Dilenky: Tapering Prozac 20 mg after 15 years

[Dilenky]

Hello all,

I have find this site while I was triyng to cope with my withdrawal sysmptoms of my long use of Prozac. 

 

I have been using Prozac for nearly 15 years.. I used to take 20 mg tablets. 4 months ago I decided to withdraw it as I thought I don't need it anymore. For the withdrawal process I switched to liquid to be able to reduce to half dose (10 mg) for a month, and then fo another month I took every another day a half dose.  And after these 2 months I have quitted completely. The withdrawal symtomps occured 1 week after I have completely withdrawed . 

Started Prozac 20 mg in 2002

Used Prozac 20 mg since July 2017

Tapering off schedule ;

May2017 : Started Liqiud Prozac 10 mg (2.5 ml Liquid)

June 2017: Started Liquid Prozac 10 mg every other day 

July 2017 : Quitted Prozac 

 

I am suffering from enormous insomnia , having at most 2-3 hours of sleep since July.  And in addition to that , most of the nights  I have severe nerve pain especially in my legs that keeps me awake.  It has been 2 months since I have completely quitted , no matter how I tried I can not survive with this insomnia anymore.  I have tried many herbal supplements like Valerian root or 5-HTP (not herbal) but it idi not work. It seems after 15 years of being with  Prozac , the method I used for withdrawal was not correct.  I was in control of a phsyciatrist while withdrawing , but as most doctors  do , he was quick to leading me tapering off.   Yestersay we decided we need to reinstate with half dose (10 mg) and see how it goes.  

While still surfing internet about ths subject ,  then I have come accross this site and has read a lot of usefull information. My aim is to withdraw it with suggestions from you , and need your valuable help to use 10% reduction method.  Thanks :-)

[ChessieCat]

H Dilenky and welcome to SA,

 

Thank you for completing your drug signature.  Please add your reinstatement date and dose to your signature.  Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

SA's recommendation when reinstating is to start with a very low dose.  Because you have been off for 2 months when you were taking (average) 5mg daily, we would have suggested starting with 1mg or 2mg because your brain will have made some adaptation since you stopped taking the Prozac and 10mg may be too much.  You might want to consider reducing to 1mg or 2mg from your next dose.  If you do decide to lower your dose you will need to do it straight away.  It takes about 4 days for the drug to get to a steady state in the blood and a bit longer before it registers in the brain.  Please read Post #1 of this topic:  About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Once you stabilise on your reisintatement dose it would be best to hold for at least 2 and possibly 3 months before you reduce your dose again.  It is better to hold for longer than to reduce too soon and have to updose.  The brain doesn't like it when you skip days.  SA recommends taking the same dose at about the same time DAILY.

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

Tips for tapering off Prozac (fluoxetine)

 

The only supplements that SA recommends are Magnesium and Omega-3 Fish Oil.  It is best to try them one at a time and start with a low dose.

 

It is suggested to Keep Notes on Paper and it's a good idea to Rate Symptoms Daily to Check Patterns and Progress

 

These helped me to understand SA's recommendations:

 

Brain Remodelling

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

Please check out these topics:

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

Keep it Simple, Slow and Stable

 

This is your own Introduction topic where you can ask questions and journal your progress.

[Dilenky]

Hello ,

Thanks a lot for the suggestions.. And readings are very helpfull. .I am glad to find this site..

As I have written , on the  1st day of reinstatement I have taken 10 mg on the 1st day.. And 10 mg on the 2nd day.. ( as I have received your mail after I have taken the 2nd reistatement dose today :-(. It is because of time  zone difference :-(. 

My question is : 

Can I drop the reinstatement dose from 10 mg to 2 mg tomorrow ? (it will be 3rd day since I began reinstatement) is it ok to reduce dose straight away after 2 days of 10 mg?

Or may be should I drop to 5 mg tomorrow ? 

I am trying to be very carefull as my nervous system seems so unhappy ..:-(.. 

 

Thanks..

 

[bubble]

Hello Dilenky and sorry we didn't see your post earlier.

 

How did you feel after reinstating 10 mg?

