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Addax: 30 years with Fluoxetine and tapering


Addax

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I'm ******.
My signature pretty much sums things up, but leaves out the In-depth details of the journey with this drug. My biggest fear is that I began taking the med as a teenager and while my brain was still developing. I can't help but wonder about the impact Prozac had on my neuro- development and what that means for me now and in the futures he last time I kicked the Prozac habit it lasted 4 months before I finally gave in to the withdrawal symptoms and resumed taking Prozac again. It's so hard to describe how bad it was and what it felt like. The physical symptoms alone were unbelievable. I honestly wasn't sure I'd survive it. Right now there are periods of anxiety and fatigue and irritability, but they are tolerable and slowly abating. When they do I will decrease my dosage again. That's how I'm playing it this time. Decrease, survive withdrawal symptoms till they [mostly] abate, then decrease again... Then on like that. I don't ever want to experience what I did the last time.

Edited by scallywag
tags

1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts)

Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal 

Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue 

Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast)

April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin 

Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop)

Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms 

Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but…

Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs

Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine  then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months

Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding.

 

My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/

 

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welcome to the forum, Addax!

 

I'm also withdrawing Prozac. I'm a bit envious, because when comparing our timelines, it seems that you are able to go on much faster. I started going down from 40mg in April 2013, and I'm currently at 19,5mg, and can go down only by 0,5mg after 3-4 weeks. 

 

I have noticed that I will get the worst withdrawal 4-5 months after the decrease, that's one reason why I'm extra careful, not to cumulate the drops beyond my brain's ability to recover. my message is - be careful! :)

Edited by Altostrata
name change

in 2002- 0,5 tablet cipramil for half a year, ended it uneventfully. in 2006 - citalopram for half a year, ended in horrific state, ditched the drugs CT. 2007-2008 not feeling well but drug free. in 2008 prozac 20mg + quetiapine 25mg. 2009 tried to stop, ended up in hole after couple of months, started zoloft. 2009-2011 zoloft 50mg. went to 25mg in 2011 summer, it resulted in half a year horrible suffering. reinstated, changed drugs, nothing happened. by 2012 beginning suddenly felt great and CT meds. after 4 months came suddenly most horrible human suffering that's possible. was started on prozac and questiapine. started tapering slowly, GFCF diet and Hardy Nutritionals vitamins in 2013 summer. 

current medications: 1) fluoxetine and quetiapine since Aug 2012; 2) Daily Essential Nutrients by Hardy Nutritionals 7 capsules / since May 2013 + omega3; 3) Gluten-free-casein-free diet since june 2013

Started withdrawing slowly since april 2013. Mostly around 10% cuts. 

April'13 - March'14: fluoxetine 40mg -> 19,5mg; quetiapine 50mg -> 40mg
April'14-March'15: fluoxetine 19,5mg -> 14,4mg; quetiapine 40mg -> 22mg

April'15-March'16: fluoxetine 14,4mg -> 7,4mg; quetiapine 22mg -> 15mg

April'16-March'17: fluoxetine 7,4mg -> 5,0mg; quetiapine 15mg -> 7,25mg

April'17-March'18: fluoxetine 5,0mg -> 4,0mg; quetiapine 7,25mg -> 0 (as of 1st Feb 2018)!!!!

April´18-March´19: fluoxetine 4,0mg - > 2,3mg. Jumped off fluoxetine 1,4mg due to pregnancy in July 2019. Oct 2019 severe withdrawal syndrome started.

Took mistakenly a complex for hormonal support that included pregnenolone dec2019-april2020. Stopped it april 2020 and immediately severe akathisia started. Have had life threatening akathisia since, 100% disabled, suicidal, very hard to hold on. 

 

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You may be tapering too fast, especially at lower doses. A slow taper will not only minimize withdrawal symptoms, it will give you the best chance at getting through the post-withdrawal year or two without having to go back on the drug. With a long history like yours a slow withdrawal process is crucial.

 

Read this, about tapering:

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/

 

And here's our thread on tapering Prozac:

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/759-tips-for-tapering-off-prozac-fluoxetine/

 

And this article shows why it's so important to taper slowly at low doses (see the charts beginning page 4, the second one is fluoxetine aka Prozac):

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6036-why-taper-paper-demonstrates-importance-of-gradual-change-in-plasma-concentration/

 

I'd recommend just holding your doses for a couple of months while you absorb this information and allow your CNS to recover and stabilize from the tapering you've already done. In the case of psych med tapering, patience and time are your best allies. With your situation--started on them young, been on for multiple decades--you really need to grow a new brain, and that just takes time and support. Be good to your nervous system!

Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. 

Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010.  Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea.

 

Feb 15 2010:  300 mg Neurontin  200 Lamictal   10 Celexa      0.65 Xanax   and 5 mg Ambien 

Feb 10 2014:   62 Lamictal    1.1 Celexa         0.135 Xanax    1.8 Valium

Feb 10 2015:   50 Lamictal      0.875 Celexa    0.11 Xanax      1.5 Valium

Feb 15 2016:   47.5 Lamictal   0.75 Celexa      0.0875 Xanax    1.42 Valium    

2/12/20             12                       0.045               0.007                   1 

May 2021            7                       0.01                  0.0037                1

Feb 2022            6                      0!!!                     0.00167               0.98                2.5 mg Ambien

Oct 2022       4.5 mg Lamictal    (off Celexa, off Xanax)   0.95 Valium    Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet 

 

I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion.

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  • Administrator

Welcome, Addax.

 

Reading your signature, I see you're getting withdrawal symptoms from Wellbutrin? How do you know they're from Wellbutrin?

 

Also, what does this mean: "10mg Prozac daily but with only 5 mg taken every third day."

 

Please see http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/759-tips-for-tapering-off-prozac-fluoxetine/

Edited by Altostrata
name change

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Ditto what Rhi and Alto said.  And here's another important read which explains our basic method of tapering:  Why Taper By 10% of My Dosage?

 

If I'm understanding you right, you're tapering both Prozac and Wellbutrin at the same time, and tapering Prozac by cutting your dose in half every third day. Or in other words doses would be in milligrams 10-10-5; 10-10-5; et cetera.  Is that correct?

