Akathisia symptoms

September 22, 2026··

Posted in:Prozac (Fluoxetine)Success Stories Support Symptoms & Self-Care Tapering

Hi. Hello. Has anyone got akathisia after stopping Prozak (Fluoxetine). I got it very severe, burning electric body etc. I took it for 3 weeks but started getting akathisia as soon as started it so had to stop cold turkey and my GP agreed. I was on it previously, tapered it no problem but this time restarting it two months later caused severe akathisia. Previously I did get some akathisia when initially starting for a few weeks and then the symptoms would settle once everything adjusted, but this time when I restarted two months later my akathisia was more severe. I really regret going back on it but my gp said you can start and stop as many times as you need so that’s why I restarted it. Now I’m week 6 since stopping it cold turkey but my akathisia is off the roof and no better. Is there hope that it will get better? Any stories? Also, since I reacted to the drug from the start and stopped it cold turkey, would it help to reinstate very slowly to get rid of my akathisia? Has anyone got any experience? Thank you

2 Replies

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Catina4h ago

Community AnchorEffexor

Hi @RO, I'm really sorry you're going through such an ordeal. Akathisia can happen when either starting or stopping psychiatric drugs. Also, constantly starting and stopping a drug can really sensitize the nervous system. I'm sorry your GP does not seem to understand this. If it were me, I would be very hesitant to try and restart the Prozac again, considering what has been happening. For now, it might be good to focus on minimizing anything that could place additional stress on your nervous system such as another drug or substance to try and "fix" the situation. Many doctors will try to add a benzo or another SSRI, but that can present a whole other set of problems. Here are some helpful links you might want to review: https://taper.community/thread/a80813cd-5a59-4f2c-8765-693fe877aa41 https://taper.community/resources/blog/akathisia-from-antidepressant-withdrawal https://taper.community/thread/57d0fb51-6e6e-4517-9d3d-1dd2f2e3880c https://taper.community/thread/f76a3f22-7cb8-40d6-9fd8-bd7bf50f3657 Many people find that over time the symptoms of akathisia improve, so hang in there. Hopefully some other members can provide some input as well. Catina 🩷

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 17.92 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg

“Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.”

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

MamaLa1h ago

WelcomerProzac · holding

@RO - I also have had akathisia when restating after a cold turkey stop and again when dropping my dose too fast while weaning off Prozac. It is very unsettling but I agree with Catina that the best thing to do is hold steady where you are. Adding more to your already sensitive nervous system is likely to make things worse. As much as I didn’t want to, I found purposeful movement( like going for a walk) along with attempts to do do things like having a warm bath, gentle yoga, and trying to meditate( which didn’t work but I still tried) helped a lot on the worst of days, basically anything to try and keep my stress levels lower to help my nervous system.

Prozac — 2.4mg — 4 — holding

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