Posted by SLS on June 3, 2006, at 10:54:01
In reply to prozac withdrawal, posted by realnice on June 2, 2006, at 18:42:01
> Hi - first time posting.
Hi.
> Went off prozac around middle of April after being on it for about 10 years. After a few weeks began experiencing withdrawl symptons - vivid dreams and those zapping sensations. These went away after about a week and I thought I was home free. Wrong! First the headache started - it was so bad even my eyeballs hurt. Then the zapping sensations came back as well as the vivid dreaming. I've had a few days here and there with dimenished symptoms but they always come back. My headache has now moved to the back of my head and the zapping is more frequent but not as intense.One would guess that you were still experiencing residual withdrawal effects. I'm not a doctor, so I couldn't discount the possibility that what you describe represents a syndrome of another medical condition. If it were me, though, I would wait a little longer before going through exhaustive testing.
> Went to the doc and he pretty much could not believe it was related to coming off Prozac since so much time has gone by (about a month at that time). By the way, I went off the 20 mg dose I'd been on by taking 10 mg for 5 days (according to my doc this was the way to get off Prozac).
I think that is too rapid a taper to prevent withdrawal symptoms. Although Prozac has a long half-life, the taper process might still take a few weeks, not a few days. Because of its long half-life, you can actually skip days between doses. 10mg every other day for a week; 10mg every third day for a week, etc. The other option is to use the liquid form and taper by reducing the dosage by a few milligrams at a time.
> The doc thinks it's seizures, brain tumor, etc. I'm resisting doing all the testing because of what I've read (mostly on the web) about other people's experiences.
Since you have been off of Prozac for a month, I doubt you would want to restart it. However, you could take a small test dose and see if your symptoms disappear. If they do, then you will know that what you have been experiencing is indeed withdrawal. You might try to treat the symptoms by taking Benadryl (diphenhydramine), an over the counter antihistamine/antcholinergic. If anxiety and nausea are present, you might even consider Phernergan (promethazine).
> He gave me phenobarb and a muscle relaxer that haven't done a whole lot.
He must really think you are experiencing seizures!
> I guess I'm just looking for support, answers, information. Will the withdrawal symptoms ever go away?
They will.
> When????
It might take several more weeks to a few months. Considering how long you had been taking Prozac, one would expect that it would be longer rather than shorter. It is difficult to predict. I think your doctor prescribed a taper schedule that was far too abrupt.
> Is my brain being damaged?
I believe these drugs do produce changes in the brain that persist for a long period of time. However, I don't think these changes usually translate into a change in overall function. There are people who report otherwise, though. I would not discount these reports, but I don't think they represent the majority. There has been some focus recently on the persistence of sexual side effects after discontinuation. I couldn't guess as to how common this is.
> Sould I contact Eli Lily?
It can't hurt. I am not sure how productive it would be, though.
> Find another doc?
Not just yet, perhaps. That's a big decision to make. You aren't yet sure whether he is right or wrong.
Speaking of decisions, what are your reasons for discontinuing Prozac?
> Any ideas about relieving the symptoms?
Most people who try Benadryl report that it is effective for mitigating withdrawal symptoms. Exactly which symptoms it addresses is still unclear to me.
Try to concentrate on what you can do to resolve the withdrawal syndrome. Stay positive. Dwelling on any theoretical possibility of having suffered brain damage serves no purpose and probably does not reflect reality in your case.
I hope things get easier for you soon.
You'll be ok.
Keep posting.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:652097
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20060602/msgs/652326.html