Pissy, Annoyed, Irritated and Depressed

[Guest iamtotallycrazy]

Here's my problem: I've been on Prozac for depression and possible bipolar NOS and doing very well for a year.  However, I've gained weight on it.  AND it makes me sleeepy, no matter when I take it.  It is frustrating.  Why do I get fat, lazy and tired on Prozac while a lot of other people lose weight and gain energy? 

Anyway, in my infinite wisdom, I quit taking it out of annoyance.  But only for 4 days.  Then I started feeling mildly irritable (nothing horrible), and dizzy.  So last night I took my regular dose.  WELL.  Today has been hideous.  I have gone over the line to full-on bitchy.  I'm feeling a lot of rage.  I'm obsessing about stupid things and I feel like throwing heavy objects.  I took my next dose a few hours ago, and I now am lethargic, weepy and very irritable.  What is going on??  Why would taking my meds (which usually HELP me) make me so nasty this time?   I'm scared I screwed something up.

[ConfusedCat]

Well yes you probably did screw up your seratonin levels. Now it will take a few days to get back to normal. At least we hope it is only a few days!  Never ever go cold turkey off of any med without a taper.

It isn't just you many of us have learned the hard way.

If you want to try something else you need to see your Doc and discuss it. Then you can taper off of prozac and start a new med.  Or taper to nothing and see how that works.

Also it is not a majority that lose weight and gain energy on any ssri, most do in fact gain and get some amount of lethargy. That and libido are the main complaints and why there is a lack of sticking with the meds. I take paxil one of the worst offenders yet I haven't gained weight. Maybe because I have been on it so long and gained/lost, went through a pregnancy etc. my body has accepted it.

When I first started I think I did gain almost 20 pounds over several years but eventually was able to loose it by cutting intake of carbs. My weight stays stable now.

There are some very sucky trade-offs but we have to remember how bad it is without them.

This last screw up I went through, I promised myself I would never complain again if I could just get half of my brain back!

I hope you feel better soon. If it isn't better in a day or so please see your Doc.

Now go scream or hit your pillows or bash your head on somethign soft and try to get that rage out.  Im so sorry you are feeling bad. By the way you didn't happen to do this in your pms startup did you? Because that would be extra bad!

CC~

[DOWNWARD SPIRAL]

I was lucky, I lost 20 pounds, happier than ever, and increased energy. Just goes to show the old saying that everyone reacts so differently to medication. Everyones brain has something different about it, just like we all have different looks and different fingerprints. Every neuron, every fuction, every thoughy is somewhat different.

I get very bitchy off of Wellbutrin, I can't even take it or I'll freak out on the smallest thing, where as other people wouldn't. I think you should experiment with something else and see how it goes.

It takes many years for some people that find something that works. Just don't go looking for something that will never happen, be happy with just OKAY.

Just my thoughts.

[ldo]

I lost weight on Prozac, but I think I dumped it too fast and it's slowly returning. Probably would help if I got back to being religious about exercise again.

As I understand it, Prozac has a very long half life, so it seems surprising that it's messing you up to skip 4 days. I think I've seen in some places that the half life is so long that one generally doesn't have to taper off.

Welbutrin makes me argumentative for the first couple of weeks, but if low energy is the problem with Prozac, it might help.

[Guest iamtotallycrazy]

Thanks for the replies.  Bizzare -- I don't understand how/why my seretonin got screwed up after just 4 days without Prozac.  Even after several days back on my regular dose, I'm still feeling blahhhhhhh and yick.  The rage has disappeared, but I feel somewhat yucky.  Lacking motivation, just want to lay in bed, don't feel like working.  I CAN'T go back to where I was.  I'm so stupid for thinking I could taper off it.  I was just sick of being t.i.r.e.d day-in-day-out.  But it is better than this.  I've tried Wellbutrin in the past but it didn't work for me.  I'm wondering about Lactimal or Topomax as an add-on.

[DOWNWARD SPIRAL]

I would highly recommend giving Lamical a try. From what I read and researched, this has helped almost everyone that takes it. I am on it as well, with no complications at all, the greatest drug EVER!!!!!

I don't know a whole lot because I have not been diagnosed for too long but I think its the only anti-convulsent that will ever be approved for depression because the drug companies don't make the profit, like off of the anti-sychotic stabilizers. Its all about money, why wouldn't it be, the root of all EVIL. Watch out!!

[scream_phoenix]

prozac's half life is 9 days (according to crazymeds) which, according to jerod's calculus means it takes 45 days to completely leave your system.  my pdoc at my last appointment said as far as leaving your system the shortest is 2-3 weeks, and the longest is 2 to 3 months - because sometimes it can be stored in your fat.  so i really have no idea how long it stays in a particular persons system - i think it probably varies.  i stopped prozac over a month ago, and didn't have too rough of a withdrawal period, but now closing in on week six i feel downright miserable.  but then i quit prozac because it made me super agitated by the 8th week i was on it, and it wasn't doing anything for my ocd or intrusive thoughts.  miserable on meds, miserable off.  what can you do. 

i think given the unpredictability of these meds, and how little we understand what's goign on in teh brain - you never know what's going to happen.  just becaus something has a long half-life doesn't mean you won't experience a sharp rupture if you stop it for a couple of days.  and it could be prozac is making you agitated too.  so . . . i have no useful advice, i just wanted to prove to myself in my ssri-deprived state that i could type something, and it turns out i barely can.