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Good day everyone My back story: - Mid 2019 (age 19) I went to my doctor a few weeks after a bad breakup of 3 years. I just was not feeling like myself. He insisted on me taking 5mg of an antidepressant for 4-6 months (I cannot remember the name and have since moved to different doctors, but I will try and find out). I took it for about 2/3 months but had to switch to Duloxetine Hydrochloride 30mg due to the other AD giving me ear infections. In hindsight, I probably could have gotten through it without AD, but what's done is done. - In Oct 2020 (age 20) I had severe COVID-19 and had to start taking asthma medication - Symbicord and Omnair. My asthma is well controlled now. - In 2021 I saw a new doctor, and she upped my dosage to 60mg because she considered it the normal dosage. Within 2-3 months I tapered back to 30mg as there was no reason to be on a higher dose. I switched to my current doctor after that. I experience no withdrawal symptoms from the up and down dosage. - In June 2022 I had 2 small surgeries. That doctor advised me to take Tramadol. I told her about my medication and asked if there arent any clashes. She told me no. I read up about the possible clashes and wasn't sure whether to take it. My parents told me to trust the doctor and take it. I took it for 3 days and then started to get panic attacks. This lasted for 2 - 3 months. Panic attacks every day the whole day, even in my sleep. (Before then I only had panic attacks in 2014 (age 14) when my brother left for university - due to my separation anxiety.) At month 2, I contacted my Homeopathic Doctor, and she prescribed me Stram 200. This helped a lot and got me on track quickly. (I trust my homeopathic doctor, as it cured my torrets when I was a child and cured my brother's lung problems as a child.) - On 27 Nov 2023 I started to taper off my medication with the help of my GP (since then found out it's not a taper but rather a cold turkey). I wanted to come off my medication before I moved to a new country (now I know it's not the best move). Details about the move - starting my articles at a new firm, moving from South Africa to London, and leaving all my friends and family and my loving dogs behind. My brother lives in Brighton, England, which is a benefit. The taper method was one day on, one day off, and by 7 December 2023, I took my last dose. This taper was extremely difficult and I felt horrible. By 10 December I had a full-blown panic attack and could not function as a human. This panic session lasted about 2-3 hours. I also had most of the withdrawal symptoms except not feeling emotions and suicidal thoughts. The following week I had panic attacks throughout every day, and by week 2 it turned into crying spells. Accompanying this anxiety and panic was an abnormal dizziness and loss of appetite. At the end of week 2, I contacted my homeopathic doctor and proceeded to take stram 200 for 3 days, afterward stram m for 2 days, and afterward stram lm for a few days. This helped a lot and after a week I was back to normal. - Then on 7 January, all the withdrawal symptoms returned. My stress levels suddenly were a lot higher, due to my board exam I had to write in 2 weeks, and my signing the lease of my apartment in the new country. Everything became real. The worst symptom is the constant dizziness that interfered with my life. This caused me to lose power over my thoughts and I spiraled back into a hole. Since then I worked with my homeopathic doctor. She tried Stram 200, Nat Mur 200, Ignatia 200, and Phos 200. These have significantly improved my anxiety and thoughts but had zero effect on my dizziness. I also woke up after every nap and night with an anxiety attack. After my board exam, my dizziness improved but is not gone. This leads me to believe that stress and anxiety amplify my dizziness. The anxiety attacks when waking up and in my sleep have not gone away either but the rest of my life is on track. I even started listening to music and watching series again. AKA doing things I love. Since then I have seen 3 doctors, a psychologist, and my Christian counselor. All of them believe that I should go back to my Duloxetine 30mg. I have until Monday the 5th to decide whether I am going back on the medication or not because my Doctor wants at least 4 weeks to monitor how the reinstatement goes before I move to London. My big fear is that of kindling because I have become very sensitive to the things I consume. I can't drink coffee anymore, and the antihistamine makes me super drowsy and I have since stopped taking them. Sugar also affects me way more. 30mg is the smallest dose of Duloxetine we get here. I am not sure what to do, but I believe everyone has my best interest at heart when they say I need to go back on the antidepressants. TLDR - went off duloxetine CT in Nov/Dec 2023, doctor wants to reinstate back at 30mg now before I move overseas. I think I agree, but I am afraid of kindling.

