Quitting Prozac Cold Turkey: SIDE EFFECTS?

Jenny wrote:

<quoted text>
Talk about being scared after reading your current post... Wholly cow! One question for you: What form of prozac have you taken? Was it the name brand, generic? What was the dosage you came off from and what was the duration of time you were on the drug?
I ask only because your case seems to be so extreme. Have you ever tried going back on any of the SSRIs to try and get better? I have willpower and I want to beat this drug, but if I felt as terrible as you do, I would not self-sacrifice myself to the drug any longer and get on something to help! Although, I see that you're in the UK and I'm in the US, so I'm not sure how different medical treatment is for you there or if the drugs are composed differently... who knows what we're getting in those capsules!!
My withdrawal symptoms appeared almost immediate to stopping the drug. I mean, I felt good for about 2-3 weeks, but then after that I started feeling some of the nuisance. Right now I'm trying to keep busy to ignore the fact that I'm off of the drug and any potential effects from the discontinuation of it. As of now, I'm feeling completely in control and if I'm experiencing anything, it's very mild... so to read your posts makes me very wary of something like this happening to me as I also have 2 children to care for and a wonderful supportive, husband.

I am now 38 years old and was on Fluoxetine for approx 2 and a half years at 20mg a day, increased to 40mg for a few weeks towards the end. I stopped cold turkey because of previous advice from my doctor when I enquired about how to stop when I decided to.

The reason I stopped was that I suffered a severe gastrointestinal episode that caused extremely painful cramping in my lower abdomen and bloody stools. The cramping lasted for approx 40 minutes and in that time I thought I was going to die. The cramping reduced in severity once I had relieved my bowels. But the diahrrea continued for 3 days and consisted entirely of clots of blood. I wasn't experiencing sickness but was very weak, dehydrated and shaky for a week.

I don't know if the prozac was generic or not, I had no experience of anti-depressants before I was prescribed them. I just took what I was given. It said fluoxetine on the pack.

Like I said, I did not experience anything untoward at first, I was just aware that I was not regaining my emotions, to which I visited my doctor 3 or 4 times with this concern. I also still felt physically numb but wasn't overly worried, just thought that the drug took a long time to come out of my system. I did have dizziness, lightheadedness, sickness but that did not concern me.

If you want to ask anything else feel free, this is my experience and I know that others have suffered similar withdrawal/protracted withdrawal problems. Paxilprogress.org is a good source of support and although the main problem with stopping these drugs is that people can suffer higher anxiety etc, there are a number of people who suffer the complete opposite.

I found that those people who are willing to share their experiences give priceless hope to those who are suffering from their own personal hell.

Thanks for responding. I'm just trying to gather some information for myself to be prepared in the event of something catastrophic like what you've been dealing with. The main reason I went off the drug was because it caused me hypoglycemia and it was the same time everyday. Forgot to refill my prescription and voila... the next day NO hypoglycemia... I haven't dealt with it for the past 9 weeks now, so that has changed my lifestyle and gave me more freedom, but now I worry that Prozac withdrawals are going to take away my freedom and the ability to feel better, so I'm looking at various ways to combat it without going back on any drugs...

Have you ever been on medication prior to this? I also take a benzodiazipine (Klonopin) for anti-anxiety measures. Although ,I was just able to stop an anxiety attack in its tracks for the first time in my life because I actually can feel/sense it coming on now whereas before I couldn't.

Thank you again for sharing your story. I hope that you will be well soon!

chrissy wrote:

<quoted text>
I am now 38 years old and was on Fluoxetine for approx 2 and a half years at 20mg a day, increased to 40mg for a few weeks towards the end. I stopped cold turkey because of previous advice from my doctor when I enquired about how to stop when I decided to.
The reason I stopped was that I suffered a severe gastrointestinal episode that caused extremely painful cramping in my lower abdomen and bloody stools. The cramping lasted for approx 40 minutes and in that time I thought I was going to die. The cramping reduced in severity once I had relieved my bowels. But the diahrrea continued for 3 days and consisted entirely of clots of blood. I wasn't experiencing sickness but was very weak, dehydrated and shaky for a week.
I don't know if the prozac was generic or not, I had no experience of anti-depressants before I was prescribed them. I just took what I was given. It said fluoxetine on the pack.
Like I said, I did not experience anything untoward at first, I was just aware that I was not regaining my emotions, to which I visited my doctor 3 or 4 times with this concern. I also still felt physically numb but wasn't overly worried, just thought that the drug took a long time to come out of my system. I did have dizziness, lightheadedness, sickness but that did not concern me.
If you want to ask anything else feel free, this is my experience and I know that others have suffered similar withdrawal/protracted withdrawal problems. Paxilprogress.org is a good source of support and although the main problem with stopping these drugs is that people can suffer higher anxiety etc, there are a number of people who suffer the complete opposite.
I found that those people who are willing to share their experiences give priceless hope to those who are suffering from their own personal hell.

