It is one of the most popular antidepressants in the US, taken by more than 5.7 million Americans.

But an increasing number of patients are warning about the crippling side effects of Prozac, including severe withdrawal symptoms and lifelong addiction.

Andrea – who withheld her last name for the sake of privacy – said being on the medication, known generically as fluoxetine, left her highly dependent on antidepressants for nearly two decades.

She was put on the medication at 19 after a rushed visit to her OB-GYN.

At a routine gynecological check-up, Andrea mentioned how stressed she was at college and, to her surprise, the nurse prescribed her Prozac.

Within several weeks, the self-described sociable, straight-A student noticed a difference in her mood, and she felt she went from being highly expressive to ’emotionally blunted’.

When she moved to Los Angeles several years later to pursue a career in acting, she realized just how emotionally numb she had become.

‘I got through college [studying engineering], I graduated, I moved to Los Angeles,’ Andrea explained in a YouTube interview with former FDA Medical Officer Dr Josef Witt-Doerring.

Andrea (pictured) - who does not give her last name - says being on Prozac, known generically as fluoxetine, left her with an array of problems that are less commonly talked about

Andrea (pictured) – who does not give her last name – says being on Prozac, known generically as fluoxetine, left her with an array of problems that are less commonly talked about

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‘I was an actor at the time, and this was probably in my early to mid-20s. As an actor, I’m working with my full range of emotions, and I would really feel like I couldn’t go to certain places in my emotional state.

‘And I was like, I think it’s my medication. And so at that point, it was the first attempt to get off of Prozac, which I did by myself, and it was pretty bad.’

She said she suffered severe anxiety, more panic than she was used to and bad insomnia.

Prozac is the brand for fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and was first licensed by the FDA for major depression in December 1987.

The drug was developed by Eli Lilly and became widely acknowledged as a breakthrough in depression treatment, significantly changing how the condition was managed.

Multiple studies demonstrate that fluoxetine is effective in treating various conditions, including major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, bulimia nervosa and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. 

However, experts from the Laguna Treatment Center in California warn that though Prozac is not considered addictive by its nature as an SSRI, ‘it is possible to develop a psychological dependence on it’.

In addition, people may experience withdrawal symptoms upon stopping antidepressant use, which they say many associate with addiction.

Another study, from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, found 44 percent of study participants coming off fluoxetine experienced some form of withdrawal. 

As Andrea experienced, the most common withdrawal symptom is anxiety, followed by dizziness and vivid dreams. Withdrawal symptoms typically last for a period of six weeks before subsiding.

Though it can take people up to two years or more to safely come off antidepressants by gradually reducing their dose. 

Prozac is one of the most popular antidepressants in the US, taken by more than 5.7 million Americans. But an increasing number of patients are warning about the crippling side effects

Prozac is one of the most popular antidepressants in the US, taken by more than 5.7 million Americans. But an increasing number of patients are warning about the crippling side effects

To help wean her off Prozac, Andrea was prescribed Pristiq, another antidepressant that works a little differently. (While Prozac is used to treat a range of disorders, Pristiq is only approved to treat depression.)

After switching medications, she said her anxiety and insomnia went away but found the ’emotional bluntness’ returned four years later. She considered quitting antidepressants for good.

She tried tapering and reducing her medication, but about three to four months in she ‘had really severe withdrawals’.

Some of her symptoms included ‘brain zaps’ and akathisia, which is defined as an inability to remain still.

She described it as feeling like her ‘brain was being electrocuted’ at times and she was having ‘uncontrollable movements’ in her body.

While she was hoping to get off medication, she went back to her doctor, a general practitioner, who then went on to prescribe her Xanax, followed by Cymbalta.

Xanax is a fast-acting benzodiazepine for acute anxiety and panic attacks, while Cymbalta (duloxetine) is an SNRI antidepressant used for chronic conditions like generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), depression and nerve pain. 

Andrea managed to use Xanax to transition from Pristiq to Cymbalta, which she spent another four years taking. 

While she felt much better on Cymbalta, Andrea realized she had been on medication for more than a decade. 

So, at the age of 32, she tried eight months of gradually tapering the tablets so she could feel what it was like to live drug-free and know what her natural baseline was again. 

However, after managing three weeks without taking any medication at all, Andrea said she went from feeling exhilarated to suddenly ‘crashing’.

‘I was devastated because I was so determined to get off these medications because at this point I knew something was off,’ she said.

‘But the withdrawals were so bad I couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t eat. I was at the time working on a movie, and I couldn’t show up.

‘I couldn’t function. Another thing that would happen is I would cry hysterically for the same time every day. And then I would have these like writhing movements in my legs and my arms, where they just would move on their own. It almost looked like I was possessed.’

From this point, Andrea was then put on Effexor. Known generically as venlafaxine, the drug is an SNRI antidepressant medication, like Pristiq.

It is used to treat major depressive disorder, GAD, panic disorder and social anxiety disorder. Andrea stayed on Effexor for seven years, into her late thirties. 

Then, after doing therapy and meditation and feeling in a good mental state, Andrea quit medication for good. 

Getting pregnant was another factor in her decision making. Some studies have suggested a higher chance for preterm delivery (birth before week 37) when venlafaxine is used in pregnancy, while other studies have not, but Andrea felt coming off it was the right choice.

This time around, it took her 10 months to gradually come off the drug, but she said the withdrawal symptoms that followed were ’10 times worse’ than the previous times she had tried giving up.

Fluoxetine was first licensed by the FDA for major depression in December 1987 and launched on the market one month later under the brand name Prozac

Fluoxetine was first licensed by the FDA for major depression in December 1987 and launched on the market one month later under the brand name Prozac

A month after quitting venlafaxine, she started sleeping less, having panic attacks and crying episodes, which spiraled into full-blown insomnia and even suicidal thoughts.

Scrambling to help her, doctors put her on a cocktail of five different drugs, including the antidepressants Trazodone, Lexapro, Cymbalta and Zoloft, and the antipsychotic Seroquel. 

‘I was getting worse by the day and I started to become suicidal,’ Andrea said of that time in her life.

‘I [also] started to have dementia-like symptoms. I couldn’t complete sentences. I still couldn’t sleep after being on five medications, which a couple of them are supposed to help me sleep. So, at this point,  I’m losing hope. I wasn’t functioning, I couldn’t feed myself [and] I’m skin and bones.’

Worried that she was close to death, Andrea admitted herself into an addiction clinic in Sedona, where she was monitored daily as she underwent a 30-day intensive treatment plan. 

Three-and-a-half years later, Andrea thanks the clinic for helping to save her life. She has lived unmedicated since. 

She says she often feels waves of anger toward the pharmaceutical industry and doctors who caused her to be ‘sedated’ for more than two decades. 

Touching on what her life is like now with no antidepressants, she said, ‘It’s a night and day difference. I cannot believe how high-functioning of a person I am. 

‘I’m also a meditation teacher and I’m very much devoted to just taking care of my health and that’s always how I’ve been. 

‘But for the most part, I would say I am 80 percent there. I still get migraines. I get migraines which is something that happened after this injury.’

Andrea wants her story to help shine the spotlight on antidepressants and the possibility of long-term addiction. 

She also wants to give others experiencing prescription drug addiction hope. 

‘I just want to say that there’s always hope. If you’re going through it right now and you’re in withdrawals or you’re on a medication [I want you to know] that there are solutions and there is hope. 

‘And it’s really important that you’re gentle with yourself, that you’re validating what you’re experiencing is very, very real.’