Hi everyone! Good to finally be a member on here - I am so pleased I came across this site. I would really appreciate some thoughts on my SSRI journey to date and where things currently stand, as I am feeling a bit lonely and in that mindset where 'things will never get better' and I'm going to end up a slave to antidepressants and anxiety for the rest of my life. Sorry for the long post but I really want to explain my journey with all of this... and I appreciate you taking the time to read it all. I was first put on on SSRIs (Citalopram) by my GP in March 2015 as I was experiencing strong physical symptoms of anxiety with related depression following a relationship breakdown, and 'fear of the unknown' following graduation at University, getting a job etc. I don't remember much about side effects of Cit when I first started it, but I do remember that after being increased to 20mg it made me feel the happiest and most confident I had felt in a very long time. I considered it a 'magic pill'... Even through a really really tough life event it didn't falter. In March/Apr 2017 I felt that perhaps the Cit was no longer working as it had been - I was feeling quite unmotivated and fatigued. Spoke to my GP who recommended a switch to Sertraline. Again, I don't recall how I was switched - whether it was direct or cross taper, and I don't recall whether there were any substantial side effects. However I don't think there was, as I'm pretty sure I'd remember that. I was stabilised at 100mg. I never considered myself to have any major issues on Sertraline. But, I did start to suffer randomly from panic attacks in 2018 when driving on the motorway and I am not sure what triggered this - and this never went away after it started. In January 2020 me and my husband decided we would like to start trying for a family. I had no knowledge of SSRI withdrawal and because of this, like many people, I naively assumed that I would have no issues coming off them. My GP recommended a taper schedule over a really short period which was about 4 weeks, dropping from 100mg to 0. It was a while back now so I can't remember the exact taper schedule but I do remember it included taking a tablet every other day... I got pregnant pretty much immediately in the Feb, and alongside this Covid and lockdown happened. I never considered that withdrawal had hit me hard - in fact I felt pretty good. However a lot of day to day responsibilities went out the window as we were pretty much confined to our homes during that time, so life wasn't quite how it usually is, with less pressures and being able to work from home etc. Looking back now, I probably did have some withdrawal symptoms but it is difficult to know for sure, as I was pregnant and there are lots of things that come with that too, so it is hard to differentiate. When I was around 7/8 months pregnant I started to have occasional high blood pressure, visual disturbances, locking finger joints etc. Monitoring and tests were done regularly but no adverse effects found, no signs of pre-eclampsia etc. My high BP wasn't high enough/consistent enough to be medicated. I went into spontaneous early labour just over 36 weeks and labour was fine. However post-partum was a rough ride. I didn't feel well pretty much as soon as I left the hospital. Dizzy, nauseous and jittery. I just put it down to having a baby, as I didn't know any different about how you should feel following labour. 3 days later I developed chest pains and when lay in bed felt like what I can only describe as a heavy band across my chest. Tested my BP and it was ridiculously high, around 193/124, which resulted in being re-admitted to hospital and commenced on hypertensive medication. Cue the extreme anxious, panicked state and immediately all I could think was that I needed to go back on Sertraline to stabilise me. Looking back I wish I hadn't made such a rash decision but it was almost as if my mind was eager to get back onto it. I wonder whether this may have been some kind of protracted withdrawal. Tests never found anything and they just put it down to pregnancy-induced hypertension. The crazy part of it was my GP recommenced me straight onto 100mg rather than building me up gradually. He advised 'you were on 100mg before so you'll be fine'. I have never felt so ill in my life. Everything got so much worse. I remember my hospital window overlooked the psychiatric unit and I was convinced I would end up in there. My BP was erratic even with the medication - they couldn't understand why it would randomly jump back up. I was discharged and readmitted 2 to 3 times because of it. I developed insomnia, I had burning/tingling feelings in my arms and chest. My pupils were so dilated. No appetite and chronic diarrhoea. I developed neck and shoulder pains, shortness of breath. My throat would sometimes feel like it was closing up and like I couldn't swallow properly. My arms felt heavy. I felt in a permanent state of fight or flight. Visual disturbances and tinnitus. I had never experienced anything like it in my life. Everyone kept telling me it was my anxiety even though I knew it wasn't - it was nothing like the anxiety I had experienced before starting antidepressants. At the time I was convinced it was side effects from the BP meds and that they had sent me crazy. I was so desperate to come off them to feel better. I was eventually off the BP meds by end of December 2020, as following home monitoring and a weaning schedule it was felt my BP had stabilised to normal levels. During all of this time I went through the 'windows and waves' of feeling OK and then not so good. And some symptoms persisted despite being off the BP meds. I thought the meds had messed up my nervous system even though I was on them for a pretty short space of time. I never questioned it being Sertraline because I'd never had any issues with it previously, it never came into my mind. After stabilising on Sertraline (which I feel took a hell of a long time this time round - at least a year), my anxiety has been OK, aside from some panic attacks now and then - again whilst driving. However I have always felt 'off' since what happened - I do not feel like I used to (pre-pregnancy). I have gained weight and struggled to lose it despite efforts to eat well and exercise regularly. Like my metabolism is non-existent. My hair is thin and limp. Fatigue. I suffer with tinnitus so much. Cracking and aching joints during exercise, which I would assume is sign of inflammation. Shooting pains in my arms and side. Intolerance to alcohol which I never used to get (high heart rate and feeling jittery/anxious). High heart rate and anxiety in situations that do not warrant this response and would have never generated this bodily response previously. I also get bad white coat syndrome but appreciate this may just be something I have got to deal with, after what happened. I have had some scans, blood tests etc and nothing has been found other than a B12 deficiency, for which I received some injections but did not notice any improvements. Again, people just put it down to my 'GAD' but this is not how my GAD used to present before all of this. Up until now I had never really registered any of these issues perhaps being related to Sertraline. Indeed they may not be. But fast forward to where I am now, I am starting to question some things. In July 2023 I approached my GP to advise that I wanted to try for a 2nd child and wanted to wean off my Sertraline, as I didn't feel like I had any issues doing that before... I was weaned down over 8 weeks from 100mg to 0 (50% cut from 100mg to 50mg which I stayed at for 4 weeks, and then 50% cut again to 25mg which I stayed at for another 4 weeks before discontinuation). I experienced mood changes and unusual angry episodes. Groin and leg pains. Some slight insomnia. Had the burning/tingling once or twice. But I did feel more energised, my tinnitus seemed to improve, I was more motivated and less tired. I went on to have 2 consecutive miscarriages, one month after the other. After the 2nd miscarriage I was nearly 8 weeks off sertraline. My anxiety went through the roof. I googled the crap out of why I'd been unfortunate enough to have 2 recurrent miscarriages. I convinced myself I'd got some kind of blood clotting disorder. I was anxious and jittery and yet again my mind returned to recommencing Sertraline, thinking it would save me. I started back on 50mg on 30th October 2023 after being med-free for 8.5 weeks. After a couple of days my anxiety intensified. The insomnia started, the burning feelings, flushed cheeks, erratic heart rate, tinnitus, visual disturbances. Feeling wired, ruminating/OCD thoughts, no appetite, diarrhoea. It took me back to how I felt when I went back on Sertraline in 2020. I then considered that what I had experienced before was not from the BP meds, it was from the Sert. However this time I had a new experience thrown in - suicidal ideations (but not the will to act on them). After 4 weeks of windows and waves, I looked back on everything over the past few years and felt I needed to try something different - that maybe some of these issues will go away if I try a different SSRI. My GP recommended Escitalopram and advised I could do a direct switch from one SSRI to another with a similar half-life. So one day I was on Sertraline 50mg, the next day I was on 10mg Escitalopram (6th December 2023). I hadn't noticed any significant side effects after starting the Escitalopram. I didn't feel any worse and my windows seemed to be getting better over the past 4 weeks. I thought that I was well on the road to stabilising. However over the past week my anxiety has crept up a little, and now these past couple of days, everything has ramped up again, similar to when I started on Sert. Ruminating/OCD thoughts, feeling wired. Insomnia 2 nights ago, slept ok last night. Burning feelings in arms. Flushed cheeks. Could I be experiencing withdrawal from Sertraline even though I have switched to Escitalopram? Or would this be a sign that the Escitalopram is not working for me? I feel really lost on what to do next and I am constantly questioning it all. Do I increase my Escitalopram. Do I sit tight and wait to see what happens even though it is so difficult feeling this way... Once again I am sorry for the essay but it is nice to be heard and I am so appreciative of any thoughts and advice anyone can give me on all of this. My eventual aim is to be off SSRIs (as I just feel like they have messed me up and I worry about the long-term impact of taking them - 8 years I feel is already long enough). However right now my priority is to be stable - for myself and for my family. Charlotte