 

Tapering two drugs at the same time is a bad idea, because if you have withdrawal symptoms, you won't know which drug is causing the problem. If I were you, I'd hold on the Wellbutrin until you're done with Prozac and have taken a break in between. Prozac has to be tapered carefully and slowly and it is the more difficult of the two drugs to discontinue for most people.  It may give you a bit of support in withdrawing from Prozac.

 

Changing the drug dose repeatedly, as I'm guessing you're doing, is also a very bad way to taper off. These drugs change the physical structure of the brain and depriving yourself of your regular dose every three days is like self-torture. Your central nervous system is dependent on this drug to support this now-artifical structure.  Tapering off by very small doses over a long period of time gives your brain the support it needs while it rebuilds itself.

 

Welcome to the forum, Addax.  You'll find lots of good information and friendly support here.

Psychotropic drug history: Pristiq 50 mg. (mid-September 2010 through February 2011), Remeron (mid-September 2010 through January 2011), Lexapro 10 mg. (mid-February 2011 through mid-December 2011), Lorazepam (Ativan) 1 mg. as needed mid-September 2010 through early March 2012

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." -Hanlon's Razor


Introduction: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1588-introducing-jemima/

 

Success Story: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6263-success-jemima-survives-lexapro-and-dr-dickhead-too/

Please note that I am not a medical professional and my advice is based on personal experience, reading, and anecdotal information posted by other sufferers.

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Wow! You all are great! Thank you so much for your sharing what you know. I wish I'd found this group sooner. I'm going to delve into the links you have all shared as soon as I respond to what you've written.

 

Repunzel2: Yeah, it was at the 4 month mark that my withdrawal symptoms worsened and were nearly intolerable, which is why I resumed taking Fluoxetine (Prozac). It has felt like my taper has been slow, but I have been feeling withdrawal symptoms, so don't be envious! They aren't nearly as bad as last time, and don't touch what I experienced at that 4 month mark. I'm being much more careful this time, but I'm still fearful of that 4 month mark. How have you been feeling with your current dosage?

 

Rhi: I'm definitely going to hold at my current dosage for awhile. Especially in consideration what everyone has written. It scares me to think about the effect the drug had on my neurodevelopment being that I started it as a teenager. I do think of it as my brain learning to function all over again. Like learning to walk again.

 

Altostrata: I don't believe the withdrawal symptoms are from the Wellbutrin. They're nearly identical to the ones I had last time w/o Wellbutrin, just much less severe. I won't taper the Wellbutrin again for a very long time. And Jamima has my dose schedule correct. So a week would look like: 10mg-10mg-5mg-10mg-10mg-5mg-10mg.

 

Jamima: you have my dose schedule correct. I knew it wasn't the best idea to taper both... I got impatient and a head of myself. I'll stick it out since it's been over a month at the 75, but Per your advice and from the others, I'll hold it at 75mg. The reason for the alternate dosing with the Prozac is because of the long half-life. So it doesn't seem like it would be like Zoloft and Paxil where the effects of staggering might be more immediate and drastic.

 

Again, thank you to all of you. With this kind of experienced support and advice I'm much more hopeful about being able to do this successfully. I also want to hear your stories of withdrawing... Can I find them in the forum?

1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts)

Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal 

Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue 

Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast)

April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin 

Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop)

Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms 

Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but…

Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs

Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine  then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months

Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding.

 

My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/

 

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Repunzel2: Yeah, it was at the 4 month mark that my withdrawal symptoms worsened and were nearly intolerable, which is why I resumed taking Fluoxetine (Prozac). It has felt like my taper has been slow, but I have been feeling withdrawal symptoms, so don't be envious! They aren't nearly as bad as last time, and don't touch what I experienced at that 4 month mark. I'm being much more careful this time, but I'm still fearful of that 4 month mark. How have you been feeling with your current dosage?

 

 

In 2012 I stopped taking AD (zoloft at the time), and after 4-5 months collapsed in a way I couldn't have imagined. reinstatement didn't work, and then we tried different meds and I ended up taking prozac. which didn't help. (in 2013 I discovered vitamin-mineral cure and gluten-free-casein-free died which started helping). I'm still coming out of this crisis and I think my nervous system is severely damaged. that's why I have become so sensitive to small drops. I'm quite affected by even 2,4% drops - I get tired, angry, irritable, teary, and my sleep rythm goes crazy. but I recover, and then I can take another step. 

 

I'd advise you to slow down. what's the hurry? better be safe and sure. you need to grow a totally new brain, it's a big change. 

in 2002- 0,5 tablet cipramil for half a year, ended it uneventfully. in 2006 - citalopram for half a year, ended in horrific state, ditched the drugs CT. 2007-2008 not feeling well but drug free. in 2008 prozac 20mg + quetiapine 25mg. 2009 tried to stop, ended up in hole after couple of months, started zoloft. 2009-2011 zoloft 50mg. went to 25mg in 2011 summer, it resulted in half a year horrible suffering. reinstated, changed drugs, nothing happened. by 2012 beginning suddenly felt great and CT meds. after 4 months came suddenly most horrible human suffering that's possible. was started on prozac and questiapine. started tapering slowly, GFCF diet and Hardy Nutritionals vitamins in 2013 summer. 

current medications: 1) fluoxetine and quetiapine since Aug 2012; 2) Daily Essential Nutrients by Hardy Nutritionals 7 capsules / since May 2013 + omega3; 3) Gluten-free-casein-free diet since june 2013

Started withdrawing slowly since april 2013. Mostly around 10% cuts. 

April'13 - March'14: fluoxetine 40mg -> 19,5mg; quetiapine 50mg -> 40mg
April'14-March'15: fluoxetine 19,5mg -> 14,4mg; quetiapine 40mg -> 22mg

April'15-March'16: fluoxetine 14,4mg -> 7,4mg; quetiapine 22mg -> 15mg

April'16-March'17: fluoxetine 7,4mg -> 5,0mg; quetiapine 15mg -> 7,25mg

April'17-March'18: fluoxetine 5,0mg -> 4,0mg; quetiapine 7,25mg -> 0 (as of 1st Feb 2018)!!!!

