Re: Weaning off SSRIs (Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors)

[Guest guest]

i think peter breggin wrote about this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0738210986/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=1036\

12307 & pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe & pf_rd_t=201 & pf_rd_i=0312956061 & pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1O\

LE & pf_rd_r=10DEMJG6MHSA26SNGS59

i read his book a few years ago and i think he talked about how to come off

them. ann blake also wrote about SSRIs, i think it was 'prozac: panacea

or pandora'. I don't think she talks about how to come off them though. sorry

taht's a bit vague but i read the books some years ago and wasn't in a good way

at the time. i remember the Breggin book being good tho.

i came off prozac in 2004, and tried to do it slow, switching to liquid prozac

but i ended up in a mess.

if it were me i'd come off them very slowly. when i came off dothiepin, i caqme

off that slowly, i think 25% at a time, and even that was too much for me, i had

to ask for a few days worth of valium to adjust.

have you looked at paxil progress ? http://www.paxilprogress.org/

>

> Does anyone have experience of weaning themselves off some of the more

addictive types of anti-depressant such as Seroxat? From what I have read on the

internet, it can be very difficult and people often need professional help. Does

anyone know of any specialists who might be able to help with this? (Presumably

NHS doctors are not much good at helping with this problem since they are the

ones who prescribed the nasty stuff in the first place?)

>

> Thanks,

> Miriam

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Miriam,

All I would say is do it very slowly. This can be difficult depending on the

dose and format of the drug you are on. Tablets can be cut in half, but capsules

are more difficult to deal with. Speak to your pharmacist to find out what doses

are available, write a plan of action with a view to dropping your dose by only

a quarter or a third every 2 or 3 weeks, then go and see your GP and ask for a

prescription for what you need. And remember, although the withdrawal can be

very difficult for some people, it may not be for you if you do it slowly, so

don't get too anxious about it. That won't help. And if your GP tells you can

drop your dosage quicker, ignore him. I speak from experience.

Good luck.

>

> Does anyone have experience of weaning themselves off some of the more

addictive types of anti-depressant such as Seroxat? From what I have read on the

internet, it can be very difficult and people often need professional help.

[Guest guest]

Thanks. Someone else recommended the Breggin book too. Thanks for the

website too.

>

> i think peter breggin wrote about this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0738210986/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=1036\

12307 & pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe & pf_rd_t=201 & pf_rd_i=0312956061 & pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1O\

LE & pf_rd_r=10DEMJG6MHSA26SNGS59

>

> have you looked at paxil progress ? http://www.paxilprogress.org/

[Guest guest]

Thanks. I'll have to find out from my friend what form she is taking. I have

heard that switching to liquid is a good idea if possible, so that you can

reduce it very gradually.

Miriam

> All I would say is do it very slowly. This can be difficult depending on the

dose and format of the drug you are on. Tablets can be cut in half, but capsules

are more difficult to deal with. Speak to your pharmacist to find out what doses

are available, write a plan of action with a view to dropping your dose by only

a quarter or a third every 2 or 3 weeks, then go and see your GP and ask for a

prescription for what you need. And remember, although the withdrawal can be

very difficult for some people, it may not be for you if you do it slowly, so

don't get too anxious about it. That won't help. And if your GP tells you can

drop your dosage quicker, ignore him. I speak from experience.

[Guest guest]

this site's good, too. http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/taper.htm

it jogged my memory about prozac and OJ method

" Orange Juice Bit "

pour a glass of orange juice

pull apart the capsule and stir into the orange juice

drink 9/10 of it and repeat this every day until the 7th day

the next week drink 8/10 of it until the 14th day, then 7/10 until the 21th day,

6/10 until the 28th day, and so on...

repeat the " orange juice bit " several weeks until you've totally come off your

(SSRI) antidepressant...

Never ever use Grapefruit Juice. Grapefruit juice is an inhibitor of the

cytochrome P-450 enzymes

that was a long forgotten/buried memory, glad to rebury that one...

that site has other info about how to taper too. the breggin book mentions

people who had to literally count how many beads were in a capsule of

venlafaxine, say 100, then withdraw a bead at a time ie take 1 bead out, and

withdraw like that.

chris

>

> Thanks. I'll have to find out from my friend what form she is taking. I have

heard that switching to liquid is a good idea if possible, so that you can

reduce it very gradually.

