Herbs I Used While Tapering Off Prozac
Prozac is a medication prescribed commonly for the purpose of managing depression and anxiety.
I’m not here to talk about the complexities around the “cause” of these diagnoses or whether I believe you should or should not go on or come off of a medication. I want to provide space and conversation on a topic I don’t believe there is much current conversation around.
When coming off of a medication such as Prozac, which is just one of many medications used for mental health, people commonly experience unwanted side effects such as heightened anxiety, sleep changes, headaches, irritability, flu-like symptoms, “brain-zaps”, nausea and many many more. It’s scary to experience and to get into a mindset of “should I be doing this?” or “Is my depression and anxiety getting worse again"?”
Theres is some information out there on using herbs to MANAGE depression and anxiety or REPLACE antidepressants “naturally”, but i’m NOT here to do that. I want to talk about how plants can be used to help mitigate the unwanted side effects of coming off one of these medications in order to make the transition more supported and seamless.
Everyone’s experience and circumstance is very individualistic and so its difficult to make broad range suggestions. I wanted to talk about my experience and how plants have supported me in this navigation that felt very right for me and my current life circumstance.
The symptoms you experience coming off a neurotransmitter altering medication are very real.
My journey while being on Prozac has been enlightening. I initially went on this medication, known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), almost 3 years ago in 2021 while I was navigating a prolonged extremely challenging time in my life. SSRI’s are most often used for those experiencing depression and anxiety and work by preventing the re-uptake of this neurotransmitter in the brain, therefore altering the amount of serotonin available. For me, being someone who’s been immersed in the holistic health world for a long time, it was an extremely difficult decision for me to decide to take an SSRI. As a health practitioner I would NEVER shame someone for choosing to be on one and have witnessed the immense value and support they have provided for others. But for myself I felt ethically challenged having known the complexities of depression and anxiety, knowing the multi-faceted causes, and yet still choosing a pharmaceutical that only addresses the potential lack of serotonin (which we now know isn’t the cause of depression- more on this another time!)
Albeit my hesitation initially, I have so much gratitude for my experience being on this medication and don’t regret it at all. It provided me the space to understand what it felt like to exist in an overwhelming world. I finally felt like I could be myself and show up unapologetically in the world without constantly being anxious, overstimulated and finding myself in repeated dissociation to cope. It provided be a relief to show up as I wanted for the first time in my life.
My time being on this medication was nearing 3 years when I decided to chat with my Doctor about slowly tapering off of it. I was at a point in my life where I felt very stable, I had a good community of support and close friends around me, lived in a safe environment, and came to the realization that I wasn’t feeling my full extent of emotions that I missed feeling. I hadn’t cried properly in over two years, and felt a general lack of remorse to things that should often invoke empathy and emotion.
Me and my naturopath at the time worked up a plan of slowly lowering my dosage over time to minimize withdrawal symptoms. The medication I was on is one with a longer half-life than most and therefore usually doesn’t invoke as of extreme symptoms of others. Regardless I still felt a definitive change in my way of being emotionally and in my body. Although it was uncomfortable to feel sudden lows and wake up with anxiety and heart palpitations, I felt a sort of gratitude to even have the ability to feel, and to be at a phase in my life where I could welcome these feelings to come up, fully feel them, and then let them pass.
Now I am completely off my medication.
I’m grateful for my time on it and the tools I used to help mitigate the symptoms that did come up for me. Antidepressants are complex, people’s experiences are complex, and the world we live in is a lot to deal with. But having tools available to support us, weather it be pharmaceuticals, plants or even your daily yoga practice can be lifesavers. I am not closed off from going back on Prozac (or any other medication) again if I feel it is right for me, but am excited to explore my deeper emotions once again while being off it for the first time in 3 years.
Plants That Supported Me While Coming Off My Antidepressant Medication
NOTE: Although these tools are helpful it’s critical to work with a healthcare provider when changing anything to do with your medication or adding in something new to your current protocol. Some plants may interact with certain medications and caution is warranted before making any changes.
