Hi all!

I was an on-again, off-again lurker on the Surviving Antidepressants forum before it officially closed. I spent a lot of time reading posts there to better understand antidepressants and how they work in the body. I’m here now seeking community and advice around whether Prozac could be a piece of the puzzle behind the symptoms I experience—and whether it’s something I may need to come off of, which is something I’m wanting to explore.

 

A little about me: I’m 26 years old and have been on antidepressants for over 10 years. I’ve also struggled with mold toxicity and currently have a great practitioner and therapist who are helping me uncover the root causes of various health issues I’ve dealt with over the years.

 

One thing that has become very apparent in my health journey is that my body has a very low tolerance for substances. Many supplements my doctor recommends, treatments I try, or even dietary changes can cause strong reactions—often triggering spikes in anxiety, panic, and fear.

 

My main long-term symptom has been separation anxiety, which I’ve dealt with since early childhood. One thing I’ve noticed over time is that I’ve never seen a clear improvement in my symptoms from antidepressants. It’s more that I was put on them years ago to see if they might help, and I stayed on them hoping that eventually they would.

 

I’ve had periods of ebb and flow. In 2017–2018, I felt the best I ever had—while I still had symptoms, they were manageable. Since 2018, I’ve experienced a gradual decline in my mental health. There have been better stretches (2021–2023 was a relatively higher point), but overall I’ve noticed a slow decrease in my ability to cope, along with increasing panic episodes, anxiety triggers, and OCD-related issues. One of my biggest panic triggers right now is being alone.

 

I’m here to find community with others who may relate to this experience and to seek wisdom from those who may have insight into whether Prozac could be contributing to the constant waves of panic I experience.

 

Main symptoms:

• Anxiety

• Panic attacks

• OCD

• Intrusive thoughts

• Fear

• Excessive sweating

• Flushing

Goal:
To determine whether Prozac may be contributing to these issues and, if appropriate, how to safely taper off.

 

I appreciate any insight, shared experiences, or guidance. Thank you for reading.

Hi HopeHeals

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

This is a volunteer-run, community forum aimed at helping those who are tapering and/or experiencing difficulties with psychiatric medications and withdrawl syndrome. We are not medical professionals and cannot offer medical advice. We simply offer support and opinions which you could use as talking points with a medical provider knowledgeable in withdrawing off psychiatric medications.

 

Please familiarise yourself with the forum rules and the disclaimer located here: Guidelines

 

Please make sure your signature is kept up to date with your drug history. This will allow members to see some basic information about your drug history and situation so that they may help you best. Information on how to do this is located in the FAQs section above, but here is a direct link: Update Signature

Once this is done, future posts made by you will have this signature turned on by default. For this reason please keep it clear but condensed as possible.
 

9 hours ago, HopeHeals said:

I was an on-again, off-again lurker on the Surviving Antidepressants forum before it officially closed. I spent a lot of time reading posts there to better understand antidepressants and how they work in the body. I’m here now seeking community and advice around whether Prozac could be a piece of the puzzle behind the symptoms I experience—and whether it’s something I may need to come off of, which is something I’m wanting to explore.

So many of us were before joining you are not alone here! 🙂 It is great you have been there so much and educated yourself about the potential harms of ADs and the practice of safe tapering!

 

You will find plenty of community and support here Im sure.

 

9 hours ago, HopeHeals said:

One thing that has become very apparent in my health journey is that my body has a very low tolerance for substances. Many supplements my doctor recommends, treatments I try, or even dietary changes can cause strong reactions—often triggering spikes in anxiety, panic, and fear.

We often find our nervous systems are in this state of sensitivty once exposed to ADs for a long period of time. Multiple drugs and dose shifts add to this problem. If you find supplements irritate you then definitely avoid them.

 

9 hours ago, HopeHeals said:

My main long-term symptom has been separation anxiety, which I’ve dealt with since early childhood. One thing I’ve noticed over time is that I’ve never seen a clear improvement in my symptoms from antidepressants. It’s more that I was put on them years ago to see if they might help, and I stayed on them hoping that eventually they would.

