Prozac Ruined My Life (Page 2)
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I was on Prozac (fluoxetine) for about 8-9 years starting when I was about 14 years old. I'm 23 now and for about the last two-three years I started getting weird side effects and feelings that I never had before. I would feel spaced out, disoriented, out of body, dizzy, angry, light/visual disturbances and really wishhy washy, like bi polar feelings and suicidal feelings. I had never had these ever before. I was on the Prozac for severe anxiety and panic attacks. I never had depression or bi polar feeling ever in my life. And I always would get dizzy spells and just feel SOOO spaced out and out of body literally so freaking weird. So when these symptoms started happening I went to numerous docs and they all found nothing wrong physically. Blood tests, check up all normal. So I decided that I needed to get off the Prozac. It was the only med I was taking nothing else. Previously perfectly healthy.I felt it was starting to "kill me" or hurt my body or brain. I felt not right mentally and physically. I just wasn't feeling right at all. So I slowly started to taper off as the doctor told me I could. I was on Fluoxetine liquid 10 ML at first.( which equals about 40 mg) So I tapered off 2ml( 5 mg) every two weeks. It was horrible. I got the worst throat infection and was coughing up weird gunk. Strep was negative and again blood tests normal. But I felt so sick like the flu.. And I kept tapering and it was horrible. Anyhow its been 2-3 years later now and I'm finally off of the medicine. After tapering then getting so sick and having to go back on. And getting sick and going back on again numerous times. I would feel so sick and then take the Prozac again and feel a little better and then sick again. Like my body/brain was used to it and needed it. Every time I would try to taper I would get sick and feel out of it so spaced out. Then take it and feel a little better. So after 2-3 years I'm finally off of it. It's been about one week of no Prozac after 9 years. And Im starting to DIE.. Literally D.I.E..

My blood pressure is abnormally low really low like 80/40. My heart rate is very low. I'm freezing cold.. Cannot get warm. Im SOOO spaced out can like hear my voice outside myself. Really dizzy head feels so pressurized. Shivers wont stop. Random pains all over my body. I have been to my doctor and the E.R multiple times over the last like couple months with these symptoms.. and all tests come back fine. Blood normal. Heart EKG fine. They say oh its anxiety go back on med or take another ssri. I'm so scared to take anything else. This medicine has ruined my body and brain. It is not right! I'm having trouble doing simple tasks. And I'm shivering and my blood pressure is so low and I'm so spaced out. I was a functioning member of society and was doing great. The Prozac ruined my life. I feel like my body/brain like I need the Prozac to live. But when I take it, it kills me and makes me spaced out and dizzy and sick, and when I don't take it, it kills me too. I can't live while on it and I cant live while off of it. I'm scared and I'm basically dying because of this horrible evil medicine. And also my lymph nodes are huge over the last 2 months of tapering and won't go down from being swollen. Their not protruding just really swollen. I keep getting weird things happening to my body. Shivers one day, lymph nodes one day, random pains one day, throat sore one day. Been to docs and E.R. numerous times. Again all blood tests are normal strep and mono negative. Please help anybody with their ideas remarks or opinions. Please help me. This medicine has ruined my life. It is the most evil drug. It has absolutely ruined my life. Please help. I'm at the end of my ropes physically and mentally. I'm losing the battle. This medicine has ruined my brain and body. I don't know what to do. If I take it I feel spaced out and sick with numerous problems. If I don't take it I'm spaced out and sick with numerous problems. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

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Prozac ruined my life by causing me to make bad decisions. I divorced at 32. I was depressed because of the divorce, but mainly because I was unhappy with my career choice. So, I had reasons to be depressed. I went to a psychiatrist to address a totally different problem; inferiority/shyness. He immediately prescribed Wellbutrin, which made me feel weird and out of control in under a week. The Dr. said it was too soon to feel any effects. BS. He then prescribed Prozac. It relieved the depression, and I felt better for about 7 years. During that time, though, I felt too good. Before, I worried too much, but then I worried too little. I entered into a bad relationship, started smoking, which aged me, and even though I was in my mid-thirties, I didn't seriously consider having children and what my life would be like without them. After the 7 years, I think the drug started to wear off. Around the same time, I got treated with some disrespect by a co-worker. This started a downward mental spiral. I felt like a different person than who I was before, and, while I could remember things, I had difficulty comprehending that they actually happened. I actually went to my previous residences to try and feel the memories of living there. This lasted almost five years, during which I drank very heavily, I think, to compensate for the depression. When I quit drinking, I was depressed and anxious at the same time. I finally went to a different psychiatrist who prescribed Lexapro. It snapped me out of what I was experiencing. The doctor gradually decreased the dosage in order to get me off it. However, I started drinking again, again, I think, to alleviate the depression. Now, 18 years after all of this, I'm still in the bad, sexless relationship. And at 50, I'm having terrible regrets about not having children. I lost an aunt and my father within the last year. I'm losing my family and have none to replace it except for nieces and nephew who live very far away. I'm in total Hell. I know others have children at my age, but I feel it's too late. Even if I decided to, I don't have a partner willing to have children. My life has passed me by. Again, I blame Prozac for not taking my decisions seriously. Is there anyone else out there that has had similar experiences? If so, what helped to alleviate the deep, deep feelings of regret.