Hi everyone, My name is Audrey and I’m currently in month 9 of protracted withdrawal from stopping 12.5 mgs of sertraline cold turkey for a panic disorder. I’ve been using this forum for months as support to check symptoms/giving me peace of mind and it’s been a god send. I took sertraline on and off for 3 years. I currently am suffering with every symptom imaginable still - some days better than others. Lots of Dysautonomia, heat intolerance, sleep issues, anxiety, POTS symptoms, pounding heart, you name it. I was a hypochondriac before withdrawal happened so this time has not been kind to my nervous system. I know one day I will heal but sometimes it’s so hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m 30 and feel like I could be 75+ some days. Here’s to a healing year in 2024!

Hello paaugustine here! I was prescribed 2mg of aripiprizole and 25 mg of quetiapine, along with lorazepem as needed for anxiety / bipolar. I was not experiencing any delusions / psychosis, but had heightened anxiety and difficulty sleeping. This started after I went to a clinic in mexico and took what is called "flood dose" of ibogaine in the end of june 2023. For a month I felt fine / great after and then one month (August) after the trip I was hit with a brand new anxiety and insomnia, for which I was prescribed the medication in september 2023. My doctor is unsure what exactly I am dealing with, but reading all of the posts on SA, it seems like the potent serotonin and dopamine antagonist qualities of ibogaine basically put me in a state of a medication withdrawal once the ibogaine wore off although I really don't know for sure, and I don't think I will ever find out. My current journey is slowly tapering the aripiprizole and see how my body adjusts. My brain needs to heal drug free. I went from 2mg to 1 mg on November 1st. In two weeks, I was hit with a very severe depression and heart palpitations, so I reinstated to 1.9 mg of aripiprizole (I purchased a jewlers scale). This helped my sypmtoms to normalize / go away. Starting tomorrow 12 / 3 I will go down 10 percent of 1.9 and see how I adjust. I am not currently tapering quetiapine, and I dont take the benzo more than once every other week if I need it for sleep. During the day I feel fine / lack of emotion and would like to move toward a drug free life.

Hello all. I am currently off Sertraline for 8 weeks. I have had consistent tingling in legs and feet. Wondering when this will go away and what I can do to help relieve it. Also 10 days ago my tailbone/butt gets sore when sitting....(the first day this occurred my legs started tingling up to my butt). Ugh. Thinking about acupuncture? Anyone else? advice or thoughts? I appreciate being a part of this forum.