April´18-March´19: fluoxetine 4,0mg - > 2,3mg. Jumped off fluoxetine 1,4mg due to pregnancy in July 2019. Oct 2019 severe withdrawal syndrome started.

Took mistakenly a complex for hormonal support that included pregnenolone dec2019-april2020. Stopped it april 2020 and immediately severe akathisia started. Have had life threatening akathisia since, 100% disabled, suicidal, very hard to hold on. 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Rapunzel2-

 

I'm fearful as well about the possibility of CNS damage, particularly because my brain still had another 6-8 years of development left to do when I started taking it. That being said, if our brains adjusted to accommodate the drug, it can accommodate to not having the drug (brain plasticity). I've been on the drug the majority of my life and during a period of neurodevelopment, so my chances of full recovery may be compromised, but I'm hopeful. How long had you been taking Prozac prior to tapering?

 

My hurry? I'm impatient, and the anticipation of withdrawal symptoms stresses me out and I just want to get them over with! Ugh! I get them now, the same ones you described, but unlike last time I know they will eventually pass, which helps me a great deal. They are also less severe with my slower taper. Despite wanting to get this over with ASAP, I am heeding your advice and that of the others and will hold at my current regimen for awhile. I will also look into a compound pharmacy to see if that is an option for the "odd" dosages if I can't get the liquid form.

 

Day #1 of getting over myself and slowing down... :)

1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts)

Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal 

Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue 

Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast)

April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin 

Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop)

Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms 

Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but…

Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs

Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine  then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months

Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding.

 

My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Yay, glad to hear you're slowing down! That's a good sign. People who hang on to the "I want to do this fast" and can't let go of it, don't usually do so well, particularly with a long history like yours and starting from a young age.

 

I didn't start so young but have the long history part, and I've got an older and less "plastic" brain now, but it seems to me that with my very slow taper my brain is adapting and changing, slowly, getting back to my pre-med state or something close to it. I think there's a very good chance you can do that with your history. But if it helps, please keep in mind that these changes and adaptations in the brain are things that don't happen fast. Genes have to be turned on and off. Receptors have to be removed and broken down, and others have to be constructed. All kinds of incredibly complex chemical pathways have to be adjusted. Cells have to grow and others have to be destroyed. 

 

Just more reason for patience. Your CNS will thank you. And this is your brain, the only one you get, for the rest of your life; isn't it worth investing the time to do it carefully?

 

That's how I think about it, anyway.

Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. 

Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010.  Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea.

 

Feb 15 2010:  300 mg Neurontin  200 Lamictal   10 Celexa      0.65 Xanax   and 5 mg Ambien 

Feb 10 2014:   62 Lamictal    1.1 Celexa         0.135 Xanax    1.8 Valium

Feb 10 2015:   50 Lamictal      0.875 Celexa    0.11 Xanax      1.5 Valium

Feb 15 2016:   47.5 Lamictal   0.75 Celexa      0.0875 Xanax    1.42 Valium    

2/12/20             12                       0.045               0.007                   1 

May 2021            7                       0.01                  0.0037                1

Feb 2022            6                      0!!!                     0.00167               0.98                2.5 mg Ambien

Oct 2022       4.5 mg Lamictal    (off Celexa, off Xanax)   0.95 Valium    Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet 

 

I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion.

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Rapunzel2-

 

I'm fearful as well about the possibility of CNS damage, particularly because my brain still had another 6-8 years of development left to do when I started taking it. That being said, if our brains adjusted to accommodate the drug, it can accommodate to not having the drug (brain plasticity). I've been on the drug the majority of my life and during a period of neurodevelopment, so my chances of full recovery may be compromised, but I'm hopeful. How long had you been taking Prozac prior to tapering?

 

My hurry? I'm impatient, and the anticipation of withdrawal symptoms stresses me out and I just want to get them over with! Ugh! I get them now, the same ones you described, but unlike last time I know they will eventually pass, which helps me a great deal. They are also less severe with my slower taper. Despite wanting to get this over with ASAP, I am heeding your advice and that of the others and will hold at my current regimen for awhile. I will also look into a compound pharmacy to see if that is an option for the "odd" dosages if I can't get the liquid form.

 

Day #1 of getting over myself and slowing down... :)

 

 I feel that fast changes in dosages of AD are making a lot of damage. I have become so sensitive because multiple trials to get off the drugs. I have been on for 6 years, which may seem a little, but my brain is very vulnerable. my mother had the same issues and ended up taking her life :( so I have quite bad genes and background... 

 

I've seen people who want to get rid of the med, and go faster than their brain's ability to heal. it ends up badly. and when things go wrong, it's too late, because it's usually several months after quitting. some people end up in really bad condition and on more drugs than they began with (and more diagnosis). so it's very, very wise to rather go a little bit slower than to hurry things. after 25 years, it's logical that the withdrawal should also take several years. if you accept that, it will be much easier to be patient. 

 

I'm making my own liquid with water, by the way. and then I use syringe to remove a calculated part, and drink the rest. 

in 2002- 0,5 tablet cipramil for half a year, ended it uneventfully. in 2006 - citalopram for half a year, ended in horrific state, ditched the drugs CT. 2007-2008 not feeling well but drug free. in 2008 prozac 20mg + quetiapine 25mg. 2009 tried to stop, ended up in hole after couple of months, started zoloft. 2009-2011 zoloft 50mg. went to 25mg in 2011 summer, it resulted in half a year horrible suffering. reinstated, changed drugs, nothing happened. by 2012 beginning suddenly felt great and CT meds. after 4 months came suddenly most horrible human suffering that's possible. was started on prozac and questiapine. started tapering slowly, GFCF diet and Hardy Nutritionals vitamins in 2013 summer. 

current medications: 1) fluoxetine and quetiapine since Aug 2012; 2) Daily Essential Nutrients by Hardy Nutritionals 7 capsules / since May 2013 + omega3; 3) Gluten-free-casein-free diet since june 2013

Started withdrawing slowly since april 2013. Mostly around 10% cuts. 

