OCDee quit Prozac cold turkey several times

[OCDee]

I am in serious need of help. I don't know where to turn. I have to apologize if I am on the wrong thread but my post is out of desperation. I started taking fluoxetine capsules in 2011 to treat my OCD and was on for about 2 years. Throughout the 2 years I was in a difficult place and must admit that I misused the drug, sometimes taking more  than I should have. I discontinued use cold turkey because I got pregnant in 2013. In 2014, about 6 months after the birth of my daughter, I was prescribed the same dosage for PPD (no more OCD) and discontinued again cold turkey after about 3 months. In 2015 I was prescribed again fr depression and only took 1 pill before deciding I no longer wanted to take this medication. Here I am about 9 months later and I am having depression, anxiety and headaches as well as extreme fatigue. Is this a result of discontinutation or simply the return of the PPDor depression? wouould it be beneficial to begin taking the medication again and slowly be tapered off? or  is that just going to bring me right back to where I am today?

Edited October 3, 2016 by scallywag
tags added

[Altostrata]

Welcome, OCDee.

 

I moved your post to start your Introductions topic. This is the place to discuss your particular situation.

 

Have you ever gotten withdrawal symptoms when you quit Prozac? What kind and for how long?

 

Going on and off psychiatric drugs, particularly via cold turkey, is wearing on the nervous system. What is your sleep pattern?

[OCDee]

Altostrata, thank you so much for your reply! The first time I quit I did so because I became pregnant and may be confusing the withdrawal symptoms with pregnancy issues but I feel like I did as they are the same as what I am experiencing now. I had frequent headaches, extreme fatigue and nausea but my sleeping patterns were quite normal. As I mentioned before, the OCD that I started taking the meds for has never returned. I went back on the medication 6 months after the birth...I cant tell you  exactky how long I was on them for but I eventually decided to quit when I started to feel better. At this point, my general physician had prescribed them for me for PPD after celexa didn't work out and made my anxiety worse than with no meds at all. A few more months passed Then I suffered from insomnia for a whole week and my friend who is a PA wrote me a script to start  taking fluoxetine again. I only took one pill and  then decided I didn't want to continue taking it. That was probably 8 months ago. I should mention that my sleep has never been disrupted until that time. I was perfectly fine until about a month ago but I always felt like my body was hanging on to the feeling that the meds gave me of not worrying too much and being calm about everything, No  one ever explained to me about the half life concept this is just how I felt. A month ago while one a short vacation I started feeling dread, anxiety and major depression. Ever since I stopped taking the meds everytime I touch anything metal their is a zap. No brain zaps though I experienced crying spells and today I am anxious about everything.I fnd no enjoyment in the things I used  to love. I start thinking of the future and my past and become fixated on it. it's affecting my new relationship ( I separated with the father of my daughter six months after she  was born) I am also now having headaches all the time and feel tired most of the day. I went to see a Pscy and she made me go get a physical to rule out anything physical first  such as hormonal imbalance, anemia etc. I just  got the results ad everything is where  it should be. Have I completely messed up my nervous system? will my brain return to hoomeostasis on its own? Or do I need to reinstate ad taper off?

[Altostrata]

That zap touching metal is probably static electricity.

 

Many people do better with fish oil and magnesium supplements, see
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1300-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

 

These could help your sleep.

 

Also see Important topics about symptoms, including sleep problems

 

Are you taking any other drugs? Have you taken an antibiotic recently?

[OCDee]

I am currently not having sleep issues. Not taking any other drugs. I have cut out caffeine and significantly reduced alcohol.

[Newbeginning]

Hi OCDee,

 

Reading your story, I'm a little confused. Could you please list more specifically your drug history?

 

For every time you took *any* psych drugs,please list the following to the best of your recollection: month and year; dosage; duration of treatment; side effects; method of tapering; any withdrawal symptoms upon reducing dose or quitting.

 

From what I understood from your story, it doesn't seem probable what you have is protracted withdrawal. If I understood correctly, at least 12 months have passed since you last took Prozac or any psych med (I'm not counting the day you took one pill because I doubt that made a difference, though everything is possible). To have withdrawal for the first time after all this time is not impossible, but would be uncommon.

 

Have you had any stressors that might have caused this in the last several months? I noticed you had a romantic breakup right around the time when you had a recurrence of symptoms in the past. Perhaps you should try to recall if stressors might have contributed to your symptoms throughout your history.

 

If you can fill in some of these gaps in your story, maybe I can give you some advise. I can relate to all the symptoms you mentioned. They are the reason I went on meds several times in my life. I'll be glad to share more about my experience and the pros and cons of using meds to sedate anxiety and depression--so you can make an informed decision. Doctors typically don't warn us about long term risks of med use.

