Month 28 Update

[lov4k9s]

Here was my recovery timeline:

Adverse Reaction thru month 13: Continuous suffering (see my signature for a list of my symptoms), as I did not experience "windows" or periods of feeling good for a few days or weeks as others on this site have. However, I did note feeling just a wee bit better at night than in the mornings.

Month 14: the intense suffering abated by the end of month 14. I was relieved and amazed to be able to feel positive emotions, sleep through the night, eat food and enjoy it, etc. again.....but I was still out of sorts (like waking from a nightmare).

Month 18: I started to feel like the old me again and was fully functioning. But the nightmare, while clearly over, was still fresh. I did not feel PTSD from the ordeal, but I had yet to shake off the lingering memories of the adverse reaction and protracted suffering. I continued to visit this site often and was still a somewhat active poster at the time, although I did not feel the need to be here 24/7 like I used to.

Present (Month 28 ): My life is completely back on track... right where I left off before the adverse reaction. I'm running on all cylinders and happy as can be. The nightmare of the adverse reaction and protracted recovery is just a distant memory now. I still visit this site to see how some folks are doing, but I'm no longer active. In fact, my recovery is so complete that I don't relate to the suffering anymore.....this is amazing because it means that I wasn't permanently scarred by the experience. At the time, the suffering and loss of normal life was devastating and I was convinced my life was ruined forever, but now I view the ordeal as just *blip* in my life.


To those of you still suffering, please know that it will eventually end and you will regain your life back….unfortunately it probably won’t happen as quickly as you would like, but it WILL happen!

lov

[edrophis]

Congratulations on making it out of this nightmare.

[jule1]

So it took you 28 months to recover from 2 months use of Prozac or Paxil??

I'm only saying this since I was on Effexor for almost 2 years! I'm just trying to imagine how much longer this is going to take.

How did you manage day to day?? What helped you the most??

[Lucy]

Thank You!

[jule1]

Did you use any supplements??

[lov4k9s]

Originally Posted by jule1

So it took you 28 months to recover from 2 months use of Prozac or Paxil??

I'm only saying this since I was on Effexor for almost 2 years! I'm just trying to imagine how much longer this is going to take.

How did you manage day to day?? What helped you the most??

Technically, it took 14 months to recover.

I managed by distracting myself as much as possible by watching a lot of tv and reading everything I could about SSRI's adverse reactions, SSRI withdrawal and corresponding with folks going through a protracted recovery from an adverse reaction. I also spent a lot of time here at PP reading through the database of folks with similair symptoms to learn as much as I could. I found that protracted withdrawal symptoms and protracted recovery from an adverse reaction are virtually identical and that recovery happens, but is different for everyone.

Unfortunately, nothing helped to mitigate my symptoms. I gave up trying to find a supplement that would help when I finally accepted that the brain just needs time to heal. My analogy is this...nothing will help a drunk person to get sober except time. The same concept applies to ssri withdrawal and recovering from an ssri adverse reaction.

lov

[jule1]

Thanks for posting your progress. It gives us hope.

[edrophis]

Originally Posted by jule1

So it took you 28 months to recover from 2 months use of Prozac or Paxil??

I'm only saying this since I was on Effexor for almost 2 years! I'm just trying to imagine how much longer this is going to take.

How did you manage day to day?? What helped you the most??

Jule from what I understand,she had a severe adverse reaction,which is a whole other ball game,but the effects do look simiular.

[jule1]

Oh okay. I believe that I had adverse reactions the whole time on Effexor but didn't recognize them for quite a while. It was destroying my health and mind altogether.

[babs]

This is so good to read! I remember your posts from back when your suffering was so intense, and they were heartbreaking. I'm so happy to hear you are 100% recovered. I know your update will give much needed encouragement to others still struggling, so thank you!

[whalebale]

this is so good to read, its hard for me to find posts on PP that are relevant to what im going through now since im pretty far out, (almost 14 months). i seem to be following your time line exactly. even though i was on paxil for 5 months and took lsd, i hope i am going at the same rate as you at least. i believe there is still one last leg of withdrawal to complete before i feel completely whole and Ive always thought that it will come by month 18. which is fine with me. I also knew that if i feel whole again at month 18 its going to take another few months for me to not have the memories of withdrawal so fresh in my mind. this post is very good to read to confirm my theories and im so happy for you. i read your first post and it said "i feel like ive had a chemical lobotomy" that's exactly what i felt and i dont feel that anymore at month 13.5. congratulations.