It's not uncommon for this to be the case. There isnt clear evidence ADs are very effective unfortunately. Your story is familiar.

 

9 hours ago, HopeHeals said:

I’m here to find community with others who may relate to this experience and to seek wisdom from those who may have insight into whether Prozac could be contributing to the constant waves of panic I experience.

 

You are certainly in the right place to do this.

 

9 hours ago, HopeHeals said:

Main symptoms:

• Anxiety

• Panic attacks

• OCD

• Intrusive thoughts

• Fear

• Excessive sweating

• Flushing

Goal:
To determine whether Prozac may be contributing to these issues and, if appropriate, how to safely taper off.

I think it is highly possible in my opinion that a lot of this is AD harm related. The symptoms you experience in response to the supplements you have tried indicate this to me as well. Just my view not a doctor! 🙂 

 

Have you read the following?

 

What is withdrawal syndrome?

 

Daily Checklist of Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms (PDF) 

 

Relapse or Withdrawal?

 

Once you have checked those out these might help you understand more about how to come off:

Tapering Information 

 

In the mean time this is what I would do if I were you:

 

-Stay Hydrated 

 

-Eat a good clean whole food diet, avoiding processed foods and sugars.

 

-Stay away from caffeine, alcohol and antihistamines and any other psychoactive substances.

 

Supplements are to be avoided initially, as they often irritate our nervous systems. Try to get your nutrition through food.

 

Down the line, you may wish to introduce Fish Oil and Magnesium. Those who can tolerate them have found them calming to the nervous system. Be careful try one at a time and start low and see how you get on should you choose to try them.

 

A daily walk is very important as much as you can manage, if you can manage it. Gets you your fresh air and Vitamin D does wonders for your mind!

 

You are very welcome here and I hope you find the site supportive.

 

Chippy

Thank you for joining.

 

It can be very difficult to unpick whether symptoms are from a drug being taken, past reactions to others, a combination of the two and so on.

 

However, from your history, it appears that adding drugs into the mix does not appear to have improved things very consistently, and you have reacted adversely to others.

 

My personal thoughts (as a layperson, not a clinician offering advice), are that the only true way to find out if prozac has been contributing to your symptoms is to carefully taper off of it and see if you improve in time, increasing the dose of it doesn't seem to have changed things for the better very much.

 

If you do decide to proceed with a taper, keep us updated on it and I hope it goes well.

@Luke @ChippyThank you both so much! I appreciate the warm welcome! 

 

I do have a silly question! I tried to post on another person's post and it mentioned I need to have my content approved by a moderator. I am new to forums (this is the first time I have really interacted in one before). Is there a certain number of posts/comments I need to make to gain approval?

 

I appreciate your insight! 

8 hours ago, HopeHeals said:

@Luke @ChippyThank you both so much! I appreciate the warm welcome! 

 

I do have a silly question! I tried to post on another person's post and it mentioned I need to have my content approved by a moderator. I am new to forums (this is the first time I have really interacted in one before). Is there a certain number of posts/comments I need to make to gain approval?

 

I appreciate your insight! 

Hey, no now youve created a topic and replied here to us your post moderation has been lifted and should be ok to post now freely, 

5 hours ago, Chippy said:

Hey, no now youve created a topic and replied here to us your post moderation has been lifted and should be ok to post now freely, 

Oh perfect! Thank you!

Hello all! I could use some helpful thoughts or encouragement. I am very emotionally sensitive right now. 

 

I have updated my signature but I tapered from 20mg to 10mg in February and had what I considered a surprisingly good reaction to the decrease in dose. I felt the bad symptoms including debilitating OCD and intrusive thoughts ramp up. I also experienced severe emotional volatility such as cycling through anger, rage, sadness, fear. This lifted at the 10 day mark and then on I saw so much improvement. I was genuinely excited to make this next transition. 