April'13 - March'14: fluoxetine 40mg -> 19,5mg; quetiapine 50mg -> 40mg
April'14-March'15: fluoxetine 19,5mg -> 14,4mg; quetiapine 40mg -> 22mg

April'15-March'16: fluoxetine 14,4mg -> 7,4mg; quetiapine 22mg -> 15mg

April'16-March'17: fluoxetine 7,4mg -> 5,0mg; quetiapine 15mg -> 7,25mg

April'17-March'18: fluoxetine 5,0mg -> 4,0mg; quetiapine 7,25mg -> 0 (as of 1st Feb 2018)!!!!

April´18-March´19: fluoxetine 4,0mg - > 2,3mg. Jumped off fluoxetine 1,4mg due to pregnancy in July 2019. Oct 2019 severe withdrawal syndrome started.

Took mistakenly a complex for hormonal support that included pregnenolone dec2019-april2020. Stopped it april 2020 and immediately severe akathisia started. Have had life threatening akathisia since, 100% disabled, suicidal, very hard to hold on. 

 

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So today is a 5mg day. I know I was told here that the alternating doses was a bad idea, particularly at lower doses, but as I posted earlier, I thought with prozac's long half life that it would sort of blend together and sort of average out. Then I read the article with the graphs depicting the relationship of dose and blood levels and sort of thought, "hmm..." So this morning, as a felt a hint of anxiety that seemed more intense than what I thought was usual, I wondered whether it was due to the drop in dosage. It just may be. But how do I know? Because of the long half life of Fluoxetine and unpredictable timing of the appearance of the withdrawal symptoms I'm not sure if this morning was just a coincidence. I suppose to remedy that it's time to keep a log of some sort. Does the length of the half-life decrease with a decrease in dosage? I don't know, but if anyone knows or knows of a resource where I might find this out, please let me know!

1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts)

Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal 

Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue 

Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast)

April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin 

Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop)

Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms 

Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but…

Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs

Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine  then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months

Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding.

 

My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/

 

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Please read the Prozac tapering topic. The belief that Prozac is "self-tapering" is a myth. You get withdrawal symptoms, but later. We have many people here with withdrawal syndrome from going off Prozac.

 

At lower doses, you may metabolize the drug faster. There is also a disproportionate decrease in receptor occupancy rates, as that study showed.

 

If I were you, I would hold on reducing Prozac and go off Wellbutrin instead. Insomnia is a common withdrawal symptom, and Wellbutrin can exacerbate that as it can be very stimulating. If you go off Prozac while still taking Wellbutrin, it might make withdrawal symptoms worse.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Altostrata-

 

I never thought Prozac was self tapering. It just made sense that given the long half life ther would be a blending of doses.

I actually take the Wellbutrin to counter the lethargy and yawning side effect of the fluoxetine, so I'd kinda like to keep the Welbutrin around. Sleep has never been an issue for me, even during other attempts to withdrawal.

 

Unfortunately I'm all too familiar with the withdrawal from Prozac. The late onset of severe symptoms caught me off guard last time.

 

My guess is the increased sensitivity to varying the dose at lower doses is a result of the disproportionate accuracy rate. For this reason, instead of alternating I think I'll do the compounding pharmacy thing. I will re-read the Prozac tapering topic.

1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts)

Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal 

Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue 

Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast)

April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin 

Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop)

Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms 

Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but…

Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs

Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine  then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months

Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding.

 

My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/

 

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compounding pharmacy is much better thought!

I do believe that alternating doses has it's bad effect, but it would be hard to pinpoint exactly.

when I reduce prozac, I start to feel withdrawals around 1 week, maybe even 5 days. I have noticed that when I got down on the doses, the time got shorter. 

 

have you thought about the method of making your own water solution and tapering like that? I'm doing it, and it's manageable. and it's a way to get very precise doses. 

in 2002- 0,5 tablet cipramil for half a year, ended it uneventfully. in 2006 - citalopram for half a year, ended in horrific state, ditched the drugs CT. 2007-2008 not feeling well but drug free. in 2008 prozac 20mg + quetiapine 25mg. 2009 tried to stop, ended up in hole after couple of months, started zoloft. 2009-2011 zoloft 50mg. went to 25mg in 2011 summer, it resulted in half a year horrible suffering. reinstated, changed drugs, nothing happened. by 2012 beginning suddenly felt great and CT meds. after 4 months came suddenly most horrible human suffering that's possible. was started on prozac and questiapine. started tapering slowly, GFCF diet and Hardy Nutritionals vitamins in 2013 summer. 

current medications: 1) fluoxetine and quetiapine since Aug 2012; 2) Daily Essential Nutrients by Hardy Nutritionals 7 capsules / since May 2013 + omega3; 3) Gluten-free-casein-free diet since june 2013

Started withdrawing slowly since april 2013. Mostly around 10% cuts. 

April'13 - March'14: fluoxetine 40mg -> 19,5mg; quetiapine 50mg -> 40mg
April'14-March'15: fluoxetine 19,5mg -> 14,4mg; quetiapine 40mg -> 22mg

April'15-March'16: fluoxetine 14,4mg -> 7,4mg; quetiapine 22mg -> 15mg

April'16-March'17: fluoxetine 7,4mg -> 5,0mg; quetiapine 15mg -> 7,25mg

April'17-March'18: fluoxetine 5,0mg -> 4,0mg; quetiapine 7,25mg -> 0 (as of 1st Feb 2018)!!!!

April´18-March´19: fluoxetine 4,0mg - > 2,3mg. Jumped off fluoxetine 1,4mg due to pregnancy in July 2019. Oct 2019 severe withdrawal syndrome started.

Took mistakenly a complex for hormonal support that included pregnenolone dec2019-april2020. Stopped it april 2020 and immediately severe akathisia started. Have had life threatening akathisia since, 100% disabled, suicidal, very hard to hold on. 

 

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Thank you for taking the safer route of gradual systematic tapering, Addax.

 

What you might want to do is get down half-way on the Prozac, then hold and taper Wellbutrin -- depending on your symptom pattern then.