Hello, I’ve found this site after searching for the withdrawal symptoms I’m currently having. I started to take Amitriptyline 12.5 mg on June this year, started with 1/4 of 25mg for 2 weeks, then 1/2 over 2 months and a half, since I was feeling the drug was not helping me, my neurologist and psychiatrist agreed with taper Ami. so, I started reducing the dose, started with 1/4 of the pill (25mg) over two weeks and then 1/4 every other day for 2 weeks. On September 18 this year was my last dose of Ami. Even when I started tapering, i felt nausea, lost appetite, dizziness, burning pain and anxiety. It’s been 18 days without Ami and I am still having these symptoms. I feel weak, kinda dizzy, burning pain on my neck and chest came back, feel a pressure in my head and eyes, restless legs, insomnia, had some anxiety attacks too. I talked to my neurologist and he told me that these symptoms could be from my anxiety and not from Amitriptyline. However, another doctor who saw me in A&E told me that I was having discontinuation syndrome and I would be feeling that way 2 more weeks. So, is it normal to have these WD symptoms¿ I mean, I have been on it 3 months. I refuse to take it again. Please, need some advice. thanks

Hi there team, First time poster here and really need abit of help, was on 20mg fluoxetine for a year and a half after a bad relationship breakup and troubles at work. Started what I thought was a good timed taper of 2 months on 10mg as suggested by my doctor Started a new job was feeling good and roughly 2 months later in late July started to feel anxious daily and struggled a few weeks and thought it was a relapse so started 20mg again end august for a week amd had bad side effects insomnia very low mood so stopped. 2 weeks off and didn't still felt the same so resumed again at 20mg mid September till now and am really struggling. After coming and finding this website I'm thinking my anxiety that had come back was just withdrawals. Should I be keeping taking the 20mg or be tapering off. Any help would be much appreciated 🙏

Hello, I’ve been reading and trying to learn from you all for the last few months. With my daughter’s permission, I’d like to ask for help. She’s at college and I’ve been working to support her and to try to stay in front of what’s happening. She’s 21, but thankfully is allowing us to help her navigate this. I’m reaching out to you all for support. She’s decided she'd like to try to reinstate Sertraline after being completely off since April 25, 2023. (She was on for 5 years.) She took 6.25 mg. this morning. I understand this introductory post may take a few days to hit your community. I mainly wanted to open the line of communication/ support for reinstatement. Sertraline Withdrawal: We didn’t figure out that she was experiencing withdrawal until she was 2 months off of Sertraline. We assumed it was the stress of a summer internship that she needed to push through until we googled what sounded like odd symptoms. (Burning in her shoulders and a constant pit in her chest that seemed new/ odd.) She’s done her own research and has questioned the timing of her intense symptoms emerging. The concept of doctors not fully understanding has been really tough for her to wrap her head around. (It does help her a bit to know that doctors in the UK are starting to taper differently.) We were trying to avoid reinstatement and having to go through this again– but I’m worried we may be at the end of her time window to reinstate at 4 months. More than anything, she’s tired of feeling crummy and just wants to feel better. Sertraline Use and Taper: She began taking Sertraline 25 mg in 2018 at age 17. When that was tolerated, went up to 50 mg. Dosage increased to 75 mg at some point a few years in. (Neither of us recall the specifics of why she went up.) In March 2023, she decided she wanted to go off Sertraline. She felt happy, confident and wanted to know who she was without the meds. We supported this and didn’t think too much about the process– other than we knew she needed to taper. Tapered under Nurse Practitioner in an established Dr. office in her college town: 75 mg for 2 weeks; 50 mg for 2 weeks; 25 mg for 2 weeks; off April 25, 2023 **She reported a headache while tapering, but this resolved. She seemed mildly not herself/ irritable when she came home for a few weeks in May/ early June. It occurred to us it could be going off Sertraline, but she said she thought she was experiencing more highs and lows– and this seemed reasonable. Then she left for an out of town internship. June 12, 2023– she started working variable days/ nights in a high stress environment. On her 1st night shift, she said she was worried about staying awake and drank a ton of coffee. Huge influx of symptoms began: Round #1 Symptoms: Nausea/ Vomiting a few times; Insomnia; Anxiety; Crying; Loss of appetite; Constant “pit” in her chest; “Burning,” uncomfortable feeling in shoulders; “Burning” in arms and legs. **Mornings were the worst, but things sometimes let up by the evening. June 27th, she messaged her Nurse Practitioner (from college) who prescribed Atarax as needed. She took it once, felt better briefly and then immediately worse as soon as it wore off. I started googling her symptoms and we started to realize this could be withdrawal. Around this time she started taking Benadryl at night (based on reading this helps with AD withdrawals) and this seemed to help. July 7, she left the internship, came home and stabilized quite a bit. She wasn’t 100%, but her trajectory was promising and we thought the worst was over. August 8th, I took her to a Functional Doctor who suggested she take a supplement in our efforts to keep making her stronger: Contents of CereVive and dose: (In addition to Vit C, Vit B 12, Vit B 6, Niacin, Folate, Magnesium and Zinc) Inositol: 1 g; L- Tyrosine USP: 400 mg; Mucuna Pruriens Extract (10% L Dopa): 400 mg; 5-HTP: 150 mg; L- Theanine: 100 mg; Gamma Aminobutyric Acid (PharmaGABA): 100 mg Influx of symptoms came back within 3 days of beginning the supplement. We cut the CereVive in half one day, another ⅔ the next day and off. Unclear if it was the CereVive that caused the wave or maybe she wasn’t doing as well as we thought. It has felt like 2 distinct healing periods. She stabilized a bit and hoped time would do the trick again. She went back to college and is functioning/ getting to where she needs to go. Overall not great though– and actively seeking a solution to feel better. Round #2 Symptoms: same as before + new ones: Tingling and/ or burning in arms; burning in neck with numbness in arms; lack of concentration, increased crying, decrease in appetite, feeling like she can’t breathe, a bit of despair that this is happening again. This week, my daughter messaged her Nurse Practitioner about reinstatement and was prescribed 25 mg. of Sertraline. Dosage for reinstatement: My daughter agreed to cut the pill into a ¼ (6.25 mg.) She’s using a pill cutter for consistent portions. I asked if she could split it into an ⅛ and she said the pills are too small and this seemed to overwhelm her a bit. I’m thinking that ¼ is the best we can do to also keep it manageable for her. (Open to input and ideas how to go smaller if that's better. Or is it too late and we need to stick with ¼ pill?) I sent her a scale to try to get smaller portions, but I sent the wrong one at first. Another is on its way but again-- we're balancing her being overwhelmed. She did not ask the Nurse Practitioner for liquid– and given how she managed the initial taper, I’m not sure she’s the one to ask. I honestly don’t think it’s realistic for my daughter to make her own liquid at this point. Symptoms since starting 6.25 mg today: dry mouth (resolved), headache (resolved with Tylenol). Some negative symptoms that caused her to reinstate may be getting somewhat better. Still a bit of burning in her arms and she's exhausted but can't nap. **My daughter said the headache feels the same as when she went off. Kind of in the back of her head. (I don’t know what significance this holds.) Supplements/ Medicines she’s still using: Benadryl when physical symptoms are bad at night; Probiotic; Allegra; Midnite (Extended release melatonin); Magnesium Glycinate ;Vitamin D3 with K2; Fish Oil: Omega MonoPureA 1300 EC. I know this is a lot and I appreciate any help and feedback. My biggest concern is that I feel like she’s the wrong doctor and a crummy day away from starting a new medicine. She’s very strong minded and was really thriving before all of this. She was really excited about being off the Sertraline. Crossing all fingers and toes that the reinstatement (followed by a gradual taper) will work. In addition to practical help, I’d welcome any prayers or good thoughts anyone would like to send her way. MommaJ

