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Tapering from Prozac only?


indigo

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Seems that most of us here have a several drugs in their medication history

and thus a more complicated withdrawal than those of us withdrawing from one drug.

Though I'm following many of you, I would particularly like to hear from

members who are only withdrawing from Prozac as I am.

I've been tapering from 20mg down to 3.8mg over two years.

My withdrawal symptoms are mostly anxiety, repetitive thoughts

and dread, especially early mornings. I'm getting these even

after 2% drops now and it takes a month for them to totally subside.

How about you?

On 20 mg of Prozac for about ten years. Sept 2012 started reducing 10% a drop using gram scale, with average of one month holds.

When I'd reached the half way mark, taking 10 mg  powder out of the 20 mg capsules, I switched over to 10 mg capsules and cutting

down from those. Withdrawals got harder the lower I dropped.  May 2013 changed to 5% drops, holding until all withdrawal symptoms gone.

January 2015 changed to liquid prozac (concentration of 20MG per 5 mL) using a 1mL oral syringe.

Current dose of fluoxetine solution equivalent 3.4 mg. Any effort to drop below this has been disastrous so for the time being I'm staying at this level.
Adding 200 mg Tryptophan and 200 GABA a day has helped with anxiety.
Also take 1,300mg Omega- 3,  875mg  Magnesium, 1800mg Curcumin, 1000mg Vit C, 5000 Vit D.
 

 

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I cold turkeyed from 20 mg Prozac.

 

First four months was discomfort with poor ability to tolerate stress.

 

The real withdrawal had delayed onset 4 months after cold turkey.

 

The delayed onset hit me one night (acute) and was very difficult. It felt like warm water running through my body, felt like my nervous system was collapsing. Followed by mental fatigue, sensitivity to light, hot flashes, apathy, anhedonia, brain fog, inability to multi-task, and non-restorative sleep. 

 

It lasted a long time. But it eventually cleared up.

 

I have read others who had the same symptoms from Prozac WD.

 

If I knew it was WD, I would never have gone back on SSRIs. But my doctor was typically clueless.

 

Probably your recovery won't take as long or be as difficult since you tapered.

Hell hath no fury as an SSRI scorned.....

 

Prozac:   20 mg 1996 – May 2003 CT to 0 mg; by Aug 03 CRASH then protracted WD 3 yrs

Zoloft:    2004 few weeks;, CT to 0 mg

Effexor:  2005 few months CT to 0 mg; bad withdrawal. 

Lexapro:  10 mg from 2009 – 2011; cut dose in half to:

Lexapro:    5 mg from 2011 – Feb. 2014; CT to 0 mg; 2 months of fatigue, followed by:
Aug - Oct 2014 Lexapro WD Insomnia Wave; sleeping very good from Nov 2014 - Nov 2015; broken sleep pattern Dec 2015 - Jan 2016

Dec 2014 - present: Brutal Lexapro WD ear ringing/head ringing/head pressure lasting for 14 months now.

 

24 months SSRI-free  

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 Thanks Clearday. Good to hear from you again.

I'm always encouraged by your success.

 In my withdrawal from Prozac l'm always trying to find balance.

I expect, and can cope with, some WD symptoms.

I don't want to shock my brain by dropping too fast,

but I want  to get off this drug as fast as 

I can without WD symptoms causing havoc in my life.

On 20 mg of Prozac for about ten years. Sept 2012 started reducing 10% a drop using gram scale, with average of one month holds.

When I'd reached the half way mark, taking 10 mg  powder out of the 20 mg capsules, I switched over to 10 mg capsules and cutting

down from those. Withdrawals got harder the lower I dropped.  May 2013 changed to 5% drops, holding until all withdrawal symptoms gone.

January 2015 changed to liquid prozac (concentration of 20MG per 5 mL) using a 1mL oral syringe.

Current dose of fluoxetine solution equivalent 3.4 mg. Any effort to drop below this has been disastrous so for the time being I'm staying at this level.
Adding 200 mg Tryptophan and 200 GABA a day has helped with anxiety.
Also take 1,300mg Omega- 3,  875mg  Magnesium, 1800mg Curcumin, 1000mg Vit C, 5000 Vit D.
 

 

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I don't want to shock my brain by dropping too fast,

but I want  to get off this drug as fast as 

I can without WD symptoms causing havoc in my life.

 

That about sums it up. What everyone here is aiming for.

Hell hath no fury as an SSRI scorned.....

 

Prozac:   20 mg 1996 – May 2003 CT to 0 mg; by Aug 03 CRASH then protracted WD 3 yrs

Zoloft:    2004 few weeks;, CT to 0 mg

Effexor:  2005 few months CT to 0 mg; bad withdrawal. 