Jenny wrote:

Thanks for responding. I'm just trying to gather some information for myself to be prepared in the event of something catastrophic like what you've been dealing with. The main reason I went off the drug was because it caused me hypoglycemia and it was the same time everyday. Forgot to refill my prescription and voila... the next day NO hypoglycemia... I haven't dealt with it for the past 9 weeks now, so that has changed my lifestyle and gave me more freedom, but now I worry that Prozac withdrawals are going to take away my freedom and the ability to feel better, so I'm looking at various ways to combat it without going back on any drugs...
Have you ever been on medication prior to this? I also take a benzodiazipine (Klonopin) for anti-anxiety measures. Although ,I was just able to stop an anxiety attack in its tracks for the first time in my life because I actually can feel/sense it coming on now whereas before I couldn't.
Thank you again for sharing your story. I hope that you will be well soon!
<quoted text>

Hadn't been on anything prior to prozac, other than co-codomol for back pain and only using this around the time of the month when the pain was at it's worst. Did have antibiotics/amoxycillin a few times, around months 6 and 8 of being off prozac, for a recurrent dental problem/infection in my wisdom teeth. I also used a couple of nasal sprays, but again this was around month 8 after being off. The sprays were to try and clear my ears from their blocked/pressure feeling, didn't work and the pressure in my ears has only just abated in the first week of January this year, still have the blocked feeling though.

I hold no value in generic vs name brand. It is well known that 2/3 of SSRIs effect is placebo. I think this generic argument is the opposite nocebo effect, and i am sure Eli Lilly push to get people thinking prozac is better than generic.
OHH i have generic, what if it does not work as well? this is the nocebo effect in action.
Dr. Michael Miller, editor in chief of the Harvard Mental Health Letter, notes that one theory is that — just as a placebo activates endorphins in the brain to provide pain relief — so too a nocebo may activate other receptors that stimulate the production of stress hormones like cortisol and in other ways affect perception of pain.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/The_no...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20662309
http://www.badscience.net/2009/11/all-bow-bef...

Put simply i do not trust people who tell me generic does not work. After all, everybody swears that their getting better on prozac, is not placebo effect, when it is a scientific fact that 2/3 of effect is placebo. Where are the placebo responders in the real world.
Drug companies stand to make alot for perpetuating this belief. Yes i know their are some differences, but not like people make out: like coke vs pepsi.

i am 32 and have severe GAD originally with mild depression as a symptom. I had my first panic attack that i can remember, when i was 3 years old and my cousin did not come to kindergarten.
I think except for lorazepam all the SSRIs were a joke for anxiety; only problem was lorazepam was addictive and i abused it.
I have found exercise, cognitive therapy and family support to be the best long-term solution: all the others make you better short-term at the cost of getting worse long-term. There is no panacea, nor is there a free lunch.
ps I have had periods of years that i was better, and it was not due to prozac as i have relapsed numerous times on it. I have the most control over my life, not my distorted thinking or some glorified placebo.

"When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail." Abraham Maslow

Well, here in America, the FDA does such a "spectacular" job in regulating our medications (YEAH RIGHT) that I just often wonder the real difference in the generic vs name brand. I am privy to the generic-- have taken generic all this time and just wondered for my own curiosity sake if there is a notable difference in withdrawal patterns/issues concerning each type of medication. Of course drug companies want to put you on the more expensive stuff, that's how they've made their billions! However, consumers/patients have become more educated (hopefully).I had a lot of "nervousness" in my childhood as my father died of a massive heart attack very suddenly when I was just 7 years old and it only got worse from there, so my nervous behavior became anxiety when I was older (about 19/20)as an after result (perhaps PTSD) of my mom's cancer diagnosis.

I'm curious, have you tried doing any natural detox supplements? I have one here from Maximized Living:
http://store.maximizedliving.com/scripts/prod... It is from my chiropractor and it's supposed to be "gentle," but I have my doubts even though it is natural, not synthetic... When I asked her if it would accelerate my withdrawal, she quite frankly told me "I DON'T KNOW." That was a red flag for me. I want to get more information before I jump into this without creating further mess of things...

