Help! Advice please

[Doris2010]

For the last 4wks I have been taking fluoxetine (20mg) & propanol 10mg for anxiety I have not responded well & propanol lowered my blood pressure so much doc told me to discontinue. 4 days later I'm climbing the walls as fluoxetine alone sent me hyper! It's more use for depression not someone who's anxious so now another doc says I need to come off! To take 1 every other day & use 2mg Diazepam to calm me when needed! Great, another drug with addictive potential this time, pls help should I take it? Or risk fluoxetine tapering alone??

[Agora1]

Doris2010, sounds like you are between a rock and a hard place right now and need some relief. You are correct in that the Propanol would lower your b/p, it did for me as well. I think it was about 4 days into it that I was told to stop. My suggestion is to take the Diazepam while you taper off the fluoxetine. Diazepam stays in your system for a longer time then other benzos allowing for less fluctuation of anxiety symptoms. It will help buffer the effects of tapering off your other medication. You will not get addicted for the short time your doctor wants you to be on it.

Is he planning to replace the fluoxetine with another med?? When I was being weaned off 5 years of being on Ativan, the drug of choice used to eliminate the weaning symptoms of Ativan was diazepam. Switching one for another until I was completely off both. Good Luck..x

[Doris2010 in reply to Agora1]

Thank you for your reply! I took 2mg diazepam 6pm last night did the job & calmed me, still couldn't sleep tho nodded off at 11pm but woke 1am, felt slightly agitated but that's because l wanted to go back to sleep! Never did tho! Super alert thx to fluoxetine, 7am gave in and took 2nd 2mg Diazepam by 10am calm restored! Managed to sleep 1.15/3.15pm felt loads better after even got up showered/dressed/& finally ate! Going to take 2mg again bedtime & hopefully sleep longer tonight!

GP is monitoring me over next 10days then will decide next course of action, I think it's quite obvious to me that I'm anxious not depressed & that I need an antidepressant with a calming effect not a "mood" enhancer!

How long did u take Diazepam for? & are u better now?

Thx again

Doris

[Agora1 in reply to Doris2010]

Probably about 6 months or a little longer on diazepam as I withdrew from Ativan. I agree in that you sound like I was severe anxiety and not depression.

I am back to normal now. Occasional moments of mild anxiety which do not require medication just my acceptance and get on with life. I wish you well. xx

[Doris2010 in reply to Agora1]

Thx again can I just ask what amount of Diazepam you were on & how often u took it?

[Agora1 in reply to Doris2010]

Doris2010, Using diazepam in the weaning process fluctuated in cuts according to the substitution of my Ativan for the Diazepam

It sounds so confusing I know. There is a chart on the internet that was written by Dr. Heather Ashton. She did a lot of study on the safe way of taking patients off different meds. It might explain better how the cross over weaning process was done. If you type in her name, it should come up.