withdrawing from prozac

how long after withdrawing from prozac does it take to completely leave your system?

beck wrote:

how long after withdrawing from prozac does it take to completely leave your system?

One can only withdraw from Prozac under medical supervision.

Because of the nature of this powerful SSRI. If one takes vitamins and takes plenty of exercise, it can come out of the system pretty soon afterwards.

However the long-term mental effects of this drug are not known by the psychiatric profession. Maybe because they don't know what causes depression or mental illness even though they claim that they do. This is the element of Prozac that they have not published and it is one of the things that make it as dangerous as it is

Leper wrote:

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One can only withdraw from Prozac under medical supervision.
Because of the nature of this powerful SSRI. If one takes vitamins and takes plenty of exercise, it can come out of the system pretty soon afterwards.
However the long-term mental effects of this drug are not known by the psychiatric profession. Maybe because they don't know what causes depression or mental illness even though they claim that they do. This is the element of Prozac that they have not published and it is one of the things that make it as dangerous as it is

Why must you only come off Prozac under medical supervision? I spoke to my GP and he told me to cut the meds by a 3rd for two weeks then in half again for two weeks and then stop. In reality I cut them by a third for 4 weeks and then a half for four weeks and then took 1/3rd of the original dose for a further 3 weeks and am now down to three pills a week. The withdrawal symptoms are bad I agree but I do think that you can quit by yourself once you do it slowly. What vitamins are recommended?

Catherine - Dublin wrote:

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Why must you only come off Prozac under medical supervision? I spoke to my GP and he told me to cut the meds by a 3rd for two weeks then in half again for two weeks and then stop. In reality I cut them by a third for 4 weeks and then a half for four weeks and then took 1/3rd of the original dose for a further 3 weeks and am now down to three pills a week. The withdrawal symptoms are bad I agree but I do think that you can quit by yourself once you do it slowly. What vitamins are recommended?

Vitamins like B Complex, Vit E,C and D.

The unfortunate thing about Prozac is that it is a highly powerful mind-altering drug. It has a very dubious history in terms of contra-indications, ie suicide, psychotic episodes etc which were never indicated on the label. Further, coming off such a drug quickly would not be recommended due to potential withdrawal side-effects.

The history of this drug and other alleged "mental treatment" drugs are a basis for a bad dime novel. The whole basis for prescribing these drugs is the notion that when a person has a mental illness, that person has a chemical imbalance in the brain, ie too much serotonin etc. This then can be regulated by these drugs.

Unfortunately there is NO medical or scientific evidence that mental illness is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. There are many scientific studies which utterly debunk this. However there is a huge lobby from the psychiatric and pharmaceutical industry using PR and media to state that it does. Trillions are made on this basis with very little significant decrease in "mental illness".

Thanks for your reply Sock, do you have any advice to help with losing the weight I gained while taking the Prozac.

Catherine - Dublin wrote:

Thanks for your reply Sock, do you have any advice to help with losing the weight I gained while taking the Prozac.

Catherine, I would say plenty of exercise and nutrition.

Also get more involved in things you like doing....and plenty of walks on Sandymont strand.

Sock

Fluoxetine has a very long half-life about 4 to 6 days and its active metabolite, norfluoxetine has elimination half-life of 4 to 16 days. So it may take a month or more while the drug completely leaves the system.

Julia wrote:

Fluoxetine has a very long half-life about 4 to 6 days and its active metabolite, norfluoxetine has elimination half-life of 4 to 16 days. So it may take a month or more while the drug completely leaves the system.

Good advice. In clinical tests, it was discovered that copious amounts of vitamins, especially vitamin c, aid in detoxifying the system from fluoxetine.

I stopped taking prozac without cutting down about 3 months ago. Very irritable and seems to be still getting worse. Any suggestions?

About 18 months ago I began cutting down on my Fluox and the last few months have stopped all together. All through this time I have had problems sleeping. I can get to sleep fine, but wake in the night and stay awake for hours. I was wondering if this is common and what the best way to deal with it might be.

this is my 6th week from stopping the prozac and I was wondering if what I am feeling is natural and will ease over time? The trouble is I don't remember what it is like to feel normal and I'm full of fear that maybe I have always been neurotic and irritable? My low moments are in the early afternoon and late evening- basically when I am tired. I am not sleeping very well, my head is giddy and I feel sick at the slightest foul smell. I'm very sensitive, feel tearful - this must be the prozac but is there any light at the end of this tunnel?

