Theon: is it possible to have withdrawal from just 4 months of prozac?

[Theon]

Here comes my story:

 

2009

 

The first time I suffered from anxiety was when I was 16 years old, I spent more than a year being very hypochondriac, thinking I had many kinds of different illnesses and asking my parents to go to doctors to check if I suffered from this or this other illness.

 

2009-2013

 

After that period, I spent 4 years very well, with just short episodes of anxiety and hypochondria but mostly well.

 

2014

 

In 2014 my anxiety and pure obssesive OCD got worse, and I saw a psychiatrist for the first time; As a result of that, I was put on prozac in april 2014, because otherwise I was not going to be able to pass my exams. (I study engineering)

 

I did very well on prozac 20mg, it ended my obsessions and helped me focus on studying but I didn't want to stay on it, so I got off it during august and tried to solve my problems with therapy instead of medicines.

 

 

2015

 

In  december 2014 / january 2015 I got worse again, but this time much worse than before taking prozac in 2014. I had other symptoms such as imsomnia (which i had not had before), feelings of being incapable of doing anything, feelings of worthlessness, rumiating, and some more.

 

I saw the psychiatrist again, and of course he put me on prozac 20mg.

 

Now I have been taking prozac for 4 months and I am mostly well again, so I am getting off it with the permission of the doctor. 

 

My question is: 

 

Is it possible that what I experienced in january 2015 was withdrawal from the mere 4 months I took prozac some months earlier??

 

I assumed that it was my anxiety coming back, but it doesnt make sense that it was so much worse than ever.

 

Thank you.

 

[Laura1981]

Welcome Theon,

 

Great that you're here and seeking advice.

 

I'm still new here, so I'll wait for someone more experienced to comment.

 

But I think it could totally be withdrawal what you experienced.

 

I got severe withdrawal from 5 days on Effexor.

 

You can help the moderators by putting your medication history in your signature and say if you quit cold turkey or if you tapered off.

 

How are you feeling now? Are you stable?

 

All the best,

 

Laura

[Theon]

Hello Laura

 

Yes, I am stable, I am mostly free of the symptoms that I had at the begining of this year which were headaches, imsomnia, chest pain, rumiating, poor concentration, feelings of low self steem, etc. 

 

But now I wonder if part of those symptoms were due to prozac withdrawal that I took previously, or they were just my own condition.

 

And if they were, I will get them again when I go off the prozac...

[Laura1981]

Hi Theon, 

 

to me, your symptoms sound like withdrawal symptoms.

 

Especially if they were new symptoms that you didn't have before or if they were much more intense then before. 

 

Poor concentration, ruminating, headaches, insomnia, chest pain are all things I experience too. But we'll wait for someone more experienced to confirm. 

 

It's great that you're stable. You can calmly read through all the information in the tapering section, educate your doctor and family and get support in place.

 

Four weeks of tapering sounds a bit short to me compared to what's in the tapering section, but I'll definitely leave giving advice to the more experienced members. 

 

Very warm welcome to the forum. Great that you're here. 

 

Laura

[clearday]

Welcome -

 

Yes, sounds like withdrawal from Prozac. 

 

Some people go through withdrawal when they quit after just a few weeks on the drug. Many people are just extra-sensitive to these drugs.

 

Whether he realizes it or not, your doctor put you back on the medications to reduce the withdrawal, not to treat your underlying mental condition. We all know that the only way to reduce withdrawal from these drugs is to go back on the drug, just like any drug that causes dependency.

 

Many doctors understand the true nature of protracted SSRI WD, and how powerful and transforming these drugs are. There is plenty of professional literature published and info on the Web that establishes this fact. But most average doctors haven't got the memo yet.

 

Once you begin to come off these drugs, it is inappropriate for any doctor to make a psychological diagnosis of your underlying mental condition, because the person is in withdrawal, their nervous system is unstable. It is better to wait a year or so after SSRI discontinuance to assess what your baseline mental condition is.