Jenny

ben wrote:

I hold no value in generic vs name brand. It is well known that 2/3 of SSRIs effect is placebo. I think this generic argument is the opposite nocebo effect, and i am sure Eli Lilly push to get people thinking prozac is better than generic.
OHH i have generic, what if it does not work as well? this is the nocebo effect in action.
Dr. Michael Miller, editor in chief of the Harvard Mental Health Letter, notes that one theory is that — just as a placebo activates endorphins in the brain to provide pain relief — so too a nocebo may activate other receptors that stimulate the production of stress hormones like cortisol and in other ways affect perception of pain.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/The_no...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20662309
http://www.badscience.net/2009/11/all-bow-bef...
Put simply i do not trust people who tell me generic does not work. After all, everybody swears that their getting better on prozac, is not placebo effect, when it is a scientific fact that 2/3 of effect is placebo. Where are the placebo responders in the real world.
Drug companies stand to make alot for perpetuating this belief. Yes i know their are some differences, but not like people make out: like coke vs pepsi.
i am 32 and have severe GAD originally with mild depression as a symptom. I had my first panic attack that i can remember, when i was 3 years old and my cousin did not come to kindergarten.
I think except for lorazepam all the SSRIs were a joke for anxiety; only problem was lorazepam was addictive and i abused it.
I have found exercise, cognitive therapy and family support to be the best long-term solution: all the others make you better short-term at the cost of getting worse long-term. There is no panacea, nor is there a free lunch.
ps I have had periods of years that i was better, and it was not due to prozac as i have relapsed numerous times on it. I have the most control over my life, not my distorted thinking or some glorified placebo.
"When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail." Abraham Maslow

I have not heard of a difference in withdrawal between generic and non-generic, but rather that all have nasty withdrawals.
I have taken omega 3 for last 3 months; i question whether it really does anything.
I have heard people take benadryl for withdrawal and it works for a simple reason: In the 1960s, diphenhydramine was found to inhibit reuptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin. This discovery led to a search for viable antidepressants with similar structures and fewer side-effects, culminating in the invention of fluoxetine (Prozac), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Problem is this will likely inhibit the speed of recovery, and for some lead to a new problem.
The detox supplement seems harmless enough, though i am no doctor.
Try this link, it gives detailed and simple advice: http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/reaction....

Good luck.

I thank everyone who posted here, as your sharing has brought me some confidence that I might not be losing my marbles after all. I tapered off Prozac and Wellbutrin (60MG of Prozac daily) over a two month period. Finally drug free six weeks ago. Its very tough.

I am frightened by an inability to think clearly... and my short term memory is shot.

Brain zaps, eye twitches, audio noises (similar to hearing sand paper rubbing on something), etc. do not so much bother me as do the cognitive thinking problems. I'm worried about losing my job if they don't lessen.

Anger issues, yes. Had/have them. But my desire to be my natural self is strong and I'm going to try to last this out. Our kids are grown/gone, now, so I feel I can take a chance with this.

I wish all you luck, and can only imagine the combined angst we all are living through.

ive been on prozac 20mg for about 5 years this time round like some one commented above i too failed to pick my perscription up so have come off them very abrubtly and also not sure what kind of person i am on or off prozac it really mixes everything up and i just want to think for myself .and try and use excercise to lift my mood ,the side affects ive had so far are restlessness at night ,brain zaps - tingleing like feeling in my brain. mood swings feeling negative and a little anxious really not sure what to do thinking off getting some more and weaning off them properly but its been 2 wks now with none and thinking maybe i dont need to not sure what to do ???

frontdrum wrote:

I thank everyone who posted here, as your sharing has brought me some confidence that I might not be losing my marbles after all. I tapered off Prozac and Wellbutrin (60MG of Prozac daily) over a two month period. Finally drug free six weeks ago. Its very tough.
I am frightened by an inability to think clearly... and my short term memory is shot.
Brain zaps, eye twitches, audio noises (similar to hearing sand paper rubbing on something), etc. do not so much bother me as do the cognitive thinking problems. I'm worried about losing my job if they don't lessen.
Anger issues, yes. Had/have them. But my desire to be my natural self is strong and I'm going to try to last this out. Our kids are grown/gone, now, so I feel I can take a chance with this.
I wish all you luck, and can only imagine the combined angst we all are living through.

hi i could never describe the brain zaps but when you said about it sounding like sand paper athough mine are very breif maybe a second or 2 thats exactly what they sound like i have to say this is the only side affect that scares me a little.

gill wrote:

ive been on prozac 20mg for about 5 years this time round like some one commented above i too failed to pick my perscription up so have come off them very abrubtly and also not sure what kind of person i am on or off prozac it really mixes everything up and i just want to think for myself .and try and use excercise to lift my mood ,the side affects ive had so far are restlessness at night ,brain zaps - tingleing like feeling in my brain. mood swings feeling negative and a little anxious really not sure what to do thinking off getting some more and weaning off them properly but its been 2 wks now with none and thinking maybe i dont need to not sure what to do ???