 

In light of this on March 7th I took my last does of 10mg Prozac. I am currently on day 17 and I am not having the same experience I did last time. My emotions have been cycling to a higher degree in that almost everyday since about day 7 of stopping I have a crying spell from an experience of overwhelm. I feel a lot of rage, sadness, hopelessness, fear. I am also fighting the OCD, intrusive thoughts, and fears about when am I going to feel okay viciously. I also feel a loss of independence and severe depression creeping in. This is honestly interesting to me to observe because throughout my life I have never been depressed, clinically or otherwise. I have always dealt with a degree of anxiety and OCD but never depression. Seeing this creep in tells me it is 100% related to the Prozac. In the past few days I have moved to a carnivore based diet. I have previously done a similar diet with success in my body feeling less inflamed. My why for getting off the Prozac after all these years is I started to wonder if it was actually causing many of the intrusive thoughts and fear I was experiencing. If anyone has insight on this I would be most grateful. 

 

This experience has been debilitating. For context, I have an incredible support system and I know I am blessed. It has been hard, I feel as though I have lost the life I had built for myself over a year ago. I used to be able to stay in my home alone and had a level of independence I crave now. For the past few months, I have been unable to be alone, especially through this withdrawal process. Most of my anxiety/OCD rotates around separation anxiety and a fear of self-harm (even though I have never attempted to harm myself and know I am in control of my body) this has been a fear I've struggled with since childhood. I started weekly therapy in November which has been very helpful. They are getting me into a routine of ERP. I have essentially moved back in with my parents, with my husband offering me encouragement, to aid in the withdrawal process as their schedules are more flexible. I have been able to continue working remotely and I am so proud of that accomplishment for myself. 

 

In my gut, going back to the Prozac and tapering at a slower dose does not feel like the right decision. But I am open to guidance from others. I have seen a lot of people talk about Prozac being a drug that is easier to get off of due to the half-life, which in all honesty had made me feel a little sad/invalidated that this is such a struggle for me. 

1 hour ago, HopeHeals said:

Hello all! I could use some helpful thoughts or encouragement. I am very emotionally sensitive right now. 

 

I have updated my signature but I tapered from 20mg to 10mg in February and had what I considered a surprisingly good reaction to the decrease in dose. I felt the bad symptoms including debilitating OCD and intrusive thoughts ramp up. I also experienced severe emotional volatility such as cycling through anger, rage, sadness, fear. This lifted at the 10 day mark and then on I saw so much improvement. I was genuinely excited to make this next transition. 

 

In light of this on March 7th I took my last does of 10mg Prozac. I am currently on day 17 and I am not having the same experience I did last time. My emotions have been cycling to a higher degree in that almost everyday since about day 7 of stopping I have a crying spell from an experience of overwhelm. I feel a lot of rage, sadness, hopelessness, fear. I am also fighting the OCD, intrusive thoughts, and fears about when am I going to feel okay viciously. I also feel a loss of independence and severe depression creeping in. This is honestly interesting to me to observe because throughout my life I have never been depressed, clinically or otherwise. I have always dealt with a degree of anxiety and OCD but never depression. Seeing this creep in tells me it is 100% related to the Prozac. In the past few days I have moved to a carnivore based diet. I have previously done a similar diet with success in my body feeling less inflamed. My why for getting off the Prozac after all these years is I started to wonder if it was actually causing many of the intrusive thoughts and fear I was experiencing. If anyone has insight on this I would be most grateful. 

 

This experience has been debilitating. For context, I have an incredible support system and I know I am blessed. It has been hard, I feel as though I have lost the life I had built for myself over a year ago. I used to be able to stay in my home alone and had a level of independence I crave now. For the past few months, I have been unable to be alone, especially through this withdrawal process. Most of my anxiety/OCD rotates around separation anxiety and a fear of self-harm (even though I have never attempted to harm myself and know I am in control of my body) this has been a fear I've struggled with since childhood. I started weekly therapy in November which has been very helpful. They are getting me into a routine of ERP. I have essentially moved back in with my parents, with my husband offering me encouragement, to aid in the withdrawal process as their schedules are more flexible. I have been able to continue working remotely and I am so proud of that accomplishment for myself. 

