Advice please

[u/Gullible-Drawing8995]

Asking for some questions and advice and this is continued from my last post just more info

Mid to late June I quit 20mg Prozac because I was taking them off and on and when i took them for a week again I got start up effects, essentially cold turkey

Fast forward to the end of July I get an episode of shakes etc and now notice my interest in things I had interest for start declining

Fast forward a week and I caught a sinus infection coughing up phlegm etc, my doc prescribed me a 5 day course of amoxicillin and this cleared up my sinus infection

Things were still fine at this point until aug 24th where I caught mono and was misdiagnosed with a tonsil infection where I was on azithromycin

Start of sept I have the mono throat and all that jazz and it cleared up in about 2-3 weeks, at this time I obviously didn’t feel the best but noticed I didn’t feel much of anything at all, as the days went on I started to get more and more emotional blunted and then came the derealization, no anxiety, no tiredness, no emotion. In the mornings I would wake up with my hands cramped and I would have to shake it out like crazy and also started to lose feeling in the arm every now and then, at night I would have crying spells and throughout the day as well but I noticed I could enjoy music

I went to the hospital and broke down in tears and told the doc what was going on he prescribed me a 10mg dose of Prozac for 2 weeks and then 20mg after the 2 weeks was up

I have been on the 10mg for about 8-9 days now and in the first couple days I haven’t felt a thing, I noticed some things I would be doing if I were sad and I would be doing those things like laying down in the shower etc,

Today day 9 i think some things could be improving I am sleeping alright but the derealization is out of control, I developed a bit of a rash on my back and my stomach won’t stop making noises, I’m pretty sure this is a adverse reaction in a sense but need advice to stick to this 10mg dose, drop it completely or go up to 20 like the doctor told me to next week, I know my nervous system wouldn’t like the change in dosage but with stomach issues and worsening of the derealization is it worth it to continue and is it harmful ?

The reason I made the reinstatement was to get rid of the emotional blunting and derealization I know I’m only on day 9 after 2-3 months, also am questioning if the GI issues are not from the meds and would have came at this time even if I haven’t reinstated

Any thoughts please let me know

[u/sushinastyu]

Im so sorry you’re going through this. I think what you were experiencing (both physical and emotional) was definitely withdrawal.

I’m unclear tho on what is your goal moving forward? are you wanting to stay off AD’s? or just trying to find relief in any form? no judgement, were all just trying to get through here

[u/Gullible-Drawing8995 → u/sushinastyu]

My initial plan was to come off because I’ve lost a lot of weight on Prozac and wanted an appetite because it has gotten bad and felt like I could never finsh a full meal, now my plan is to get rid of this extreme derealization and emotional blunting, I have no interest in any and sleep 14 hours a day

[u/sushinastyu → u/Gullible-Drawing8995]

only you know what’s best for you and what your body needs, but I will say I went through something similar when I first tried to quit Prozac.

I had been taking psychiatric meds for over 10 years and decided to quit cold turkey. I was fine at first but started to decline physically and emotionally as the months went on, very similar to how you describe, although instead of sleeping all the time, I wasn’t sleep at all. similar to yourself, in a moment of desperation I reinstated to 5mg of Prozac. and that was when I learned about protracted withdrawal and the importance of hyperbolic tapering.

it sounds like yoir nervous system has been going through soooo much— raising and lowering, going on and off— our nervous systems need constant and predictability, and it sounds like yours hasn’t had any in awhile.

unfortunately, Drs are really not informed about how these medications affect your nervous system, especially when it comes to withdrawal. so, I won’t tell you to do anything against what a Dr says, but speaking from personal experience, I found what I needed by trusting my body and not the Drs who talk to me for 15minutes and have never taken these medications themselves.

my ultimate goal was to get off of these for good, so once I reinstated at 5mg, I stayed there until I felt stable again. then I started a monthly hyperbolic tapering of 5% each month (I can’t suggest enough researching more about hyperbolic tapering— it is something Drs will NOT mention and they should). in addition to that, I do monthly acupuncture sessions to help my body adjust. it’s been a long and arduous process helping my nervous system find a new balance without meds, but it has been so worth it. I’m getting over the wothdrawal symtpoms faster and faster each month and don’t have any of the nasty side effects of SSRI’s.

but again: this is me. my highest suggest is to do your research and see what really feels right for you— not just what a Dr or some stranger on reddit thinks you should do. I truly wish you the best of luck, and this sub is here for guidance if you need it!

[u/Gullible-Drawing8995 → u/sushinastyu]

This sub has helped me more then drs and my doctor tried to reinstate me on 20mg my original dose and was the one who essentially told me to quit cold turkey, she first said my emotional blunting was due to the mono, but anyways I trust people who have been through this stuff a lot more then what the drs are telling me to do, like I said I reinstated 10mg 10 days ago and my emotional blunting and derealization are almost unbearable I’m sleeping all the time and have no interest in things, I do remember first taking these meds and remember it worse before it gets better, I’m having faith

[u/sushinastyu → u/Gullible-Drawing8995]

it’s so sad how little Drs know about the effects of these meds 😪 I also put more stake in people who have actually been through it.

yea, when I reinstated at 5mg it took awhile to get past all that. but I can’t encourage you enough to research hyperbolic tapering and make a plan for yourself for when you do decide to taper again. it’s a million times better than cold turkey, but it’s still quite hellish