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Prozac Withdrawal

Posted , 4 users are following.

Chochka
Chochka

I would like some advice on withdrawal please. I was on 20 mg prozac for about 5 years and 3 years ago I came off, after a 3 month taper. I started to get a serious ringing in my ears and severe insomnia and then I had a year of anxiety, terrible insomnia and intense anger which got worse and worse. The doctor said that I was obviously depressed and advised me to go back on the prozac, which after a year I did, starting with 40mg as the symptoms were so bad. A year later, one year ago, I lowered the dose and started suffering drowsyness and fatigue which lasted 5 months. Then in September I started suffering from the drowsiness and fatigue again and the doctor eventually told me that I needed to come off the prozac as it wasn’t working for me any more. That was about 3 weeks ago. I had a week tapering and then started sertraline. Since then the drowsiness has got worse, accompanied by really bad tinnitus. My query is about the year I had with anxiety, anger and insomnia. Could that have been withdrawal from the prozac? It didn’t get any better over the year – if anything it gradually got worse and worse. At the time I suspected that it was withdrawal as every so often my face would go numb, which was one of my symptoms when I first came off prozac but the doctor said that the symptoms had gone on far too long and I was just depressed/anxious again. (I had suffered form anxiety for a couple of years previously, which had led to CFS, which was why I had gone on the prozac to begin with.) Could that year have been withdrawal? In which case what do I do now? I can’t go back on prozac as it had started to have a bad effect on me. I’m a bit despairing at the moment – I have recently had to put my PhD on hold because the drowsiness got so bad and I’m dreading the withdrawal if it’s going be as bad as last time.

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • Zio10
    Zio10 Chochka

    Posted

    I don't care what Dr's think! They really don't know. Have they gone on these meds an then experienced withdrawls? Prob not. Sounds like to me your body was trying to adjust to no Prozac for so long. Think about it. Your on a brain altering med for 5 yrs. Thats a long time for your brain to not have to produce its own brain chemicals. Then you stop. Your brain is freaking out an it prob would for quit awhile. Sounds like withdrawls to me. The Dr prob just wanted to shut you up an get you out of there an said "oh yeah your depression an anxiety are back so take this new drug!" Sorry your having issues. I am to. Im fixing to start Prozac (20mg). It will be my fourth. Tried Zoloft,Lexapro an Cymbalta. Cymbalta was horrible to come off. The worse one. Goodluck!
  • betsy0603
    betsy0603 Chochka

    Posted

    Yes, yes, and yes!  Chochka, unfortunately your system has become very sensitized to Prozac and likely SSRIs in general. You were in protraced withdrawal, which doctors don't acknowledge.  You came off much too fast. for having been on it for five years.  Reinstating often does not work when so far out from the jump off point.  I strongly encourage you to join Surviving Antidepressants, a non-profit support forum for people in withdrawal and those who want to come off their ADs.  The senior members are very experienced and can advise you, but of course everything is ultimately your choice. 

    You will find that there are many others like you there.  You are now in a tricky place because your nervous system has become so destabilized.  What you are experiencing is actually your nervous system trying to heal, believe it or not.  There is tons of information on the site, and now is the time to get informed.  Going on another drug at this point could be very paradoxical for you. 

    I hope to see you over at SA.  I go by SquirrellyGirl there.  I went through 10 months of protracted withdrawal from Effexor, ending in reinstatement which luckily DID work, and I have learned so much since then. 

    • Zio10
      Zio10 betsy0603

      Posted

      What do you mean "reinstatement " in your last paragraph? Did mean you went back on Effexor?
    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 Zio10

      Posted

      Yes, I didn't know that I was in withdrawal from Effexor, but since I had been on it in the past, my doctor thought we should try that one when Remeron failed.  It was like the hair of the dog that bit me!  Had I known about withdrawal I would have reinstated at a much lower dosage because my nervous system had done some remodeling towards restoring balance, so a smaller amount may have been all I needed to feel better.  I had gone off Effexor much too quickly.  Within one hour of taking that first dose, it was like a light switch had been flipped.  After 10 months, Effexor should not have worked that quickly, so it was a junkie getting a hit of heroin - all fixed up!  Now I am doing a very slow taper and am at 29 mg (started back at 37.5 mg).
    • Zio10
      Zio10 betsy0603

      Posted

      If its helping you,why are you quitting it?
    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 Zio10

      Posted

      That's the point, it wasn't helping me.  I had been on it for 12 years and simply hadn't realized that I was no happier on the drug and was actually racking up problems.  I'd had sexual side effects from these meds for nearly 20 years and was just fed up not being able to enjoy sex, for one!  I also realized that I had been emotionally anesthetized for years, had low motivation, and my problems were still my problems.  Neurological affects, bone loss and gum recession from grinding my teeth, bruxism, a known side effect of the drug which I didn't realize...cognitive issues as well.  I have trouble retaining new information, short and long term memory loss.  I can hardly remember my past. It's like I wasn't even there!

