The best way to manage the process is to follow your doctor’s instructions. Anyone taking Prozac or other antidepressants should be monitored closely for changes in behavior, worsening symptoms, or thoughts of self-harm. Taking too much Prozac increases the risk of overdose and serious complications.

How Long Do Prozac Withdrawal Symptoms Last?

Two of the most common include reducing your dosage by 25% each week or taking a slightly longer approach and tapering the medication over the course of six to eight weeks. Addiction Resource is an educational platform for sharing and disseminating information about addiction and substance abuse recovery centers. Addiction Resource is not a healthcare provider, nor does it claim to offer sound medical advice to anyone. Addiction Resource does not favor or support any specific recovery center, nor do we claim to ensure the quality, validity, or effectiveness of any particular treatment center. No one should assume the information provided on Addiction Resource as authoritative and should always defer to the advice and care provided by a medical doctor. Withdrawal symptoms usually come on within 5 days of stopping the medicine and generally last 1 to 2 weeks.

Trying to adjust dosing or stop taking Prozac can lead to withdrawal symptoms, especially when completed without the assistance of a mental health professional. It is thought that an abrupt decrease in serotonin levels can lead to these symptoms, so it is safest to follow a tapering plan. To note, symptoms resolve over time, are not life-threatening, and are reversible with proper adjustments to tapering. To minimize the duration and severity of Prozac withdrawal symptoms, it is recommended to gradually taper off the medication under the guidance of a healthcare professional.

Improving care

If you’re thinking about stopping your antidepressant, talk to your doctor. They can help you taper your doses down to help you avoid or minimize symptoms. You may still have some symptoms, but they won’t be as uncomfortable if you taper your dose gradually. The decision to stop Prozac is made by a licensed healthcare provider through a collaborative approach. It is important to never stop taking medication on your own either cold turkey coming off prozac or gradually.

If you are worried about withdrawal, your provider may recommend tapering your dose versus quitting cold turkey. Kennedy has made previous statements about his approach to recovery from addiction, promoting the concept of “healing farms,” where people struggling with addiction would live and work. Many who study substance-use disorders have expressed doubt about this approach as it focuses on the moral dimensions of recovery —- rather than harnessing medical best practices. “Antidepressants and heroin are in different universes when it comes to addiction risk,” says Keith Humphreys, who studies addiction at Stanford University. “In my 35 years In the addiction field, I’ve met only two or three people who thought they were addicted to antidepressants versus thousands who were addicted to heroin and other opioids.” Many antidepressants in tablet form can be placed in water, and will break apart and mix in with the water.

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This approach helps ensure a smoother and safer transition off prescribed antidepressants like Prozac. Prozac belongs to a class of medications known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These drugs increase the amount of serotonin in your brain, which helps improve your mental health. When you quit taking this medication, it takes some time for your body to adjust.

Depression & Anxiety: Are They Hereditary?

• Focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein sources.
• Like serotonin, tryptophan helps stabilize your moods and sleep patterns and even improve your metabolism.
• This method involves slowly reducing the dosage over an extended period to minimize the intensity of withdrawal symptoms.
• Prozac is unique among antidepressants because its withdrawal symptoms typically don’t appear for several weeks.
• Always consult your prescribing doctor before making any major changes to your current prescription and dosage.

Tracking your moods in a journal, calendar, and app can help you identify when your symptoms were worse and when they started to improve. Although you might not feel up to it, working out can also be a good way to relieve some of your symptoms. Even a half-hour a day of working out can reduce stress and irritability. In addition, a daily stroll through your neighborhood or your local park is a good way to get this exercise in regularly.

Which plan should I follow?

• These include practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and meditation, regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, and getting enough sleep.
• Your doctor may ask you to keep track of your daily mood while you’re reducing your dose.
• They may be able to adjust your dose or provide other ways to help manage side effects.
• The decision to stop Prozac is made by a licensed healthcare provider through a collaborative approach.
• Doctors refer to withdrawal symptoms as antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.
• Get started with our free assessment, which will tell you in minutes if treatment could be a good fit.

Your doctor will want to know if you start to feel noticeably worse or experience side effects or symptoms that you were not expecting. By allowing the brain to retain more serotonin, Prozac can treat symptoms of depression and other mood imbalances. People who experience depression and other mood disorders may clear serotonin too quickly.

These symptoms, which are often referred to as withdrawal symptoms, usually begin within two to four days and can last for as long as one to two weeks. Nancy Schimelpfening, MS is the administrator for the non-profit depression support group Depression Sanctuary. Antidepressant withdrawal symptoms can vary according to how long you’ve been taking your medication and which medication you take, among other things. If you’re wanting to stop your antidepressant because of unwanted side effects, consider discussing other medication options for your symptoms with your doctor. Every medication works in a unique way and has different side effects.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for support and assistance from a trained counselor. Antidepressants can be notoriously difficult to quit because stopping can produce withdrawal-like symptoms called “discontinuation syndrome.” Antidepressants work by balancing and improving the way neurotransmitters work in your brain. Many of these medications impact your levels of serotonin, a naturally occurring substance that helps regulate your moods.