> Miriam

>

[Guest guest]

I have several times over the years and the only way is very slowly.

I take Prozac though, and that's supposed to be the easiest as it has a longer

half life.

My GP completely denies any need to wean myself off Prozac so I haven't told him

this time.

He has refused to prescribe the liquid or smaller doses in the past and only

allowed me to withdraw them slowly after a clinical psychologist wrote and told

him it is idiotic to stop them abruptly.

The psychologist recommended the weaning off period to be as long as the time

you are taking them iyswim?

At the moment I take one every other day (I started missing every third day) and

all is fine so far (fingers crossed!)

My advice is don't panic and think you are depressed again if you have a rebound

reaction as it does get better.

Good luck with it,

Helen

>

> Does anyone have experience of weaning themselves off some of the more

addictive types of anti-depressant such as Seroxat? (Presumably NHS doctors are

not much good at helping with this problem since they are the ones who

prescribed the nasty stuff in the first place?)

>

[Guest guest]

your gp doesn't sound very well informed. i found prozac hard to come off,

long half life or not, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

chris

>

> I have several times over the years and the only way is very slowly.

>

> I take Prozac though, and that's supposed to be the easiest as it has a longer

half life.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I have experience of SSRI's and took Seroxat for many years. At the time when I took it I knew nothing about anti depressants, I was about 26, am now 42. No one told me it couldnt be stopped abruptly I was just given them and left too it. Seroxat worked extremely well for me and I think I took it for about 12 yrs, I did though stop it a few times, for no reason, and also missed doses, which isnt advisable.

These drugs are classed as non addictive, what you think is addiction is actually discontinuation symptoms, same thing I think.

I do remember having feelings of extreme anger when not taking it, which I didnt relate to the drug at the time but now see it was defintly withdrawal, I also remember having the worst headache ever for months.

These drugs do need a very slow withdrawal, I still take an SSRI to this day, citalopram, but I know so much more about them now which is down to my own reasearch, doctors fail in telling people about them which makes me angry.

I feel these days that it is down to the patient to educate themselves about any type of drug but especially anti depressants, doctors think ignorance is bliss, makes their job easier!-:

Does anyone have experience of weaning themselves off some of the more addictive types of anti-depressant such as Seroxat? From what I have read on the internet, it can be very difficult and people often need professional help.Thanks,Miriam

[Guest guest]

I also found prozac easy to stop but it did nothing for me either, seroxat was the one that worked for me but that was hard to come off, everyone reacts differently to each drug

your gp doesn't sound very well informed. i found prozac hard to come off, long half life or not, it hit me like a ton of bricks.chris>> I have several times over the years and the only way is very slowly.> > I take Prozac though, and that's supposed to be the easiest as it has a longer half life.>

[Guest guest]

Hi Miriam

I was on Seroxat for over 2 years. Seroxat is a particularly difficult one to

stop. It took me a very long time to stop them completely. You have to do it

very slowly cutting down by small increments. start by reducing the amount you

are taking just one day per week, then two, then every other day and so on. If

you don't reduce slowly some of the side effects can be very nasty. However I

have known people who have been able to just stop prozac without any side effect

at all so I guess it depends on the drug you are taking and how it effects you.

Cec

>

> Does anyone have experience of weaning themselves off some of the more

addictive types of anti-depressant such as Seroxat? From what I have read on the

internet, it can be very difficult and people often need professional help. Does

anyone know of any specialists who might be able to help with this? (Presumably

NHS doctors are not much good at helping with this problem since they are the

ones who prescribed the nasty stuff in the first place?)

