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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Huxley on June 17, 2010, at 1:15:10
I have been doing alot of research on this. And as usual on the web I am getting mixed results.
General wisdom seems to say the best way to do it is to taper over an extended period.Can anyone answer me this. If I switch across to prozac (which I believe I can do without any ill effects), will prozaz be far easier to get off due to its long halflife? (2 weeks is it?)
Or does that simply postpone the withdrawals for two weeks.
I am on 50mg of Pristiq a day. If I try and stop cold turkey I become a mess which comes as no suprise.
My plan is to switch across to prozac and taper over 3 - 9 months+ depending on my progress.
Any tips, schedules or advice greatly appreciated.
Posted by Lou Pilder on June 17, 2010, at 7:24:10
In reply to The Best way to stop a SSRI/SSNI, posted by Huxley on June 17, 2010, at 1:15:10
> I have been doing alot of research on this. And as usual on the web I am getting mixed results.
> General wisdom seems to say the best way to do it is to taper over an extended period.
>
> Can anyone answer me this. If I switch across to prozac (which I believe I can do without any ill effects), will prozaz be far easier to get off due to its long halflife? (2 weeks is it?)
>
> Or does that simply postpone the withdrawals for two weeks.
>
> I am on 50mg of Pristiq a day. If I try and stop cold turkey I become a mess which comes as no suprise.
>
> My plan is to switch across to prozac and taper over 3 - 9 months+ depending on my progress.
>
> Any tips, schedules or advice greatly appreciated.
>Huxley,
You wrote,[...{Any}...appreciated..].
I would like to help you here, and maybe could offer something to you that could save your life. But Mr. Hsiung has made a rule that if I was to post here what I think could save your life,which is the foundation of what I would tell you, I would be expelled from this community.
You see, you have been taking chemicals into your system that have mind-altering effects, which could cause a broken heart and make one captive to the drugs they take so that they have to have them or they go into a withdrawal so that they could lose their liberty to be free from the drug. The drugs can cause one to not see what could be seen by inducing a mind-altered state that could make one blind in a sense as to be a captive and be bound to the drugs effects to kill yourself or others. And the advice that I could give you is advice about the mind that could bring into focus things that could reverse the effects of the mind-altering chemicals.
I am talking about healing. And this healing that I could tell you about is the healing of the mind, which could then translate into healing of the body and the nerves and the brain. But this mind that I am talking about is not the mind that you were born with. It is a new mind and a new spirit and a new heart that I have been anointed to tell to the brokenhearted, to the meek, to the captives and to open up the prison to those that are bound to the drugs and to comfort those that mourn for their life to be restored before they took the drugs. For those that hear what I could say here could exchange beauty for ashes and joy for mourning and have the garment of praise for the spirit of depression.
In that day that you become free you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace, the mountains and hills shall break forth before you into singing and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Lou
Posted by Phillipa on June 17, 2010, at 11:04:30
In reply to The Best way to stop a SSRI/SSNI, posted by Huxley on June 17, 2010, at 1:15:10
Having not experienced it myself many babblers have reported using prozac for withdrawing as your're correct the long half life of prozac. Some docs do a direct switch and others give lesser dose of both meds. And now some seem to wean off first from one to another. Hence the mixed reviews. Hoping the experts chime in. Phillipa
Posted by Christ_empowered on June 17, 2010, at 14:40:44
In reply to Lou's response-eizahypsxtywun » Huxley, posted by Lou Pilder on June 17, 2010, at 7:24:10
is the method just about everybody who deals with these sorts of things recommends. Prozac does have a freaky long half life (I think it may be like 5 weeks or something), so a switch could be helpful. I've also heard that you can speed up the taper a bit if you use low-dose benzos when you hit a rough patch--the benzos will reduce anxiety and agitation, allowing to push through the taper...just don't take them everyday, obviously (shrinks sometimes use them to get people off neuroleptics).
Good luck
Posted by 49er on June 17, 2010, at 16:07:13
In reply to The Best way to stop a SSRI/SSNI, posted by Huxley on June 17, 2010, at 1:15:10
> I have been doing alot of research on this. And as usual on the web I am getting mixed results.
