Posted by SLS on May 31, 2005, at 18:54:54
In reply to Re: How long do Effexor XL withdrawals last?, posted by LBB on May 31, 2005, at 18:20:19
Hi Lisa.
I really can't answer all of your questions. They are good ones.
The thing about Prozac is that it acts as a temporary substitute. The half-lives of Paxil and Effexor are relatively short - less than 24 hours. The half-life of Prozac (and its metabolite) is over a week. Once you get enough in your system, it acts to gently allow the system re-regulate itself so that when it eventually disappears from the blood-stream, you have a mild and short withdrawal period. Some people take 10-20mg for 5 days and then stop. Others take 20mg for one day and then 10mg a week later. I don't know which way works best. With Prozac, you can even skip days and take it every day, then every other day, then every third day, etc.
I think I would try taking Prozac 20mg for several consecutive days and wait. The withdrawal symptoms will almost certainly disappear. If they reappear within a few days, take another 20mg and wait again. You should find that you can go longer and longer between doses. You might even elect to move down to 10mg doses. Hopefully, this process will not exceed two or three weeks. When you can go 5 days without withdrawal symptoms appearing, take a shot at complete discontinuation.
This is the best I can come up with for now. There really is no definitive method that I have seen published. There is no consensus here as to the details of a Prozac cross-over protocol. Maybe we can all follow you through the process and make suggestions to adjust things as we go along.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:486906
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20050519/msgs/505983.html