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Is it too late to taper from a cold turkey 20 mg Lexapro discontinue from the last week of January 2023?

Hey everyone, Have been frequenting these forums a lot recently as they seem a lot more active than most. Thought I would post my ongoing story here to hopefully provide info to others and get some support as I have found some of the stories I read on here helpful and supportive. First post so im hoping the treatment history I supplied on sign up will also be posted. So im a 45 year old male living just outside London, UK. After various abortive attempts I finally managed to quit Prozac after a 2 year taper. Ive now reached the 6 month point and its been very up and down. Started off feeling OK with just an expetension of the feelings I had during the taper (mixed sleep patterns and pretty bad fatigue) but the last 2 months have been hard with a lot of anxiety and feeling hopeless. Now these are feelings which I simply didnt have when on treatment because thankfully I did respond pretty well and could live a normal-ish life. However, there comes a time when you need to know if you can cope without the drugs (and their side-effects). Sleep issues seem to come and go and if I could just crack that then I reckon I have a good chance of beating this. Fatigue is much better but im defintly in a hyper-sensitive state currently and having to manage things like alcohol and workload quite carefully. I think like most on here who have managed to kick the habit im wondering how long these bad feelings are going to last and tbh whether or not this is withdrawal or a return of symptoms of depression or a mix of both. There seem to be a real mix of stories on here with people suffering for many years after their treatment and some coming through it unscathed pretty quick. Ive been trying to see if there is any link between the length of time you have been on treatment and duration of 'withdrawal'. It seems logical that this would be the case but everyone is different right? What could potentially be useful on here is perhaps a poll of recovery time? However, this may be flawed as its probably the case that you will get a much higher proportion of people coming to forums like these if they are suffering protracted withdrawal symptoms rather than those who recover quickly? At the moment I feel like im going to probably be somewhere in the middle of this spectrum of sufferers. I keep thinking that if I have been on SSRIs for around 20 years then it wouldnt be unreasonable to expect a recovery time of 10% of that ie 2 years. I think if i was still suffering substantial Waves after 2 years off the drugs then I would defintly have given it a good shot and I would be happy to take the 'blue-pill' again! Ive been in more of a wave than a window recently which could be due to some outside stresses but seems to be in a window last few days so taking the opportunity to get things done like writing on here! Tbh its a nice xmas present! Have a complete lack of motivation to do anything when in a wave which is obviously when you think about reinstatement the most. I previously said to myself that I would review after 3 and then 6 months to see if I wanted to reinstate but I realise now that its probably a longer game than that. Im happy to chat on here and share my experiences and definitely therapeutic writing this stuff down. My other half isnt always so understanding! Cheers all and dont sweat the small stuff.

In month 3 of my Prozac withdrawal I started experiencing this really bad smell in my nose. At first it smelled like my dogs feet, then it smelled like yeast and now I don't know what it smells like. I smell it everyday, it comes and goes throughout the day. I have been to an ENT and nothing is wrong. Has anyone else experienced this? Any help or suggestions you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

I am 77 years old. I was prescribed 20mgs Prozac in 2013 to help with withdrawal from Xanax. When I had completed withdrawal in 2014 and wanted to stop Prozac psych said no - I was depressed and would have to take it for life. I had never had depression and the councilor I saw weekly for over a year agreed with me I had been miserable etc. but not depressed. I was on my own if I wanted to stop the Prozac. After a lot of research I did it very, very slowly (18 months) and changed to liquid fluxetine. I took last dose 10 months ago but still have withdrawal symptoms. I wondered if age had anything to do with it. I am sometimes not sure if its just old age that causes foggy brain. memory problems! Can anyone offer an opinion.

angielynn78ii Over the last 10 years I’ve been on antidepressants. At different stages I was on Pristiq, Celexa, Cymbalta, Viibryd and Prozac. I was also on Lamictal and Klonopin. I am proud to say that I am currently free of all prescription medications. I took my last dose of Prozac 27 days ago. I’m surviving but I look forward to thriving. I could say so much and really want to share more but currently I just don’t have the energy or clarity. I will write again when able.

Hi everyone, I started on Lovan 10mg at the end of January 2020 for irritability. My GP thought I was very on edge as I had a lot of stress from my first child, who at the time was almost two. My husband, daughter and I then moved interstate. I started to see a new GP first week of January who said after two weeks bump my dose of 10mg To 20mg. After several weeks (early March) I had no feelings at all, foggy ness and headaches and couldn’t even feel pain. Then one weekend I had a massive panic attack, one after the other, this went on for 6hrs. I have never suffered from panic attacks in the past. I then went back to my GP and said I wanted to stop the Lovan. By this time it was the middle of March 2020. I was told to gradually decrease over 2 weeks. 20mg to 10mg for the first week, then 10mg to 5mg for the second week, then stop. I stopped end of March 2020. For two months I had no side affects, then two weeks ago (late May 2020) I started to feel very anxious, headaches and foggy ness, unable to concentrate. After a week of that I had a massive panic attack that lasted six hours again, I took 2mg of Valium (GP prescribed for panic attacks) and it didn’t help. My heart was racing constantly. Every night since I have night time sweats, racing heart, hot flushes. It wakes me from my sleep and I can’t focus or concentrate. The days I have no appetite, trouble concentrating, feeling off and get bad headaches. I’ve been exercising daily and I practice meditation about five times a week. I eat as healthy as possible. I do counseling. I've reduced as much stress as I can. I have read a few posts on this forum and it sounds like this can last for years. My GP has not been very good at all and just thinks I have anxiety and that this isn’t withdrawal as it has been two months. My psychologist said I have moderate anxiety and that it could be withdrawal or something medical. I have an appointment to see a naturopath, has anyone had any luck with that to help relieve some symptoms. How long does this last for? I was only on the drug for two months total time. Thanks

Hello, I am desperate for help and found this website. I have been on Prozac for more years than I remember, over ten, and decided to stop last November ( so, 8 months ago). I didn't know about tapering, so I just stopped. I am feeling terrible. Constant crying, intrusive thoughts, cannot get out of bed, can barely speak sometimes. Did not feel too bad at first but now I feel consumed by it. I do not know what to do. I would ideally like to come of the drugs and be my normal self again. Is this possible? Do I need to go back on them and come back off again by tapering, or is it to late for that now? Should I see a psychiatrist? I live in the U.K. And am not really sure of the best way to find one. Does anyone have any advice for me, please?