      You may have missed my point about the reinstatement.  It helped me in that my brain had become dependent on it, and when my brain was no longer getting it, all hell broke loose.  You know how a heroin addict goes into withdrawal with a cold turkey stop, and then when he gets a hit of heroin, suddenly the withdrawal symptoms go away.  Well, that's what reinstatement was like for me.

      These drugs cause the brain to physically remodel, building the drug's action into the framework. These drugs block the resorption of serotonin (and norepinephrine with ven) from the gap between nerves, CAUSING an imbalance.  The brain likes homeostasis so starts adding more receptors to try to regain balance.  Neurotransmitter production also goes down for the same reason.  Then, when you quickly go off the drug, the brain is left with a huge imbalance again, the result being withdrawal symptoms.  It is not about the drug being there or not but about the actual modifications that took place in the brain when the drug was present.  When one has been on the drug for 12 years, the brain has become very used to operating in it's presense; basically a new brain was built and now a new brain has to be buiilt again, this time with the drug absent.  The healing process to get there is very slow and the symptoms reflecting all the chaos rather extreme.

      The drug helped me not because I need the drugs because of my depression, but because my brain changed from years of it's affects, and taking it again relieved the withdrawal symptoms.

      I would rather be free of a substance that causes such huge remodeling of my brain.  I am hoping that I will get my sex life back, as well as be able to feel real emotions again.  I have done the emotional work outside of drugs that I think will get me through should I feel depressed again.  I am hoping that my memory will improve, that the cognitive damage isn't permanent. I won't get my bone back, but hopefully other damage will reverse.

  • Atki82
    Atki82 Chochka

    Posted

    I had a similar experience on fluoxetine. I had been on paroxetine for 17 years but my dr said as I was of child baring age I needed to go on a diff ssri. I told him I had a son and I wasn't going to have any more but he told me it wasn't safe anymore and to go on fluoxetine. I started on 10mg then 20mg but was still very tearful and anxious. I was put up to 40mg and then 50mg but the higher the dose, the worse I felt. was then put on effexor 150mg. I have been on this for 2 months and feel depressed and for the first time im experiencing obsessional thoughts. ive decided to quit all medication aa I actually no longer know if any, what my problem/s are! if after a while im feeling anxious etc I will address it. im def going to look at the website the other lady on here has suggested. I find the mind and sane website very good aswell. im afraid GPs don't seem to be that good when it comes to mental health, so researching well and then you telling them what it is you want, is the best way xxx
    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 Atki82

      Posted

      Definitely go to the withdrawal support forum to get informed and set up before going off, Atki82!  You are very wise in wondering what is you and what is the drugs!   We tend to go on these meds and then stay on them chronically because we just don't question, but they truly are harmful in the long run, and there is plenty of scientific data to prove that.  People become MORE prone to depression with long term use of these drugs!  

      It sounds like your system got sensitized by the switch to fluox and then increases.  You were proably in withdrawal from paroxetine when upping the dose of fluox, which is why it just didn't work no matter how high you went, not to mention adding on the side effects from increasing so quickly.  And then you were swtiched to Effexor, 150 mg straight away?!!!!!  Yikes!  No wonder you system is messed up and you don't feel well!  These drugs are exrtremely powerful and CREATE imbalances rather than correct them.

    • Atki82
      Atki82 betsy0603

      Posted

      thank you for your comment im going to look at the forum now. I withdrew from seroxat in 2 weeks so 30mg to nothing and I wont lie it was hell! ive researched quite a bit and im hoping to reduce the effexor by 10% a week so by march I should be on zero. I know it wnt be easy but im lucky to have a good understanding boss and a supportive family. it makes me feel so sad to think of people that have to go through this with no support. it was actually an addiction with seroxat in the end.
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