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[jwho_02]

Hi all,
I'm just providing a quick update regarding my battle to come off fluoxetine.

So that I don't bore you with the history - please see my profile/bio for context.

Since August I have been withdrawing from fluoxetine using the fluid where 2.5ml = 1mg of fluoxetine. The plan is to withdraw 1mg per month until I'm finally freeeee (after 20 months).

Sooo all has been fine until now when I've reached 16mg (4ml) per day. I haven't slept since Sunday pm and its Thu pm now. The insomnia is awful in that I simply cannot fall asleep....I'm not worrying about anything, I'm tired......but I simply don't drop off! These are precisely the symptoms I experienced when trying the skip one/two/three day strategies.

I contacted my GP today and she wants to check my thyroid (as I'm hyothyroid and hypogonad too) just to double check that is not causing the issue. Her Psychiatrist friend, who is advising her on how to withdraw me from fluoxetine, has said that he would like to take on my case if we cannot hole it. So, if the thyroid is okay then it looks like I'll be reviewing my withdrawal strategy with him....which is fair enough as he has more expertise in this area.

So that I can sleep over the weekend, I asked the doc for some Zopiclone which she has given me......so will use as last resort.

I'd be interested in any comments or suggestions regarding withdrawing from this SSRI.

Onwards and upwards! :)

Jon

Edited by jwho_02, 01 December 2011 - 04:25 PM.

[Sheepwoman]

I had no problems coming of Prozac after 14+ years. But I'm different from you. I think it was because I was prescribed a different med to start taking the day after the last dose of Prozac. If you're taking it in the evening, ask your GP if it'd be ok to switch to mornings. It kept me up all night if I took it in the evening. I was also taking a sleep aid as I don't sleep well anyway. Like now, I've got you beat as it's been a bit over a week with about 4-6 hours total during that time span. (Of course, extreem stress is causing a lot of it.) Seeing a pdoc may help better with the tapering off schedule as maybe 1m/l might be too fast for you right now. Prozac has a long half-life, I think 2-3 days so some of it is staying in your system.

Let us know your progress and how your pdoc appointment goes.
Sheepwoman

[jwho_02]

Hi Sheepwoman,
Many thanks for the response. I always take fluoxetine in the morning and this seems to work okay. I suspect you're right about 1ml per month being too fast for me at the moment (particularly given I've been on this drug for so long). When I see the Psychiatrist I'll raise this with him - I've already increased my dose slightly to counter the insomnia.

Sorry to hear you've not been sleeping well either and hope you manage to sort the stress that is causing it :(
I cant overstate how difficult it is to function 'normally' when sleep-deprived, especially after a week.....the world still ticks on and everybody expects you to be at your best....but its just impossible when you cant sleep. It also exacerbates any existing stress or anxiety. :(

I hope you manage to overcome the stress affecting your sleep and will definitely keep you informed of my progress.

Best wishes,
Jon