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switching off venlafaxine and onto prozac, and feel lousy

Posted , 7 users are following.

jim48507
jim48507

It's a month down from 225 mgs venlafaxine to 75 mgs.  Same time I'm now up to 30 mgs fluoxetine.  The venlafaxine wassn't working after years of being on it.  Increasing/adding fluoxetine and reducing venlafaxine are concurrent over the past 4 weeks.  Felt it would be a good way to go from venlafaxine to fluoxetine in the hopes I'd be less depressed.  However, I've been experiencing the same depression with inability to sit still and a complete shutdown of appetite.  I guess I'm experiencing some anxiety as I take lorazepam to help that.

Is this temporary?  A result of the venlafaxine reductiion?  A result of the fluoxetine addition?  Both?  Do I need more fluoxetine?  Has anyone ever experiencing this kind of anti depressant switchover?  

0 likes, 17 replies

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  • elaine92718
    elaine92718 jim48507

    Posted

    Your bound to get Withdrawel if you've been on the Ven for years. I don't think introducing Prozac would stop this happening. Your body will be adjusting to the lower dose. Have you asked your doc for advice. I know people who do say Prozac helps with coming off Ven. I suppose each person responds differently. Hope it works out for you x
    • jim48507
      jim48507 elaine92718

      Posted

      Well I know withdrawals are temporary.  If that is what this is then there's some hope for me.  
    • elaine92718
      elaine92718 jim48507

      Posted

      There's so many suffer this withdrawal. It's ridiculous in today's society. You would think there would be something that helps through this awful process. It must be dreadful feeling like this. I'm starting decreasing soon and know it's going to be hard. I really feel for you Jim.
    • elaine92718
      elaine92718 jim48507

      Posted

      Sorry Jim. I forgot to mention. I had this process but the other way around. Prozac did nothing for me what so ever but the Ven worked wonders. To be honest at the time, I don't remember having severe withdrawal symptoms. However I was that deeply depressed then I can't remember much. I'm sure you'll get there with family and friends support. Keep pestering your doctor. Take care 😊👍😊
    • anne240
      anne240 elaine92718

      Posted

      Elaine I withdrew very very slowly over 10 months and had no withdrawals at all.  Most people who experience bad withdrawals do it much too fast.  Honestly I had no withdrawals at all, and I am a small old lady!!  Take your time and you will be fine. 
    • jim48507
      jim48507 anne240

      Posted

      I had to come down on the venlafaxine to 75 so I could go up on the prozac without overdosing.  Coming down on the venlafaxine over a long time woujld not allow me to go up on the prozac which I needed to do due to my symptoms.  I dropped from 150 venlafaxine to 75 last week because wth that and the prozac I felt like I was taking too much and didn't feel good.  
  • helen62899
    helen62899 jim48507

    Posted

    Hi. I don't get why you've been switched from a SNRI (ven) to a SSRI (prozac) Unless your depression you are describing to your psych has changed or its a stop gap to help clear the Ben before trying a new SNRI.

    Personally I find Prozac doesn't touch me. I have GAD and had it when I was first I'll, then had setraline which turned me into a sweat puddle and gave me armpit boils and thrn i had ven.

    I now have duloxetine or c ymbalta at 90mg and get less side effects than with Ven and its working well. Another drug my psych

    mentioned was trazodone. But we went for the cymbalta as I suffer weight gain.

    Beware if you miss a cymbalta you'll get an instant withdrawal which turned me into an angry tearful monster. I think it's an antidepressant you treat like a dog; it's for life, not just for short term! I'd hate to come off it! Some health authorites are reluctant to prescribe as it's quite expensive and not yet available on generic.

    Mention it to your psych....... it's an option that was gud for me but we are all different and psychiatry is like Russian roulette...... what works for one, don't for others.

    Good luck.

  • anne240
    anne240 jim48507

    Posted

    Prozac made me very poorly.  Like you I could not sit still, and had huge anxiety issues with it.  I could not tolerate its side effects, so perhaps, like me, it is not the anti depressant for you. 

    Withdrawals from Venlafaxine can be very severe, so your poor body is coping with these withdrawals and the introduction of Fluoxetine.  I don't know if it is temporary.  I think you will have to wait until the Venlafaxine is out of your body, and it is difficult to predict how long that will take.  It varies from person to person. 

    Like me, you may find that Fluoxetine makes you worse, not better.  We all react differently to anti depressants.  What suits one person may not suit another. 

    I have read here that many people manage the switch over.  I personally have always stopped one completely before starting another.

    As you need to withdraw from Venlafaxine very slowly, you may be doing it too fast.  That is why you feel so bad, plus adding Fluoxitine, has upset you.

    That is a fast drop from 225mg to 75mg Venlafaxine.  Took me 10 months to withdraw from 150mg, but I did not stsart another anti depressant, so perhaps this is normal when changing from one medication to another. 

    I do hope you feel better soon, and hopefully get some constructive advice here.

    My comments are personal to me, and others may react differently to Fluoxetine. 

    • michael37584
      michael37584 anne240

      Posted

      hello there anne im 72 and been on venlafaxine for 30 yrs see my earlier posts ive gone from 300 mg moderate release to 75 mg over 12 weeks i am now feeling awful what were your reductions and how long on one strenth to the next thank you michael

  • marytheresa1122
    marytheresa1122 jim48507

    Posted

    Hi Jim

    Using my iphone and not sure i sent message. So here goes agsin

    I am going through the same as you fro Effexor XR to Prosac. I was put on Effecor 112 mgs last year as i had a relapse. It worked great for 6 months. Then i had knee surgery and got my symptoms back i 6 months. I was so upset. So he upped it and

    i got severe i got severe blood pressure. Then cross tapered to prosac to 10 mgs then 20 snd now upped today to 40. I too feel horrible and upset. I am hoping it will kick in soon. I can never take anothet SNRI only ssris i guess

    • jim48507
      jim48507 marytheresa1122

      Posted

      Do you feel so awful you don't want to live anymore?  That's how I've been feeling.  I feel empty and nervous all the time.  I don't know what to do at this ;point.
    • anne240
      anne240 jim48507

      Posted

      That is how I felt when I took Prozac.  Never felt so bad on any other anti depressant.  Yes I did get side effects with them but nothing so severe as when taking Prozac.  I found it upped anxiety and agitation to very extreme heights which I could not tolerate.  I would see your doctor again and tell them how you are feeling.  As I said you did a huge drop quickly with the Venlafaxine so your body is struggling with both anti depressants.  Withdrawals from Venlafaxine are quite severe, so hopefully that will pass as it goes out of your system. 
  • marytheresa1122
    marytheresa1122 jim48507

    Posted

    Jim

    i live in US. I just picked up my script from pharmacy. I am calling Dr to up dose  to 40 mgs. She said that may work. I am thinking you are on too low a dose      You were on 225 effexor. You should be be on perhaps at least 40 mgs of prosac. I also take Ativan. SNRi  are not good. They raise Bp cholesterol and etc  they should  make more ssris.  

    • jim48507
      jim48507 marytheresa1122

      Posted

      I'm even considering stopping this prozac and going back on the effexor full dose.  I dont think I can tolerate much more of this.
    • jim48507
      jim48507

      Posted

      I really don't know what to do.  I don't know whether it's the [prozac doing this or whether it's not enough and my NP iss on vacation this week.
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