 

Insomnia is a widely reported symptom of SSRI WD. Most people here have suffered through a "withdrawal insomnia wave" at one time or another during their recovery. Unusual, heightened anxiety - worse then you had before you went on these drugs - is also common.

 

When I stopped Prozac years ago, I was fine for four months and then got hit with delayed withdrawal symptoms that lasted a long time.

 

Don't underestimate the power of these drugs to cause neural changes that take a long time to heal. 

 

Good thing you were on such a short time and figured out how difficult these drugs can be to come off of.

 

It's best to do a 10% taper to reduce withdrawal symptoms. Doctors often advise too-fast tapers which initiate some tough withdrawal.

 

Here is our recommended taper schedule:

 

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

 

 A moderator should be along to discuss your options as you plan to move forward.

 

Good luck tackling those differential equations. 

[mammaP]

Hi Theon, welcome to SA.  I agree that it would have been withdrawal when your symptoms returned worse than ever, but sadly most doctors don't recognise withdrawal and think it is a return of mental illness.  You can avoid this when you taper this time by tapering very slowly, much slower than your doctor would recommend!  We recommend tapering no more than 10% of the current dose with at least 3-4 weeks between cuts. Prozac is available in liquid form which is much easier to taper.   Read the link that Clearday provided carefully before you start  and you will be well prepared. There is no reason why you can't taper off wthout any major problems if you go slowly and listen to your body.  If you feel any withdrawal symptoms then you have cut too soon or cut too much, you can then adjust your taper to suit your own body. It will take a long time but the alternatives are.....1) withdrawal 2) going back on and staying on for life!  The time will pass and one day you will be free of prozac  

[Theon]

Thank you clearday and Mamma for your answers.

 

After reading some threads I think that I maybe got protacted withdrawal, because I was feeling well until 3/4 months after leaving prozac, when anxiety, imsomnia, headaches, fear, chest pain, low self steem feelings, etc appeared.

 

As I explained before, I had a first experience with anxiety (being hypochondriac) very young, at the age of 16, that I healed from just with time. I guess my mind just decided to stop caring so much about my health.

 

So I would say that my baseline is anxious, but I am able to get over it naturally.

 

Now I regret having taken prozac, but I think I got too stressed about the possibility of failing my exams because of the state of mind that I had last year. ( I have always been a good student)

 

I will try the taper that the doctor told me, which is quite fast (4 weeks) and if I get WD symptoms again, I will post it here.

 

Thank you, theon

[oskcajga]

Here comes my story:

 

2009

 

The first time I suffered from anxiety was when I was 16 years old, I spent more than a year being very hypochondriac, thinking I had many kinds of different illnesses and asking my parents to go to doctors to check if I suffered from this or this other illness.

 

2009-2013

 

After that period, I spent 4 years very well, with just short episodes of anxiety and hypochondria but mostly well.

 

2014

 

In 2014 my anxiety and pure obssesive OCD got worse, and I saw a psychiatrist for the first time; As a result of that, I was put on prozac in april 2014, because otherwise I was not going to be able to pass my exams. (I study engineering)

 

I did very well on prozac 20mg, it ended my obsessions and helped me focus on studying but I didn't want to stay on it, so I got off it during august and tried to solve my problems with therapy instead of medicines.

 

 

2015

 

In  december 2014 / january 2015 I got worse again, but this time much worse than before taking prozac in 2014. I had other symptoms such as imsomnia (which i had not had before), feelings of being incapable of doing anything, feelings of worthlessness, rumiating, and some more.

 

I saw the psychiatrist again, and of course he put me on prozac 20mg.

 

Now I have been taking prozac for 4 months and I am mostly well again, so I am getting off it with the permission of the doctor. 

 

My question is: 

 

Is it possible that what I experienced in january 2015 was withdrawal from the mere 4 months I took prozac some months earlier??