My husband quit Prozac cold turkey 15 days ago.What serious side effects can he expect?Also,he was on it for nearly 6 years.Since April it seems like it wasn't doing a thing for him.Can your body become immune to it?

I went on Prozac in August to help me whilst I went through counselling. At first it helped but in the last month I have become withdrawn, tearful, feelings of helplessness and worse suicidal.
I went out on Friday and became very drunk something very out of character and I cut my arm deliberately I have never self-harmed and I am very confident that the Prozac tipped my mood. I was a happy bubbly vibrant person but after just 2months on the drug I don't even recognise myself. I came off on Saturday and I am willing to take on the side-effects than feel so down. Doctors spend so much time giving you pills they don't realise that drugs don't solve the problems ( in mild despression or anxiety) it is effective counselling.

I was on 20mg of Prozac a day for 3 months. They sort of worked but in the end I felt really anxious and sick all the time. I started to wean myself off them by reducing dose but after a few days just gave up taking them. I know my GP would not advise this but I was tired of feeling terrible.
I have since felt fine and have been off them for a month. I have just had a chest infection, which is unrelated, but I have started to experience a dizzy feeling when I move my eyes left and right and feel the need to lie down and close them. I feel this is more than likely related to the chest infection as it started at the same time and I do suffer from sinus problems when I get colds etc.... Could it though be possibly a delayed withdrawal side effect from stopping taking Prozac. If it is how long is it likely to take before this fades away? Any advice?

i have been on prozac for 7 years after my first child i remember standing in a supermarket and getting a ringing in my ears followed by sweating and unable to breath my doctor put this down to anxiety and put me on prozac then i came off it was ok with my next 2 children then 7 years ago i had twins and had a fear that something would happen to me and my children would be on there own i used to stay at my mums all the time so they would be ok i was put on prozac again and now after 7 years i really want to come off it what is the best way to do so i am taking 1 every other day at the moment i do have funny days one minute i will be on a high the next feel low but i dont feel i am benefiting from being on this

I've been cutting down my Prozac for the past several months. Stopped altogether six days ago. Very teary, experiencing 'head lag' effect, irritable and flying off the handle at the merest word out of line. Have I been catapaulted straight back into my depression? Can't I live without this drug? Or is there truth in the claim that drugs like Prozac actually cause depression, such that you can never get off them? I'm really desperate, as I'm not me when I'm on Prozac, and I really want to live my life without it.

There is definately light at the end of the tunnel. I have been taking prozac for 8 years. I started taking it for anxiety and depression. Mainly for panic attacks, that started making me depressed. Anyways, I had tried many times to stop the drug, cut back, but it was the fear in me of being off it that always lead me back to taking the pill again. Needless to say I have been off prozac for over 3 months and feel great. I still have moments of anxiety,, but learning muscle relaxation and breathing therapy has helped me the most. YOU CAN DO IT! Not only do I feel good without the pill,,, i can actually FEEL again. Prozac kinda gave me an I don't care attitude, and numbed my emotions. So nice to feel again. I always say " I can do all things with Christ who strengthens me"

How much does a 30 day supply of 20mg prozac run in Dublin, Ireland? I'm moving there in July and want to know how to continue my meds?

i was given this medicine prozac because i had a terrible bout of depression.

i took i was given a prescription for it and

after only 20 days (20 mg per day) i noticed negative side effects.

so i stopped. it has been 3 weeks since then and i am feeling great.

Hi,i had been on prozac since march 2009, i have recently stopped taking prozac now for 3 weeks,how long do you think it takes for it to get out of your system and can some one explain what half life is? I am trying to understand depression, i dont feel depressed but sometimes feel tear full for no apparent reason, my head just feels like its not there,unable to think properly, tending to say what i feel but it comes out the wrong way? My brain doesnt want to sleep and only sleeps when it is shattered,not been able to do any more ,i then suffer the consequences afterwards the next day,My appetite is really none exsistant, i dont want to eat and tend to rely upon milky coffees instead.Is this what depression is?

jeanette