Edited by Altostrata
name change

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Altostrata.

You know, I hadn't thought of that. That the side effects the Wellbutrin is meant to alleviate will likely dissipate. Your suggestion makes a great deal of sense. Thank you!

 

As much as tapering and it's side effects suck, a few of the more worrisome side effects from the Prozac are no longer an issue. Two of them I had feared were permanent. The drop to 20mg made the biggest difference.

1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts)

Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal 

Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue 

Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast)

April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin 

Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop)

Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms 

Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but…

Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs

Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine  then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months

Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding.

 

My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/

 

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As much as tapering and it's side effects suck, a few of the more worrisome side effects from the Prozac are no longer an issue. Two of them I had feared were permanent. The drop to 20mg made the biggest difference.

 

If you don't mind sharing, what side effects disappeared with the reduction in dose?

I'm not a doctor.  My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one.

My Introduction Thread

Full Drug and Withdrawal History

Brief Summary

Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects

2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010

Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal

DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms

Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal)

May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins.

Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes

Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine

Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D

June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens.

Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered

Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days.

April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close.

VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from?



VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made?



VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes?



VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects?

VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes

 

 

 

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Addax, you're a breath of fresh air. I came to your thread today after posting in another of those "I just quit practically cold turkey and I'm sick and miserable but I'm not going to actually listen to your advice because I know better" threads.

 

It's so nice to see someone who's actually listening, reading, thinking, learning, and making appropriate adjustments and choices. I know you're going to be a success story and that makes me smile. I needed that. 

 

:-)

 

Also, yes, good insight about the drug effects reducing as you go down. Mine certainly have, very much so.

Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. 

Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010.  Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea.

 

Feb 15 2010:  300 mg Neurontin  200 Lamictal   10 Celexa      0.65 Xanax   and 5 mg Ambien 

Feb 10 2014:   62 Lamictal    1.1 Celexa         0.135 Xanax    1.8 Valium

Feb 10 2015:   50 Lamictal      0.875 Celexa    0.11 Xanax      1.5 Valium

Feb 15 2016:   47.5 Lamictal   0.75 Celexa      0.0875 Xanax    1.42 Valium    

2/12/20             12                       0.045               0.007                   1 

May 2021            7                       0.01                  0.0037                1

Feb 2022            6                      0!!!                     0.00167               0.98                2.5 mg Ambien

Oct 2022       4.5 mg Lamictal    (off Celexa, off Xanax)   0.95 Valium    Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet 

 

I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion.

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Petu-

 

I don't mind sharing at all. Let me start by saying that I was started on Prozac in 1988 for an eating disorder. No history of depression, or anxiety. Those diagnosis were added after attempts to stop taking the drug. Although, I suppose an eating disorder may be considered a manifestation of anxiet.

 

Some of the side effects were likely a long time in the making. I'll list the side effects I experienced in the order they appeared and go on to write what's still around as well as my withdrawal symptoms.

 

-Inability to cry. A sort of blunting of my emotions.

-Yawning

-After a while I felt a general, mild fatigue

-A couple years in, weight gain. Not a huge amount, but a battle none the less

-Disinhibition beyond what would be considered "normal" after one glass of wine. Even blackouts when drinking alcohol despite not doing so in excess. Essentially, a huge increase in the effects of alcohol.

-short moments of what I would now describe as hypo mania. Years later I would catch it, and be able to slow myself down. I honestly don't know if it was noticeable to anyone at the time.

-night sweats

-jaw tension, clenching

-much later: periods of urge incontinence (I attribute it to the drug because it disappeared when I dropped 40mg

-repetitive movement with my foot. Not like a nervous bounce or shake and not like TD. I was unaware I was doing it, but could stop doing it if it was pointed out. And then eventually I became cognizant of when I was doing it and would stop. It may have been a nervousness twitch of sorts?

 

There are some things I experience that I'm not sure I can necessarily attribute to the drug; like low blood pressure, low sodium, and short periods of what feels like a fluttery heartbeat.

 

I began to feel some relief from the side effects after dropping from 60mg to 40mg. The urge incontinance went away completely (this symptom is rarely mentioned, and when it is it's mostly in relation to Zoloft).

 

The foot movement thing dissipated at 40mg and disappeared at 20mg.

 

Hypo mania stuff was gone at 20mg as well.

 

I don't drink often at all, so it's hard to gauge the alcohol thing. One glass of wine makes me silly and sleepy, but my tolerance may be low just because I have a glass of wine so infrequently.

 

It feels like my experience of sadness and being able to cry began to feel normal at 10mg. I also find that I laugh more easily. Not in appropriately so, just more easily. Sort of like what happened with the crying. It felt like had been a very long time since I had an all out belly laugh... Or silent mode laugh.

 

Yawning and fatigue subsided after my last attempt to withdrawal. Not wanting it to return after I went back on Prozac, I began taking Wellbutrin to counter those things.

 

Night sweats were pretty much gone at 20mg, and unless my dog is pressed right up against me in bed, I don't have them at 10mg.

 

The jaw clenching decreased significantly at my current dose of 10mg, but during the periods of anxiety during this withdrawal it will happen.

 

The weight gain is a tough one. Your metabolism slows with age, so that may be why there has been no real change in that battle at the lower doses.

 

I feel like I'm forgetting something...

 

Okay, so currently I'm at 10mg of Prozac and 75 of Wellbutrin.

Infrequently I'll feel the weird shifting feeling in my head that has accompanied my other attempts to withdrawal.

There will be a day or two here and there where I will feel myself become pretty irritable, but it's not over the top and I don't act one it.

The anxiety is probably the worst part of the withdrawal for me because it's manifests itself physically, and all though I feel anxious and worried, there really isn't an emotional component. My body is very tense, my jaw tenses, I shiver/shake, and get a very uncomfortable physical feeling along my back. Almost like that uncomfortable feeling you get when you've been sitting in the same position for a long time that makes you change you're position or cross your legs the other way, except that doing that doesn't really help. It is becoming more and more infrequent, and usually isolated to the morning hours now. I often wonder if my morning coffee isn't partially to blame... My guess is that it is, But I'm not willing to tapper that right now! :)

 

While all those symptoms suck, they are by far less severe this time around with a much slower taper. They are tolerable. I don't feel like I'm losing my mind or that my body was going to break in half like I did the last time, when I quite obviously tapered to quickly.

