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I'm weaning myself off

Posted , 4 users are following.

Silverclarity
Silverclarity

I'm weaning myself off Prozac as convinced its not working and gaining so much weight.  Spoke to Dr and she has prescribed me venlafaxine as she agrees 4 months of Prozac has not helped me.  However, I've decided I don't want them either so am just weaning off.  Only effect is I'm eating even more as I wean off.  Going insane here as now feel totally stuck.  Mood is dropping and weight going up, but not taking AD's .  I don't know what to do anymore.  Been struggling for 30 years and first time took meds and they not worked, now feel worse than before.  

 

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • Atki82
    Atki82 Silverclarity

    Posted

    I eat more when im upping or downing a dose but it does sort itself out gradually. I hate it as I find feeling really hungry similar to anxious feelings. I was in seroxat for 17 years and then put on prozac but it didn't work. Now on venlafaxine and it doesn't work and its actually created obsessive thoughts which are horrible. ive asked to come off all meds as ive been on them since 14 and I dont know if I have problems or if its the meds creating them. drs are very quick to give you meds and to increase doses. have you tried homeopathy? im going to try this and look into hypnotherapy.
  • Jaysmd
    Jaysmd Silverclarity

    Posted

    I was on Prozac for a month but did not like crippling anxiety it was giving me throughout my body. I quit taking them cold turkey because of the short amount of time I was on them.

    It's been a week off now and oh boy! I can barely function at all... So lethargic and anxious.

    • Silverclarity
      Silverclarity Jaysmd

      Posted

      I fear the same.  Anger is coming back and lowness but not going back on them.  
  • betsy0603
    betsy0603 Silverclarity

    Posted

    Hi Silverclarity, Atki82, and Jaysmd,

    I applaud you all for recognizing that the meds aren't doing you any good and have actually probably done you bad :-)  

    First of all, the longer you have been on these meds, the more slowly you must go coming off.  You will have to take matters into your own hands because your doctor will likely tell you to go off too fast, and the pills don't come in increments that make tapering slowly convenient.  See the topic about using a 10% withdrawal method in this thread:

    https://patient.info/forums/discuss/depression-resources-298570

    These drugs are incredibly powerful and even short term use can be hard to withdraw from.  Withdrawal symptoms do in fact last for months, and occur in a windows and waves pattern, such that a period of feeling better will be followed by a period of feeling worse.  Depression, anxiety and insomnia ARE withdrawal symptoms, though everyone will have you believing that you have relapsed and need to be on the meds for life.  The irony is that long term AD use has scientifically been correlated with worsening depression!  Tolerance withdrawal, where the long term use of a sustained dosage leads to the drug not working anymore with depression and/or anxiety arising, is virtually guaranteed.

    So, it isn't about the drug being out of your system and all will be well.  The drugs changed your brain, and it will take time for the nervous system to adapt back to life without the drug; in the meantime, withdrawal symptoms will occur all across the body.  80% of your serotonin exists/functions outside the brain!  So, digestion, nerve pain, tingling, etc. are on the table.

    To minimize suffering, the grass-roots folks who have been in the trenches have devised a 10% taper schedule as I mentioned.  If you have already jumped off after a too fast taper, you may find relief by reinstating a very small amount of drug and then doing a very slow taper off that after you have stabilized.

    As for the appetite, that should settle out, though you have to look also to whether you used eating as a comfort to emotional distress in the past.

    Self-care is very important during this time, and that includeds being kind to yourself, perhaps meditation/mindfulness, and self-help cognitive behavior therapy to deal with your way of going that got you on meds to begin with.

    Silverclarity, try not to distress too much over the weight issue right now.  Try to think in terms of your poor body having gone through the ringer on the meds and now it is confused and needs some time to get sorted out.  Do not judge it. I used to be bulimic and had a real hateful relationship with my body.  I gained weight on Remeron and it caused me such distress, but then I began to realize my body is not at fault, it is not the enemy, and to show it love and patience.  It's the only one we've got!

    If you need more support through this time of tapering and withdrawal, join us over at Surviving Antidepressants, where the 10% link comes from.  They are a non-profit peer support forum with very experienced folks who will help you understand and navigate through this time in your life.

    • Atki82
      Atki82 Silverclarity

      Posted

      I went to my dr 2 weeks ago and said I wanted to come off everything as new meds arent doing anything so i may as well be on nothing and feel the same. but she said she didn't feel confident advising me without speaking to psych first abd would I come back on a week. I went back this week and the advice from the psych is to up me to the max dose...........obviously not listenning! also said the chances of relapsing is80%+. the thing is, I went on seroxat at 14 as I had 2 panic attacks. the problems I have now are way beyond a panic attack. so im back to waiting to see psychiatrist.....
    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 Atki82

      Posted

      Yes, the relapse rate is 80% because it isn't relapse but withdrawal, misidentified! Withdrawal causes waves of depression and anxiety!  But if we recognize it as such, we can push through to continue healing.  Going back on meds just confuses the nervous system yet again, and each subsequent bought of drug taking works less and less.

      People who have depression without taking meds actually do recover without doing anything.  The key thing is the dysfunctional thinking and recognizing it, being aware of it, not allowing yourself to be driven by it or believe it.  Our thinking is what keeps us in suffering, but it is possible to change one's thoughts.  I have.  We probably all have a common denominator of being self-judgemental, but none of us deserve to beat ourselves up.  We need to be caring towards ourselves.  Even if there is no one else in this world who cares about us, we always have ourselves.  If we beat ourselves up then we really do have nobody :-(  So, time to be forgiving of our pasts and hit the reset button and start to be loving and compassionate towards ourselves from this day forward!  And when you catch the thoughts starting to go negative, say "not this time - knock it off - I don't deserve that!"

  • Atki82
    Atki82 Silverclarity

    Posted

    I wish you all luck. its so hard getting through day to day but im sure we will get there xxx
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