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what happens if you go off prozak cold turkey and try to go back on

Prozac, the brand proper noun of Fluoxetine, is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor used in the treatment of depressive and anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic attacks, bulimia, and other eating disorders, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Withdrawal is commonly associated with coming off an addictive antidepressant. People who end it experience certain Prozac withdrawal symptoms, known collectively as SSRI discontinuation syndrome.

What Happens When Yous Stop Taking Prozac

Even though Fluoxetine isn't considered a chemically addictive drug, people can develop an addiction or dependency. It's a drug doctors prescribe to patients struggling with low. It works by balancing the brain's neurotransmitters. It fixes any imbalances that might be causing the patient to accept depression in the first place. That is why it's essential that when the patient decides to finish using the drug, they practice it with their medical health professional's assist.

Addicted young man suffering from Prozac withdrawal.

If the patient feels that they are getting amend and might not need the medical treatment on the drug anymore, it'southward integral that they don't simply finish information technology independently. Fluoxetine is working in their bodies to rest the neurotransmitters. It increases the serotonin in their brain, which aids improve mental health. Quitting it out of nowhere tin hateful that the torso suddenly won't have access to the serotonin or the residual, leading to Prozac withdrawal and possibly, the render of depression.

Withdrawal from Prozac: Common Symptoms

When patients have been using drugs such every bit Fluoxetine for a while, their brain gets used to getting the help of these drugs to balance the neurotransmitters. Information technology doesn't need to do a lot of piece of work to get serotonin. If the body is suddenly deprived of the drug, Fluoxetine withdrawal symptoms may appear, and they tin appear fast. 56% of the patients who have tried to quit drugs like Prozac ended upwardly experiencing withdrawal from Prozac. 46% of them described the symptoms as "astringent."

1 or More of the Symptoms Listed Below May Be Present As the Brain Adjusts Without the Antidepressant:

  • Confusion
  • Dizziness
  • Agitation
  • Headaches
  • Excessive sweating
  • Sleeplessness
  • Fatigue
  • Mood swings
  • Anxiety
  • Retention and concentration issues

Suppose the user suddenly stops using an antidepressant such as Fluoxetine. In that case, symptoms of Prozac withdrawal like the ones stated above tin appear as the body adjusts to not having the drug present in the system. The symptoms mimic how depression might look or feel. That leads to most people thinking that as soon as they quit the drugs, their feet and depression came back, and because of it, they might go back to getting treatment using Fluoxetine, which makes information technology difficult to quit.

Every 1 in iv patients that take Prozac as a handling has been taking it for an unabridged decade. The numbers for men and women were around the same. This shows just how many people are dependent on drugs.

Hand surrounded by Prozac pills.

According to a Nested Case-Control Study that studied 2.4 million patients with depression, those quitting antidepressants were far more likely to try suicide than those that hadn't taken an antidepressant. Enquiry has besides shown that patients with major low, especially children and adolescents, are at higher risk of getting suicidal thoughts when trying to quit using medication such every bit Prozac as a treatment for their depression. They are the ones at the highest risk for experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms. People like this must inform their doctor almost whatever suicidal thoughts to conform their quitting method or the dosage of the medication appropriately. They should ideally be monitored by a healthcare professional or a family member to ensure at that place are no addiction-like symptoms or suicidal tendencies and protect their overall mental and physical health while stopping Prozac treatment.

Fluoxetine Withdrawal Timeline: How Long Will It Last?

Prozac stays in the body longer than many other antidepressants because of the longer half-life. Someone who has been taking information technology over an extended period is much more decumbent to experience Prozac withdrawal. Likewise, those who have been on a higher dose of Fluoxetine volition be more probable to experience symptoms of withdrawal. The symptoms don't brainstorm at the same time for everyone. Prozac has a longer half-life than most antidepressants or medications in general. Most antidepressants have a half-life of about a solar day. Prozac's half-life lies at one-3 days after acute administration and 4 to half-dozen days after continuous administration. So information technology can have half dozen days for Prozac to leave 50% of the patient'due south system.

Stopping Prozac Employ Safely

Stopping Prozac cold turkey is not brash, specially if the person has been using it for a long time, in high doses, or had incidents of overdose on Fluoxetine because they are more than likely to experience more pronounced withdrawal symptoms.

There are many approaches, which can foreclose or help make the withdrawal more bearable. Stopping Prozac should gradually reduce the dose, allowing two weeks to a month and a one-half or more between dose reductions to cope with possible side effects. To forbid more severe Fluoxetine withdrawal, doctors instruct their patients in tapering their dose and prescribe the respective dosage.