 

In my gut, going back to the Prozac and tapering at a slower dose does not feel like the right decision. But I am open to guidance from others. I have seen a lot of people talk about Prozac being a drug that is easier to get off of due to the half-life, which in all honesty had made me feel a little sad/invalidated that this is such a struggle for me. 

Hey @HopeHeals I'm very sorry to hear about your struggle, I feel you very well, horrible journey it is.

At this stage of yours, some will suggest going back to a very low dose to try to stabilize especially after reducing from 10 mg to 0 which is a lot, or letting it be and taking what comes until the system finds a balance. I personally would try to go back to a very low dose and find a soft place to rest for a while until the next shift, but of course you will decide what is best for you, 17 days is relatively early and it is difficult to predict what will come next, could get better or vise versa. I can only assure you that everything you're experiencing is withdrawal symptoms and no matter how hard it is, it's temporary.

I am very happy to hear that you have such a good support system, it is excellent, not everyone has one, so hold on to it as much as possible and it is great that you are in treatment, real and thorough work, I believe, starts from there.

I wish you that the rest of the journey will be bearable, whichever way you choose, remember again, it is all temporary.

Sending you lots of strength and encouragement.

Edited March 26Mar 26 by Fullhealing

25 minutes ago, Fullhealing said:

Hey @HopeHeals I'm very sorry to hear about your struggle, I feel you very well, horrible journey it is.

At this stage of yours, some will suggest going back to a very low dose to try to stabilize especially after reducing from 10 mg to 0 which is a lot, or letting it be and taking what comes until the system finds a balance. I personally would try to go back to a very low dose and find a soft place to rest for a while until the next shift, but of course you will decide what is best for you, 17 days is relatively early and it is difficult to predict what will come next, could get better or vise versa. I can only assure you that everything you're experiencing is withdrawal symptoms and no matter how hard it is, it's temporary.

I am very happy to hear that you have such a good support system, it is excellent, not everyone has one, so hold on to it as much as possible and it is great that you are in treatment, real and thorough work, I believe, starts from there.

I wish you that the rest of the journey will be bearable, whichever way you choose, remember again, it is all temporary.

Sending you lots of strength and encouragement.

Thank you for your words of support. I really appreciate it! You mentioned 17 days as relatively early, maybe I will consider waiting it out to the six week mark before I decide to reintroduce a small dose. Sending you healing thoughts too!

11 minutes ago, HopeHeals said:

Thank you for your words of support. I really appreciate it! You mentioned 17 days as relatively early, maybe I will consider waiting it out to the six week mark before I decide to reintroduce a small dose. Sending you healing thoughts too!

If that's what you think it's right for you then that's how you should go, in the end it's just a matter of trying and seeing what you can handle, I'm all for it and there will always be an option to try to renew a tiny dose, although some will say there's a time frame for that, it's not written in stone. 

I'll pray it goes easy for you 💞

13 minutes ago, Fullhealing said:

If that's what you think it's right for you then that's how you should go, in the end it's just a matter of trying and seeing what you can handle, I'm all for it and there will always be an option to try to renew a tiny dose, although some will say there's a time frame for that, it's not written in stone. 

I'll pray it goes easy for you 💞

Thank you so much, I appreciate it! I keep going back and forth in my head. I think I need to make a decision and stick with it. In the past I withdrew from Luvox 25mg-0mg and Prozac 40mg-20mg in 5mg increments with little issue. However, I am coming to understand that going to 0mg is much more difficult than decreases in dosage for me, especially when it comes to Prozac.

