Quitting prozac and starting again

Gillian,

This post means everything to me right now...I haven't been able to stop the paralyzing fear..of nothing, basically afraid of being afraid and the racing thoughts, it's like a nightmare..I'm very stubborn though I don't want to take the clonazepam but I realized I have to take at least 2 a day .25mg to even make it through...I feel so stupid that I did this..I was only off the prozac for about 2 months but I guess this is the result.  I will take your advice and hopefully it will kick in again..my fear is that it won't work this time..why I don't know but that's all part of the anxiety cycle I guess.   Thank you so much for taking the time out to reply to me, it means everything to me today..more than you know.  You are a real sweetheart xoxoxoxox

I've also had a racing heart so I have to take the clonazepam I just don't want to have to ....I guess it's sort of a denial thing, I want to be ok without it. xoxo Thank you again

I totally know where you are coming from. Like you feel like you are admitting defeat if you take it. I feel like that too.

All the fear you are feeling..most of us feel just the same or have done...I bet there us not a single person here who hasn't thought that this time is different,,what if this time I don't get better!!! You are right Hun,it's just another anxious thought brought on by a tired and frightened mind.

They are just thoughts and feelings. They can not harm you. If you had a tummy ache,you wouldn't be scared of it. that's because we are brought up knowing that tummy aches are normal,everybody has them. Anxiety is just another feeling....our bodies way of telling us that we have taken on too much and it needs to rest and heal.

You will be ok Hun. I promise you. It will take a little time but we are all here for you through them ups and downs and in a few weeks time,you will be past the worst  of it and be in my shoes where you are able to tell others that things get better xxx

You are so right Gillian...I mean I have been terrified and when I really think about it, it's of nothing but really everything..it's that imbalance and you can't help it.  You think you will never be the same or you're losing your mind or you will die and it just goes in circles...I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. 

You have made me feel so much better...another thing about his anxiety/panic thing too, why is it we blame ourselves or feel ashamed, I never would tell anyone, right now I'm quite isolated, my husband is working non-stop and I'm staying at my mom's vacation place 10 minutes from where I live, she lives 5 hours away and I have no car and I'm here because our house is being renovated and everything is in just such an upheavel.  I'm pretty much alone 24/7 lately too and that makes the fear worse. 

I really hope this kicks in soon, until then I will ride it out and take the meds if I have to...I shoudn't feel like it's my fault...I wish I could stop that, lol.  Thanks so much for your words, you are a doll!!

 

I also feel like I'll never be able to do anything again or be myself...it's so scary...xoxoox

Oh wow. I felt like that too. You are just very vulnerable right now and your mind hasn't known wether it's coming,going or already been. Your confused,detached,tired,anxious,unhappy,lost............All them feelings are bound to make you feel insecure and worried for what lies ahead. I had all them too. Little by little I was doing things automatically,without having to think them through,analysing them......It will just come naturally Hun,bit by bit...Believe it or not,your mind already knows what it has to do...It has more memories of the well you than the poorly you and it will find its way back to that way if thinking. I struggle still at some point every day but it's not all day as it was when all this started. When you get to the point I am.you know it's only a matter of time before you are back to your old self. Your mind gets to the point where it doesn't believe or fear all the negative thoughts and shrugs them off....Then they disappear xxx

That's exactly it...exactly.  I couldn't have put it better myself.  Thank you for helping, it has really meant a lot..I've been crying a lot today...I'm scared of that too, lol! I can't wait for this to stop and when it does I'm going to let you know..I'm glad to hear that you're doing well...how long have you been dealing with this?

All in all about 20 weeks but I was on the wrong medication for 8 of them. Switch to another med 12 weeks ago. It's been a frightening roller coaster of all the things we have both mentioned but I'd say from about week 7 on the new mends I could feel real changes.....especially to my thought process which was the thing causing me the most worry. I was forcing positive thoughts into my mind up until that point but not quite believing them....now they just come naturally.

Ive had a fair few episodes throughout my life but this has by far been the longest. I've learnt that there is nontime limit. Just keep reminding yourself that this didn't happen overnight so it may take a while to fix but fix it will xxx

And your very welcome. I still have days where I need reassurance and support from people who know exactly how I feel and can tell me that I will be fine xxx

This has been going on for me since I was 18...I'm 49 now and the prozac saved my life. I wish I hadn't stopped it.  I just hope it works again and I will be ok...talking to you has really helped a lot.  xoxoxo  It's just so damn irrational and in your brain you know it is but you can't stop it.  I'm so glad you're doing better Gillian xoxoxox

 

Well, trust me..you are and you are helping me by talking about it.  It's hard for people who have never experienced it.  You just can't explain it. xoxoxo

I know. Where the hell do them thoughts come from though lol Some of them are so random and off the scale that if we didn't feel how we do,we would probably laugh at them.

Ive suffered on and off since the age of 15. I'm 38 now but I have had many years in between where I was very well. My last major episode before this one was 14 years ago.

I think that this time I will stay on medication for life. There is no harm in it or shame. Diabetics need medication to keep them well and I've come to the decision that so do I.

I never want to go through this again.

I can understand your regrets about coming off the medication....I wish I'd of not come off mine 7 years ago. Perhaps this still may of happened on medication but I don't think it would of been quite as severe xx

You're absolutely right, no shame in it...it's like anything else, if you have a headache you take an aspirin.  I guess for people like us it's just hard to accept that this is the way it is.  I have to accept it too and when/if this kicks in I am never going off of it again, LOL..hear the doubt? 

I don't want to go through this again....EVER.  Those racing, random, scary, weird, thoughts, I know sometimes you even say to yourself..what am I doing...but you can't stop.  Later you have to laugh at it..it's what keeps us sane.  xoxox

Eva, Gillian, all -

I know it's been a while, but I wanted to let you all know that I took comfort in reading your stories.  I too stopped Prozac after 8 years abruptly (thinking I was right as rain) and am going through a really difficult patch trying to restart (about a week back on meds).

I have a supportive wife, supportive family, etc but your honestly and compassion for each other was just what I needed this morning.  Thank you for your courage!  

Jeff~

Thinking of you through this time.

I have been suppose to start Proza for the last several months and am scared to death to even start it. So you know I have been googling everything (not good). It give hope to come across this discussion and see that starting it didn't do something very bad.

I too have a very supportive husband that wants me to at least try the Prozac but when it come down to taking it I go into a panic attack. I have read way to much.

Hope you are feeling better.

I realise this is a very old post but I'm going through exactly this at the moment. Came off 20mg a day about 2 months ago and now I'm a week and a half into re taking the tablets but I'm not getting any improvement and my anxiety is through the roof. Did they eventually start to work for you again? I'm petrified I will feel this way forever xx

I'm in the same boat! I've been taking my 20mg of prozac for the past 3 years, never missed a day. I abruptly stopped taking it and have been having the worst anxiety to the point of throwing up after every meal. I've been off of it for two months and now have an increasing anxiety of taking my anxiety pill. It works so great for me but it's taking it again after two months that worries me.