Hey there, I'll try to make my intro a bit shorter but its still kind of long. Was put on Effexor 150 XR at age 15 due to anxiety and depression (my mother is narcissistic and I developed a lot of self hatred from it. Older brother is also bipolar and made my life hell). Took that med until I was 28 (13 years). Worked with a nurse practitioner (for psych meds specifically) who tapered me off over the course of 2.5 months (waaaay too fast) by taking the little beads out of the capsules. My meds pooped out and I didnt feel I needed them anymore. Did great for 3 months, then my anxiety hit me like a ton of bricks, followed by depression. Insomnia due to anxiety, no appetite, emotional shutdown. Was put back on 75 mg and then raised to 150mg again, but since I had seen how vibrant I was without these drugs, I hated being on them. After moving across the country I asked my new doctor to move me down to 75 mg. I felt less flat but the anxiety was bad. Moved back up to 112.5 mg, but felt "meh" about everything. Tried Pristiq 25 mg for 2 weeks and was moved to 50 mg. 5 weeks in I had a horrible reaction-- anxiety, depersonalization, sweating, diarrhea. I didnt feel real. I told my doctor to lower me. Tried 25mg for 6 weeks. Still had diarrhea and apathy at 25mg. Was moved to Zoloft 25 mg for 3 weeks. I told my doctor I wanted to stay at 25 mg zoloft because I didnt want to become an over-medicated zombie. She said 25 mg wasnt a high enough dose to treat me, and I trusted her more than myself so I increased. After 3 weeks was moved to 50 mg. After 3 days on 50 mg I started being really spacey, dizzy, feeling like I was in a dream. Had insomnia. I would feel better every day as the med wore off closer to my dosing time. Felt like I wasnt real and didnt care about anything. My doctor said to wait until 5 weeks to see if my symptoms improved. I said no and told her to lower me to 25 mg. Stomach was still so bad after the debacle with the Pristiq that I had dropped 17 lbs at this point and needed an endoscopy and a colonoscopy, where they found nothing was wrong. 1 week after reducing to 25 mg Zoloft my stomach started improving. It wasnt a slow taper, she just had me half my tablet. I've been on Zoloft (Sertraline) 25 mg for 18 days as of writing this. Throughout my journey I've been moved up and down doses of Effexor every 2-3 months, I got to experience effexor withdrawal and new side effects from the pristiq at the same time, and I got to experience pristiq withdrawal and zoloft side effects at the same time. I'm currently having headaches, dizziness, apathy, and some sexual issues. Stomach is better but not 100% yet. Have pressure in my head a lot of the time. It feels like my head has cotton in it. I'm in therapy finally dealing with my abandonment issues from my mother's narcissism. This whole thing has been a huge lesson in trusting myself. A big part of me is scared that I've ***** up my brain, and that the apathy wont ever go away. I feel like I've made a big mistake. My partner has said that over the past few weeks I seem more myself, but I don't see it at all. I've begun doing some more things I enjoy, but a lot of the time I'm not enjoying them very deeply. A lot of the time I just want to be left alone. I guess I just want some support, since I'm so scared. How did I even get here? I just wanted to be happy. tldr: couldnt handle 50mg Zoloft, currently on 25mg for 18 days. Brain is effectively a scrambled egg. Timeline: Effexor 150mg XR 13 years, came off over 2 months, 3 months off. "Relapse" and put back on 75 mg, then 50. Lowered back down to 75 for 2 months, then raised to 112.5 for 2 months. Pristiq 25mg for 2 weeks, then 50 mg for 5 weeks. Back to 25 mg for 6 weeks. Zoloft 25 mg for 3 weeks, then 50 mg for 5 weeks, now back to 25 mg for 18 days.