I would wean more slowly. Still alot in your system. After long-term use the active metabolite is 16 days; it takes 5 half lives to be out of your system. So in other words 80 days; this is why it is considered to have a built in taper. I can attest to the fact that withdrawals get worse after the 3 month mark, and after 6 months mine are still horrid(10 years use).
Prozac has a very delayed withdrawal reaction so be careful going to fast, as you may think the withdrawals are not that bad, when in fact the worst of them have yet to kick in.

ben wrote:

<quoted text>
I would wean more slowly. Still alot in your system. After long-term use the active metabolite is 16 days; it takes 5 half lives to be out of your system. So in other words 80 days; this is why it is considered to have a built in taper. I can attest to the fact that withdrawals get worse after the 3 month mark, and after 6 months mine are still horrid(10 years use).
Prozac has a very delayed withdrawal reaction so be careful going to fast, as you may think the withdrawals are not that bad, when in fact the worst of them have yet to kick in.

Where did you find the information about the active metabolite and the amount of half lives it takes to get out of your system? I've been trying to find information on long-term use. Also, would this also count for previous SSRI drugs that I took in the past or not because those are well out of my system? I took Effexor (2001-2003), Paxil (2003-2009) and then Prozac (2009-2011). I've been off the drug for 11 weeks 1 day and am feeling more anxiety/uneasiness and I'm just not myself. I kinda feel like I'm about to lose control of the situation and am affected by bright lights and it seems like I have a hypersensitivity to my senses.

With time, fluoxetine and norfluoxetine inhibit their own metabolism, so fluoxetine elimination half-life changes from 1 to 3 days, after a single dose, to 4 to 6 days, after long-term use. Similarly, the half-life of norfluoxetine is longer (16 days) after long-term use.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoxetine

The half-life of fluoxetine after a single dose is 2 days (range 1 to 4 days) and after multiple dosing 4 days (range 2 to 7 days). The corresponding values for norfluoxetine are similar after single and multiple dosing, i.e., 8.6 and 9.3 days (range 4 to 15 days).Similarly because of the long half-lives of fluoxetine and norfluoxetine, it may take up to 1 to 2 months for the active drug substance to disappear from the body

http://www.fortunecity.com/campus/psychology/...

ps Seeing as you used paxil, you are a long term SSRI user, so it may take a couple of months for the drug to no longer be in your system. This in my experience is when the bad withdrawals will begin. I stopped prozac with 1 month taper and 10 years use. The worst of my depression was at month 5. Most symptoms like tinnitus, sinus problems, derealization, anhedonia etc, kicked in after 2.5 months. I am 6 months off in a week, and still have terible insomnia, tinnitus, sinus problems, but depression is getting better and aggression problems. Also mood swings are not as extreme.
It is the toughest thing i have ever done and i question the decision all the time; but after reading Robert Whitakers book "Anatomy of an epidemic" discussing long-term outcomes i am certain it is the best decision.

Tardive dysphoria: Antidepressant induced chronic depression.
http://truthman30.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/lo...

So, your bad withdrawals just started around 3 months? I'm so scared that I won't be able to do this. I was on the Prozac for generalized anxiety disorder/panic disorder and I'm starting to feel these things return. I have a great support system, but still... I thought that I've had the grunt of it already (brain zaps, feeling disequilibrium, etc). I'm also on Klonopin-- have been taking this drug since I began the Prozac. The Paxil stopped working for me (caused me extreme discomfort
/withdrawal), but replaced the Paxil with the Prozac because I read that it was a "safer" drug. Boy, was I wrong! I even stayed on Prozac and Klonopin throughout my entire pregnancy!!! I wish I would've listened to myself and not the psychiatrist and tapered myself off the drug, but I had capsules and he was already puzzled as to why I stopped the drug, but it caused me hypoglycemia (which they swear it wouldn't--but since I stopped taking the drug, NO MORE hypoglycemia). I also asked my chiropractor about how long it takes the autonomic nervous system to heal (system affected by these drugs) and she said anywhere from 2 to 6 months. I'm hoping that the worst case scenario is that I'd go 6 months at most because I'm already feeling like I can't take this... I have 2 young girls (almost 2 and 7) to take care of. How can I be a fun and loving mommy if I feel like crap?!? Thanks for all your helpful insight, Ben. I totally appreciate your willingness to share.

