3 weeks on Prozac, intolerable akathisia, coming off

Posted , 3 users are following.

hi guys,

I did one week of 10mg fluoxetine, then two weeks at 20mg, felt beside myself with dreadful agitation that kicked in late morning and got worse as the day went on. This has driven me to suicidal thoughts (not planning). Truly awful feelings. Doc says I'm not tolerating the medication, it's too activating (I'm taking it for severe chronic anxiety and related depression). She wants me to come off it... drop from 20mg to 10mg for three days and then off. Does that sound reasonable? Terrified of withdrawal 😦 I have been given short term olanzapine for the agitation. Confused.

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5 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi lucy57040,

    We note from a recent post which you have made to our forum that you may be experiencing thoughts around self-harm. If we have misinterpreted your comments then we apologise for contacting you directly. But if you are having such thoughts then please note that you are not alone in this, and there are people out there that can help.

    If you are having these suicidal thoughts then we strongly recommend you speak to someone who may be able to help. The Samaritans offer a safe space where you can talk openly about what you are going through. They can help you explore your options, understand your problems better, or just be there to listen.

    Their contact details are on our patient information leaflet here: https://patient.info/health/dealing-with-suicidal-thoughts, which also offers lots of other advice on how you can access the help you may need.

    If you are having such thoughts then please do reach out to the team at the Samaritans (or the other people detailed in our leaflet) who will understand what you're going through and will be able to help.

    If you are based outside of the UK.

    The Samaritans is a UK based charity, but they also have suggestions for how you can access help in other countries.

    Please have a look at this page https://www.befrienders.org/directory

    Patient

  • Posted

    i also could not tolerate 20 mg. i know exactly how you have been feeling- especially the agitation. i also took it for Anxiety and i wonder if it was too mucb seraton for my body. i was on 20 for 8 wks and now down to 10. Felt great for 1 week and now feeling side effects again. Hoping it is withdrawl that will soon go away. How do you feel today?

    • Posted

      Hi Stephanie, yes I think the 20mg was too much for me - I'm told Prozac is one of the more activating SSRIs. I've been down at 10mg for 5 days. Still feeling dreadful. Are you going to stick it out on the 10mg?

    • Posted

      it happened on me with ZOLOFT. iI couldn't stand at. iDoc switched it to PROZAC. i'm somewhat drained with 60mg. i'm now on 40mg that is ok. 5 weejs on PROZAC s d waiting for it to kick in.

    • Posted

      hi Lucy, i was actually on 10 mg for 1 year and did not have any side effects. But it did not do much for my anxiety. I am going to stay on the 10 mg and then maybe try something different after fhe holidays.

      i think what yiu are feeling is withdrawl from the Prozac...i felt but im much better now! Its been over 2 wks since i decreased. Please let me know how yiu are doing!

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