Posted by jd on February 25, 2000, at 1:33:39
In reply to Can I just quit taking prozac? Or must I be weaned, posted by sherry on February 24, 2000, at 9:17:08
Sherry,
I can definitely understand the desire to get off medication, but--especially given what you've said about feeling a bit better recently--I'd be pretty careful about stopping it. (All the more so given what you said above about how strange you felt when you *did* stop the Prozac cold-turkey for three or four days!) In general, antidepressants need to be continued for at least a few months AFTER they've started to work; after this they can be tapered down gradually. Stopping any antidepressant "cold turkey" is never a good idea unless there is a pressing need to do so: relapses and unpleasant withdrawal reactions become far too possible. If you're absolutely intent on quitting, I'd advise doing it over an extended period of time (say a few weeks at declining doses), but I'm not sure I'd even recommend this to someone who says they're "starting to feel normal again". If you can benefit from an antidepressant but really hate the way Prozac makes you feel, perhaps you could speak with your doctor about switching to a different class of medication entirely (i.e. a non-SSRI).
best to you,
jd
> >
> Okay. I think that the best thing for me to do
> is to just get off of the antidepressants...I am not severely depressed, it seems to be dysthimia. However, I am starting to feel normal again. I have been exercising and praying. So, my question remains, is it wise to just quit an antidepressant,such as Prozac, or must I slowly come off of it? The reason I ask you all is because I can't be spending $50 to find out from the family doctor. Please Help!
poster:jd
thread:22929
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000220/msgs/23722.html