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CoryImmediatism wrote

don't be sorry. I'm googling right now to find out if you can stop it abruptly and will share you the most reliable link I find.

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CoryImmediatism wrote

https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Treatments/Mental-Health-Medications/Types-of-Medication/Fluoxetine-(Prozac) This is the National Alliance on Mental Illness. You may have some withdrawal side effects like possibly nightmares, headache, and the rest listed here.

Best luck! Take good care of yourself!

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[deleted] wrote

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CoryImmediatism wrote

your insurance won't pay for you to be hospitalized without a medical or psychiatric reason

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[deleted] wrote

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CoryImmediatism wrote

No. for the same reason the hospital doesn't want you for a broken leg when the broken leg happened in your past. Remember that hospital beds are limited and there is competition for them, often. But, you seem very keen to engage in convo about this. Maybe you should just phone your prescribing physician's office and talk with them about stopping your medication. They can change the dose or offer alternative medications if you didn't like that one. And of course, they can answer your questions that you are asking me.

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CoryImmediatism wrote

You're quite welcome. Read the whole list of withdrawal symptoms at the link I shared and ask yourself if you could be hospitalized for any of those symptoms.

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zephyr wrote

fluoxetine is very slowly cleared from the body (over a week to reduce the body concentration by half) so stopping it quickly isn't a problem. no physiological withdrawal. i've been on and off it several times.

you can only be committed if you say you are thinking about killing yourself or you threaten violence to someone else. even if you are a minor, no one can commit you because you stopped taking a prescribed drug.

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celebratedrecluse wrote

you can only be committed if you say you are thinking about killing yourself or you threaten violence to someone else. even if you are a minor, no one can commit you because you stopped taking a prescribed drug.

This varies by country! Please clarify which country you mean.

OP: verify the laws for your country!

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zephyr wrote

i'm referring to the u.s. and more specifically to new york and to information i have read about other states.

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[deleted] wrote

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zephyr wrote

that's my understanding which unfortunately doesn't qualify for 100% sure. i just spent over an hour searching for some documentation for new york state laws/regulations without success. but i can't imagine any hospital that would admit a minor whose parent was committing them because they stopped taking an antidepressant.

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NoPotatoes wrote (edited )

Fluoxetine's longer half-life makes it less common to develop discontinuation syndrome following cessation of therapy, especially when compared to antidepressants with shorter half-lives such as paroxetine. Although gradual dose reductions are recommended with antidepressants with shorter half-lives, tapering may not be necessary with fluoxetine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoxetine#Discontinuation_syndrome

To be extra safe, you can take one pill tomorrow, then another 5 days after that, then 8 days after that, then 13 days, and so on. That might be overkill, though.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidepressant_discontinuation_syndrome

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[deleted] wrote

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NoPotatoes wrote

can they "hospitalize" me if i'm otherwise totally functioning and happy?

No idea. Likely depends on jurisdiction. Might depend on if you had been institutionalized before, and what the terms of your release were. Also I think you are a minor, so your parents might be able to hospitalize you against your will.

Typically you would only get hospitalized if you were determined to be "a danger to yourself or others", from what I understand.

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zoom_zip wrote

wean yourself off just to be safe

reduce it gradually over like 2 weeks

whether you can be sectioned into hospital is dependent on your country

all we can say is that it’s “unlikely” just for stopping a medication, but i know how these doctors think and they often talk about things like “risk factors”, which is their code word for “i’m scared of this person” and will use that to hospitalise them

also if you are a minor and your parents aren’t supportive, they could collude with and influence the doctor

if your therapist supports it, then speak about it more assertively with them. say “i am stopping” and see what advice they give

take advice from internet weirdos with a grain of salt

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MHC wrote

The meds are meant to be weaned off slowly.

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