like many of you I imagine.

 

I have finally accepted this will take months and in the meantime I have to accept being dysfunctional. I don't know if I will survive financially or emotionally. I'm hanging in there. The hardest part in addition to the long time of being dysfunctional is the fact that on every month I'm dealing with the side effects of prozac added to withdrawal. That means I only get a few days each month when I'm not experiencing either of those. I get a few days right before it's time for the next dose decrease to manifest in withdrawal when I feel a little improvement from decreasing prozac. It just doesn't last long because the withdrawal kicks in soon after.

 

The other hard thing is hope. I don't have any security that I will feel better once I can decrease the prozac enough. I have no way to know if the symptoms I'm having are side effects of prozac or protracted withdrawal from effexor or zoloft. I believe it is from prozac because I remember feeling much better when I was on effexor alone on a low dose.

 

I've been cutting effexor every month 10%, but 3 months ago stopped tapering effexor and started tapering prozac. I'm on a very low dose of effexor anyway and I doubt its affecting me much. Neither is prozac helping me taper effexor. So taking prozac was giving me more problems. Tapering prozac is my only hope of being able to function again in a few months. Otherwise I might have to go through several life transitions that will be extremely stressful. Moving back with my family, changing countries, losing my career and my support system here. Losing my apartment and most thing I own, becoming financially dependent on my family again. I had no option but to taper prozac.

 

I'm still doing it very slowly. 10% a month. I might try to go a little higher (13%-15%/month) during the summer months when I have no school since I can tolerate some more withdrawal then. But if it gets untolerable, will have to stick with 10% again.

 

I'm hoping to get rid of prozac or be on a very low dose by the end of the year. So far I'm stable. Dysfunctional, depressed, but at least withdrawal wise I'm stable.

 

Good luck everyone. I've been living this hell for a year and really feel for those of you who have been dealing with it for much longer.