loveprozac

Hi all, new to this app! It seems very helpful with friendly people. I suffered under depression two years ago and ended up in a hospital with overdose of sleeping pills and alcohol. I was about to die. I have been taking prozac to overcome my depression but now I want to quick. Believe it or not, I tried to stop taking it and the side-effects were worse. I am currently trying to decrease the dose step by step with liquid prozac. My fear is to be back to my stress, depression and not being able to have a normal life. Besides! I drink, used to take drugs. I have an addictive personality. Any advice? Anyone with similar issues?

Hevyn

Welcome love! It's so good to have you with us.

What you've been through sounds horrific - I'm thankful you made it. I hope it helps to talk things over here.

least

I'm glad you found us and joined the family. I don't know about Prozac but I take Zoloft for my depression and it works very well, especially now that I'm sober.

loveprozac

Thanks a lot! I am glad I found this group. I was searching for some kind of help in applications or how to recover from addictions. My addiction is legal and prescribed and I am still a victim of pharmaceuticals. It did help me to recover however I can't stop taking that stuff and can't leave it in one go, that is why it is more difficult. Drinking does not help me either and i got risky tendencies to abuse of alcohol and cocaine.

FeenixxRising

We can't give medical advice on this site, so see your Dr. about stopping Prozac. I once stopped taking Paxil (same class of drug as Prozac), in order to switch to Lexapro, and other than a few brain zaps, I had no issues stopping it. But everyone is different, that's why you should see your Dr. Also be wary of the Prozac withdrawal stories you read on Google. Again, not everyone is the same, so your experience may be different.

One question: Your post indicates that Prozac was working for you, so I'm wondering why you've decided to stop taking it?

Well, two questions: Are you still drinking?

2muchpain

I take a generic brand of Prozac. I know it is not effective if I drink. I have found that when I stop taking the Prozac, my depression and anxiety resurface. I personally would not call that withdrawal, just that the reasons I took the medication show up again. I am curious what you mean by withdrawals, and why you want to quit. After all, it is not a narcotic. If it was, I wouldn't take it either. Have you talked to your doctor about your decision?

loveprozac

Hi Feenix, it was and is working. And I am trying with my doctor to start reducing it step by step. The reason to stop it is basically because at the end of the day it is another addiction. The withdraw effect is awful so my body needs to get used to live without it. I think it is time to recover and be free of drugs, legal or illegal it is addictive. But yea, good advice! Thanks a lot. I am going to talk to my gp about other options.

loveprozac

Well, the effect is for me anxiety and suicidal thoughts, it is not a withdraw effect as such like stop taking heroin but it is the feeling of having those bad days where you want to disappear from earth

FeenixxRising

I don't believe SSRI anti-depressants (Prozac) are addictive. They aren't narcotics. SSRIs do not cause addiction in the way cocaine, tobacco, or heroin do. However, after a period of using SSRIs the brain does adapt and gets "used to" the medicine. For this reason, you should talk to your doctor if you plan to stop.

However, it is up to each individual to use this type of medication or not.

I'm curious, is someone in AA or NA encouraging you to stop this medication?

Dee74

Hi loveprozac

Yeah it's really impoortant you speak to your dr before you go off any medications. I hope your GP can help.

I don't actually agree with you that taking prozac is 'just another addiction' tho.

I take another antidepressant and there's nothing addictive about it as far as I can see - it helps me maintain a good quality of life, I don't abuse it, and I don't crave it - but I understand we each have personal choices to make.

D

Pipefish

Hello loveprozac

It really helped me to focus not so much on the substances themselves - both substances and behaviours that run alongside them are just symptomatic of the underlying dis-ease most people (of which I'm one) with addictive personalities have. For information, I'm a recovering alcoholic, but have had proclivities in the direction of food, valium, long-term anti-depressant use (those ceased 15 years ago) and marijuana (and that one ceased 13 years ago). In other words, in the past and in the absence of alcohol, more of less anything would do, even if it was compulsive and obsessive behaviour around food...or men...or work....you get the drift

As others have suggested, it would be really helpful to speak to your doctor. To be honest, I never experienced any kind of withdrawals from Prozac. To the best of my knowledge, it is not of the family of drugs that leads to physical dependency. Very good idea to check what you're experiencing out with your physician.

As to your other question about anyone identifying about addictive personalities, and fearing a return of depression - yes heaps! And am sure lots of others will too. The things that most help me, are practicing the AA programme, and sticking close with other people in recovery. If it helps, my recovery has been slow but sure, and without a doubt, people differ, but it has helped me to distinguish feeling low spiritually and emotionally, and needing to make use of medication. For me, untreated alcoholism is something I experienced as depression - what I have found through the programme is that this is relieved to a large degree by adopting some spiritual principles, changing my habits slowly, and paying more attention to how I live my life and treat others. It's not a miracle cure, but it's certainly helped that need to live in addiction/compulsion, which drove mostly everything I did, said or thought. That is one big burden I am truly grateful not to have to live with any longer.

Wish you well.

Sulu1

I agree with the notion that SARI's aren't addictive, although that's just my opinion. I've come off a few and just had some strange brain zapping and twitching. But we are all different. Welcome to SR. Definitely best to speak to your Doc

FeenixxRising

As Dee said, I don't abuse my SSRI anti-depressant, nor do I crave it. It does not impair me physically or mentally in any way. It doesn't get me high. If I miss taking it for a few days (which I've done), I don't even realize it because there are no "urges" to take it. It doesn't effect me like Valium or Xanax or alcohol. It's not a drug that makes me feel euphoric in any way, it just helps me to maintain a normal emotional state. For me it's another medication I take each day, just like my statin medication for cholesterol.

Rar

When I wanted to get off my anti depressants, my doctor tapered me over a month. He actually wrote the schedule down for me. I highly recommend talking with your doctor.

Ruby2

Hi. You are asking for advice so mine would be to quit drinking alcohol if you are still drinking. Alcohol is in no way your friend if you are depressed or have anxiety and can increase both. I have taken both Prozac and Zoloft in the past. Neither worked too well with my drinking. Neither is classified as a habit forming medication either. I did have withdrawal from them in the form of brain zaps. The cautionary notes on the prescription say to talk to your doctor before going off them so I recommend discussing it with your GP.