withdrawal from prozac

There are known problems with coming off SSRI's in some people, and specific ways of avoiding or reducing these problems. Going cold turkey like you did is like putting a man in a wheelchair until his broken legs mend, then just tipping him out of the chair...yeah, things are fixed, but you still need to adapt back to the old way of doing things. (I'd guess you know this by now ! ) Serotonin is used by the body in dozens of different cells, organs, pathways....it's a really big deal to alter it, that's why Prozac etc works so well...but conversely, you've got to ease back to normal mode.

I know what you mean about not wanting to go back on it because you feel well, I'm only on it for the winter and come off it as soon as possible, just on principle...but slow and steady seems to do fine enough.

You might also want to type the words "serotonin syndrome" into a search engine and see if any useful information comes up. From what I remember - and this was a late night glance, so my memory is even hazier than usual  - it may apply to those coming off SSRIs as well as those who are actually on them.

From what I've read of the scientific literature, there may be a permanent adaptive effect in some persons who go on SSRIs. (There was a programme on BBC RAdio 2 a few weeks back about the fact that this information was not disclosed to regulatory authorities, and extra warning information is to be included with prescriptions now, in the UK at least.)

I for one am glad that Prozac exists, however much it galls me to rely on it. Without it, I would undoubtedly be cold in my grave; but then again, its sister drug Paxil (Seroxat) was the rollercoaster ride from Hell, so I am all for careful regulation and punitive fines where needed.

If you look at some of the older posts - either here or on the Bi-polar Forum, I'm not sure which - you may get some useful tips on Cognitive Therapy (CBT, I think it may be referred to ). I've found this sort of thing very effective in helping me unlearn the old thinking patterns that become entrenched during depressive episodes, and want to recur at other times. 

I suppose this means I am suggesting "elf-treatment" then.... (Sorry couldn't resist, I'm short on jokes this week ! )