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Hi Sweetie- I hope you are feeling better, since it's been a year since your post. I had a similar problem with prozac, and I would suggest you run (not walk) to your nearest Chinese Medical Doctor and EMDR therapist. They both are saving my life from th damage.Prozac caused (among other things wrong with me). Please try. Also, gluten,dairy, soy, corn, nut free helped a lot. Good luck!

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Dear Victim

I have the same type of experience. I have been on Prozac for 6 years, after which I gradually tapered it off, just to find myself in a worst place than before. I had to go back on it. I am currently on 40mg Nuzak and I have low blood pressure, drowsiness and suddenly anxiety attacks which I did not have before. I am trying to study to be a scientist, but I just feel like giving up. I had to change course so many times before and I cannot compete with "normal" people and the scientific field is very competitive. I want to know could you do something about your problem and if so, please tell me what it is. I don't know where to go and I feel I have been made useless. I do not think people should be on antidepressants for more than 3 months without getting therapy.

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Thanks. Yea I'm going to try to stay off of it totally for a while and see if my body can re-stabilize itself. I hope it does and I hope I'm not like this forever. And thanks for the tip I will try to drink some more water that's a good idea. I'm just really scared my body and brain have been changed from the medicine and it wont re-stabilize itself without the Prozac. I am worried though about the blood pressure thing too.. I hope the prozac didn't hurt my heart, or blood vessels or anything. ( I did have heart surgery ( vsd and a pda repair ) as a baby and have never had any complications since. Hope the Prozac didn't cause any problems. (Although my ekg seemed the same at the hospital) On another note: Idk how doctors can just prescribe these "brain drugs" for people or young kids even.. the medicine really has the capability of damaging or hurting their brains, and body. I mean the psychiatrists themselves don't even know why the medicines really helps. Yes they know that they increase serotonin levels in the brain, but they don't know what else it does, especially in the long term.There's so much unknown about what else its doing in the brain. I mean ive read before where researchers at universities have found that these medicines could even be neurotoxic and cause neurodegeneration in the brain. I mean there simply hasn't been enough long term research done on any of these drugs yet to be prescribed to so many people. And the risks are not fully known yet and are not fully explained to patients. 20 years from now doctors will probably figure out that these drugs are very dangerous and not good for people. Its really sick how easily their prescribed to fully functional people.. Eli Lilly ( and other pharmaceutical companies) and the FDA just want money $$$ they don't care about the people, and their long term health. "Oh take this pill you'll feel happy and better" " you need it, it will help you",, yea maybe at first you might feel better and ok.. what about 5,6 7, 8 years down the line?? Your body maybe get used to it and depend on it.. and its killing your body and brain. Im just one of these victims. And as of right now my life has been basically ruined because of Prozac ( fluoxetine). I hope I don't die from it literally. I feel as if its literally killing my body and brain, and possibly even affected my heart. ( just venting and upset because of these naive doctors and people).. !!!!! People need to know that these drugs have not been researched enough and are not safe for you!! The doctors do not know what else its doing in your brain and body!!!! I wish I could go back 9 years and never have taken this horrible drug.

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I'm so sorry that you are suffering and miserable, that's just awful.

It has happened to others, with Prozac and similar medications.

I was on Zoloft for a number of years, which I later found out was never needed, so I stopped taking it without tapering and I was messed up for several months, before things finally went back to normal.

And that is probably what you're looking at, it will most likely take several months for your body to balance things back out on its own.

These medications work on brain chemicals and after you've been on them for a long time, your body basically forgets how to handle them on its own. Then when you stop taking it, even if you taper, it can still take awhile for things to get back to normal.

Check with your doctor to see if it's safe for you to up your fluid intake. That's a good way to elevate your blood pressure a bit, so it's not so dangerously low. You don't want to go too crazy with it, since that could also be dangerous, but adding an extra glass or 2 of fluids each day could help.

Your lymph glands may never go back to normal, sometimes they just don't. I have several that have stayed up after I had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic last year and my ENT said they aren't anything to worry about. It just happens sometimes. If all your tests are normal, then there's really no need to worry about them.

Rather than trying another medication in this class to help you get by for awhile, something such as a low dose benzodiazepine like Ativan may help. You could ask your doctor about trying one. Its something you can just take as needed, rather than all the time.

Learn more Ativan details here.

Benzodiazepines do have the potential to be habit forming, so if you want to stay away from them, you could discuss some natural remedies with your doctor.

St. John's Wort and Ashwaghanda are both possibilities that are known to help with anxiety and depression. The Ashwaghanda is also known to help your body better adjust to and cope with stress.

Does anyone else have any suggestions?

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