[OCDee]

Hi Silver Star! Thank you for your input. I truly appreciate you sharing your experience with me. I will try to recount my history for you as best as possible. Before I begin I should tell you that my condition of obsessive compulsive disorder began when I was 10 years old. I always refused any meds and always did meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy and later when I got older, medical marijuana which worked the best for me. I should probably also mention that I started using the MMJ when I was 17 and have continued to use it until recently because now it just causes me further anxiety.

 

 The following is my best attempt to recount my drug history:

 

June 2012  I began taking Prozac. My PhD started me on 1 capsule of 20mg one a day for 1 week and for the second week told me to take 1 20mg capsule in the a.m. and another 20 mg capsule in the evening. after 2 week I was on 2 20mg capsules oce daily. I took it this way for 1 years, sometimes taking 3 pills instead of 2. by the end of that year, I was taking 60 mg per day.

 

In 2013 I got pregnant in June and completely stopped taking the medication as I was worried about birth defects or something of the like. I had a rough pregnancy... with a lot of headaches, nausea and irritability. even my poor best friend would annoy me, someone I adore to the moon ad back so I knew something was wrong but I wrote it off as pregnancy symptoms.

 

In April 2014 my General physician prescribed me celexa for Postppartum depression which made matters worse. I had really bad anxiety with this and crying spells also a lot of shaking and sweating and it made me grind my teeth so I discontinued it.This was mainly what caused my breakup with my baby's dad. he couldn't handle the PPD and when I decided to take medication for it I guess he  decided that the whole situation was too much.  He became hostile toward me and also unfaithful and violent. I dealt with it ok as best as I could and had allot of support from my family.

 

In November 2014 the PPD and depression returned so my general physician suggested I go back on the Fluoxetine. he gave me the same dosage I was on but didn't start me gradually like my psychiatrist  did. I took it for 4 months and then stopped again without tapering. I didn't feel like I got any withdrawal sysmptoms this time until July 2015 I  started having insomnia and anxiety so that's when I took the one pill. If we go by your method then it has been about a year since I have been completely off of the medication not counting that time I took one pill.

 

As far as stressor...I have a 2 year old which is stressful enough. I work at a law firm for a sociopathic attorney who has adult adhd and I recently returned to school so that I can get a degree and I am now in a new relationship with a very loving and understanding man who will walk over fire for me. We have had a couple of bumps but are going on a year together and talk about a future together.  He helps me a lot both financially and emotionally but I can see that  he is concerned for my current mental  state.

 

The depression and anxiety that I am experiencing now began a little over a month ago.  It started as a general sense of worry then progressed to a sense of  impending doom then the crying spells started again and thinking about the future worrying if I can take care of and provide for my daughter. Anxiety over establishing a career and profession. I stated having nightmares and waking up feeling hopeless every day and feeling like I am drowning and cant breath. I can best describe it as if someone has laid a heavy brick on my chest. The feeling usually leaves around 3pm but then starts all over again the next day. sometimes I honestly dont even want to go to sleep. My bf has a mom who is very religious so he cannot sleep over my place but I notice that when he stays late and looks after me I can generally sleep a little better. When all of this started I could only tell him that I felt like I wasn't myself.  I am usually a very upbeat and happy person but now I have trouble enjoying the things I used to love. I feel a dark cloud is following me and I try to put on a good face for my little girl. I guess you could call these feelings depersonalization. 

 

I  hope this helps you help me assess the situation. Thanks again for your input and for taking the time to reach out to me. I greatly appreciate it.

[OCDee]

I am still in my search for answers as to what I am going through. Is it withdrawal at all? I took fluoxetine 40 mg (was taking 60 mg by the end of the year) in 2012-2013. Discontinued cold turkey due to pregnancy. November 2014-february 2015 took 40 mg fluoxetine. Discontinued cold turkey again. I had no physical withdrawal sypmtoms whatsoever. None. I was fine for an entire year. Maybe a little more irritable but nothing too bad. I could even attribute this to the stress of being a single mother now at this point. As discussed before, i hadone bout of insomnia sometime in april 2015 which lasted about 3 or 4 days but then just went away. At the suggestion of my brother to get back on antidepressants I took 1 40 mg fluoxetine but then decided I was already off of it and didnt want to get back on. As I said... Things were fine for a whole year, there were no brain zaps fatigue or any of the other symptoms described in physical withdrawal. 1 year later, i am experiencing anxiety and depression most closely to menstruating. I have also been experiencing insomnia again only this time it persisted for a month and continuing. Could this stillbe protracted withdrawal? Or possibly something new stemming from new environmental factors of anxiety such as returning to school, raising a toddler single-handedly while working full time and starting a new relationship? I have never adapted well to stressors. Since the anxiety and stress began in Feb. of this year i noticed that I have a lot of muscle spasms mostly in my legs but also in my arms as well. They are prettyconsiatent throught the day. I have resorted to going to the ER for the insomnia yesterday. They sent me away with a prescription for ambien and recommended that I get on an antidepressant if the underlying cause of my insomnia is anxiety or depression. I have begun to take the ambien because frankly, I cannot take an entire month with no sleep although Ifear dependency on these as well.would like some suggestions or comments from those who have experienced whether this is withdrawal or something entirely new. I have also madd an appointment to see a CBT therapist and a hypnotherapist in case this is something entirely new. i woukd greatly appreciate the input of the SA community when it comes to this question as you are very educated and experienced in these situations! Thank you!