 

I assumed that it was my anxiety coming back, but it doesnt make sense that it was so much worse than ever.

 

Thank you.

Totally possible.  I've read of people taking a single pill and having a terrible reaction that lasted for years.  I personally took SNRI medication for 5 months and have been completely messed up for over 2 years now.

 

Welcome to the club.  Hopefully your symptoms are not so bad and you can continue your life as it was, just remembering that SSRI and SNRI medication is EVIL and extremely dangerous stuff.

 

Good luck, stay off the meds and the symptoms will slowly go away over time.

[mammaP]

Theon, every time you do a fast taper you upset your nervous system and it takes time for it to stabilise. You may be ok after another fast taper for a few weeks, just like before, but withdrawal will hit again, there is no doubt about it.  Each time you do this your brain and nervous system will become more and more sensitive to the drug and then you could well be unable to take any drugs that will help. We see it here all the time and I would hate to see you go through withdrawal again. Please think carefully before going the rapid taper route, you may as well just cold turkey.  I am saying this out of genuine concern having seen it happen so many times and experienced it myself too.  The rapid tapers do not work for you, your past experience shows that.  Every single one of us here have wanted to get off the drugs as fast as possible, for all the right reasons, but it really is better to taper slowly.

 

 If you are scientifically minded you will find this thread intersting. It is discussing scientific papers on plasma concentrations of the drugs which shows why tapering slowly avoids withdrawal. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6036-why-taper-paper-demonstrates-importance-of-gradual-change-in-plasma-concentration/

 

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

[nz11]

"Now I have been taking prozac for 4 months and I am mostly well again, so I am getting off it with the permission of the doctor. "

 

Actually you have taken it for nearer 9 months. You have one ri already and that can thicken the prison bars. It is not a matter of i am mostly well your brain has been numbed and altered by a seriously potent chemical and it takes time to undo these changes.

 

MammaP is giving you great advise  you ignore it at your peril . Please reconsider. WE all can understand the need and desire to get the drug out of the body and quickly. But we cant do that unless we want to give the doctor a lot of repeat business or we want to endure a lot of suffering.

 

None of us can concieve the position we have been put in -at no fault of our own i might add - but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

 

What is your doctors tapering schedule? Down 5 mg per week? Did he even advise anything or did he leave it like mine did up to yourself !

Wdl is delayed thats why its rec to wait a month.

 

 Who said you are mostly well again ...the doctor... well i wonder what he will say when you have tapered for a month and in the following month are back in his clinic a psych mess. I can just see it now " oh you have had a relapse you need to go back on your drug". Totally refusing to admit it is all wdl. Blaming YOU and not the poison.

 

If you dont take the advise here then at least consider going slower than a one month  taper ...go to 15 mg for a month and just see if the coast is clear before proceeding  . 

 

You dont have to answer this qu if you dont want but when you were 16 and prior to drugging by doctors did you take or smoke anything ?

[Theon]

Hello nz11.

 

No I have never taken any illegal drug in my life. The only one I have taken is alcohol, and I didn't start drinking before 18 years old. 

 

I used to drink sometimes in the weekends when I used to go to pubs with friends, but not more than what it's considered normal. Besides, I stopped drinking when I was 20 because pubs stopped being so fun to me.

 

I got anxious when I was 16 because I am just that way: my father had his own anxiety issues when he was young (he was not put on any kind of antidepressant though)

 

Anyway, I am now at my 3 week of tappering, taking 5mg... maybe I shoyld keep here for a while. But no Wd symptoms so far.

[Laura1981]

Good to hear you reconsider Theon.

 

Some things to know that I would never have believed myself:

The onset of the withdrawal is very delayed. For me with Sertraline, the bad withdrawal set in after 5 days. For prozac I think it is much more delayed due to the long half life. It stays in your blood for ages.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC181142/#!po=13.0682

 

Another thing is that even a tiny dose makes a huge difference.