36 minutes ago, HopeHeals said:

Thank you so much, I appreciate it! I keep going back and forth in my head. I think I need to make a decision and stick with it. In the past I withdrew from Luvox 25mg-0mg and Prozac 40mg-20mg in 5mg increments with little issue. However, I am coming to understand that going to 0mg is much more difficult than decreases in dosage for me, especially when it comes to Prozac.

I know well the back and forth but if you suggested that I believe that's your path to go.

It's definitely a hard landing from 10 to 0 but it's been done already and many have survived it.

Just try to reach a solid decision, that in itself will be very reassuring and believe that whatever path you choose, you will succeed!

I for one believe in you.

Edited March 26Mar 26 by Fullhealing

Hey @HopeHeals

 

Sorry you are having a rough run of it. As you know coming off these drugs quickly isn't advised.

 

I know you have felt, that you and prozac don't play well together, and reducing the drug has helped. This isn't uncommon. Some need to taper off a bit more agressivley then others as a result. Unfortunately that doesn't make those people immune from WD symptoms. 

 

What you do now is a very personal choice that only you can make.

 

WD is a hard path to walk. We have no idea of how long it can take to heal. People do heal and recover though and you will too.

 

Should you RI or not is up to you. If you choose to, you should do it as soon as possible, as the longer you leave it the more risky RI becomes. Currently you are in the sweet spot for a RI. In terms of RI dose I would say that you could RI as much as 10mg tbh, particularly as you have recently dropped from 20mg. You might want to be a bit more cautious than this and go for 5mg, if wanted to be really careful then 10% of your orginal dose of 20mg so 2mg. 

 

Your fast taper from 10-20mg and the now CT to 0 will have already caused dome irritation. RI may help ease the WD symptoms but the act of shifting doses causes problems in itself that only time will heal. Staying off may further harm your nervous system whilst it struggles to find balance.

 

If you RI you won't likley find things are as they were. The goal would be to ease the symptoms and make them more manageable, then hold to stablise, followed by a more safer gradual taper off. This might not be a walk in the park either. Once you are then at zero you will likley have some further healing to do.

 

Being on the drug at a lower dose might be easier on you and your reaction to the drug itself. This is often seen but not guaranteed. So being on the drug whilst you stablise, hold and taper might not be to kind on you either, we have no way to know.

 

So as you can see there isn't a right answer here. You have to make the call. If it were me I would RI 5mg, possibly updose from there and then hold, but you know your body and how you reacted to prozac in first place.

 

If you wait till 6 weeks out I would be more cautious then I would now with the dose itself.

 

What ever you decide to do we are here for you and support that choice.

 

Chippy 

Don't beat yourself up and wow you went from 10mg to 0 mg that's a drop apologies if I have that wrong. I am so sorry you are struggling right now. From Feb until now you have drop 20mg that's a lot in such short space of time the first drop is probably just catching up with you now .I'm definitely not having a go and sorry if it sounds like it but I'm not surprised you are feeling like you do .I hope you have some relief soon 🤗

4 hours ago, Chippy said:

So as you can see there isn't a right answer here. You have to make the call. If it were me I would RI 5mg, possibly updose from there and then hold, but you know your body and how you reacted to prozac in first place.

Hi! @Chippy

 

I can't thank you enough for the detailed post. Yesterday, I was convinced that staying CT was the best option for me but I had a terrible night and morning, it seems that the intrusive thoughts and the nasty feeling in the body are continuing to ramp up. I suspect this journey is far from over. It was a very appealing thought to go to 0mg after the 20mg-10mg jump. I knew in the past going down by 5mg every 6 months or so was effective and relatively safe for me. After reading a lot of the experiences in this forum, I am now beating myself up for messing with what was working and trying to "just get through it." 

 

I reached out to my doctor this morning to see if she can call in a script for liquid Prozac. I feel like liquid would be the easiest for me to control. She has been really supportive in the past helping me get 5mg doses compounded, so I am hoping it is not an issue to obtain. She is more in the functional medicine space with I think helps with having more of an open mind. 