Since quitting cold turkey can immediately cutting off the rest that Prozac provides, it's not the best idea to stop that manner. A sudden drib in serotonin can increase the patient's chances of feeling astringent withdrawal symptoms and side effects and possibly need to revert to taking the medication once more and trying to quit afterwards. It tin can be a vicious bicycle that can affect the patient's mental and physical wellness.

Patient discussing tapering off Prozac with the doctor.

Tapering off Prozac slowly, with a professional rehab or physician's help, is the best manner to quit the drug. The patient should take the doctor's help initially prescribed Prozac because they will create a customized taper programme for them based on their overall health. Extensive studies have been done into quitting Prozac, and it shows that a longer taper, upwards to a calendar month or more, is the best way to minimize the risk of withdrawal symptoms or side effects. This is the best way to make sure the treatment works and that at that place are no signs that point to addiction at the end of the taper.

Sometimes a pill cutter tin can create smaller doses, but one will need to check if this is possible. The tapering schedule will depend on the current dose, how long i has been using the antidepressant, and whatever indication one might have had during previous medication changes.

How to cope with Prozac withdrawal symptoms

Tapering off Prozac, with or without the help of a md, doesn't hateful that there'due south zero risk of withdrawal symptoms. Users who are tapering can still feel withdrawal symptoms even if they follow the physician's instructions about the treatment perfectly. Nonetheless, it'south less probable that a patient will experience many withdrawal signs with tapering. Even if they do, they're likely to exist less severe than if they were to quit cold turkey.

Beneath Are Some Tips That Can Be Helpful When Trying To Deal With Prozac Withdrawal Symptoms:

  • Don't surrender: Since information technology's been proven that a sudden halt in taking Prozac tin can worsen the initial depression signs and that many people experience astringent withdrawal symptoms that brand them desire to go dorsum to it. That is why it'southward so of import to stick with the schedule your doctor or medical health professional has provided, and no matter how bad things get, don't give up on it. Once the drug is totally out of their organisation, they volition have a bottom chance of relapse.
  • Psychotherapy: In that location'due south extensive research that proves that those trying to quit an antidepressant such equally Prozac could do good from psychotherapy to help with their low. This can keep withdrawal symptoms at bay and brand information technology easier to transition to a life without taking antidepressants or medical treatment altogether.
  • Endeavour exercise: Tapering off Prozac or any other antidepressant can atomic number 82 to the patient feeling low. They might not have the motivation to do anything. If they can push through that feeling and incorporate any type of exercise in their lives, it tin can assist a lot. Exercise releases endorphins. That tin make their mood lift, even if it'south but temporary. Regular exercise can assistance bring their mood upwards more often and assistance distract them equally they taper off Prozac.
  • Join a support/counseling group: Quitting antidepressants can make one feel significant "all over the place." The stability they felt before is no longer there, and it tin be hard to open up upwards to a loved one. A medical health professional might seem that they won't really "get information technology." In this type of situation, it might be improve to join a back up group instead. Having people to talk to that tin relate tin be extremely helpful when going through withdrawal.
  • Become more than sleep: I of the symptoms of Prozac withdrawal is insomnia. When someone doesn't sleep well, they automatically showtime becoming more than agitated. They can experience signs of low, as well, making it seem like there's a need to go back on antidepressants. Getting more slumber can assistance manage the symptoms meliorate.

Getting Assist

If signs persist for months after getting off Prozac or unsure whether they are of withdrawal or relapse, information technology's important to ask for professional assist. Such is available at a wide variety of inpatient and outpatient rehab centers. When looking for a rehab facility, make sure to consider the price, whether insurance is accustomed, the services offered, the location, and the accreditation of the centre. Know that everything passes eventually, even overwhelming withdrawal symptoms.

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Page Sources

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Published on: June 27th, 2018

Updated on: April 8th, 2021

Roger Weiss, Doc

Dr. Roger Weiss is a practicing mental wellness specialist at the hospital. Dr. Weiss combines his clinical exercise and medical writing career since 2009. Apart from these activities, Dr. Weiss as well delivers lectures for youth, former addicts, and anybody interested in topics such as substance corruption and treatment.

Medically Reviewed past

Michael Espelin APRN

8 years of nursing experience in wide diversity of behavioral and addition settings that include adult inpatient and outpatient mental health services with substance use disorders, and geriatric long-term care and hospice care.  He has a particular interest in psychopharmacology, nutritional psychiatry, and culling treatment options involving item vitamins, dietary supplements, and administering auricular acupuncture.

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Source: https://addictionresource.com/drugs/prozac/withdrawal/

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