I started having anxiety attacks in January 2023 (which I believe was related to a hormonal change in BC) it felt like the blood rushed out of my head, a lightheaded feeling and my heart would race. When I would have an anxiety attack, following it, I would get what I would describe as a brain jolt (possibly a brain zap but mine did not feel electrical) – it was like the blood suddenly left my head and I felt lightheaded followed by a wave of anxiety which lasted just a few seconds. I only got these following an anxiety attack for a few days and then they would disappear until the next one. In May, after having another anxiety attack and the subsequent frequent brain jolts followed by anxiety waves - I decided I had enough and went on Escitalopram 10mg. I had probably every usual side effect there is, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, spaciness, loss of balance, tremors you name it... But 10 days in, I had a pre-syncope event, where a burning sensation came over my entire body and I nearly fainted. After that, I was hit with daily waves of brain jolts/zaps immediately followed by a wave of nausea, anxiety and a burning sensation would come all over my body. I should have come off the medication then, but I wanted to stick it out as everyone said the side effects should pass after six weeks. At week three of 10mg I could no longer handle the constant brain jolts & burning sensations so I reduced my dosage to 5mg. Immediately, I started to feel better within the first two weeks - the brain jolts felt milder were less frequent but then at week 3 of 5mg, things got worse, and the burning sensations began all night long – sleep was impossible, my muscles when trying to sleep also started to twitching & jerking. By then, I was at 6 weeks and my GP advised me to come off the meds. Scared at this point to quit cold turkey, I started reducing the dosage slowly over the next 4 weeks. 3mg for 10 days (the burns stopped at this dose but the jolts & waves continued), then 2mg for 8 days, 1 mg for 6 days and finally nothing. I had all the usual withdrawals or maybe they were still side effects, nausea, dizziness, loss of balance, brain fog, tremors etc., but I noticed a pattern with the brain jolts/zaps. Every time I reduced the dose they got milder and less frequent for the first two weeks and then would get more frequent at the 3 week mark. I am now four weeks off the medication and the same thing happened the brain jolts got milder but at the 3 week mark they got so much more frequent. They are milder in the sense they are not jolts but more like brain shivers/or blips, followed by nausea, and a wave of sometimes anxiety but sometimes it’s a hot sensation…(I have to throw off the covers) occasionally the wave is followed by tremors & a pounding heart. It seems to come in clusters usually in the evening for a couple hours at a time. I get them every night while trying to fall asleep and especially when waking up. I get a few hours a day now of feeling normal before a cluster hits. My concern is whether this is from the medication as I did experience a feeling of brain jolts before the medication, but they changed drastically once on the medication and only became as severe and as frequent as they are now after Escitalopram. They did get milder coming off the medication and less frequent (than when I was on the meds) but its still a daily battle. I was only on the medication 10 weeks and was almost constantly reducing during that time. I have a hard time finding others that have had similar symptoms as me and feel at a loss as to what has happened to me.

Hi! As a little personal introduction, I’m a 22 year old living on the east coast of the United States. I’m currently in the process of withdrawals after tapering off of Effexor, which I was originally prescribed in October of 2022. I have a vague explanation of my taper off of Effexor XR in my signature, but I thought I’d elaborate more here. I tapered very slowly from 225mg starting in June of last year, reaching 37.5 in May of this year and taking beads out from there until I got to only five beads left. I experienced little to no withdrawal symptoms from any of these drops in dosage. On the 17th of this month, I dropped from 5 beads to none, and haven’t taken any since. Obviously, this still has not been smooth sailing as I’m posting here. Dizziness and nausea/very occasional vomiting have been the biggest offenders in terms of withdrawal symptoms. By very occasional, I’ve only actually thrown up once (yesterday). I’ve taken Dramamine and Zofran as well as the occasional Benadryl to help, and am currently at day 12 of withdrawals. I was recommended to come here, and am partially looking for advice along with reassurance on dealing with the rest of the symptoms until they finally pass. Thanks!

