Quitting Prozac Cold Turkey

[Firestar]

Okay so about 5 days ago I quit Prozac cold turkey because I was just sick of all the side effects and always feeling emotionally numb from it...and now I think I'm starting withdrawals but I'm not sure...do you get withdrawals if you quit Prozac like that? I've been taking it for about 8 months, I didn't tell my parents or my doctor that I quit, I just stopped taking it and I don't plan on starting it again. If there are withdrawals for doing this, what are they? How long does it last? How long will it take for the Prozac to be completely out of my system? It's been really difficult these past few days but I'm not sure, I could just be imagining it cause I do that sometimes too.. :? God I have so many thoughts in my head right now I feel like my synapses are on speed or something...it's freaking me out. But anyway, any information on this subject or advice on med. withdrawals would be greatly appreciated!

[Dfsg]

As much as I do admire your decision to get off of an anti-depressant and search for other ways to help depression (in fact, rock-on!), I still have to say that it is unsafe to simply stop a drug that you are on.

Prozac is one of the better ones with it's withdrawl symptoms. Generally, when a doctor takes you off, they give you smaller and smaller doses until you need none. For Prozac (If I'm getting my data right), it is usually a week or two. That is pretty short in comparison to some that take months to slowly step down off of.

What has happened is that the prozac has blocked the end of the synaptic bulb in your nerves, making seretonin stay in your synapse longer. Seretonin usually jumps from one bulb to another while carrying messages, eventually turning into melatonin. After taking prozac, however, it lingers, and doesn't jump as quickly. This makes you have the "loopy happyness" that kinda feels fake.

The withdrawl is when your seretonin is used to being slowed down, and then everything has to repair itself to work the correct way.

So, hopefully you'll feel better in a few weeks. But Next time, make sure you ask your doctor how to get off, so it'll be safer!

If you are still feeling depressed or anxious after going off of the drug, talk to a counselor or a VT member, or seek out an alternative treatment, there are a lot of people and therepies out there to help :)

[Pip]

A little bit off-topic, but I'm getting weaned off Paxil right now. A couple weeks ago I went to half my normal dosage, and now I'm not taking it at all. My symptoms have been somwhat frequent "brain zaps", and periods of sadness that you can't believe unless you experience it. But I think the worst is past, and I'm feeling pretty good now. I'm not sure what would have happened with the cold-turkey approach. :?

[Shaolin]

Sounds it could be dangerous, just stopping a drug all of a sudden regardless of what it is wil give your body a shock, and could do some permanent damage on a molecular level.

Id suggest if your coming off the drug without your parents advice, you wean yourself of it as Dfsg said.

[Cap'nCrunch]

M'kay, first of all, your synapses can't be on speed. If they could, that wouldn't in any way speed up your thoughts. Second, you definitely shouldn't have quit taking any drug like that -- prescribed or no. If your abusing it, then you should build down and take less of it every time. In your case, you should have consulted your doctor.