Prozac in order to manage severe SSRI discontinuation symptoms

January 16, 2021 9:08 AM

I have previously posted here about my endeavor to taper off of 40mg/day of Viibryd (vilazadone) while experiencing extremely severe discontinuation symptoms. I’m seeing a new and very helpful psychiatrist who suggested I take a small dose of Prozac during this process.

My last psychiatrist wasn’t very helpful in this regard. I had asked him about supplementing with a long half-life SSRI but he was both jocular and dismissive (“Oh no, you don’t need that!”). The psychiatrist I’m seeing now brought this strategy up on her own, though.

I was just wondering if anyone had any experiences with this process, specifically using Prozac to sidestep some of the worst parts of discontinuation from another SSRI. I am also happy to get recommendations for this kind of testimonial from elsewhere on the web.

She suggested taking 10-20mg a day of the Prozac. Thank you for your input!

posted by vocativecase to Health & Fitness (11 answers total)

While I have not done this to taper off an SSRI, I have cross tapered to switch from one SSRI to another. The former SSRI caused moderate side effects if I missed even one dose, but when cross tapering I had zero side effects. So although it’s a slightly different situation, I can confirm that for me a second SSRI absolutely helped avoid side effects when discontinuing one.
posted by insectosaurus at 9:20 AM on January 16, 2021 [2 favorites]

My partner was on Viibryd for a while, which didn't help him. But he had a truly awful psychiatrist who didn't provide specific guidance for tapering off, and he started experiencing major suicidal ideation in the process of trying to taper off with loose guidelines. He switched to a new psychiatrist who gave him Prozac to help taper.

But the thing is the new psychiatrist also gave him very, very specific instructions on how to taper. Very, VERY specific. Like, Day 1 take X amount of Viibryd Y amount of Prozac. Day 2, same. Day 3, reduce to X amount of Viibryd and increase to Y amount of Prozac. Etc etc for a total of two weeks. And so he managed to switch without any more major problems.

This wishy washy "take 10-20mg of Prozac a day" isn't helpful, especially when you are having major withdrawal symptoms from the Viibryd. You need to go back and demand that she give you a very specific tapering schedule. You are not a doctor or a pharmacist and you shouldn't be guessing on a medication dosage at all, especially when tapering off of a drug like Viibryd which has well-known very severe side withdrawal side effects. This is serious. Demand more. You are allowed to ask that of a health care provider.

Good luck!
posted by nayantara at 9:54 AM on January 16, 2021 [8 favorites]

I'm sorry I can't be more specific on the details since it was several years ago, but I did this after a year+ of trying to quit Paxil. Pretty sure my psychiatrist the time thought I was a dumb college student making the whole thing up for some nefarious reason so I tried tapering down on my own with about as much success as it sounds like you've had. Horrible. I finally got a Prozac prescription because I thought the longer half-life might help & it absolutely did help me taper off the Paxil MUCH more quickly with no significant side effects to speak of. I absolutely recommend trying it!
My partner has had better luck overall with antidepressants than I have & has cross-tapered with no problems - but their doctor does give them a specific dosing schedule like nayantara describes.
posted by The AhForgetIt Tendency at 10:26 AM on January 16, 2021 [2 favorites]

My psychiatrist recommended that I use Prozac when weaning off another drug. She said that Prozac has a very long half life, which means it leaves the body relatively slowly. When I stopped taking Prozac, I didn't notice much in the way of withdrawal symptoms, and it took a couple of months before I started feeling very depressed again.

I've read that Prozac washes out of the body in about a week of not taking it, but the shrink said, "It leaves an impression on the brain" to the benefits can last a while after discontinuing it.
posted by wryly at 12:56 PM on January 16, 2021 [1 favorite]

Yes, I did this (as recommended by my psychiatrist) while tapering off of Zoloft. It worked very well.
posted by imalaowai at 2:07 PM on January 16, 2021

Response by poster: Hi! Wow, I’m so happy to hear this. I just wanted to chime in that I do have a taper regimen for Viibryd. The psychiatrist said to start taking 10mg/day of Prozac and I have an appointment with her in less than two weeks. So I will go from there!
posted by vocativecase at 2:53 PM on January 16, 2021 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: I should also say that prior to the Prozac possibility, my taper schedule was going to take place over 18 months, judging from previous attempts at tapering. So I’m really hoping the Prozac acts as a good buffer.
posted by vocativecase at 2:54 PM on January 16, 2021

So glad to hear that vocativecase! I'm pulling for you. Let us know how it goes. :)
posted by nayantara at 6:24 AM on January 17, 2021

I used Prozac to get off another SSRI (Paxil? Effexor?) and it worked great. I was kinda weirded out by the concept but it was definitely the right move.
posted by radioamy at 3:28 PM on January 17, 2021

Yeah, I haven’t done it, but I remember my psychiatrist recommended this strategy to me at one point because the half life of Prozac is so long. (At the time I was taking Effexor, which has a short half life and is notoriously annoying to discontinue.)
posted by en forme de poire at 4:00 PM on January 17, 2021

Another voice here saying the longer half-life on Prozac really, really makes a difference. It is easier to get off than other SSRIs the way getting off nicotine patches is easier than quitting cigarettes cold turkey.
posted by nebulawindphone at 11:30 AM on January 18, 2021