 

I may think on it a little more this morning, but I think I am leaning towards RI after the night I had. If I do RI at 5mg, do I stay at 5mg until I even out or how do you know when to updose or if it is necessary. 

3 hours ago, Beehive said:

Don't beat yourself up and wow you went from 10mg to 0 mg that's a drop apologies if I have that wrong. I am so sorry you are struggling right now. From Feb until now you have drop 20mg that's a lot in such short space of time the first drop is probably just catching up with you now .I'm definitely not having a go and sorry if it sounds like it but I'm not surprised you are feeling like you do .I hope you have some relief soon 🤗

Thank you Beehive! This morning I am wondering if I've dropped a bit too much too fast. I appreciate your well wishes! 

14 minutes ago, HopeHeals said:

I can't thank you enough for the detailed post. Yesterday, I was convinced that staying CT was the best option for me but I had a terrible night and morning, it seems that the intrusive thoughts and the nasty feeling in the body are continuing to ramp up. I suspect this journey is far from over. It was a very appealing thought to go to 0mg after the 20mg-10mg jump. I knew in the past going down by 5mg every 6 months or so was effective and relatively safe for me. After reading a lot of the experiences in this forum, I am now beating myself up for messing with what was working and trying to "just get through it." 

Pleasure @HopeHeals

 

It always seems so obvious after the fact!

 

14 minutes ago, HopeHeals said:

reached out to my doctor this morning to see if she can call in a script for liquid Prozac. I feel like liquid would be the easiest for me to control. She has been really supportive in the past helping me get 5mg doses compounded, so I am hoping it is not an issue to obtain. She is more in the functional medicine space with I think helps with having more of an open mind. 

I would be tempted to stick to tablets. People often react badly to a change of brand. We recommend doing a transition over a month. I think it safer for you to stick with what you were using. 
 

What size tablets have you got? Do you have scales? If not get a little set of gem-20 micro scales to weigh the cut tablet each time to ensure it is the same. 
 

Just weigh 5 tablets all at once and divide that by 5 and that is your average tablet weight. Depending on the strength of your tablets, would depend on what you did next. But if they were 10mg you would divide that average weight in half and you would have the 5mg weight. 
 

14 minutes ago, HopeHeals said:

I may think on it a little more this morning, but I think I am leaning towards RI after the night I had. If I do RI at 5mg, do I stay at 5mg until I even out or how do you know when to updose or if it is necessary. 

I’d keep that dose steady for 2 weeks and then reassess. On the basis I think you could have tried 10mg then 1mg increments would be reasonable. But to be safe you could do 10% at a time and hold for a couple of weeks in the gaps, so 0.5mg increases. 
 

You would be looking to make things easier on yourself not fix all your symptoms so it’s a case of judging when it’s enough. It can be too much and make it worse so caution is advised. 

38 minutes ago, Chippy said:

Pleasure @HopeHeals

 

It always seems so obvious after the fact!

 

I would be tempted to stick to tablets. People often react badly to a change of brand. We recommend doing a transition over a month. I think it safer for you to stick with what you were using. 
 

What size tablets have you got? Do you have scales? If not get a little set of gem-20 micro scales to weigh the cut tablet each time to ensure it is the same. 
 

Just weigh 5 tablets all at once and divide that by 5 and that is your average tablet weight. Depending on the strength of your tablets, would depend on what you did next. But if they were 10mg you would divide that average weight in half and you would have the 5mg weight. 
 

I’d keep that dose steady for 2 weeks and then reassess. On the basis I think you could have tried 10mg then 1mg increments would be reasonable. But to be safe you could do 10% at a time and hold for a couple of weeks in the gaps, so 0.5mg increases. 
 

You would be looking to make things easier on yourself not fix all your symptoms so it’s a case of judging when it’s enough. It can be too much and make it worse so caution is advised. 

