Coming off prozac

[Blessed]

Has anyone experienced crazy w/d symptoms when trying to come off Prozac? I did wean off but the effects are still epic.

[xxcraigiexx]

yes I got off prozac in Nov 2012, I would get these things called " brain zaps" that feel almost like my head was being shocked by low voltage. I had the same problem when I got off lexapro and the doc told me it was normal. Unfortunately they lasted about three months, but it does feel great not to be tied to medications. stay strong

[Blessed]

Thanks...having same symptoms!!!! I refuse to give up!

[jessed03]

What dose were you on Blessed, and for how long?

[Blessed]

After my doc tried several different meds I was on 10 mg then 20 then back to 10 for a total of about a year

[jessed03]

Did he let you pour out some of the powder from the capsule, so you could go down to 5mg, and then 2mg, and taper really gradually?

I did that with Remeron to combat the CRIPPLING insomnia and head zaps I was getting.

[Blessed]

Unfortunately they never mentioned that to me. How long does the head zaps last!?!??

[jessed03]

For me it lasted 2 months. First 4 weeks were very bad. The second months they happened once or twice a day. Insomnia took about 5 months to go, but Remeron is a sleep aid, so I guess that doesn't apply to you.

A lady I know had the same problem with Paxil (which is known for it's brutal withdrawals) and her psych took her all the way down to 1mg, and she finally quit. Took her about 7 months, but it was quite mild. Doc's don't like doing it, they don't like prescribing anything that doesn't come from a box. It's not their job to. Usually it's just the psych's who advise you to alter dose amount. She spent 8 months going down by increments of 5-10%, until her last month was no meds. She would never have done it otherwise, the withdrawals were hell for her.

[Armstrong1]

Wooooo,makes me remember the brain zaps, terrible nightmares and all sorts of other weird stuff withdrawing from Paxil. Have a great psychiatrist who even put me on disability for a while. Some of these meds are available in liquid form so you can withdraw teeny bit by teeny bit. Worth asking about. The good news is that prozac withdrawal takes a bit less time than some of the others. so hang in there.

[jessed03]

Some of these meds are available in liquid form so you can withdraw teeny bit by teeny bit. Worth asking about.

Definetly worth asking about a liquid taper. Are you over the withdrawal now Armstrong1?

[Armstrong1]

Hi. No, I'm all done with paxil withdrawal. Phew. It got very intense. I have a wonderful psychiatrist who is very skilled at antidepressant withdrwal so I was very lucky in that way. I felt understood and supported even though it was difficult. And you are SO right, Jessed, docs don't like doing the withdrawal process unless thay are interested in it and very skilled. It's really by far the best to do this with a psychiatrist and not another sort of MD. Nothing against those good docs but this is tricky stuff and they either don't get it or don't have time or whatever. We really don't have to settle for a nightmare that seems to go on forever. Getting off Paxil which my psychiatrist believed was doing me way more harm than good is something I consider a big time accomplishment. So will you with the prozac. I wish all of you well. You are SO not alone.

[Blessed]

It's crazy my dreams have been absolutely insane and real vivid . What gives? Why would coming off a med do such?

[Armstrong1]

Been there, Blessed, when I tried to get off Paxil on my own and WAY too quickly. It's a classic symptom off SSRI withdrawal. The SSRIs are thought to work by keeping more serotonin (the "happy"" molecules) in between the synapses (nerve endings that meet up with each other) in your brain. When you take less or stop an SSRI quickly you end up with far less active serotonin moving form synapse to synapse. This is a big deal in your brain which has become accustomed to and adapted to more synaptic serotonin. It affects many parts of your brain....you know, the brain zaps, insomnia, strange thoughts and of course the dreams. It's all biochemical and doesn't mean much except your brain needs lots of time to balance its own serotonin on its own as you decrease your dose. Sloooooooow withdrawal is the solution.