ANXIETY COMMUNITY
Taking one SSRI to wean off of another??

Taking one SSRI to wean off of another??

I was weaning off of Celxa (20 mg/day that I've been taking for just over a year) about a month ago, and it wasn't going well at all.  I felt like garbage overall for a week after stopping the medication - I went down to 10 mg/day for a week and then stopped....my GP's recommended regimen.   There was no end in sight of my symptoms from this (dizziness, brain "rushes", irritability, fatigue - so he put me back on the meds and had me come back in to see him after a month.  

My follow up appointment was on Tuesday.  He indicated that he was surprised that I'd had trouble weaning off of Celexa because it's usually one of the "easier" ones to get off of.  His recommendation now is that I stop taking it, taking Prozac in its place for 3 days - and then stop the Prozac.  

It seems like a bit of a strange approach to me, but hey:  he's the professional.  Has anyone else been advised to take another antidepressant to wean yourself off of another?  Was it successful?

So far so good with the Prozac:  I don't feel any different, really.  I just have one more dose of it tomorrow - I guess I'll really know if it's going to work after that!!
Related Discussions
2 Comments Post a Comment
Blank
Avatar_m_tn
First, a GP is not an expert on ssris.  Even most psychiatrists haven't a clue.  Second, all ssris have withdrawal problems, and although it's true Celexa has been easier on the whole than, say, Paxil, or Effexor, if you go on withdrawal websites you'll still see plenty of severe withdrawal problems.  He's put you on Prozac because it's a long-lasting ssri, whereas all the others are very short lived in the body; usually they'll use liquid Prozac so they can wean slowly.  It might work, but it sounds to me like he took you off Celexa too quickly for you -- since everyone's different.  The protocol would call for you to go back on the lowest dose of Celexa where you didn't have severe withdrawal and wean more slowly.  Go to the Celexa website and it'll probably say it right there, as the FDA finally required it after Paxil settled a bunch of lawsuits about this.  And see a good psychiatrist or psychopharmacologist, if you can afford one, and good luck finding a good one.  
Blank
470885_tn?1326332637
Just to clarify.....I have been in therapy since last June - and only recently stopped going (a mutual decision by my therapist and I, we both felt that we'd done the "work" we needed to do, and had success).  While I think that the initial Celexa weaning process was too fast for me, it was me who initiated it since I felt that I was ready to go off it.  You're right, though, about my GP not being very well versed in SSRIs -he didn't seem entirely sure that stopping the Celexa and taking Prozac for 3 days then stopping it was the best approach...even pulled out this big medical book and checked something while I was in the office.  (Yeah, that's something you like to see...haha)

Anyway...I took my last Prozac today.  Here's hoping for a withdrawal symptom-free weekend!!!!!
Blank
Post a Comment
To
Comment
Post A Comment
Go
Blank
Anxiety Tracker
See your anxiety triggers
Start Tracking Now
MedHelp Health Answers
Submit
Top Anxiety Answerers
2017105_tn?1333658765
Blank
Cntbreal
Cleveland, OH
Avatar_f_tn
Blank
Sagitarius88
London, United Kingdom
212161_tn?1332960328
Blank
heartfluttersflyawayplz
hoschton, GA
Avatar_f_tn
Blank
mammo
Cincinnati, OH
2019697_tn?1334153847
Blank
edgyboy
philadelphia, PA
1699033_tn?1333381663
Blank
JGF25
Somewhere in, MD
RSS Expert Activity
1741471_tn?1336957856
Blank
LIVE WEBINAR TOMORROW!-SUPER BODY, ... Blank
May 22 by Michael Gonzalez-WallaceBlank
2126606_tn?1335910182
Blank
Fibromyalgia Awareness
May 11 by Clare Waismann Kavin, RASBlank
2126606_tn?1335910182
Blank
Opioid-induced hyperalgesia reduces...
May 03 by Clare Waismann Kavin, RASBlank
Blank
Moody Me
Have more happy days!
Download Now