Interesting! @Chippy

 

I appreciate it. I have only had fluvoxatine off brand capsules. Anytime I have ever had to do a reduction of dose outside of 10mg, my doctor had to have it specially compounded into another capsule. I can ask her for a 5mg capsule compound, but I do wonder if it might be hard to go up or down from there. I honestly did not know that Prozac may be offered in tablets. I am not sure if it would be better to ask for tablets or liquid either.

 

I am a little afraid to try and open capsules to reduce dose. Do you know if there is a way to use the capsules, I currently have to obtain the smaller dosing? I've heard of people creating their own liquid but it scares me a little. I do have OCD surrounding health and a fear of poisoning myself so I am a little nervous to make my own dose (not because I would hurt myself but more so just the ruminating and compulsions it brings on). I do not have a set of scales, I can look into getting some if needed.

 

Staying at a steady dose for 2 weeks sounds like a good plan. I hear what you are saying. It's seems like it could be a no win situation, might get better or worse if I do go back on a small dose and also may get better or worse if I don't go back on a dose. I guess the win is actually trying to get off this garbage.

 

As always, I really appreciate your help.

42 minutes ago, HopeHeals said:

Interesting! @Chippy

 

I appreciate it. I have only had fluvoxatine off brand capsules. Anytime I have ever had to do a reduction of dose outside of 10mg, my doctor had to have it specially compounded into another capsule. I can ask her for a 5mg capsule compound, but I do wonder if it might be hard to go up or down from there. I honestly did not know that Prozac may be offered in tablets. I am not sure if it would be better to ask for tablets or liquid either.

 

I am a little afraid to try and open capsules to reduce dose. Do you know if there is a way to use the capsules, I currently have to obtain the smaller dosing? I've heard of people creating their own liquid but it scares me a little. I do have OCD surrounding health and a fear of poisoning myself so I am a little nervous to make my own dose (not because I would hurt myself but more so just the ruminating and compulsions it brings on). I do not have a set of scales, I can look into getting some if needed.

 

Staying at a steady dose for 2 weeks sounds like a good plan. I hear what you are saying. It's seems like it could be a no win situation, might get better or worse if I do go back on a small dose and also may get better or worse if I don't go back on a dose. I guess the win is actually trying to get off this garbage.

 

As always, I really appreciate your help.

Well that’s a whole different story then. 
Ive not had anyone that I’m aware of be on capsules for Fluoxetine as yet. Looks like it is common though. 
 

You can open capsules and count the beads to make up doses. You can then get fresh capsules to put the beads in. We haven’t had many using capsules. It can be a bit of a faff as you have to take into account the size of the beads when counting them.
 

Tough call. Can you get your doctor to make you up 5mg and 0.5mg capsules? I’m not sure if they would be onboard with that? It’s not clear if that is just a brand change anyway. Guess it depends how they actually go about making up the doses. 
 

If you have no other choice you could go ahead and get the liquid as you originally planned. There is no difference tablet or liquid, it’s a brand swap. It’s just another risk to add to the whole situation. 

 

@LostinCanada any thoughts? 

Tbh I think bead counting might be best thinking about it. Keeps the brand the same. 
 

@FindRest have you any advice on how to approach this? 

14 minutes ago, Chippy said:

Tbh I think bead counting might be best thinking about it. Keeps the brand the same. 
 

@FindRest have you any advice on how to approach this? 

Also, throwing it out there. My doctor previously offered me 1.5mg tabs of Fluvoxatine when I told her I wanted to get off it in February.

4 minutes ago, HopeHeals said:

Also, throwing it out there. My doctor previously offered me 1.5mg tabs of Fluvoxatine when I told her I wanted to get off it in February.

Good to know. It’s the brand swap we want to avoid. 
 

Many have counted beads from capsules to taper in the past. It’s very achievable. I just want to check on best practice as we haven’t dealt with it much. 

@HopeHeals @Chippy

 

Just a couple things I feel are very important. Because of the long half life of fluoxetine and the even longer half life of norfluoxetine, the drug that your body metabolizes fluoxetine into, withdrawal doesn't even peak for some till the 8 or 9 month point. 

