can you take your self off prozac??

Question

I was prescibed prozac 4months ago as i have post natal depression,i feel the tablets arnt helping and they make me feel like i havnt got my spark and i am slow in everything i do.So i am going to come off them,just wondering though if i will get any side affects.

Answer 1

Hiya,

I'm sorry to hear you are suffering with depression - an illness that is extremely debilitating and only really understood by those that have suffered with it.

I suffered from depression on and off for five years and have been well for about two years now. At the time I never thought I would ever be well.

I was on a variety of medications including Fluoxetine (otherwise known by the brand name Prozac). I had some initial success with it in the early days but did feel listless and often tired in the afternoon. As the depression became more serious I found the medication was less and less effective. The doctor prescribed me higher and higher doses.

What I later learned after working my way through the "system" is that prescribing higher doses rarely helps. There are hundreds of variants of SSRI's and they work slightly differently with different people. You should go back to your doctor and describe your situation. Do no be afraid to ask to see a doctor that specialises in mental health - GP's rarely understand all the types of medication.

For what it is worth I finally got better from one or both of two things: CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and dropping the Fluoxetine medication in favour of a herbal remedy St. Johns Wort.

I was highly skeptical about herbal remedies but did some research and decided to give it a try. I cannot say if it helped, or was simply a "placebo effect" as the CBT therapy is an extrememly powerful technique.

If you do consider St Johns Wort then there are some important things to know about it. You shouldn't take it if you are on the contraceptive pill and you should stop taking SSRI's before you switch (my doctor advised me to switch straight over the next day and did not taper out the Fluoxetine).

There's more medical advise available on the net: -
http://www.medic8.com/healthguide/articles/stjohnswort.html

I took "Herbtech" 300mg @ 0.33% Hypericin from Holland & Barrett 3 times a day. If you find one that works it worth sticking with that brand - herbal medicines are unregulated so concentrations can be imprecise between manufacturers.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a very powerful technique though it is not easy to get it through the UK NHS. You can find out more about it here
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinformation/therapies/cognitivebehaviouraltherapy.aspx
and there are many workbooks listed on amazon that might be useful.

Hope this helps. Remember you can and will get over your depression.

Answer 2

I would just stop taking them. Antidepressants work by altering your brain chemistry so you are sort of leveled off and can't feel miserable all the time but by the same mechanism you can't feel the real highs of life either.
For some people stopping taking antidepressants will lead to depression again, these people basically have to live all their lives on antidepressants. Personally I found antidepressants made life so bland and joyless that I decided I would rather be miserable for 23.5 hours a day so I could also have those few minutes of joy that make life worthwhile.
You should seek professional medical advice before stopping taking medication.

Answer 3

Be very very carefull and talk to you doctor. Prozac does tend to take the edge of everything. It takes about 2-3 months for prozac to work properly and if your dose is too low longer. Going cold turkey might adversly effect your mood accordingly discuss the issue with your doctor.

Answer 4

What the others said - speak to your doctor. You can get withdrawal effects if you stop taking any SSRIs. Plus if you don't feel they're helping you then you should discuss alternative treatments - prozac isn't a miracle drug and doesn't suit everyone, but something else might work for you.

Answer 5

Smart people talk to the physician who prescribed the medication before they stop. Many mood alterating medications like Prozac may have side effects if you stop them quickly. Either call the doctor or at least ask the pharmacist.

Answer 6

I cut mine down myself over a 3 or 4 week period. I cut down to 1 a day then broke them into quarters using a blade and took 3/4 everyday for a week, then half, then a quarter then a quarter every other day, then every 3 days then stopped. Didn't suffer at all but had only been on them for a year.

Answer 7

I never had any problems with withdrawl from ssri's and I've taken every one of them out there except PAXIL, which has withdrawl side-effects. I'm on prozac right now, and I've stopped for weeks at a time with no problem.

Answer 8

Not a great idea unless your doc tells you. However, if you insist to come off them make sure that you slowly taper off them.
If you take one a day, then take one every other day for a couple of weeks. Then take one every three days ect.
Best advise I can give is not to just stop taking them as this can cause you to crash big time and have withdrawel symtoms.
Also, just because you are feeling better does not mean that you do not need the meds. Good Luck

Answer 9

I would not recommened it myself just to give them up clod turkey but keep in mind it could be worse. I have breast cancer so. But anyhoo yes there will be side effects especially since youve been on them for four months.
cheers

Answer 10

what ever you do do not just stop them like that. I did it and ended up collapsing and being rushed into hospital in an ambulance.
have you spoken with your doctor, it could be that the pills you are on just aren't right for you, maybe try others first.