 

What helps with the anxiety, tension and weird body sensations the most is physical activity. I can't stress this enough. Yoga is enormously helpful, as is running for me. Enormously.

 

That may be more information than you wanted. Believe it or not, the full story of my ordeal with Prozac is longer, but no one would want to read anything that long!

1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts)

Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal 

Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue 

Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast)

April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin 

Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop)

Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms 

Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but…

Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs

Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine  then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months

Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding.

 

My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/

 

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Rhi-

 

After my last experience with tapering and going off Prozac, I am quite obviously in need of candid advice and guidance. I am so grateful for you guys that have responded to my posts, shared your story, experience, knowledge, and this site in general. :). Thank you.

1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts)

Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal 

Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue 

Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast)

April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin 

Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop)

Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms 

Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but…

Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs

Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine  then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months

Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding.

 

My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/

 

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Go slower still and you'll have even fewer symptoms -- which would be a darn good idea.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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As I stated earlier I've been doing alternating doses of Prozac: 10-10-5-10-10-5-10. So it comes out to be approximately 8.5mg a day if I were to average. So rather than flip flopping like I have, do you think it would be okay at just do a straight 8.5mg/day?

 

Today was sort of an odd day. I had minimal anxiety... Really just some minor muscle tension in my jaw, which is great. However I'm having dizzy spells. Not the kind when you stand up suddenly or the brain shifting thing I got earlier in the tapper. Just like a moment of feeling dizzy like I was spinning around and stopped suddenly. They only lasted a few seconds, but it's something new and disconcerting.

 

But speaking of dizzy spells upon standing. I've had low blood pressure for as long as I can remember. Not doctor visit or prescription low, just kind of, I can eat as much salt as I want low. Anyway, the standing up and getting dizzy has plagued me for a very long time. It's been a nuisance more than anything and I've always attributed it to my low blood pressure. But lately it's become worse. It passes quickly if I bend over, but there have been a couple times when I have to stand and wait. What makes this worsening unsettling is that my pb was 117/76 two days ago. Pretty darn normal, right? Not low... Any chance this is a wd symptom? I haven't looked up cardiac issues resulting from SSRIs yet, or blood pressure, but in the meantime I wanted to hear what others might have as far as experience or information.

1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts)

Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal 

Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue 

Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast)

April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin 

Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop)

Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms 

Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but…

Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs

Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine  then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months

Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding.

 

My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/

 

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Perhaps take the 10 mg every day at the same time and keep a log of your symptoms. If you are stable after perhaps a month, you could try a 10% reduction to 9mg. You are proposing a reduction that is more than 10% right off the bat. Because metabolic systems work constantly they don't know anything about 'averages'. Consistency is what works. Alternating dosages (which the 8.5 would be just another dose change) might cause problems. That's what the dizziness might be warning you of - it could be a symptom of WD.

What happened and how I arrived here: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4243-cymbaltawithdrawal5600-introduction/#entry50878

 

July 2016 I have decided to leave my story here at SA unfinished. I have left my contact information in my profile for anyone who wishes to talk to me. I have a posting history spanning nearly 4 years and 3000+ posts all over the site.

 

Thank you to all who participated in my recovery. I'll miss talking to you but know that I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, suffering and rejoicing with you in spirit, as you go on in your journey.

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I actually think you might be okay with starting with 9 mg every day if you feel strongly you don't want to go back to 10 every day, although I agree with CW that consistency and stability is crucial for our brains. But Prozac does have that longer half-life than most--not enough to prevent a wibbly wobbly up and down disruption to some extent, but enough that you may already be adapted to slightly less than 10 mg a day equivalent.  

 

Then take your time and get everything you need together so that you can taper by 10% or less of your current dose from there on out. 

 

As for the dizziness, it could be withdrawal, but if you're concerned you might want to get a medical checkup just to make sure it's nothing else. Usually it's just withdrawal but once in a while it turns out people have something else going on too.

Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. 

Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010.  Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea.

 

Feb 15 2010:  300 mg Neurontin  200 Lamictal   10 Celexa      0.65 Xanax   and 5 mg Ambien 

Feb 10 2014:   62 Lamictal    1.1 Celexa         0.135 Xanax    1.8 Valium

Feb 10 2015:   50 Lamictal      0.875 Celexa    0.11 Xanax      1.5 Valium

Feb 15 2016:   47.5 Lamictal   0.75 Celexa      0.0875 Xanax    1.42 Valium    

2/12/20             12                       0.045               0.007                   1 

May 2021            7                       0.01                  0.0037                1

Feb 2022            6                      0!!!                     0.00167               0.98                2.5 mg Ambien

Oct 2022       4.5 mg Lamictal    (off Celexa, off Xanax)   0.95 Valium    Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet 

 

I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion.

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Definitely, I would pick 9mg or whatever and take it every day -- at the same time each day. Regularity is important for stability.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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I am now addax. My original user name was too similar to my user name in social media and I'm seeking as much anonymity as this day and age will allow.

 

Also, here's an update:

 

The compound pharmacy isn't going to happen, so until I can get a new proscription I'm shaving 1mg off my 10mg tablets. It's not as hard to do as I thought it would be, but hopefully I can get the liquid.

 

I went several days with no morning anxiety, muscle tension, and only minimal jaw clenching. Hooray! Thought I was in the clear today too, but anxiety, and a little muscle tension, kicked in this afternoon. I didn't really find myself clenching my jaw so much as feeling some pressure and muscle tightening in my jaw. It was weird. What I now call anxiety isn't the same anxiety I had in the past. It's the physical symptoms with body tension and shaky, nervous feeling, but without the anxiety thinking/emotional component. Like having a drop in blood sugar and being over caffeinated at the same time . I've felt it that way before, but thought it was worth noting again.

 

The dizziness upon standing is still kind of bad. It hasn't gotten worse though, so I suppose there's that.