Hi Everyone, First let me apologize for not knowing where or how to look for existing posts, I am finding an avalanche of information here, but it is difficult to sort through. I was on Lexapro 10mg for about 8 years when it became clear to me that it was not working as it should. I felt just as anxious and depressed as ever. My doc tried upping me to 20mg, but I didn't notice a difference. So he then switched me to Cymbalta. After 2-3 weeks of taking that, I didn't like the side effects (blurred vision, constipation), so I stopped taking that. I went back to Lexapro for about a week, trying to taper it. It was such a low dose, I didn't really know how to go about it. At first, I felt pretty good. Very good actually. I had not realized how apathetic I truly was. I was now able to actually accomplish simple things that had seemed to be huge challenges when I was taking the medication. Unfortunately, it has been downhill from there. I have constant tinnitus, brain zaps, random crying fits. My apathy has returned a little, I don't feel as energized as I was, of course it is nowhere near as bad as when I was taking the medication. It has been 2 months now, and I realize I messed up in the tapering, but now I am wondering if I should go back on Lexapro and then try tapering longer to try and get some relief from these withdrawal symptoms. Is that a strategy worth trying? How long do you actually need to taper? How do you go about doing it with such a low dosage? I'm sure these answers are out here somewhere, if someone can either link me to them, or just answer I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks so much!

Hi I’m new here hello, I found you by the panorama bbc programme. I have been on flouroxetine for nearly 15 years but every time I come off them I think I’m getting depressed again as my symptoms include brain fog, anxiety, can’t sleep, no appetite, also lack of energy, bad mood. Lots of these symptoms are similar to depression. So because I feel like hell I’m thinking of going back on them to the detriment of my sex life again. But watching this programme made me think is it withdrawal. I have not taken them for a few months has any body else been in this situation. Do i stay off them and see if I feel better one day or just be on them forever thank you

I have been on antidepressants since I was in middle school. I was not informed about withdrawal or tapering until years later, specifically only when I was ill advised to quit cold turkey. I was taking Paroxetine for seven years and stopped around the 16th of March this year. The medicine worked great but I had to gradually increase the dose over time because I felt it was losing effectiveness. At some point, the dose was upped too high, and I experienced a rapid beating heart, weakness, and chest pain. When I went back to the previous dose, the symptoms slowly subsided. I believe this dose was 40mg, although I can't remember for certain, this is just the last pill bottle of Paxil I still have. Since the Paxil was no longer working, my primary physician switched me directly to Celexa 10mg 16th of March). Around the 30th of March, the dose was increased to 20mg. Around the 9th of April, the stomach pain began (constant upper central abdominal pain and full feeling, loss of appetite, early satiety—greasy/fatty foods hurt the most but any food tends to cause discomfort). I assumed the pain came from the increased dose of Celexa, so I went back down to 10mg for a week and then went off of it around the 13th of June and switched to Cymbalta. I only stayed on the Cymbalta for about a week because it had caused my skin to break out with rashes. The stomach pain still persists. I have had several tests that came out normal (endoscopy with biopsies to rule out h.pylori and celiac disease, barium swallow, CT scan, ultrasound). Looking back at the calendar, it was only a little over three weeks of stopping the Paxil did the pain start, so I'm now thinking I am experiencing withdrawals. A lot of members on this site seem to have similar digestive issues. I had been on the Paxil for years and my doctor switched me off of it abruptly. However, I've never experienced brain zaps or other symptoms that I can think of. The only other medication I was on at the time of the stomach issues starting was birth control (Sprintec), however, I do not notice any difference when on the placebo week so I do not think it is the cause. I started it months before the pain began. I tried over the counter nexium for a few weeks but it didn't help. I was then prescribed Famotidine, Pantoprazole, and Sulcralfate which did not help either. I was then prescribed Amitriptyline 25mg. I feel it may have taken the edge off the pain but it didn't do much beyond that. So what I am currently taking now is 40mg Pantoprazole, 25mg Amitriptyline and Sprintec. I would like to stop taking the PPI because I've read that it can make things worse (most people with GERD tend to have low stomach acid) and I don't want to stay on the Amitriptyline because it is another antidepressant I could get dependent on, but I'm afraid of the pain getting beyond unbearable again. I have reinstated 5mg of Paxil starting from the 3rd of this month (July). Although it is hard to say for certain, I believe I may have gotten a tiny bit of relief. I was able to go out for an extended period of time with minimal pain while usually there is constant abdominal pain. The pain can be debilitating and mentally exhausting, causing me to sit around all day when I am not at work. Oddly, the pain is also more noticeable when I am standing rather than sitting. It feels like there's a giant rock weighing down my gut. I will continue to take the 5mg to see if there is any more improvement, and may increase a small amount soon. So far, I haven't gotten any adverse effects from reinstating, but I will remain cautious.