Lexapro:  10 mg from 2009 – 2011; cut dose in half to:

Lexapro:    5 mg from 2011 – Feb. 2014; CT to 0 mg; 2 months of fatigue, followed by:
Aug - Oct 2014 Lexapro WD Insomnia Wave; sleeping very good from Nov 2014 - Nov 2015; broken sleep pattern Dec 2015 - Jan 2016

Dec 2014 - present: Brutal Lexapro WD ear ringing/head ringing/head pressure lasting for 14 months now.

 

24 months SSRI-free  

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  • Administrator

It's a common misconception that specific drugs generate specific patterns of withdrawal syndrome. They do not. You might look at people withdrawing from any SSRI, too.

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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Yes, I do that. Just wondered if there was any particular similarities

to withdrawal  symptoms or omissions of symptoms from just prozac.

On 20 mg of Prozac for about ten years. Sept 2012 started reducing 10% a drop using gram scale, with average of one month holds.

When I'd reached the half way mark, taking 10 mg  powder out of the 20 mg capsules, I switched over to 10 mg capsules and cutting

down from those. Withdrawals got harder the lower I dropped.  May 2013 changed to 5% drops, holding until all withdrawal symptoms gone.

January 2015 changed to liquid prozac (concentration of 20MG per 5 mL) using a 1mL oral syringe.

Current dose of fluoxetine solution equivalent 3.4 mg. Any effort to drop below this has been disastrous so for the time being I'm staying at this level.
Adding 200 mg Tryptophan and 200 GABA a day has helped with anxiety.
Also take 1,300mg Omega- 3,  875mg  Magnesium, 1800mg Curcumin, 1000mg Vit C, 5000 Vit D.
 

 

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My prozac withdrawal was moderate till about half way through month 3. I would now classify my symptoms as severe at 5.5 months in. Indigo you are very smart for tapering. Clearday did your withdrawal symptoms clear up on their own? Or was it because you went back on an SSRI? Feeling so hopeless

Diagnosed: Pure O Ocd, Severe Anxiety Disorder NOS, PMDD

 

November 2009 - May 2013- CIPRALEX 20mg

C/T off 20mg Cipralex

Went into dark depression (never experienced before med)

September 2013 - March 2014- PROZAC 20mg

Weaned down to 10mg and held

October 1st 2014 C/T off 10mg Prozac

Protracted withdrawal - 8 months of the most horrific suffering imaginable

June 1st 2015 - ZOLOFT 25mg

June 26th 2015 - Dose increase to 50mg of Zoloft (taken at night after dinner). Slowly improving but still have severe OCD/ruminating, intense DP/DR, and brain fog. Just trying to stabilize at this point.

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Clearday did your withdrawal symptoms clear up on their own? Or was it because you went back on an SSRI? Feeling so hopeless

 

When I got sick from delayed onset Prozac WD, I stayed sick for quite some time. I had no idea what was causing my illness. So I researched all different causes, thinking I had some strange illness. But it was Prozac WD the whole time. For years I just thought I was doomed. It was very depressing and confusing. The symptoms were always there, not severe, but I always knew something wasn't right, and the mental fatigue dogged me.

 

Not knowing what was making me sick delayed my recovery because I didn't know that I should avoid stress and alcohol etc.

 

As you can see from my signature, I tried Zoloft and Effexor for a short time during my Prozac WD. Neither helped me, so I just stopped them. 

 

It is good that you know what is causing your illness, it is protracted SSRI WD.

 

You were not on Prozac so long so you should not have as long a recovery as I did.

 

All my Prozac WD symptoms eventually cleared up on their own. 

 

I have many great days. I am doing well and am physically and mentally active.

 

Even despite going through this difficult Lexapro WD now. These Lexapro WD symptoms were very different than the Prozac WD symptoms were for me. 

 

Yet I am recovering very well, on a daily basis, from Lexapro WD. It is amazing to see how I am healing. It is also very weird that Lexapro had such delayed onset WD also (after 7 months an insomnia wave and after 11 months, head pressure/ear ringing wave). 

 

Fresh said that feeling hopeless and despair is part of withdrawal, and she was right. So consider feeling hopeless as just another withdrawal symptom, and as your WD progresses, and you start to recover, and you have windows, so your despair will also go away.

 

Since you have a very high chance of recovering from this, you don't have to feel hopeless. You just need strength and patience, and time.

Hell hath no fury as an SSRI scorned.....