I am not suggesting to use these plants in replacement of prescriptions, but to help mitigate unwanted symptoms while tapering.
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Gotu kola (Centella asiatica)
Gotu kola is traditionally used to support brain health and memory through increased circulation and nervous system support. I found myself to often be spacey while lowering my dose of medication, often experiencing short term memory symptoms. Supporting my cognitive function was important for me during this and gotu kola was my go to plant for this.
Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)
Chamomile is known as a nervine plant. Its high in volatile oils that have a calming relaxing action and supports the nervous system. I love chamomile because it’s such a safe plant to use and almost anybody can use it (unless they have an allergy).
I experienced a lot of heightened anxiety, feeling restless in my body and agitated throughout the day. Chamomile is a very gentle nervine but can be such a powerful tool. It also has an affinity for the digestive system, and is great for anxiety that can manifest as stomach issues and distress- something I experienced!
Passion flower (Passiflora incarnata)
People think of passion flower as a sleep herb, but it’s so much more than that. This plant is the same plant that produces passionfruit as the name suggests, but in herbal medicine we use the arial parts only. I actually used passion flower during the day during moments of heightened anxiety, overwhelm and stress.
I would often wake up anxious with heart palpitations during the first few weeks of tapering my medication. Its calming and mildly sedative effect was welcomed into my day and morning when I felt jittery and on edge, and therefore helped to reduce my palpitations as a result. I like to steep passion flower as a strong infusion for at least 30+minutes and often overnight for a therapeutic effect.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
Ginger is one of my favourite plants ever and one I use the most often. While tapering off of my medication I would occasionally wake up nauseous, and this is where I would use ginger most often. I would take it either as a tea or capsule with my breakfast. It’s one of the best plants to use for nausea. Because I often felt my anxiety in my stomach and impair my digestion I also used ginger to help settle my stomach with its antispasmodic activity and bring warmth to my digestive tract.
Vervain (Verbena officinalis)
Vervain is a less commonly used plant by the average person but is my favourite nervine (nervous system support). Its slightly bitter brewed as a tea so I like to pair it with some other plants such as chamomile, or add honey for a sweet touch.
Not to be confused with lemon verbena, vervain to me feels very nourishing for my nervous system on a deep full body level. I find that the bitterness it adds actually aids in this action since bitter foods can stimulate the vagus nerve and support your parasympathetic nervous system— which is what I needed when I felt heightened anxiety.
Cannabis spp.
I was hesitant to include cannabis at first, but it was such a supportive tool for me.
I have never been a frequent cannabis user, and use it most often when my anxiety is at its highest, especially at night. I often consumed cannabis as an oil with a high CBD: THC ratio.
I also took the CB2 Wellness (beta-caryophyllene terpene blend) drops which aren’t derived from cannabis but still affects the endocannabinoid system to help reduce overall anxiousness and support sleep. CB2 Wellness drops are a unique product because they are an extracted terpene that you can travel with internationally and even buy in stores that aren’t a dispensary due to the fact that the terpenes it contains aren’t derived from cannabis, but it acts similarly on the same receptors.
Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)
Skullcap is another nervine (see the theme here!) It’s a plant in the mint family, although it has no taste resemblance to mint, and a plant I’ve used for a long time. I find for myself I like to use it over long periods of time rather than just acutely. Similarly to passionflower I like to infuse it for long periods of time to make a strong, dark infusion.
It’s been so supportive for my anxiety that’s come up daily.
How To Use:
The way I consumed these herbs the most was through tea infusions (besides the cannabis), where I steeped the loose lead herb in hot water for 30+ minutes, sometimes even leaving it overnight in the fridge for a long extraction before straining the leaves. Oftentimes I used 1tsp of 2-3 herbs all at once or 1tbsp/cup to also increase the potency of infusion. The beauty of plants is even though these are common herbs some people use daily in small cups of tea, dosage does matter and increasing the amounts consumed can be extremely supportive in overall effects. I also included the tincture of chamomile into my warm drinks, where its flavour profile paired really nice with warm milk or even hot chocolate:-)