 

Questions:

 

Noise sensitivity. I've seen people mention this, but I'm not sure what the mean. Any chance anyone could explain this to me? If it's what I think it is, it may be an new emerging symptom... Or simply irritability manifesting itself in a new, unusual way.

 

Also, anyone have some issues talking during withdrawal? I've noticed that sometimes it's like tongue trips over a word here or there and the word doesn't quite come out right. It's always isolated to one word. It may just be my brain moving on to the next topic before my mouth has finished discussing the last one. I don't even know if it's something new or if I'm just hyper aware of things right now and constantly on the lookout for wd symptoms.

 

The anticipation of wd symptoms is a little stress provoking for me. They were so bad after my last attempt to quit that I sort of expect (aka fear) the feeling that my body is going to crack in half to come out of left field and floor me again. I just want wd to be over!! Ugh!!

1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts)

Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal 

Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue 

Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast)

April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin 

Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop)

Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms 

Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but…

Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs

Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine  then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months

Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding.

 

My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/

 

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DIY Prozac liquid has a tried-and-true history. Please read the links Rhi provided.

 

It may take some time for your nervous system to settle down from the irregular dosing. You may have symptoms from this for a while.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Noise sensitivity. I've seen people mention this, but I'm not sure what the mean. Any chance anyone could explain this to me? If it's what I think it is, it may be an new emerging symptom... Or simply irritability manifesting itself in a new, unusual way.

 

Also, anyone have some issues talking during withdrawal? I've noticed that sometimes it's like tongue trips over a word here or there and the word doesn't quite come out right. It's always isolated to one word. It may just be my brain moving on to the next topic before my mouth has finished discussing the last one. I don't even know if it's something new or if I'm just hyper aware of things right now and constantly on the lookout for wd symptoms.

 

 

Noise sensitivity can be that certain noises seem louder.  For example, regular sounds that you are used to, like the refrigerator or TV volume.... and it can also be that sounds start to become annoying or cause a rise in anxiety, where before they didn't bother you.  I find that in withdrawal, my sound sensitivity fluctuates with my other symptoms.  Sometimes, my neighbors cutting their grass drives me insane, other times I hardly notice it...... I'm in protracted withdrawal from too fast tapering and get waves of symptoms come and go.

 

I've noticed from reading here and in my own experience, as people lower the dosage and come off medication completely, awareness in general does seem to increase.  Withdrawal and nervous system instability can cause hyper-awareness, which is very unpleasant, so its best to taper safely and avoid as much of the withdrawal symptoms as possible.

 

Thank you for explaining about the side effects which disappeared as you lowered you dose.

I'm not a doctor.  My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one.

My Introduction Thread

Full Drug and Withdrawal History

Brief Summary

Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects

2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010

Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal

DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms

Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal)

May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins.

Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes

Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine

Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D

June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens.

Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered

Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days.

April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close.

VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from?



VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made?



VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes?



VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects?

VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes

 

 

 

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Thank you for your responses. Still doing the slow and steady. Except for progressing to a steady 9mg dose rather than the flip-flopping with the 10-10-5, I haven't made any decreases. It's hard because I so badly want to get this over with. It's like waiting for the other shoe to drop because I anticipate a repeat of last time. I just want to yell, "just dropping the damn shoe already so I can get this over with!"

 

Anyway...I'm going to try the homemade liquid Prozac. Can I just put some of the powder in peanut butter? :). The anxiety symptoms have calmed down as of today and the dizziness is much less pronounced. My worry right now seems to be speech issues. Like tripping over my tongue or words a little or having some trouble with one word in a sentence. It feels like I have to really concentrate on what I'm saying. I don't know if it's obvious to others or not. I know people have noticed when I do it, but doesn't seem to occur often enough in front of the same person for anyone to find it concerning. Maybe I'm just hyper aware and reading into something I've always done? I'm a little self conscious of it right now and of course, given the length of time I've been taking Prozac I worry about neurological issues.

 

As far as sound sensitivity... The sound of someone whistling had become extremely irritating for a while. I haven't heard anyone whistling in several days, so I have no idea if it's still an issue.

 

So while some symptoms have subsided (at least for now), a new one has reared its annoying head. Luckily My dog doesn't care if I can talk or not... As long as it doesn't interfere with his meals, anyway.

1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts)

Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal 

Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue 

Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast)

April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin 

Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop)

Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms 

Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but…

Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs

Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine  then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months

Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding.

 

My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/

 

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Update

Tripping over my words seems to be a manifestation of anxiety. So even though I don't necessarily feel anxious, it seems to come out that way. It's like my mouth can't catch up with my brain. But my anxiety is strange. It's almost entirely a physical sensation. I think I may have said this before... I have the body tension and trembling and sort of a feeling of impending doom. However there are no thoughts that necessarily accompany this. I'm not worried about anything in particular but become worried about the physical sensations and how long till they pass. I can become worried about something if my attention is drawn to it, but that's AFTER my SNS has kicked in. It's backwards. That being said, this anxiety can be kicked into high gear pretty easily. Even if I'm excited about something good, I can start to feel anxious... This is one of the times I will trip on a word. I can also become irritable suddenly. No one would know, but on the inside I feel like I just want to yell, "COME ON!!"

I've had some uncomfortable anxiety the last couple of mornings. It dissipates by the afternoon, luckily. I'm almost positive that if I were to stop drinking coffee there would a significant decrease in my anxiety. I just can't bring myself to tapper that too right now. My physical addiction to Caffein is nearly 30 years strong.

That being said, I didn't experience any anxiety to day. Today was just, simply, a normal day...

 

So I've been wondering. How do I know if feeling irritable is just feeling irritable or if it's part of wd? How do I distinguish between wd symptoms and what is simply just me? It's like I don't trust my emotions in a way. I'm happy about something, but am I too happy? I'm sad, but should I be this sad? Does it just feel like extremes because of the blunting effect of the SSRI I took for more than 1/2 my life? Or do I have to relearn what they feel like because they are not as familiar as they should be? Like I can't quite conceive of what's normal yet...