[AliG]

OCDee. I don't think any of us can say for sure if what you are experiencing is " Withdrawal " or not .Usually the withdrawal signs show up sooner, but it's all individual. Nothing surprises me with these drugs, anymore. If I remember correctly , I went about 8 months after a  C/T without too many obvious symptoms, before it became almost suddenly intolerable, and they all hit at once. I jumped back on the drugs, thinking as the doctor said that it was the return of my previous condition. The thing is it's hard to remember now, and I'm sure there were other symptoms that got lost at the time, thinking that there was something else going on. I knew nothing at that point. 

Is it possible that even though you didn't have some of the more classic symptoms, that there were not other signs that all was not well ? Perhaps some you have forgotten. 

It's hard to know. I guess you're the only one who can possibly say.  Could it be ? It is possible. I'm sorry I can't give you a more definitive answer. 

Ali

[nz11]

Hi Ocdee

My druggery story began back in dec 2000 and i am still joining the dots on stuff.

 

Like AliG its hard to remember some things.

Trying to piece things together mainly so i could argue agaisnt my ex doctor i went and asked the pharmacist for a printout back to 2000 off everything i have taken.

Anyway i find there is about  a one year gap when i cannot account for any drugs taken in and around 2003. (in other words it seems i was drug free for one year) I remember going to the doc in 2003 uncharacteristically tearful and distraught saying 'there is something wrong with me but i dont know what' i was given paxil and sent home assured safe and not addictive. I now recall that this happened at a time when i tried to take legal action against a previous employer for  a work injury in my hand and i had a lawyer who let me down and ....its a long story....i felt uncharacteristically more upset than i feel i would have been...(In hindsight i now believe i triggered the manifesting symptoms of (delayed) ssri withdrawal/impairment)

 

Anyway the thing is i do believe that these drugs can leave the cns impaired and the drug free impairment can be lying kind of dormant until the brain is hit by a stressor and then things implode and symptoms appear.

 

Do i believe this can be delayed for many months ...yes i do.

Do i believe it can be delayed for a yr ...yes i do because rightly or wrongly i think that was my experience. (I do think with longer term use the symptoms will manifest much sooner as they did for me in 2010, but who knows what rules this animal plays by).

 

The depression and anxiety that I am experiencing now began a little over a month ago.  It started as a general sense of worry then progressed to a sense of  impending doom then the crying spells started again and thinking about the future worrying if I can take care of and provide for my daughter. Anxiety over establishing a career and profession. I stated having nightmares and waking up feeling hopeless every day and feeling like I am drowning and cant breath. I can best describe it as if someone has laid a heavy brick on my chest.

The feeling usually leaves around 3pm but then starts all over again the next day. sometimes I honestly dont even want to go to sleep.*

My bf has a mom who is very religious so he cannot sleep over my place but I notice that when he stays late and looks after me I can generally sleep a little better. When all of this started I could only tell him that I felt like I wasn't myself.  I am usually a very upbeat and happy person but now I have trouble enjoying the things I used to love. I feel a dark cloud is following me and I try to put on a good face for my little girl. I guess you could call these feelings depersonalization.

 

 

I can so relate to ALL these descriptions(especially this *). These are classic ssri withdrawal symptoms ., including insomnia imo

..... for me if it looks like a duck, moves like a duck, talks like a duck,...then im calling it a (ssri withdrawal) duck!

 

Here's what i might do ...keep well away from people who prescribe.

Try not to use words like anxiety or depression in your vocab. in front of others.

Take the fish oil and calcium instead of ambien.

Spend time on this sight reading about non-drug ways to cope and neuro emotions.

Try not to get freaked out and panic ...read the Claire Weeks thread in the symptoms and self care location.

 

nz11

[OCDee]

Nz11,

 

Did you also experience insomnia? If so, how did you manage ro cooe with it? I have trouble because of work school and my daughter. I took the ambien last night and it doesnt work for me anymore. I know it is highly addictive so I will stop takkng it all together. Nothing seems to work and I cannot function without sleep

[AliG]

OCD.    I'm not NZ. I think he's asleep . LOL.      Have a look at some of the sleep links . You might get some ideas . 