These are the reasons why you should taper very slowly. You have been on them a long time so do not feel rushed to get off them. If it takes a year to taper, this is a better outcome than rushing and failing.
It is possible to stabilise on a low dose for a long time and then gradually taper. I went the aggressive rout, as i do not have children, and i had relapsed to the point where i was not working anyway.

ben wrote:

These are the reasons why you should taper very slowly. You have been on them a long time so do not feel rushed to get off them. If it takes a year to taper, this is a better outcome than rushing and failing.
It is possible to stabilise on a low dose for a long time and then gradually taper. I went the aggressive rout, as i do not have children, and i had relapsed to the point where i was not working anyway.

The medication did not seem to be working for me anyways-- I had more anxiety AND the hypoglycemia. This is the one time that I took my doctor's word and I will now suffer. He's still under the impression that my withdrawals shouldn't last for more than 8 weeks! Lesson learned: DO NOT TRUST DOCTORS (and I even consulted a pharmacist too--with whom I trusted as well). I don't think I can go back on the medication without some type of adverse reaction to reintroducing the drug to my body, otherwise, I'm this <.> close to doing it...

My son suffers from serious depression & anxiety. I'm typing this as I wait for him to come out of a counseling session it seemed as though 10 mgs of Prozac wasn't working (he took that dose for about a year) then they upped it to 20 mgs. He has been on that for around 6mths. He is very depressed still. We've decided he should come off of it. His come in capsules do we can't break them in half. He started missing a day then a couple of days. Now he has just completely stopped he wants them out of his system. I'm very worried. How long will it take to be out of his system? How do you treat depression/anxiety without it???

I googled the question of side effects of going off prozac and came to this discussion. I have been on prozac for 21 years. About 2 weeks ago i just stopped taking them. At first I really didn't feel any different except for the occasional weepy jag. Then the last 2 days I cant sleep. I feel like I ate a bunch of no doze pills. I feel like pins and needles are all over my body. Im not hurting just feel edgy. Also my sex drive is way above normal which is strange as it seems the opposite of what several of you are experiencing. I just feel frustrated all over. Has my nervous system just been given a big shock. 21 years is a long time. My Dr. Will probably be furious with me for not doing it gradually. I just wanted to tell you what I am experiencing, In the hopes that it helps you figure out if what your feeling is normal. I really hope I can stay off the medicine, but I am a firm believer that its not worth going through life being miserable, when medication can make your life better. Good luck
.

jane wrote:

I googled the question of side effects of going off prozac and came to this discussion. I have been on prozac for 21 years. About 2 weeks ago i just stopped taking them. At first I really didn't feel any different except for the occasional weepy jag. Then the last 2 days I cant sleep. I feel like I ate a bunch of no doze pills. I feel like pins and needles are all over my body. Im not hurting just feel edgy. Also my sex drive is way above normal which is strange as it seems the opposite of what several of you are experiencing. I just feel frustrated all over. Has my nervous system just been given a big shock. 21 years is a long time. My Dr. Will probably be furious with me for not doing it gradually. I just wanted to tell you what I am experiencing, In the hopes that it helps you figure out if what your feeling is normal. I really hope I can stay off the medicine, but I am a firm believer that its not worth going through life being miserable, when medication can make your life better. Good luck
.

Jane, big mistake quitting cold turkey, I did it after 2 years of use, you have 21 behind you!!

I suggest you visit paxilprogress.org , it is a lifesaver of a site, with good advice in regards to withdrawing for psychiatric drugs. They often advise if you haven't been off for that long, to reinstate and gradually taper of the medication, this is the safest way, you must never go cold turkey. I did, and nearly two years after quitting, my nervous system is damaged. Still no feelings/emotions AT ALL, smell, taste, touch, hearing affected, pssd, insomnia, muscle tone diminished, memory, concentration problems....etc etc.

Hi everyone,

I've been on prozac solidly for a year and on and off it for about ten years (maximum length was approx 3 years). I weaned myself off this lot as am in a 'happy place'(yay!!) and fed up of not feeling true emotions. I took 20mg every other day for two weeks, then every 4th day for two weeks and then stopped. I was fine until a few days ago when I was nearly two weeks in when I started getting really dizzy (you move head & eyes and your brain catches up a few seconds later), brain fog, nausea and oh so very very tired! Fortunately my sense of humour is remaining but I'm not sure how long it will stay whilst these physical symptoms are wreaking havoc! Am a single mum, working full time - any tips on how to cope with them, anyone?! HELP! Thanx x