 

Prozac:   20 mg 1996 – May 2003 CT to 0 mg; by Aug 03 CRASH then protracted WD 3 yrs

Zoloft:    2004 few weeks;, CT to 0 mg

Effexor:  2005 few months CT to 0 mg; bad withdrawal. 

Lexapro:  10 mg from 2009 – 2011; cut dose in half to:

Lexapro:    5 mg from 2011 – Feb. 2014; CT to 0 mg; 2 months of fatigue, followed by:
Aug - Oct 2014 Lexapro WD Insomnia Wave; sleeping very good from Nov 2014 - Nov 2015; broken sleep pattern Dec 2015 - Jan 2016

Dec 2014 - present: Brutal Lexapro WD ear ringing/head ringing/head pressure lasting for 14 months now.

 

24 months SSRI-free  

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Clearday. Interesting to hear your WD from Prozac was different from your WD from Lexapro.

That's just what I was wondering.

Justwantobefree. I feel for you. One of the hardest aspects of WD for me is the

anxiety that it will never end and I'll be dealing with WD for the rest of my life.

Have to remind myself that this thought is one of the WD symptoms.

Have you read the success stories on this site?

They can be encouraging when you feel hopeless.

On 20 mg of Prozac for about ten years. Sept 2012 started reducing 10% a drop using gram scale, with average of one month holds.

When I'd reached the half way mark, taking 10 mg  powder out of the 20 mg capsules, I switched over to 10 mg capsules and cutting

down from those. Withdrawals got harder the lower I dropped.  May 2013 changed to 5% drops, holding until all withdrawal symptoms gone.

January 2015 changed to liquid prozac (concentration of 20MG per 5 mL) using a 1mL oral syringe.

Current dose of fluoxetine solution equivalent 3.4 mg. Any effort to drop below this has been disastrous so for the time being I'm staying at this level.
Adding 200 mg Tryptophan and 200 GABA a day has helped with anxiety.
Also take 1,300mg Omega- 3,  875mg  Magnesium, 1800mg Curcumin, 1000mg Vit C, 5000 Vit D.
 

 

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Thanks, Clearday.

 

Indigo, I too suffer from the hopeless and despair and I am month 6 of Lexapro WD. Some days it's just downright awful, but this will all pass eventually.

 

Stress intolerance is another big one for me. I try on a daily basis to reduce stressors, but with work, a pregnant wife and 2 year old, it's impossible to avoid the stress of daily life. Plus WD making it more difficult anyway,I just hope it doesn't delay my recovery.

Lexapro from October 2012-October 2014

10mg from Oct 2012-Feb 201320mg from Feb 2013-June 201310mg from July 2013-April 2014
Began taper via liquid Lexapro from April 2014-September 2014(Roughly 6 month taper)---0.00 on Oct 1 2014--WD began in December 2014

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reinstated to 10mg - 10mg Tablet October 15, 2015 - Stable by Mid-January, 2016

2016 - 9mg 3/26/16....8mg 5/11/16....7mg 7/05/16....6mg 8/26/16....5mg 10/31/16

2017 - 4mg 3/06/17....3mg 6/24/17....2mg 9/07/17...1.25mg 10/21/17....1mg 11/04/2017

2018 - 0.75mg 1/21/18....0.5mg 2/18/18....0.25mg 3/13/18....0.125mg 3/27/18....0.000 4/9/18

 

Supplements - 15B probiotic on and off. Usually helps w/ mood but sometimes is too activating.

 

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"this will pass" is a handy saying to have when super stressed.

On 20 mg of Prozac for about ten years. Sept 2012 started reducing 10% a drop using gram scale, with average of one month holds.

When I'd reached the half way mark, taking 10 mg  powder out of the 20 mg capsules, I switched over to 10 mg capsules and cutting

down from those. Withdrawals got harder the lower I dropped.  May 2013 changed to 5% drops, holding until all withdrawal symptoms gone.

January 2015 changed to liquid prozac (concentration of 20MG per 5 mL) using a 1mL oral syringe.

Current dose of fluoxetine solution equivalent 3.4 mg. Any effort to drop below this has been disastrous so for the time being I'm staying at this level.
Adding 200 mg Tryptophan and 200 GABA a day has helped with anxiety.
Also take 1,300mg Omega- 3,  875mg  Magnesium, 1800mg Curcumin, 1000mg Vit C, 5000 Vit D.
 

 

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  • 4 years later...

Can anyone give me insight on their symptoms after short term use of Prozac?

Prozac- Taken sporadically

Duloxetine- Taken sporadically

Escitalopram and Klonopin (Unknown)

 

 

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