>

> Thanks,

> Miriam

>

[Guest guest]

Interesting about stopping it and getting extreme anger: my mother was on

seroxat i believe, and stopped it, and i think it caused her to act very badly

and out of character, a kind of breakdown and i don't think she had any insight

into it, completely different person,caused me much stress as she sold the

family home, and changed person whilst i was living with her (i was only 19).

when someone close to you cahnges like that, it can be rather difficult. if

everything and everyone around you changes very quickly it's hard to keep a

sense of self, especially if that sense of self is already pretty battered.

i'd never touch an ssri again.

http://www.narpa.org/prozac.revisited.htm

" A relationship, however, was found in a Globe search of US patents. The patent

for the new Prozac or R-fluoxetine (US Patent no. 5,708,035), which Lilly will

market after the existing patent expires in 2001, contains a wealth of

information about the original Prozac. According to the patent, the new Prozac

will decrease side effects of the existing Prozac such as headaches,

nervousness, anxiety, and insomnia, as well as " inner restlessness (akathisia),

suicidal thoughts and self-mutilation " - the same effect Lilly has contended has

not occurred in any substantial way in some 200 lawsuits against it over the

past decade. Most of the suits were settled out of court and the terms kept

confidential. "

I actually read that SSRIS can induce metabolic syndrome. after 6 months of

prozac, i had put on 3 stone around my abdomen.

>

> Hi,

> I have experience of SSRI's and took Seroxat for many years. At the time when

I took it I knew nothing about anti depressants, I was about 26, am now 42. No

one told me it couldnt be stopped abruptly I was just given them and left too

it. Seroxat worked extremely well for me and I think I took it for about 12 yrs,

I did though stop it a few times, for no reason, and also missed doses, which

isnt advisable.

> These drugs are classed as non addictive, what you think is addiction is

actually discontinuation symptoms, same thing I think.

> I do remember having feelings of extreme anger when not taking it, which I

didnt relate to the drug at the time but now see it was defintly withdrawal, I

also remember having the worst headache ever for months.

[Guest guest]

That's interesting because this website connects SSRIs with leaky gut syndrome

too. It obviously has some effect on digestion.

http://cellulitehelpweb.com/2011/02/leaky-gut-syndrome-symptom/

Miriam

> I actually read that SSRIS can induce metabolic syndrome. after 6 months of

prozac, i had put on 3 stone around my abdomen.

[Guest guest]

They are not good drugs, in my opinion.

Histories speak for themselves :

http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/casualties.htm

>

> I actually lost weight on prozac! Quite a lot actually, it took me a while to

' get on this drug' and then it didnt really work

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

100% agree with you Chris. People have been known to

experience suicidal tendencies when using such drugs.

Sheila

They are not good drugs, in my opinion.

Histories speak for themselves :

http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/casualties.htm

>

> I actually lost weight on prozac! Quite a lot actually, it took me a while

to ' get on this drug' and then it didnt really work

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I'm beginning to see how stuck in his ways he is! I know others who have

reacted badly when on prozac but it has always worked for me. Well, when I say

'worked', I mean it reduced the symptoms for the time I took it - they've only

ever been a temporary relief iykwim.

It's interesting reading about anger as I was extremely grumpy after reducing

mine to every other day! I was snapping at everyone and had to walk away from

my daughter once, as I could feel myself getting very wound up. :-(

I haven't taken any since Tuesday though and feel fine so far - fingers crossed!

Helen

" " <chrisjtaylor46@...> wrote:

>

> your gp doesn't sound very well informed. i found prozac hard to come off,

long half life or not, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

>

> chris

[Guest guest]

Everyone reacts differently to every drug, not everyone will experience suicidal thoughts while taking SSRI's, indeed I experienced those thoughts BEFORE I took them.

This is a long standing and much debated dissucssion but anti depressants took me out of a very dark place indeed, there is no 'one drug fits all' with these SSRI's I'm afraid

100% agree with you Chris. People have been known to experience suicidal tendencies when using such drugs.

Sheila

They are not good drugs, in my opinion.Histories speak for themselves :http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/casualties.htm--- In thyroid treatment , sarah s <xxsarahxx_40@...> wrote:>> I actually lost weight on prozac! Quite a lot actually, it took me a while to ' get on this drug' and then it didnt really work> > > >