 

I got massive withdrawal from under one mg.

 

From what I read, the last mgs are the most difficult.

 

Good luck, Laura

[nz11]

Thanks Theon. Sorry for being nosey.

So you are obviously dropping 5mg per week then. Well thats your decision.

Thats clearly what you did last time is there anything you think is different this time. The wdl is delayed.

I'm not too sure what to suggest now that the train has left the station full steam ahead ...again.!

I guess sit at 5 mg for the next 6 weeks and wait it out for a while is a wise move.

We all want you to succeed but ths is going to make it difficult imo. 

Stay with us and keep us updated.

I just cant believe a doctor would take you down this road again. 

[Theon]

No problem being nosey nz11. On the contrary thank you for caring

 

The only difference from now to the other time, is that now I know about "protacted" withdrawal

 

Last time I thought withdrawal could only be immediate, and as my symptoms came 3 months after stopping prozac, I assumed withdrawal had nothing to do.

 

My doctor actually wanted me to stay more on prozac, but I didn't want due to side effects that i am experiencing (mainly lack of libido).

[mammaP]

Side effects lessen as the dose gets lower Theon, being on the drug longer because of slow tapering does not mean you will have the side effects all that time, they will get better as time goes by.  Withdrawal can be much, much worse than the side effects!  

[KT38]

Taper! I am 8 weeks off (cold turkey) 2 months of 4 different antidepressants and going through such H$ll.   And that was my Drs suggestion since I was having adverse reactions to them.   Please taper! 

[Theon]

Hello,

 

I have decided to sit with my current dose (5mg) for at least 6 weeks. I can't wait to be drug free, but it's worth to increase my chances of not being back on prozac again.

 

So until the middle of July I will be taking 10 mg every other day.

 

Yesterday I think I had a brain zap, but that's the only sign of withdrawal so far. 

 

I will tell any new here.

[Theon]

Or should I go up again to 10 mg? I am not sure now...

 

As I explained, I started withdrawal going 5 mg down every week. As my doctor told me!. This week I have been taking 5 mg, so theoretically next week I sould be on 0....

 

But now I am scared and I think I should listen to you and stay longer tappering.

 

Actually I got so bothered by some side effects that I experienced at the begining of May that I wanted to be free of it as soon as possible... but you are right, I should listen to people that have gone through this.

 

So I have two options.

 

1. continue with my current 5 mg for some time ( maybe 6-8 weeks)

2  go to the 10 mg of last week and be there 4 weeks and continue from there.

[mammaP]

Phew, glad to hear you are reconsidering Theon, I was worried about you there! As you have already had a brain zap I would go back to the 10mg, wait for a month to be sure your nervous system has stabilised then start a slow taper. It's worrying for us when we see people who want to speed along down a road that has a massive pothole, we know it's there but can't do anything is someone is determined to go down that route. All we can do is sit and wait for the inevitable crash. I am so glad that you are going to avoid it 

 

Another link for you, the 3 KIS, keep it simple, keep it slow, keep it stable. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6632-the-rule-of-3kis-keep-it-simple-keep-it-slow-keep-it-stable/

[Theon]

Ok, so I will do that then. 10 mg on June.

 

But I have a question.

 

The fact that the withdrawal from prozac comes so delayed does not mean that prozac should be tappered even slower than other drugs??

 

How do I know if I get withdrawal from the 20->10 tapper just in 4 weeks?, maybe the withdrawal is coming but is going to arrive later than those 4 weeks.

 

And other question. I read somewhere that prozac is the only antidepressant approved for children treatment. Shouldn't that mean that prozac is somewhat softer than the other ones? Because from what I have read in this forum, it is as dangerous as the others.

[mammaP]

When did you taper from 20 to 10? Was it in one cut or did you go taper down to 10? 

[Theon]

The tappering that my doctor said was: 15 for 1 week. 10 for 2 weeks. 5 for 1 week. end.