Thanks for the ad. My Dr for the past 30 years just retired this past January. I had tried going off Prozac in 2016 but reluctantly went back on it after the prospect of a surgery came up. Last year after having a knee replacement (and still taking Prozac) I had a short bout of depression. So January of this year I see my old doctor for the final time and he had me wean off Prozac slower than the first time so that I was Prozac-free by April 1. My eldest brother and 2 of his daughters visited us briefly from North Dakota. If I’m lucky, I see family once a year. I’m the youngest of 7 and my siblings are in their 60’s and 70s, all developing health issues. After seeing my brother and nieces last month I felt sad that that might be the only family I see this whole year. This current depression began Friday April 26 and is slowly subsiding. Last week I saw my new doctor who ordered blood work to check my thyroid & vitamin D levels. She agreed Big Pharma is a problem & agreed I should try a more holistic approach. So that’s where I am presently. Also seeing my therapist. And I have an incredible support group of family and friends.

Hello everyone. I have been a silent follower of this site for many months but decided today to share my story. I was prescribed Prozac 10mg for PMD in March of 2015. My GP said I could take it everyday instead of just the 2 weeks out of the month and I agreed. I could tell a huge difference in my moods before my cycles. I went to my 6 month follow up and when asked how it was working I told him great but I would still feel a little edgy around that time of month. So he said to move it up to 20 mg since that was the usual starting dose. I also have Hoshimoto's (hypothyroid) and at this time my Synthroid dose was also lowered due to TSH level elevated. And that my friends is when my hell started. Three weeks after this dose increase, I was walking in a grocery store with my kids and everything looked as though I was walking up side down. I felt as though I was going to pass out but didn't. Got really hot, skin tingling, and anxiety through the roof. Made it home, took a shower and felt 100% normal. I work for an MD so I had him check my ears thinking fluid or something and he said probably just benign positional vertigo. I went with it and was fine until Thanksgiving, about a month later. Woke up, so dizzy, depressed, anxiety, fear of leaving my bedroom, you name it I felt it. I had a house full of guests but all I could do was lay in bed. I really thought I was going crazy. Finally made it to my GP the following week and told him what was going on. He ran a full lab on my thyroid and they were crazy high so he sends me to an endo out of town. They lower my Synthroid once again and it was there that I realized that the increased Prozac is what set all of this off. Now it was a matter of getting off this drug and getting my TSH levels back to normal. Started weaning off the Prozac in January 2015 through March 2015. Last Prozac was March 14, 2016. I would have waves and windows while tapering and there after. IT was and still is a living nightmare. The waves are shorter and less intense, but still there non the less. Fast forward to present. It is 17 weeks today since I took Prozac and the anxiety and dizziness is still present! October 2015 I was on 250mcg of Synthroid and now on 162mcg (that is a HUGE difference in that amount of time) (Was on 150 until last week, was reducing now increasing). I was doing so well for the month of June and then the dizziness and anxiety hit me like a ton of bricks out of no where. Not sure if it is related to the thyroid issue or not. I do know that I am ready to get off of this merry go round and feel normal again. Curious if any other members that have thyroid issues can relate and if there is a link between the SSRI and the thyroid levels. I know my Endo states that The SSRI can effect how the body metabolizes the thyroid medications.

Hello All, Just a brief introduction. I finished weaning off of Prozac about 1 month ago. Have been experiencing serious bouts of agitation, irritability, anger, and frustration. I DO NOT want to take medication anymore....these withdrawal symptoms, and I do believe that is what they are, are awful. Some days I feel like I am losing my mind. It is nice to know there is a place to come to where others may have experienced something similar and may have tips to help get through this. Dear God, let there be an end.

Hi All - Reading and typing are difficult, so I will try my best to relay what's going on with minimal typos. At the end of January, my psychiatrist used Prozac to begin weening me off of Pristiq (50mg), as the situation calling for meds was better and I was experiencing the haziness and vision problems associated with SSRIs. Over a month, I had discontinued both drugs (last dose of Prozac was 15 days ago). It is now March 10th and all of my symptoms are at their peak, with new ones arising regularly. My worst symptoms at this point are outlined below. I have omitted anxiety from the list because OBVIOUSLY. I am terrified that I am permanently like this. Can anyone else relate to such symptoms or advise on how long they lasted? I will not go back on this poison – but I also cannot go on like this. Any advice and/or support is welcome and appreciated. Good luck to everyone. Vision Blurriness (Made worse by driving) Dizziness/‘Spaced Out’/Fogged Feeling Disequilibrium (feel like a zombie, not ‘myself) Neck & Upper Back Pain (Particularly the top of my neck; stiffness of entire neck) Sensation of Brain “Moving” (Sometimes like a shakiness or bobble head type feeling) Muscle Spasms/Twitches (and general ‘shakiness) Motion Sickness Drunk (in a bad way) Confusion Trouble Concentrating (hurts my brain to try) Memory/Recall Issues Constant Headache (feels like a tension headache) Temple & Ocular Pressure Nausea (constant but generally mild) Occasional Ear Pressure Hair Loss

This should sound brutally familiar. http://wp.rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/