 

I don't know if your third dose happened already but taking 5 mg sounds like a good plan.

 

Let us know how you are doing.

[Dilenky]

Hello ,

I have not taken the 3rd dose yet.Was waiting for an answer :-)

After the 2nd dose of 10 mg , I had a better sleep  last night after days of desperate insomnia. 

I had a quite bit of tingling today on my body (hands especially) , however it may be because of withdrawal as well (because I had tingling in the first days of withdrawal ).

From what I have understood so far here  , I understood decreasing the dose in the first days would not be a problem. 

My concern about decreasing from 10 mg to 2 mg (although it had been 2 doses so far)  was that it is a radical decrease.  I was anxious about not to make things worse.  That is why I asked if 5 mg is OK as well. 

I will appreciate your suggestions .. 

Thanks

 

[ChessieCat]

My personal opinion is to reduce to 2mg.  You had been taking 10mg every other day when you quit which averages 5mg daily.  It has been at least 6 weeks since you stopped.  The brain will have made some changes during this time.  That is the reason for suggesting 2mg.

[Dilenky]

Hello ChessieCat ,

Ok I will take  the suggestion 2 mg .. My only concern was , as I have indicated , to have gone already for 10mg in the first 2 days.. I mean, my concern was to decrease the dose from 10 mg to 2 mg for the 3rd day ( as it is too much decrease).. I see it would not matter decreasing to 2 mg as I am on the earlier days. 

Did I understand correctly ? Cheers

 

Thanks

[DMV64]

Hi Dilenky!

I just stopped by to offer my support to you as you stabilize and make a plan. The moderators are great!

-D

[Dilenky]

Hello ,

Thank you for stopping by and your support. It feels really good to have people understand you..Even my Dr does not understand my symptoms , says he had never heard such symptoms. 

Last night was terrible with enormous nerve pain in the legs (which keeps me awake) and no sleep till morning.. I use to take Xanax (0.5 mg) when I could not sleep with anxiety, at nights. I only needed it for sleepless nights .  I have also given up taking it . I am afraid of addiction to anything  from now on.

  I feel tired and down today again.

 

Today is 3rd day since I began reinstatement . I will go on  with 2 mg today as suggested..

 

Cheers

 

 

[ChessieCat]

Hi Dilenky,

 

Yes, you understood correctly.  Please update your signature.  I simplified your signature below so that it doesn't take up as many lines:

 

Dilenky          My body knows it all ...

Prozac:  20 mg 2002 - July 2017

Tapering:  May 2017 - Prozac 10 mg; June 2017 - 10 mg every other day 

July 2017:  Quitted Prozac

Reinstatement: 17 & 18.09.2017 - 10mg; 19.09 - 2mg

 

 

It's a good idea to keep notes on paper and to rate your symptoms so that you can see your symptom pattern:

 

Keep Notes on Paper

Rate Symptoms Daily to Check Patterns and Progress

 

These topics have some helpful tips about talking with medical professionals:

 

How do you talk to a doctor about tapering and withdrawal?

What should I expect from my doctor about withdrawal symptoms?

[Dilenky]

Hi ChessiCat,

I have updated the signature accordingly .

 

I will be keeping a paper diary from the day of reinstatement.

I have 2 questions ; 

1) How should I update my symptoms here , in my introduction page.. Should I inform  like once a week , or only when something important happens ?

2) How do I know if I need to updose or not ?  That is if after a certain time  if I see reinstatement does not work . of course I will inform you.  (WDL symptoms don't get better) 

I have read the posts , it differs from person to person I know , but any comment is appreciated. 

 

Thanks in advance

 

[ChessieCat]

Thank you for updating your signature.  It makes it so much easier for the mods.  We are going through our own withdrawal and life issues and we experience cog fog from time to time so it helps us a great deal.   Please remember to update it whenever you make a change.  Thanks.

 

The symptom diary is mainly for yourself so you can see improvement that you may not feel.  It only really needs to be posted if you are having issues and then you will need to post it, as a regular post, because we may be able to offer suggestions based on your observations.