 

And now I am at the 5mg stage.

[nz11]

How do I know if I get withdrawal from the 20->10 tapper just in 4 weeks?, maybe the withdrawal is coming but is going to arrive later than those 4 weeks.

Good question and that is exactly what may well happen ..it is out there somewhere in the pipeline and it may well hit at some stage. No one can tell you when it will hit one minute the tide is disappearing over the horizon and everything looks honky dorey fish flapping on the mud flats and then the tide comes in bam!! That is why one must taper at the 10% rate and wait a month or two till the coast is clear then taper again. Its as simple as that .

 

And other question. I read somewhere that prozac is the only antidepressant approved for children treatment. Shouldn't that mean that prozac is somewhat softer than the other ones? Because from what I have read in this forum, it is as dangerous as the others.

Dont be fooled they are all in the same church but different pew.

No child should be given this drug period. drug companies have committed fraud. It should have black box warnings...not to be given to anyone under 24. 

If you want to know a little about prozac i put some info in my thread on its marketing taken from a book by Gotzsche's ...dont be fooled by what doctors tell you these drugs are no dispirins!

 http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/7571-☼-nz11-climbs-onboard/?p=114881

 

I also think going back to 10 is a wise move since you were only there just last week.

What ever you decide DO NOT ALTERNATE the dose that will trigger wdl the drug is so potent and brain altering the dose must be kept steady. 

 

The fact that the withdrawal from prozac comes so delayed does not mean that prozac should be tappered even slower than other drugs??

This is a good question. I dont know the answer to this one except to say that no one really knows when the drug wdl hits or how long it is delayed for. So the 10% is just a general guide and best to listen to your body if not stable then dont do the next drop.

Drug companies cannot be trusted in what they tell people....simply because they have hidden negative information. Basically they have played tobacco company games with dangerous drugs.  

[oskcajga]

How do I know if I get withdrawal from the 20->10 tapper just in 4 weeks?, maybe the withdrawal is coming but is going to arrive later than those 4 weeks.

Good question and that is exactly what may well happen ..it is out there somewhere in the pipeline and it may well hit at some stage. No one can tell you when it will hit one minute the tide is disappearing over the horizon and everything looks honky dorey fish flapping on the mud flats and then the tide comes in bam!! That is why one must taper at the 10% rate and wait a month or two till the coast is clear then taper again. Its as simple as that .

 

And other question. I read somewhere that prozac is the only antidepressant approved for children treatment. Shouldn't that mean that prozac is somewhat softer than the other ones? Because from what I have read in this forum, it is as dangerous as the others.

Dont be fooled they are all in the same church but different pew.

No child should be given this drug period. drug companies have committed fraud. It should have black box warnings...not to be given to anyone under 24. 

If you want to know a little about prozac i put some info in my thread on its marketing taken from a book by Gotzsche's ...dont be fooled by what doctors tell you these drugs are no dispirins!

 http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/7571-☼-nz11-climbs-onboard/?p=114881

 

I also think going back to 10 is a wise move since you were only there just last week.

What ever you decide DO NOT ALTERNATE the dose that will trigger wdl the drug is so potent and brain altering the dose must be kept steady. 

 

The fact that the withdrawal from prozac comes so delayed does not mean that prozac should be tappered even slower than other drugs??

This is a good question. I dont know the answer to this one except to say that no one really knows when the drug wdl hits or how long it is delayed for. So the 10% is just a general guide and best to listen to your body if not stable then dont do the next drop.

Drug companies cannot be trusted in what they tell people....simply because they have hidden negative information. Basically they have played tobacco company games with dangerous drugs.  

 

This was a pretty detailed response.

