A timetable for recovery on Fluoxetine / prozac

[KHPanic]

Hi everyone. Thought I'd check in. Reducing my prozac from 40 to 20. My anxiety has been in a decent place but I've been feeling really spacey and depersonalized along with my tinnitus so with my psychiatrists advice im going down to see if it improves. I'm encouraged by the first few days before the withdrawal symptoms set in. I was hoping they would be light but I've had a few rough days. Feeling OK now but very fluish at times along with some increased anxiety. The tinnitus hasn't improved much but for a couple days I felt a little more in my own head.

Not sure where the path will take me from here. Maybe stick at 20 if I feel enough improvement but maybe onto something else. Paxil worked quite well for me but the onboarding side effects were pretty bad so I think Lexapro or zoloft are next if that comes.

Hope everyone is doing well if you're still around. Quiet around here these days.

[Swiffy]

Hi!

Im new here and i hope to get some Support for reinstatement.

Im off of prozac since 7 Months and im in hell of Withdrawal. My last dose where only 0,37 mg (crazy but its real). I was 7 jears of prozac without Problems. Then Made Cold Turkey, reinstated 0,5 mg and tapered Off to fast... My worst Symptom is insomnia (with 0 hours of sleep since 7 Months)

Can you tell me how i can reinstate or If it make Sense to reinstate?

Greetings

[panic_down_under]

Hi!

Im new here and i hope to get some Support for reinstatement.

to NMP,

Im off of prozac since 7 Months and im in hell of Withdrawal. My last dose where only 0,37 mg (crazy but its real). I was 7 jears of prozac without Problems. Then Made Cold Turkey, reinstated 0,5 mg and tapered Off to fast... My worst Symptom is insomnia (with 0 hours of sleep since 7 Months)

To clarify, you took fluoxetine (Prozac) for 7 years then quit it 'cold-turkey', had some withdrawal issues so began taking it again at 0.5mg, or 5mg?, then tapered off it about 7 months ago, but are still having what you think are withdrawal symptoms the worst of which imsomnia so severe that you haven't slept at all since you stopped taking the antidepressant?

I don't think what you are experiencing is withdrawal. Fluoxetine has a very long half-life, about 6 days for fluoxetine plus up to 16 days for its active metabolite norfluoxetine which is mostly responsible for the medication's efficacy. It takes about a month for fluoxetine to be completely metabolised out of the body and nearly 3 months for norfluoxetine, so any withdrawal symptoms are usually mild if they occur at all. I suspect you are also getting more sleep than you think you are as no one can go completely without sleep for more than a few days without suffering significant psychological and physical effects.

What was fluoxetine originally prescribed for? Anxiety, depression, both and why did you stop taking it so quickly? What has your doctor said about all of this?

Can you tell me how i can reinstate or If it make Sense to reinstate?

It wouldn't make sense to reinstate fluoxetine just to wean off it again as a way of ending the withdrawal symptoms. However, I suspect your real problem now isn't withdrawal, but a return of the disorder/s that fluoxetine was originally prescribed to treat in which case taking a therapeutic dose (20+mg) may help. But that is something you should be discussing with your doctor.

[IrishLondon]

Hey All,

I know this thread hasn’t been updated in a while. But I’ve found it a lot of comfort the last few days.

I was fluoxetine 20mg for around 5 years and it worked great for me. With my doctors help I decided to taper off it this summer - with my last dose in mid-September.

Unfortunately four weeks later, anxiety came back with a bang and I crashed. Not sleeping, not eating, crying all the time, fear and terror etc.

My doctor recommended I go back on 20mg fluoxetine and so I guess I’m on this thread to track my progress. From what I’ve read, it’ll likely take longer to work second time around but some of the stories on this thread have really given me hope.

I’m now in day 9, and to be honest the anxiety has got much worse but that seems to be par for the course. I’m just hoping I can get through week 2 and 3 and start seeing some brightness in week 4.

Id be really grateful for any encouragement or anyone going through the same thing right now.

Currently kicking myself for ever thinking I could have coped without these meds. I was doing so well a month ago!!

x

[betterdays]

Hello all! It's been 10 years since I initiated this thread. I spent hours last night reading through all of the posts, so many people locked in the struggle, my heart goes out to all! One thing stands out to me, for most, it takes a good 14 weeks for prozac to fully take effect. For those who are enticed to increase dosage before the 14 weeks, don't! For most, it's like starting over. Depression does get better! Always remember that! And almost every single one who goes through this have moments of giving up, please stick to it, the end result is so worth it! For me, I'm still on 20 mg prozac after 10 years and have no intention of ever changing. I do go through periods of depression still but, they are minimal, nothing close to my original struggle. I am filled with gratitude to all here who have gone out of their way to help others. This battle is best won as a group rather than alone. I love each and every one of you! Sincerely, Randy S.

[panic_down_under]

Glad it is still working well for you, Randy

ADs can be ornery meds at the beginning, but when they work well they can significantly enhance quality of life.

Ian

[betterdays]

Thanks for the reply Ian! I have a question regarding TMS (repetitve transcrainial magnetic stimulation), I have been on 20mg prozac for 10 years. Still, I go through mild to moderate bouts of depression, usually triggered by a life event. I have seen some literature suggesting TMS may be a good supplement to the prozac. Wondering if anybody in a similar situation has tried this?

[panic_down_under]

I have seen some literature suggesting TMS may be a good supplement to the prozac. Wondering if anybody in a similar situation has tried this?

I've had no personal experience with rTMS nor do I recall anyone using it as an adjunct to meds probably because while it can be as effective as ADs for depression, like ECT, it usually does little for anxiety. It would definitely be worth a shot.

If it doesn't help and you don't want to up the fluoxetine dose then you could try supplementing it with buspirone (Buspar) at low doses. This is a GAD specific med which is very effective for some and not quite as useful as M&Ms for most, but when taken with SSRIs and other serotonergic ADs may significantly enhance their effectiveness and diminish some of their side-effects. It may also lower the risk of the AD pooping-out (tachyphylaxis).