Stopped fluoxetine 6 months ago cold turkey, when will the anxiety go?

Did your sexual side effects go away after you quit?

Hi Louise, Just read your post and wondering how things are going. Ive been on Floxitine for over a year now but decided to try and come of it. I was on the higher dose 60mg but have gone for cold turkey (havent told my doctor) and been off it for 4 days now, very early days and probably still in my system.

I was seriously ill 2 years ago and put on it to help with PTS but dont really think its done any good - started offon low dose and was then put on high. at the moment I feel good but reading all the posts it sounds as if that dossent last.

Simon

I was on fluoxetine for 19 days 10 mg. The side effects were so bad the doctor had me just stop taking them. Ive been off for 13 days now. I feel much better!! I do still feel a little strange at times, but I am only taking ativan .5mg as needed. I also am doing therapy which seems to be helping alot also.  Good Luck!

Hi Louise,

Although I'm not a mental health professional, I'm currently a graduate student and work in the mental health field. I have no experience with actually taking Prozac or being diagnosed with a mental illness, I would like to tell you that you have other options besides taking Prozac again.

If you wish to conditinue a psychological approach to coping with your anxiety, I would suggest taking to a psychiatrist about taking other drugs. I have some clients that take hydroxypam for anxiety. If you feel like meds isn't what you want to do, then maybe try something other than talk therapy.

Animal Assisted therapy is shown to have great success with those who have anxiety and depression. CBT and experiential therapy are also other forms of therapy that are great for those who have depression and anxiety.

Louise I can only hope you managed to get better? 

I was first diagnosed with manic depression in around 1988? The first drug I was given was Prozac, nothing else just the Prozac... How wrong they were! My issues at the time were purely emotional and imbalanced? Crying and feeling unwanted, ashamed of who I was, telling huge lies to get attention! A horrible little world and one which I can now safely say was nothing more than a bad childhood in which I suffered physical and emotional abuse. I didn't drink, smoke or take drugs.

Why would I question the diagnosis, the medication or the planned therapy, which never happened anyway, I might add!!! The GP was my friend right? He knew the score and wanted to help me in anyway he could? Was he qualified to dish out a dangerous mind altering drug without first having me reviewed by a physchiatrist? My thoughts are no, certainly not! 

Before my first doses of Prozac at just 20mg I was a quiet boy, mischevious and attention seeking, but never evil, violent or aggressive. After just a month of the Prozac I was like a wild animal! I increased to 40mg on my GP's recomendation... It worked and I started to calm down, or at least at first! Then came my first violent outburst for no other reason than someone bumping my car, an innocent mistake. I nearly killed the man with repeated kicks and punches, abusing him as he lay motionless! I had no remorse and enjoyed it!!! These outbursts became a regular occurence and I kept taking more Prozac to try and stay calm... I was enraged 24/7, my thoughts were no better than that of a sick murderer. Things started to seem unreal and I would look for trouble as it seemed that was my purpose in life? I then found heroin and the Prozac stopped, I changed to a thieving, sneaky, deceitful liar. The rage however was gone and I never felt it again. I came off the brown stuff after a year and went through hell but managed to crawl back into society. 

3 years of blissfully happy marriage to my girlfriend of 4 years was turned on its head when she left me for a friend. Ironically the main cause of her choice was my sexual performance, I had developed PE. The whole seperation was messy but reasonably ammicable? In future years I started drinking to drown my sorrows and then met another lovely girl. In fear of the same problem I contacted my new GP, he recommened a SSRI to help with my problem and gave me Prozac... I was happy enough and at 20mg it seemed to have no ill effects. It was 7-8 weeks later that I began dreaming horrible things and getting paranoid about my new partner. I started to feel despise for her, pure hatred and wanted to cause her pain! She did nothing wrong but did have a little fling which should have been water off a ducks back? It wasn't for me I became obbsessed with making her pay for her infidelity and once again I was happy feeling crazy? Luckily for me she was strong and identified this change with the drug, I eneded up sectioned under 136 and spent 18 weeks in a hospital. They refused to believe it was the Prozac and treated me with all manner of drugs to calm my thoughts. I began hallucinating, dreaming, talikng to people who werent there and even believed I was an alien. Clear voices of pure hate were filling my head and telling me how sad I was and that I dead, a ghost who didnt exist! A nightmare for anyone, believe me it was the worst form of torture in the universe! 

10 years later I now have the same partner who I will marry this year and we have 3 babies whom I adore. Long gone is the terrible influence of Fluoxetine and other vile drugs. I still drink on social occasions, I am never violent and rarely say anything bad about anyone? Of course things annoy me, of course I get angry and cry sometimes but don't we all? Identifying Prozac as the main cause of my mindset has been difficult, imagine the claim I could make eh? 

Talking therapy is the right way to go if you know you have a difficult past, a trauma, or simply losing your wallet! Prozac has its place in medicine I suppose but its for me, it was the near death of myself and probably others around me? And as for suicidal thoughts... 2 hangings (saved by pure luck) 1 large overdose and jumping off a roof which resulted in horrific injuries to my pelvis are also in my portfolio of gloom! 

People around the victims of Prozac will never change their opinions of the angry, raging lunatic they once saw making vile threats and acting badly 24/7 followed by the bouts of feeling helpless and expecting them to come running! I am one of the lucky few who got away with it... don't despair because there is lots of help in the world and it starts with qualifying your needs, not pumping you full of drugs!!! 

All the best

?Kane

Hi. I stopped 80mg prozac cold turkey a few weeks ago. I had been on that dose 3 or 4 years now. Wondering how you are doing? I'm not really sure what the next step should be. I have requested a new psychiatrist and it will probably be several more weeks before i am assigned one. Anybody???

Hello All.. I am curious .. Have any of you since been able to get off of Fluoxetine completley??

How are you feeling. I want to stop prozac too. Afraid of withdrawals. But I have nausea every day all day ever since taking this. Been on 2 months to wein off effexor. Any advice appreciated.

I stopped cold turkey after taking it 24 days! The first day I stopped I felt myself again! No crying no anxiety. Now it’s day two and I think the fear of all the negative things I’ve read is messing with me! But honestly I can’t stress enough how my body is thanking me for not adding that stuff to my body anymore ! I’m trusting in God to get me through without the ugly side effects!!! 

i know this post is a few months old now but im wondering if anyone successfully came off?

iv been off 11 weeks now & still suffering memory, muddled thoughts, feeling like im going crazy, insomnia, etc etc etc

any feedback welcome...

Hi,

Iknow this post is a while ago but hoping for some feedback

Was on 20mg for 10 months- tappered off as i got sick of being so tired. Last dose was early January- it is now March & it looks like i may have to restart as i had a panic attack at work.!

I am gutted.

I was on prozac on and off for the past 10+ years. This time I have been off the drug for probably 3 months and I am having some intense emotional problems. My anger and stress levels are through the roof. I'm always tired and the only time I have any glimpse of hope or happiness is when Im drinking, sadly enough. I'm at the point of turning into a raging alcoholic or going back to Prozac. Does anyone know if I stick it out if these symptoms will go away? Are there any other anti-depressants that are safer? I really don't know what to do but I cant live with this feeling of gloom and anger. It is ruining my life.