 

If anything, one might have the tendency to taper prozac quicker than other AD because you don't risk the same shock to the system if the drug is elimiated so slowly over such a long period of time (I've been told by a professor at a UC school that it takes 3 months for your body to eliminate it completely after your last dose).  In a sense, prozac has a built in "safety" for discontinuation (according to some people, but not others).  For this reason, prozac is often used as an intervention for AD withdrawals that have short halflives (12 hours or less), because you are then able to delay the immediate drop in synapse serotonin by several months, allowing your body to more naturally adapt to the changes.

 

However, I've read on websites similar to this that a quick taper from prozac is just as harmful as from other drugs because the WD do hit you, they're just delayed by 3 months.  I'm not exactly sure how true this is.

 

So the wisdom is to treat prozac the exact same way as other antidepressants, and just expect the shock to the system to be delayed by 3 months or so.

 

On another note:  It's pretty horrifying that this drug can stay in the system for so long - if you have an adverse reaction to prozac, your body is going to be exposed to it for the next 3 months in lower and lower doses until its all gone.

[clearday]

All SSRIs often have tardive onset (delayed response) withdrawal that can strike between 3 - 15 months after stopping the drug.

 

Prozac WD hit me hard 4 months after stopping.

 

Lexapro hit me hard 7 months after stopping, then again at 10 months.

 

Effexor is reported to hit many months after stopping; some on here have reported getting hit 5 months later, and one at 13 months after stopping.

 

Reading through hundreds of threads on here and other forums shows that all these SSRI drugs have tardive onset phases, regardless of "half life".

 

I've been through this twice. Based on my experience, I believe that these drugs largely clear out of our systems within a week or so, plunging us promptly into acute withdrawal that lasts the accepted period, up to six weeks. Then we may stabilize for awhile. I stabilized for a couple months after acute, both times. I believe the nervous system struggles to maintain homeostasis during that shaky period of stability; it is the calm before the storm. But the damage is done. Eventually something happens that triggers delayed onset withdrawal; it is always reported to "hit out of nowhere", it is usually a catastrophic failure of the nervous system.  It plunges us into protracted withdrawal that lasts one to four years. It is during that time that the nervous system slowly heals and reestablishes the natural neurotransmitter balance it had before the extensive damage caused by SSRI use.

 

I really don't believe doctors have any real clue as to how these SSRI drugs actually work (they admit that) and to what is going on during protracted withdrawal.

 

In fact, doctors are so clueless that when delayed withdrawal strikes - with severe, bizarre symptoms the person never had before going on these drugs - they say it is the patient's "illness" returning. That's the main problem with administration of SSRIs, that key lack of understanding on their part: the failure to recognize delayed onset, protracted SSRI withdrawal "syndrome". 

[oskcajga]

All SSRIs often have tardive onset (delayed response) withdrawal that can strike between 3 - 15 months after stopping the drug.

 

Prozac WD hit me hard 4 months after stopping.

 

Lexapro hit me hard 7 months after stopping, then again at 10 months.

 

Effexor is reported to hit many months after stopping; some on here have reported getting hit 5 months later, and one at 13 months after stopping.

 

Reading through hundreds of threads on here and other forums shows that all these SSRI drugs have tardive onset phases, regardless of "half life".

 

I really don't believe doctors have any real clue as to how these SSRI drugs actually work (they admit that) and to what is going on during protracted withdrawal.

 

In fact, doctors are so clueless that when delayed withdrawal strikes - with severe, bizarre symptoms the person never had before going on these drugs - they say it is the patient's "illness" returning. That's the main problem with administration of SSRIs, that key lack of understanding on their part: the failure to recognize delayed onset, protracted SSRI withdrawal "syndrome". 

 

Doctors DEFINITELY have no idea how these things work.  They understand the basic mechanism, but all the downstream feedback loops and hormonal changes that occur are just baffling to doctors.  The only ones who are good doctors are the ones that admit they don't understand.  Everyone else is a charlatan selling snake oil.

[Theon]

 

Reading through hundreds of threads on here and other forums shows that all these SSRI drugs have tardive onset phases, regardless of "half life".

 

I really don't believe doctors have any real clue as to how these SSRI drugs actually work (they admit that) and to what is going on during protracted withdrawal.

 

In fact, doctors are so clueless that when delayed withdrawal strikes - with severe, bizarre symptoms the person never had before going on these drugs - they say it is the patient's "illness" returning. That's the main problem with administration of SSRIs, that key lack of understanding on their part: the failure to recognize delayed onset, protracted SSRI withdrawal "syndrome". 

 

Thank god we have the internet nowadays to know these kind of things...  

When WD strikes me again after I finally quit fluoxetine, at least I will know about it, istead of blaming myself and feel guilty like I did at the begining of this year.

 

And another thing that worries me is : what if I was not able to speak english?. Because I have found so much information about withdrawal in english, and almost nothing in spanish (my mother tongue).

 

In english it has been fairly easy to get to know about the dangers of SSRI and hundreds of experiences of other people with them everywhere, but in spanish there is much less information, and the quality of it is quite worse.

[clearday]

You got that right!

 

I got sick from Prozac WD in 2003, I was in protracted withdrawal for three years, and I had no idea what was wrong with me. I did all medical tests, nobody could figure it out. My doctor didn't believe me. So I was never told that Prozac had harmed me so bad.

 

So years later, I went back on SSRIs, this time Lexapro.

 

When I went off Lexapro, I got hit hard with weird symptoms seven months after stopping. It was only then that I went on the Internet and figured out Lexapro was causing the strange, severe symptoms. I read other stories of people reporting exactly the same symptoms, months after stopping.

 

It was only then that I realized that Prozac had made me sick, so many years ago. It took me eleven years to find out what had made me so sick for so long in 2003.

 

Finally, it all made sense. And everything I have learned since then has only confirmed that it is these drugs that have caused my symptoms. There's just no doubt. So many people reporting the same thing, over and over. And all their doctors clueless too. Hard to believe. I wouldn't believe it if I didn't go through myself - twice. I am an engineer by education, I am science-minded. Once I had access to all the evidence, there was only one conclusion I could reach. The evidence is just overwhelming. I was so happy to finally figure out what made me so sick.   But then of course I got very angry at my doctors!   

 

And, I am healing exactly according to the windows and waves pattern of recovery. I'm getting better. I have no anxiety or depression.

 

I am basically my same old self now. The nerve damage I have from Lexapro - paresthesia of the brain manifesting as roaring tinnitus - is getting slowly better.

[oskcajga]

You got that right!

 

I got sick from Prozac WD in 2003, I was in protracted withdrawal for three years, and I had no idea what was wrong with me. I did all medical tests, nobody could figure it out. My doctor didn't believe me. So I was never told that Prozac had harmed me so bad.

 

So years later, I went back on SSRIs, this time Lexapro.

 

When I went off Lexapro, I got hit hard with weird symptoms seven months after stopping. It was only then that I went on the Internet and figured out Lexapro was causing the strange, severe symptoms. I read other stories of people reporting exactly the same symptoms, months after stopping.

 

It was only then that I realized that Prozac had made me sick, so many years ago. It took me eleven years to find out what had made me so sick for so long in 2003.

 

Finally, it all made sense. And everything I have learned since then has only confirmed that it is these drugs that have caused my symptoms. There's just no doubt. So many people reporting the same thing, over and over. And all their doctors clueless too. Hard to believe. I wouldn't believe it if I didn't go through myself - twice. I am an engineer by education, I am science-minded. Once I had access to all the evidence, there was only one conclusion I could reach. The evidence is just overwhelming. I was so happy to finally figure out what made me so sick.   But then of course I got very angry at my doctors!   

 

And, I am healing exactly according to the windows and waves pattern of recovery. I'm getting better. I have no anxiety or depression.