 

Question about Wellbutrin: if I've been cutting the extended release in 1/2, that would negate the extended release part, wouldn't it? I just thought of that... And since there's no engraved line down the middle that would mean there's no guarantee I'm getting 1/2 a dose? Could be more, could be less?

 

Ugh.

1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts)

Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal 

Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue 

Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast)

April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin 

Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop)

Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms 

Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but…

Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs

Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine  then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months

Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding.

 

My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/

 

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Hi Addax,

 

Congratulations on what sounds like a very excellent beginning to tapering!! I really can't answer your questions about interpreting your feelings and emotions and what to trust is WD and what is just YOU. I myself have the same quandary. My approach is just to deal with whatever comes my way. It's easier for me than trying to figure what's what but everyone has their own approach. I can say, however, that ANGER can become exponential for me while tapering… & it is the only reaction I know is from tapering as I am really quite a nice docile person….. except when I'm not ( haha)...

 

There is such a thing as "neuro- emotions" … maybe do a search on this forum and see what you find. 

 

Your guess regarding cutting wellbutrin XL in half is correct. Here is information on that and what to do in order to properly taper.

 

I applaud your choice to go with the liquid… it is much more accurate and in the long run you will thank yourself for it. Or at least your brain will.

 

Good luck!

 

RU :)

Fall 1995 xanax, zoloft. switched to Serzone

1996- spring 2003serzone/ xanax/ lightbox.

b]Fall 2003- Fall 2004? Lexapro 10 mg. Light box /4 mg. xanax.[/b]

2004 - Fall of 2009 10 mg Lex, 150 mg Wellbutrin XL % 4 mg xanax

November 2009- Sept. 2011 10 mg lex., 300 Well. XL, 4 mg Xanax [/b

Sept.2012- July 2012 20 mg Lex 300 Well. XL, 4 mg Xanax

My mantra " go slow & with the flow "

3/2/13.. Began equal dosing 5 Xs /day xanax, while simultaneously incorporating a 2.5 % drop ( from 3.5 mg/day to 3.4 mg/day)

4/6/13 dropped from 300 mg. Wellbutrin XL to 150 mg. Difficult but DONE! Down to 3.3 mg xanax/ day / 6/10/13 3 mg xanax/day; 7/15/2013 2.88mg xanax/day.

10/ 1/2013...... 2.5 mg xanax… ( switched to tablets again) WOO HOO!!!!!! Holding here… cont. with Lexapro.

1/ 2/2014.. tapered to 18mg ( by weight) of a 26 mg ( by weight) pill of 20 mg tab. lexapro. goal is 13mg (by weight OR 10 mg by ingredient content) and STOPPED. Feeling very down with unbalanced, unpredictable WD symptoms.

1/2/2014- ??? Taking a brain-healing break from tapering anything after actively tapering something for 1.5 years. So… daily doses as of 2/2/2014: 18 mg by weight Lex, 150 mg Well. XL, 2.5 mg xanax, down from 26 mg by weight Lex., 300 mg well. XL, 4 mg xanax in August, 2012. I'll take it. :) 5/8/14 started equivalent dose liquid./ tabs. 5/13/14 1.5 % cut.

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RU-

Thank you for your comments and providing the links. Much appreciated and helpful! I have pretty much gone with the flow of whatever I'm feeling, but I still wonder.

1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts)

Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal 

Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue 

Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast)

April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin 

Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop)

Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms 

Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but…

Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs

Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine  then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months

Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding.

 

My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/

 

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Question:

 

While I know my large morning cup of coffee likely contributes to the AM anxiety I sometimes feel, could the 75mg of immediate release Wellbutrin also be a contributing factor? I'm wondering whether I should start to taper the Wellbutrin now that I've been stabile on the Prozac.

1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts)

Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal 

Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue 

Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast)

April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin 

Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop)

Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms 

Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but…

Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs

Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine  then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months

Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding.

 

My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/

 

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Question:

 

While I know my large morning cup of coffee likely contributes to the AM anxiety I sometimes feel, could the 75mg of immediate release Wellbutrin also be a contributing factor? I'm wondering whether I should start to taper the Wellbutrin now that I've been stabile on the Prozac.

 

I believe that was Alto's suggestion originally, and she's pretty much the Dumbledore of AD withdrawal, so it seems to be an idea worth giving some serious consideration to.

 

Also I would take care of the dosing issues with the Wellbutrin first--not an expert on that subject but I think the info is on the forum. Get to where you're not doing an approximate half, but can control your dosages precisely.

Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. 

Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010.  Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea.

 

Feb 15 2010:  300 mg Neurontin  200 Lamictal   10 Celexa      0.65 Xanax   and 5 mg Ambien 

Feb 10 2014:   62 Lamictal    1.1 Celexa         0.135 Xanax    1.8 Valium

Feb 10 2015:   50 Lamictal      0.875 Celexa    0.11 Xanax      1.5 Valium

Feb 15 2016:   47.5 Lamictal   0.75 Celexa      0.0875 Xanax    1.42 Valium    

2/12/20             12                       0.045               0.007                   1 

May 2021            7                       0.01                  0.0037                1

Feb 2022            6                      0!!!                     0.00167               0.98                2.5 mg Ambien

Oct 2022       4.5 mg Lamictal    (off Celexa, off Xanax)   0.95 Valium    Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet 

 

I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion.

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Yes, I'm going with what Alto suggested about tapering the Wellbutrin. I just wasn't sure if if should wait a bit longer to begin tapering the Wellbutrin or if I should just go for it now.

 

In order for me to get Wellbutrin in a different form I have to make an appointment with my PCP. She won't do it over the phone. Scheduling is a bit tricky right now, so it'll be awhile before I can get a different form of the med.

1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts)

Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal 

Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue 

Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast)

April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin 

Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop)

Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms 

Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but…

Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs

Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine  then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months

Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding.

 

My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/

 

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For titrating Wellbutrin, see http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/877-tips-for-tapering-off-wellbutrin-sr-xr-xl-buproprion/

 

Immediate-release Wellbutrin is often taken more than once a day in divided doses. You may wish to divide 75mg into half, one part taken in the morning and the other at lunch, so it doesn't interfere with your sleep.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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