 

Tips to help sleep -- so many of us have withdrawal insomnia

 

Sleep problems - that awful withdrawal insomnia

 

Melatonin for sleep 

[Altostrata]

OCDee, since you have many stressors in your life, it's very hard to say if your use of Prozac going back more than a year has anything to do with the symptoms you are experiencing now.

 

If I were you, I would not consider going back on an antidepressant to deal with them. Rather, see Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms

 

Are you taking any other drugs or even supplements regularly? Do you ingest a lot of caffeine? Do you eat a lot of foods with artificial ingredients?

 

Do you keep a regular sleep schedule? Do you use the computer late at night? See Important topics about symptoms, including sleep problems

 

Many people do better with fish oil and magnesium supplements, see
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1300-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

 

Magnesium can help with the twitching.

[OCDee]

Thank you alto! Everyone keeps telling me to go back on "my medication". Probably because they would like to see me better instantaneously, but reading throughthe journeys of the people here I can see that quick solutions usually come with devastating consequences and usually are not long lasting. I currently decided to take a break from school to decrease the stress. I decided I have a good enough job and my health is not worth the extra stress. My boss has been accomodating enough to give me time off of work to go to dr and psych appointments. I was taking Niacin for a few weeks as well as Vitamin D and B complex. My bloodwork came back with vitamin D deficiency which my Dr overlooked and let me walk out of the office without addressing. I felt that what I am going through may be hormonal so I had to go back and practically beg for extra testing. My estrogen levels came back high and the same dr neglected to do cortisol and estrogen testing and again let me walkout of the office without addressing the high estrogen levels. I read that high estrogen can cause insomnia and can also signify low estrogen production. I have also made an appointment with a hypnotherapist to address depression and anxiety and was told by the therapist it can also alleviate insomnia. On the psychiatric side I have found a therapist who is willing to do CBT with me. I will try the magnesium and fish oil. Do you know if these help with insomnia? At this junction my main concern is getting at least one day of sleep without having to drug myself. Although I have resorted to that after going to the emergency room this weekend. After the first dose, the ambien they gave me is no longer working. I dont want to become dependant on yet another habit forming drug. I am hoping that I am able to find a solution to this nightmare as soon as possible. It relieves me that you opine that this might not in fact be withdrawal. Thank you for your prompt reply abd bless you for contributing your time and efforts to these issues. You are an inspiration and a great help to many on this site looking for answers and approaches to their ills. Can I ask how long insomnia persisted for you and what methods you used to try to get at leasta few hoursof sleep without drugs?

[nz11]

Hi, OCD yes i have sleep issues but i simply just go with the flow and dont let it upset me.

I was up yesterday 3am making my first ever smoothie with the second hand blender i just acquired off an online auction site was so loud i thought it might wake the neighbours. Hey why should i be the only one who cant sleep! lol I think the sound must have travelled some distance cos i noticed ALiG up at that hour too!

 

I dont swallow anything for this and ...you wont believe me but ....im still alive! Maybe my sleep issues may not be as bad as yours.

I just allow my body to do whatever and sometimes i am dead out to it with a nap in the afternoon. So yeah ALiG was probably right i may have been asleep earlier.

 

Oh yeah i meant to say magnesium not calcium in the above post.

 

Be on your guard when seeing the p-doc. because they will have drugs and try to give them to you.

If you describe the above symptoms to a pdoc (lets take the, 'I feel bad in the morning but better after 3pm and it goes on everyday' then they might say a word that ryhmes with 'mymolar'  ) they might have just the medicine for that so you might leave with a  label and a drug, maybe even a cocktail cos that was just one symptoms and you have mentioned a whole heap.

These people will make you start second guessing yourself and if you are not strong may push you in directions that may not be helpful.

 

Everyone keeps telling me to go back on "my medication".

Im sure 'everyone ' means well but i think they are ignorant and oblivious to the outcomes of such an action.

 

You are going to have to be patient i am sorry there may not be 'a solution as soon as possible.'

You are a year drug free and that is a very enviable position to be in. I would stay the drug free course. 

 

Here is the Glenmullen wdl checklist you might like to have a look

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2390-dr-joseph-glenmullens-withdrawal-symptom-checklist/

 

Be interesting to hear what the p-doc says.

[Altostrata]

OCDee, how's your sleep now?

[OCDee]

Hi Alto,

 

Unfortunately, I am still not sleeping well. I have been taking magnesium and viamin d supplements. I tried acupuncture and it worked for a while but then lost it's effect. I also tried nuerofeedback and it works for a day and then looses hold also. The worst thing is now I am pregnant and I honestly don't know how I am going to cope with this if I'm not sleeping well. I sleep a  bit better but not every day.