A timetable for recovery on Fluoxetine / prozac

[panic_down_under]

Hi ian and thank you for I can not take the prozac because I can not stand it it gives me too much anxiety.

Then either citalopram (Celexa), or escitalopram (Lexapro) would be good alternatives. However, all serotonergic ADs may raise anxiety at the beginning because of the initial increase in serotonin activity. Talk to your doctor as this can be managed.

Or you could consider one of the older tricyclic class antidepressants (TCAs) such as amitriptyline (Elavil), or imipramine (Tofranil). They usually produce less severe initial side-effects (and withdrawal symptoms on quitting), but tend to have more ongoing ones such as constipation and dry-mouth. Again, these can be managed.

[KayMK]

Spent the morning reading through all these posts. I am so grateful I found this forum.
I might just have to read the timetable every morning to keep going. Its made me feel much more positive.
Thanks to all the people sharing their story.

[velia]

Hi ian thanks for your suggestions I had try the citalopran but I did not support it . so I'll start the deroxat hope it works.

[velia]

Hi ian I hope you're okay .
I was wondering I was at 2mg of paxil I think I should have increased to 5 mg see 10 mg. because wait 3 months to stabilize by adding only 0.5 mg. no use .I lost 3 months in pain instead of coming back .
because on the other forum they say not to go up too much . but I just went through several stories and I find that people suffer too much to wait to stabilize. instead of going back to a high dose and being quiet. so I don't understand why we risk turning our brains on by increasing?. Thanks

[panic_down_under]

I was wondering I was at 2mg of paxil I think I should have increased to 5 mg see 10 mg. because wait 3 months to stabilize by adding only 0.5 mg. no use .I lost 3 months in pain instead of coming back .

You should be aiming to take at least 20mg/day. Taking ADs at sub therapeutic doses will increase the risk of the med failing to work.

because on the other forum they say not to go up too much . but I just went through several stories and I find that people suffer too much to wait to stabilize. instead of going back to a high dose and being quiet.

And how much of the problems they have are caused by the AD, and how much by what they read on that site? I have a low opinion of it as they seem to have little real idea of how ADs work. A lot of the claims made are nonsense. For the sake of your peace of mind stop reading it.

so I don't understand why we risk turning our brains on by increasing?. Thanks

The rule of thumb is that you need to take a dose that will block 80+% of the serotonin reuptake transporters. For paroxetine this occurs at about 20mg. Sub therapeutic doses won't achieve this, plus they may affect the long-term efficacy of the med.

[velia]

Hi ian
do you know how long the deroxat takes effect? because I'm not well at all . by the way I listened and I took over at 10MG I would see later if I should increase . started Saturday and I had stopped the prozac a week before.
speaking of the other site c is this link or they say not to increase the dose too much I found it . I'm talking about this because I know a girl down there who she's been suffering since September because they tell her not to increase her dose of citaloprane she's 1.65 mg. Thanks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindli...ic_withdrawal)

[panic_down_under]

Hi ian
do you know how long the deroxat takes effect?

It typically takes 4-12 weeks to kick-in from when you begin taking a therapeutic dose - 20mg+.

because I'm not well at all . by the way I listened and I took over at 10MG I would see later if I should increase . started Saturday and I had stopped the prozac a week before.

I would have recommended starting at 5mg for the first 5-7 days and increasing it by 5mg every week until you're taking 20mg. There probably is no point in reducing the dose now.

I'm talking about this because I know a girl down there who she's been suffering since September because they tell her not to increase her dose of citaloprane she's 1.65 mg.

Is she trying to wean off citalopram, or wean onto it? 1.65mg is not going to help either way. It is far too little to do any good and simply quitting would shorten the misery if she wants to stop taking it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindli...ic_withdrawal)

Kindling may, repeat, may, be an issue with directing acting meds such as the benzodiazepines, but it is less clear that it is a factor with ADs which produce their effect indirectly. There are advocates for both positions. Time will tell which faction is correct.

[velia]

Hi I started 10mg yesterday I will wait two weeks to see how I am and I would increase by 5mg if I can not stabilize. at the time I had started at 10mg and I was well maybe it will work.

[panic_down_under]

the girl I know on the other forume was taking a benzodiazepine and as she could not wean it he was offered an antidepressant to wean it. I didn't understand the use . she wean benzo and citaloprane but she really suffers.

SSRIs are sometimes prescribed to help people wean off benzodiazepines (BZDs) if it causes depression, or rebound anxiety. Is she now trying to wean off both the BZD and citalopram at the same time? If so, that is making it very difficult. Doses of only one med should be changed at any one time. She should have been stabilized on an effective citalopram dose before weaning off the BZD and then once she was doing okay without the BZD, weaned off the citalopram.

[velia]

as I am not English speaking I deleted without doing expres my post. and I do not know how to turn on notifications if there are any ? and I can't do what you can to recite a sentence. it's a little parenthesis::Oui oui: