Posted by jessers11581 on June 27, 2007, at 7:37:44
Hi everyone. After having been on one SSRI or another for approx. 10 years, I decided to go off of antidepressants entirely about 4 1/2 months ago. The last one that I took was Prozac, which was by far the easiest to wean and withdraw from. The first month or so after discontiuning, I felt WONDERFUL, as though a dense fog had lifted and I had my life back. Now, three months later, I am terribly anxious and depressed. The worst is the anxiety-- I am perpetually worried about everything, and can't stop thinking about my health, my future, money, etc. This unending sense of discomfort and "ill-at-ease" creates depression for me, and makes me feel hopeless and despondent.
Anyway, my question is: for those of you who have ever stopped taking AD's, especially after having taken them for a long time prior, were you able to eventually normalize? If so, how long did that take? I have heard that taking drugs for extended periods of time lowers the numbers of receptors and whatnot in the brain, and that they can take some time to rebuild. Can anyone give me any advice/guidance? I would REALLY like to stay off the drugs and find a way to work this out on my own, maybe by finding other ways to increase serotonin.
Thanks!
poster:jessers11581
thread:766128
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070622/msgs/766128.html