 

As already mentioned it takes about 4 days for the drug to get to a steady state in the blood and a bit longer before it registers in the brain.  Generally it is suggested to hold on a dose for 2 weeks before considering updosing.  Your 2 weeks starts from when you started the 2mg.  If it happens that your symptoms stay the same and you see no improvement at all after about 1 week then a small updose of possibly 0.5mg might help.  The lower the dose you can stabilise on the less you will have to taper.

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

Once you stabilise on a dose, it would be best to hold for 2-3 months before considering reducing, maybe even 4 months.  We need to throw out the calendar and listen to our bodies.  It's not a race.  We want to get of the drug with as little discomfort as possible.  I've just reduced to 19mg and I've worked out that even doing a 10% taper every 4 weeks I'm not going to be off my Pristiq until about the middle of 2020.  But I am feeling so much better than I was at a higher dose and I've had enough bad withdrawal symptoms to last a life time, so I will take as long as I need to.

 

 

[Dilenky]

Hi ChessiCat ,

Thanks a lot for the very clear answer..I will wait at least 2 weeks , to see results while keeping diary.. hope things get better.. I am fed up especially with nerve pain at nights. 

I appreciate all the time moderators dedicate here , it is invaluable. 

 

Cheers.

[Dilenky]

On 9/18/2017 at 12:47 PM, Dilenky said:

Hello ,

Thanks a lot for the suggestions.. And readings are very helpfull. .I am glad to find this site..

As I have written , on the  1st day of reinstatement I have taken 10 mg on the 1st day.. And 10 mg on the 2nd day.. ( as I have received your mail after I have taken the 2nd reistatement dose today :-(. It is because of time  zone difference :-(. 

My question is : 

Can I drop the reinstatement dose from 10 mg to 2 mg tomorrow ? (it will be 3rd day since I began reinstatement) is it ok to reduce dose straight away after 2 days of 10 mg?

Or may be should I drop to 5 mg tomorrow ? 

I am trying to be very carefull as my nervous system seems so unhappy ..:-(.. 

 

Thanks..

 

 

Hello ,

Just wanted to give an update ..

After I reinstated with  2 mg  in September, I have also went to an Physiotherapist to have my sciatica pain investigated.. And she found muscle squeeze that was making pressure on Sciatica and a joint dysfunction.. And me taking Prozac over 15 years , did not feel it,  as Prozac , like all anti depresants were shielding all my nerves.. 

I learned physiotherapists were prescribing anti depressants to ease nerve pain.. So when I withrawed Prozac all the nerve problems were up  and I felt them .

I got physiotherapy  treatment, I am ok now.. Hence it can be said that muscle and nerve pain may be highly related to withdrawal..

I have still waves of  insomnia and  mood swings , and I think I will only reduce the dose by  5 % when I feel completely stabilized.. 

I would like to thanks again for all the suggestions and help.. Cheers..

 

 

 

 

 

[Dilenky]

Hello ,

Since my  Prozac withdrawal in July 2017  , I have been suffering from Insomnia. I did not want to bring it out aside with prozac doses here , not to mix subjects  , but I am afraid I need to :-(..

While I was still using Prozac for years , because of some issues in my family,  I was prescribed Xanax 0.25 mg .  And I used to take it when I had anxiety and could not sleep at nights.  After witdhrawing 20 mg Prozac , and dropping it to 2mg ,  I have been suffering from insomnia a lot  since July. Actually it is anxiety causing the insomnia.  

Sometimes I could only sleep 2 hrs at night , many nights in a row.    I usually wake up at 2am with anxiety , and can not sleep till the morning. So I began taking xanax 0.25 mg at nights every night since one month.  I also try meditation and some cognitive therapy tips , but could not handle with only these.. I have been reading the forums here , just need help in using xanax :

My question is ;

Should I drop the  Xanax dose to 0,125 before it gets too late.. I started taking xanax since a month each night

Or should I drop it more gradually ? 

Do you have other supplement suggestions other tthan magnesium ? (I take magnesium every night )..

Any other suggestion is very much appreciated..

 

Thanks very much in advance..