[bam]

Well done on your recovery also thanks for the great post certainly gives me hope that one day this will all come good sometimes I think I get to impatient about the time its taking but when I read something like this it puts things back into perspective.

[Wurstbrot]

Good to hear that. Im five months behind you.

..just for the search function: ' success story '

[Lukster5]

Hey lov,

thanks for posting your latest update! while i am coming up to the 9 month mark, this truly is inspiring to hear that it will all go away and that we do recover 100% but we just need to be patient.
I want to thank you for answering my questions when i needed them the most and i hope one day soon i will write my recovery story.
I hope you continue to drop in once in awhile

[whalebale]

it WILL happen. i like that.

[Songbird]

Thanks for the update, it is wonderful to hear that you are back on track.

[TryingtoGetWell]

Luv - So happy you're still doing well! I was so glad for you when I read of your recovery; yours was a horror story and I remember worrying about you! So it's really great to hear you're all well!

[Zaasha]

Your post gives me alot of hope. I have read alot of your previous threads. It is very encouraging to see where you are at with your recovery now compared to how badly you suffered in the past. I am very happy for you.

[Amaya's Nana]

Oh yeah!!!!!!!!! You're another person I want to meet! I'm so happy for you.

[Lilly]

Hey Luv!

So glad to hear your doing so great at 28 months out. Good to see you post to so everyone can see, that, yes you heal. And that everyones timeline is different in all this.

Nice to see you!
Lilly

[scotty]

Originally Posted by lov4k9s

Hi All~

I know this site is for Paxil users~ but since both Prozac and Paxil are SSRI's I thought I would look for answers here (there are no up-to-date Prozac support groups out there anymore).

My experience differs from most posters on this site in that I had an adverse reaction almost immediately after starting up on Prozac, while most Paxil withdrawal suffers appeared to have benefited from their meds prior to discontinuation.

Here is part of my story (I would need pages and pages to tell the unabridged version of my journey through hell):

My GP prescribed Prozac for a very mild depression after I suffered a miscarriage. Within a week I started experiencing side effects that kept getting worse until I discontinued usuage after 8 weeks.

Prozac really wreaked havoc on my mind and body and I'm still recovering 6 weeks later. I am a 43 year old professional woman. I was happy and content pre-Prozac (notwithstanding the miscarriage). Never in a million years would I have thought that I would ever experience this kind of hell in my life. Post discontinuation symptoms continue and include:

1. Intense Anxiety (never had anxiety pre-prozac)
2. Inability to Concentrate/Inability to Work
3. Incurable Insomnia (hate it!)
4. Absolute Loss of Appetite (lost 30lbs)
5. Depression (only mild depression pre-prozac)
6. Lack of Emotion and feeling disconection from loved ones
7. Sensitivity to stimuli (can't listen to music, watch tv, etc.)
8. Take no pleasure in anything.
9. Brain feels heavy w/wooshing feeling (hard to explain)

It is so difficult to live my life when I can't sleep, eat, love, or experience pleasure. I go through the motions everyday because I have no other choice. I feel like I have had a chemical lobotomy!

Any Paxil users/withdrawers relate at all to my symptoms? Do Prozac withdrawals take as long as Paxil?

lov

Lov..this is your first post here. I like to show the difference for those who feel that they will never recover from this.

YOU are proof that it happens. Awesome!

[guitar77]

That is so great to hear! Thanks so much for giving us the update.

[spikenala]

Excellent! We are both in a very similar boat...both having adverse reactions. Come to say it I am about 2.5 months out from my last dose and I am feeling pretty close to normal actually. I know that is sort of quick compared to some people here...but I do not doubt my suffering was just as bad. I still have days where I get the weird thoughts/exhaustion....but those symptoms seem like the last ones that are hanging on. I had a medical school interview yesterday for a school a bit closer to home which went so well! I went back to work 3 weeks ago as well and that has been going excellent as well. So I am psyched as to where I am symptom wise right now. It will happen for everyone...which is the best part...just takes time