# Supplements for SSRI withdrawal



## bazinga (Jun 9, 2010)

I've taken SSRI's somewhere between 4-5 years. I stopped about 2 weeks ago. I was fine for about a week and a half. Now, I've been bottoming out with it getting worse daily. Lots of pins and needles, restlessness, no energy, brain zaps. It's incredibly hard to make it through the day.

Are there any supplements that can be taken to help with SSRI withdrawal. I have 5htp which I've been holding back from taking due to palpitations.

SSRIs have got to be one of the hardest things to quit. I'm just barely getting by with lots of caffiene but I feel awful.


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## Ben12 (Jul 8, 2009)

For me they were the easiest things to get off of. But I suppose if you've been on them for 4-5 years, there would be withdrawal. Did you quit the SSRI cold turkey or did you taper down? The best thing to do is to taper down.


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## bazinga (Jun 9, 2010)

I was taking Prozac which has an incredibly long half-life so I just quit cold turkey. I was fine for about 10 days, then I started getting pins n needles, brain zaps, restlessness, ringing ears, hot and cold flashes, sneezing, no sleep, etc.

I don't feel depressed at all which is why I'm still trying to quit. I just feel ill/awful.


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## bazinga (Jun 9, 2010)

It's rough. I want to take Prozac just so I'll stop feeling so awful. The days have consecutively gotten worse. However, I still don't feel depressed. I have made it 2 weeks and I feel that, since I am not depressed, I shouldn't give up. I'm afraid that if I give up now I'll be on SSRI's for many more years or possibly forever (like my mother).

It's rough.


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## riptide991 (Feb 1, 2012)

The problem is your receptors are heavily downregulated and vesicles stopped releasing serotonin. We are talking 5 years of giving your body something external, of course it will cause issues. The best you can do is take something like St. John's worth and l-tryptophan rich foods. But my guess is that if you needed them that long chances are you will end up back on them eventually.


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## bazinga (Jun 9, 2010)

I don't know exactly if I need them. I've taken them for many years for depression but they never helped. I've tried several different SSRI. I was still very depressed until I was put on a mood stabilizer about 2 years ago. Not any depression since then.

I may have to try St. Johns Wort.


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## Isabelle50 (Nov 19, 2012)

My understanding is that st Johns Wort, like prescription SSRIs take a long time to accumulate in your system (4-6 weeks). That 5HTP and Tryptophan work pretty much immediately. They both seem pretty safe but there is some concern over the serotonin that is produced in the liver which won't cross the blood/brain barrier and can act as a coagulant and growth factor for inappropriate cells. I'm also pretty sure you need to ask your doctor before taking any of the serotonin, enhancing supplements. A couple of sites said St. John's Wort, 5HTP and Tryptophan shouldnt be used with antidepressants (specifically SSRIs) because of risk of sertonin storm.

I have another thread on here about it at the moment. Other supplements I've tried include Omega capsules with a high ratio of EPA: DHA (6:5:1). I felt generally healthier but I was too depressed at the time to see much of a mood difference on just any supplement.


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## ricca91 (Mar 11, 2012)

Anecdotally, I tried St. John's Wort some months ago. I gave it a trial and it really quenched my depression, but made me extremely irritable and aggressive. It seems to be a fairly common side effect.

Also, I stopped it because of the CYP3A4 induction, the enzyme which metabolizes many drugs. So the drugs are eliminated more quickly and they lose effectiveness. This is the main reason I stopped taking it. I was taking a hypericin standardized extract, maybe an extract standardized to hyperforin would affect me differently. However this would have the same problem of enzyme induction.


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## bazinga (Jun 9, 2010)

5htp definitely helps. I know this from past experience. I am just trying to avoid the palpitations.

What's killing me the most is exhaustion. For 2 weeks now I have been sleeping 2-3 hours a night. I can't sleep any longer. It took four hours to go to sleep last night and I could only sleep for a few hours. I know I need sleep but it's not happening. Even things like showering are incredibly difficult. That's why I've been relying on caffiene which only helps for like 30mins-1hour.


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## Isabelle50 (Nov 19, 2012)

> 5htp definitely helps. I know this from past experience. I am just trying to avoid the palpitations.


Oops... didn't read your post carefully enough.

What if you took melatonin to sleep at night? You could also ask for a prescription for Zopiclone from your doctor, I take it on the odd nights I can't sleep.


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

high dose sam-e


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## Isabelle50 (Nov 19, 2012)

I haven't done any specific research on it but I've also heard a lot about SAMe and Rhodiola Rosea...


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## bazinga (Jun 9, 2010)

Haven't heard of SAMe before. May be worth a try. I gave in and took 100mg 5htp. It should help at least a little. Took a few extra ones with me to work.

I can't go much longer without sleep. I am completely exhausted. I may either try taking 5htp at night or just get back on Prozac so I can sleep.


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## bazinga (Jun 9, 2010)

That 5htp is like a breath of fresh air. Within an hour I was starting to feel better. Still feel funky but a lot better. Im going to try taking 5htp before bed, but if I still don't sleep right tonight I'm giving up and getting back on prozac.


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## riptide991 (Feb 1, 2012)

SAMe is pretty useless. I took 1200mg with nothing to show for months. 5-htp is dangerous for your heart valve. All studies done on it where it worked used a carboxylate inhibitor so it's safe, but without it you're doing damage. I would stick to st. john's wort and just eat foods high in l-tryptophan. Navy beans, chick peas, and whole wheat.


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## scarpia (Nov 23, 2009)

bazinga said:


> I was taking Prozac which has an incredibly long half-life so I just quit cold turkey. I was fine for about 10 days, then I started getting pins n needles, brain zaps, restlessness, ringing ears, hot and cold flashes, sneezing, no sleep, etc.
> 
> I don't feel depressed at all which is why I'm still trying to quit. I just feel ill/awful.


 I only took paxil for a month and I got all of that. The no sleep was the worst part I think. I did like you and went off cold turkey. They say it's best to go off gradually. Split pills in half and then in quarters. Maybe you should try that.


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## bazinga (Jun 9, 2010)

I don't intend to use 5htp much. Just felt like I needed something today. Tonight either I'm getting back on prozac or I'm starting anafranil which I've supposed to have been taking for about two weeks now. Pretty scared of that med but I've got to do something because my sleep is getting worse by the day.

I had no idea ssri could cause such sleep disturbances.


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## ricca91 (Mar 11, 2012)

Isabelle50 said:


> I haven't done any specific research on it but I've also heard a lot about SAMe and Rhodiola Rosea...


Oh yes!! Rhodiola rosea is fantastic for depression, it works instantly for me. It is stimulating in lower doses and sedating in higher doses. If you yake it at night, you'll have crazy dreams.

I highly recommend rhodiola, however for some people can be anxiogenic, so be careful and try it in a day in which you have nothing to do to evaluate the effects it has on you. Rhodiola is potent! Make sure you get a standardized extract for rosavins and salidroside (the active compounds in rhodiola)


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

I'd taper the prozac even slower, like taking one every third day for 2 weeks, then one every fifth day for a week or two and so on. After 5 years it's just a process of gradual receptor re-adaption as kehcorpz mentioned.


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## bazinga (Jun 9, 2010)

Yeah I just cold turkey'd. I was supposed to stop it and immediately start taking Anafranil. However, that med concerns me so I've been putting off taking it for 2 weeks now.


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

just when you feel like you've hit the rock bottom...


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## bazinga (Jun 9, 2010)

Well I took 50mg of 5htp before sleep and I slept like a champ. I actually feel 100x better than I did the past 3 days.


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