> General wisdom seems to say the best way to do it is to taper over an extended period.
>
> Can anyone answer me this. If I switch across to prozac (which I believe I can do without any ill effects), will prozaz be far easier to get off due to its long halflife? (2 weeks is it?)
>
> Or does that simply postpone the withdrawals for two weeks.
>
> I am on 50mg of Pristiq a day. If I try and stop cold turkey I become a mess which comes as no suprise.
>
> My plan is to switch across to prozac and taper over 3 - 9 months+ depending on my progress.
>
> Any tips, schedules or advice greatly appreciated.
>Hi Huxley,
Many people on the Paxil Progress Boards have had problems switching to Prozac.
But one poster's doctor has had alot of success doing it this way.
Unfortunately, the only option to taper Pristiq is via a compound pharmacy since the lowest dose is 50mg. And since you feel you switch to Prozac without ill effects, I would say go for it.
I don't know what the switchover schedule should be but once you are fully on Prozac, I feel it should be tapered slowly at 10% of current dose every 3 to 6 weeks.
Actually, with Prozac, you might want to wait longer because of its long half life and delay in withdrawals showing up.
Good luck.
49er
Posted by Conundrum on June 18, 2010, at 0:52:02
In reply to The Best way to stop a SSRI/SSNI, posted by Huxley on June 17, 2010, at 1:15:10
How long have you been on that drug? I used prozac to get off pristiq but i think I was only on it 5 weeks. It was fine. I think I just used two 10 mg pills for a couple days then started cutting back. Got off it in like 5 days. No complications. Thats just cuz i was on it for such a short time. Only other thing I can think of is going on to effexor and then tapering that back. Its up to you though. I hope you make the best choice, its a gamble I guess.
Posted by Huxley on June 21, 2010, at 18:56:23
In reply to Re: The Best way to stop a SSRI/SSNI » Huxley, posted by Conundrum on June 18, 2010, at 0:52:02
Been on ADs for about 10 years. Pristiq for the last year I think?
It seems to be a bit of a black art getting off ADs so I am not going to risk it with the prozac. Don't want to crash and burn 5 weeks down the track. Thinking about switching across to effexor and tapering by taking the little balls out.
Posted by Continuous Relapser on June 27, 2010, at 19:03:38
In reply to Re: The Best way to stop a SSRI/SSNI, posted by Huxley on June 21, 2010, at 18:56:23
> Been on ADs for about 10 years. Pristiq for the last year I think?
>
> It seems to be a bit of a black art getting off ADs so I am not going to risk it with the prozac. Don't want to crash and burn 5 weeks down the track. Thinking about switching across to effexor and tapering by taking the little balls out.
>Hey Huxley, if I had known about the prozac thing, I would have tried it and it would have saved me so much grief over the years. I get terrible withdrawals from all SSRI/SNRI's. It's been years since I took them. The worst one for me to come off was Efexor by the way. Twice mind you. I went cold turkey the 1st time and the 2nd time I opened the capsules and took about 3 pellets out everyday until they were all gone. Guess what, no difference! Same hellish withdrawal but I've seen the prozac thing work first hand.
My sister however doesn't suffer very badly from AD withdrawal at all. When she got down to 50mg of Pristiq her pdoc switched her to prozac and after literally a couple of wobbly days during the cross taper she was totally fine when she finished the prozac. She took 20mg for a month but apparently you only need to do it for a week or even less. Good luck.
Posted by Huxley on June 27, 2010, at 21:01:19
In reply to Re: The Best way to stop a SSRI/SSNI » Huxley, posted by Continuous Relapser on June 27, 2010, at 19:03:38
Hey thanks CR,
So did you actually try the prozac method or just have seen it happen with your sister?
I have discovered something accidently that completly erradicates SSRI/NI withdrawal for me.
I went cut my pristiq dose from 50mg to 25mg and a day later I was in the middle of a severe withdrawal. It creeps up on you so quickly that you don't even know what is happening.
Took .5mg of zyprexa and it got rid of them like magic within a minute. Everytime I feel them creeping back I just take a crumb.
The only withdrawal effects I am getting are in my sleep.
This is the end of the thread.
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