 

I am basically my same old self now. The nerve damage I have from Lexapro - paresthesia of the brain manifesting as roaring tinnitus - is getting slowly better.

You're lucky to have more or less returned to your old self.  Like you, I also realized what was going on due to medication use early on in my life because of a bad experience with medications many years later.  It all made sense to me, after many years of suffering and blaming myself for my deficiencies.

 

It's all sad and tragic. 

 

I have some sort of parathesia of my brain, but also my trigeminal nerve and all of my peripheral nerves that is also slowly getting better but it's not quick enough and my life is going to complete shambles in the process.  It's very hard to not want to hurt myself, but I somehow just keep surviving one day at a time.  So hard.

 

I'm really happy to hear that you feel like you're going back to your old self.  It must be a great feeling to have.

[Theon]

Hello, I'm gonna post and update:

 

I started tappering the fluoxetine 5 weeks ago and I didn't start experiencing anything out of normal until lately.

 

The symptoms are mainly physical:  brain zaps, a pressure/ pain in my ears that reminds me the feeling when you are landing aboard a plane and there is a sudden change of pressure in the cabin (not sure if you know what I mean), tinnitus, and a weird phenomena of my vision that I would have trouble to explain in english.

 

Psychologically, the word that describes me best at the moment is flat: This emotional flatness appeared some months after starting the fluoxetine replacing my anxiety/excessive worrying that I used to have. At the begining it was a relief to stop worrying so much, but now I think I prefer the worrying rather than this flatness that makes me not care about almost anything (I have noticed that I care about girls much less now than before going on fluoxetine, and as I am 22, this is a big deal)

 

I hope this flatness go away after completely stopping fluoxetine

[clearday]

I also have those very common SSRI WD symptoms -

 

The ear/head pressure is usually associated with the tinnitus -

 

Vision problems also very common - people report floaters, afterimages, distorted vision, 

 

The emotional flatness is also extremely common.

 

These symptoms can be quite persistent, but over time they can lessen and heal 

[Theon]

Hello clearday, thank you very much for your answer and the information.

 

Afterimages fit very well with what I experience. One day last week I was walking when the sky was dark, and whenever I moved my vision from the iluminated street to the sky, I saw lights on it for a fraction of second that then dissapeared. The first time I saw them I thought they were lightnings far away and said to one friend " look! a storm", and he answered "what are you talking about?".  It is like my eyes lasting longer than usual to change from somewhere iluminated to somewhere dark.

 

it's ridiculous the quantity and the variety of the possible withdrawal symptoms from these drugs... 

[clearday]

I got afterimages during my Prozac withdrawal, especially with LED brakelights. But LED brakelights have that effect on some average people as well due to the high frequency emission of the LED. So I'm not sure if the Prozac WD did that to me, it's a possibility.

 

That's another pain in the ass, we always have to wonder if this or that new symptom is due to WD or something else like aging. It just adds to the confusion of WD.

[Altostrata]

Hello, Theon, how long have you been having brain zaps?

 

Brain zaps are a sign you're tapering too fast. If I were you, I'd stop tapering for a bit and let your nervous system settle down.

[LostInTheWoods]

I can relate to the change from dark and illuminated places. Some stores, specially those Apple like ones where everything is white and illuminated and there's a bunch of people or stuff disorient me a lot.

 

I hope your short stay on Prozac translates in a short period of withdrawal.

[Theon]

Hello, Theon, how long have you been having brain zaps?

 

Brain zaps are a sign you're tapering too fast. If I were you, I'd stop tapering for a bit and let your nervous system settle down.

 Hello Alostrata,

 

I started experiencing brain zaps around one week ago, but they are occasional (maybe 2 per day on average)

I will do as you say and stay in 10 mg for some time. 

 

Thank you for the attention.

 

 

I hope your short stay on Prozac translates in a short period of withdrawal.

 Thank you LITW, I have read your thread and I send you support from here. I hope your waves get smaller and eventually go away soon.