Reinstatement is very important. If you are already feeling this bad, I would not hesitate.

Could you confirm, is Teva your generic manufacturer? 

My understanding is it is absolutely safe to open your capsule and count beads. Having a bead usually makes the drug time released which IMO is ridiculous with the huge half life of fluoxetine and very unnecessary. 

What I have read, it is for patients that struggle with swallowing pills, opening the capsule and sprinkling it on applesauce, etc makes it easier for them....so totally safe. 

I would count the beads in the 10 mg capsule and then let us know how many are in there. That is all the compound pharmacy is doing. Then we can recommend how many beads you should be taking for a reinstatement.

Hope that makes sense to you. 

I would stick with getting the 10 mg capsule for consistency and keep working with that.

 

 

Edited March 26Mar 26 by LostinCanada

31 minutes ago, LostinCanada said:

@HopeHeals @Chippy

 

Just a couple things I feel are very important. Because of the long half life of fluoxetine and the even longer half life of norfluoxetine, the drug that your body metabolizes fluoxetine into, withdrawal doesn't even peak for some till the 8 or 9 month point. 

Reinstatement is very important. If you are already feeling this bad, I would not hesitate.

Could you confirm, is Teva your generic manufacturer? 

My understanding is it is absolutely safe to open your capsule and count beads. Having a bead usually makes the drug time released which IMO is ridiculous with the huge half life of fluoxetine and very unnecessary. 

What I have read, is for patients that struggle with swallowing pills, opening the capsule and sprinkling it on applesauce, etc makes it easier for them....so totally safe. 

I would count the beads in the 10 mg capsule and then let us know how many are in there. That is all the compound pharmacy is doing. Then we can recommend how many beads you should be taking for a reinstatement.

Hope that makes sense to you. 

I would stick with getting the 10 mg capsule for consistency and keep working with that.

 

 

Thanks for your insight as ever LIC. You’re the best. Xxx

16 minutes ago, LostinCanada said:

@HopeHeals @Chippy

 

Just a couple things I feel are very important. Because of the long half life of fluoxetine and the even longer half life of norfluoxetine, the drug that your body metabolizes fluoxetine into, withdrawal doesn't even peak for some till the 8 or 9 month point. 

Reinstatement is very important. If you are already feeling this bad, I would not hesitate.

Could you confirm, is Teva your generic manufacturer? 

My understanding is it is absolutely safe to open your capsule and count beads. Having a bead usually makes the drug time released which IMO is ridiculous with the huge half life of fluoxetine and very unnecessary. 

What I have read, is for patients that struggle with swallowing pills, opening the capsule and sprinkling it on applesauce, etc makes it easier for them....so totally safe. 

I would count the beads in the 10 mg capsule and then let us know how many are in there. That is all the compound pharmacy is doing. Then we can recommend how many beads you should be taking for a reinstatement.

Hope that makes sense to you. 

I would stick with getting the 10 mg capsule for consistency and keep working with that.

Okay, that is good to know. I appreciate your guidance so much! I won't lie the thought of peaking in 8-9 months sounds completely unbearable and scary. My life has shrinked so much, it is hard to imagine living like this for years. I know once you are in it you get through it, but I am afraid. I do think over the years this drug has been causing a lot of severe intrusive thoughts for me, so I worry about going back to it. But also, withdrawal is doing the same so I understand in a way the need for a slower reduction. 

 

I just called the pharmacy. Teva was the brand I was given in the 20mg capsules in February. I suspect Teva has been the brand I have had for the past few years mostly based on appearance. I called another pharmacy I used a long time ago and the brand was Northstar. I am having the pharmacy fill a 10mg capsule script I have in Teva brand today and will have it picked up. I have uploaded a photo of the capsule I've been taking in the past. I am a little confused about what HCL means. 

 

Once I get my hands on a capsule today and open it I will report back to you both!