Date: Thu Oct 26, 2000 12:21pm HI there. My name is Shae. I just joined up with this email group yesterday. I have been on 40 mg Prozac for about 6 years now. I am also on 300 mg of Wellbutrin per day. Im sick of it!!! Im tired of being on this stuff!!!! I have almost every single side effect you can imagine!! I have asthma, I have psoriasis, and its only getting worse!! I have also developed HypoThyroidism. I have absolutely NO sex drive, in fact it repulses me, and I hate that, Im only married for 10 years!! I have gained 60 + pounds since being on this junk. I sleep 9-11 hours per night!!! This is sickening!! And Im FINALLY waking up to the fact that I need to get off this crud!! Amazingly tho, my pdoc says I will probably need to be on it for life...I dont think so!! Do they have a deal with the drug companies??? Or what??? I could add a bunch more side effects, but will stop there....Lets just say that if its on the rare side of side effects I probably have it!! Question is??? If I go down to 20 mg of Prozac and 150 Wellbutrin for a week and then down to 20 mg Prozac every other day and 150 Wellbutrin every other day, would that be an OK taper off???? Anyone out there know? I really want to get off this stuff. I was originally put on it for Panic and Anxiety Disorder. I feel that I could handle that better than these drugs!!! Hope to hear from some of you!!! Shae Date: Thu Oct 26, 2000 4:55pm Thank you to all for your replies. Im sure learning a LOT!!! Not only that it sure pi**es you off, doesnt it? Unfortunately I cant change Pdocs due to my insurance. But I believe I will just quit going to him totally. I dont see him for any problems, I see him for Med Management, 5 minutes, every three months. He gets like $120 for that 5 minutes. Aint that sick??? My only problem in the beginning was the Panic Attacks. I have figured out where they came from. Everytime I would get pneumonia I would get stuck on a Medrol Dose Pak. (thats prednisone.) Nasty stuff, but does the job. Also I was drinking VERY heavily in those days. I am now in recovery and have been clean and sober since 7.9.98. Drinking like I did, in itself causes anxiety and panic. The rest of my life is going GREAT!! I have a job I love, a family that is wonderful and no complaints except for this med situation! I feel that I can be in total control of my life. NOT a pdoc and a bunch of pills!!! I will take everyones advice and slowly wean myself off these killers. I look forward to the discussions on this list and to learning more each day! Shae Date: Thu Nov 2, 2000 5:18pm Isnt it so very scary??? Not to sound paranoid, but doesnt it seem like a government plot to get everyone from our itty bitty kids to the aged drugged, so we follow along with "the plan" (whatever that may be)????? An update on me... I am completely off the Wellbutrin, as of today....and I have weaned myself down off of the Prozac to every other day now. I spoke with my nurse supervisor and my daughter (who is an RN) and they are keeping tabs on me and watching me while I get off this JUNK. Remember I was taking 40 mg of the Prozac every day and 300 mg of the Wellbutrin. Im already starting to feel better, but that just might have to do with my taking back control of myself and not a pill or potion. I am sleeping less and thats awesome because I have more of the day to enjoy!! My sexlife is starting to get better too!!! As in some of the feelings of wanting to are coming back! Lets just say my hubby is mucho happier!! LOL I believe that I have made a very wise decision and am very pleased with the results thus far!!!! In two weeks I will go down to every two days on the Prozac and then it will be every three days for two weeks. Finally I will have one in one week and be off them completely. Just wanted to pop in and say whats going on and say that I am so glad that I have been enlightened!!! Shae Date: Thu Nov 16, 2000 9:51pm I can surely relate to that one!!! Not only that, I would totally trance out in the middle of a sentence!!! (and this is a person with a 4.0 GPA) My coworkers got use to it, and would just wait for me to "come back". When I mentioned it to my Pdoc he said I was dissociating and it was probably from childhood sexual abuse!!! GET OUT OF TOWN!!!!! NOT even close!! When I asked how long I needed to stay on this junk they told me forever, that I would never be able to live without these drugs because my brain has a chemical imbalance....Bulls**t. Well Im doing MUCHO better now. I have been weaning for like 2 months now. Im down to once every four days with the prozac and totally off the wellbutrin. I now am having a REAL night life!!! LOL (meaning I am now able to stay up and watch the 10 oclock news!!! hee hee, seriously, I havent been awake at 10 pm for years!!! I would go to bed at 730-800 because I was so zonked out from the drugs.) And then get up at 600. Thats WAY to much sleep!!! My concentration is better and I am noticing some real physical changes too. Like aches and pains and the neck problem someone else mentioned a few days ago are getting better. My neck hurt so bad for 6 years and it now doesnt!!! Its like magic!! WOW...I wish I would have known all this sooner...but oh well I know now and am happily on my way to a REAL LIFE!!! Im very happy that this group exists and I am learning SO MUCH!!!! Shae PS- just went in for my thyroid test today, so we shall see what happens there too!!! Thats probably gotten better too!!! Shae