Hi there, I’m AudInSocks. I found this site last week while I was going through a terribly dark time trying to switch medications. I’ve been on Paroxetine consistently for a little over a year (14 months), at 10mg and then the last few months at 20mg. I went to my doctor and asked about ADHD medication because I seem to have a lot of trouble that lines up with that diagnosis. She prescribed me Strattera and said I would have to discontinue paroxetine. Not a word about tapering or discontinuation side effects. I tapered from 20mg to 10 and then 5 and then 0 within 12 days. On the 13th day I stopped altogether and started taking the new medicine the doc had prescribed. The first two days were fine, but on the 3rd day of taking the new med and not taking any paroxetine, I woke up very anxious, heart thumping, and had quite a crying spell before taking a nap and making myself go hang out with friends. Unfortunately, this pattern continued and every day that week I woke up with pounding heart, incredible anxiety, sobbing, nauseous, couldn’t eat, basically at my worst. I thought I could tough it out if it only lasted a few days but all the research I’d done was pretty inconclusive about how long withdrawal from paroxetine will last. Then I found this site and saw all the things saying not to ever slow taper or cold turkey quit this drug. So after 8 days of basically hell, and trying to get in touch with my doctor, I made the educated guess to quit my new med and reinstate paroxetine so I could stabilize. I began on 10mg paroxetine again 3 days ago and already feel the impact. I’ve still been waking up with oppressive anxiety, but can distract myself, and then seem to mellow out in the evening. My plan is to stabilize on 10mg for the next month or so, and then begin a very slow taper like what I’ve read about on here, decreasing by 10% every month. If I can do that with less symptoms than I’ve had this past week, that will be a win. I’ve been on antidepressants on and off for almost 10 years now. I also would really like to have a baby in the next few years, and read about how paroxetine is not exactly safe for pregnancy. Thanks for listening to my story. Would love any input or encouragement you can give

Iv been off pristiq for 3 weeks. Was on 25 mg for 3 months. Prior to that I switched from lexapro 15 mg I was in for 2 years. I am having withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, depression, Brian zaps, and just feeling off. I did a taper off pristiq of 25 mg every other day for a week then stopped. My NP recommended that I could take Prozac 10mg for 2 weeks to lessen withdrawal. Thoughts? experience? Please help! I don’t want to take pristiq anymore because I was already on the lowest dose

Hey there, I'm Anass, and I want to share my personal my story with you. For years 2008 to 2014 , I relied on benzodiazepines to manage my anxiety and sleep issues. Little did I know that the very medication I thought would help me would eventually lead me down a path of unforeseen challenges and severe symptoms. Today, I want to shed light on the rollercoaster ride I've been on, hoping it serves as a cautionary tale for others facing similar struggles. I experienced a range of physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms. Physically, I became dependent on the medication and faced debilitating withdrawal symptoms such as heightened anxiety, restlessness, muscle spasms, headaches, and even seizures. My coordination and motor skills suffered, making everyday tasks a challenge. The medication disrupted my sleep-wake cycle, leaving me fatigued and excessively drowsy during the day. On the cognitive and emotional front, I experienced memory lapses, difficulty concentrating, and a constant mental fog. I also felt emotionally numb, struggling to connect with my own feelings and experiencing frequent mood swings and heightened anxiety. My life with benzodiazepines has been a difficult one. Since I stopped taking benzodiazepines abruptly in 2015, my life has been a living hell. In 2018, my body reached a breaking point, and I ended up in the intensive care unit. I was diagnosed with severe anxiety, and they would give me Valium injections that provided some relief for a few hours. But the worst was yet to come when they injected me with the antidepressant Anafranil, and that's when I slipped into a coma for four days. When I woke up in the ICU, I felt disconnected from my body, experiencing severe mental confusion. However, they dismissed it as anxiety. I will never forget the rapid heartbeats, reaching 198 beats per minute, and they simply brushed it off as fear. Consequently, I was placed in a closed ward at a psychiatric hospital, where I was prescribed Escitalopram, Pregabalin, Xanax, and a sedative antidepressant for sleep. I remained on this medication regimen for two years. It's true that many of my symptoms disappeared, but the depression, anxiety, fatigue, and lack of motivation, along with cognitive impairment and the inability to think or reason, are still present. My psychiatrist decided to discontinue the use of Xanax and switch my antidepressant, but nothing seemed to work. We tried almost every class of antidepressants available, but it only made my symptoms worse. I made the decision to go back to Xanax and gradually taper off Valium over several months, which was successful. However, I haven't been able to stop the antidepressant, even though it causes me extreme pain and severe headaches, especially in the evening. Additionally, I experience derealization, depersonalization, and extreme anxiety that didnt been so intence when using first time antidepressant for 2 years. i guess because my doctor Abruptly is changing antidepressant medications leadme to withdrawal symptoms. I'm glad that you're reading this, and your opinion is very important to me.

Hello! I am a 23 year old female. I have been on 100mg of Zoloft for exactly 2 years now (literally, I'm coming up on my anniversary). A couple weeks ago my roommate bought us some "magic mushrooms" (psilocybin). I have felt insanely frustrated and stuck with my inability to be productive or creative - for years! - so I hoped it would help. I could blame the SSRIs on that but personally there are some other factors for me too. I knew that psilocybin will get blocked by SSRIs so I've had 2 different "trips" where I temporarily went cold turkey for a few days (first was 2 weeks ago it was 8 or 9 days cold turkey, this time around I am on day 5). I've always been very angry at psychiatry for putting me on so many pills from such a young age , but I kind of figured that it wasn't worth it for me to try and go off. The zoloft does help somewhat and honestly, I've researched it before, gone down rabbit-holes and the information I've found made me feel hopeless. It sort of seemed like you'd have chronic problems whether you were on the meds or off of them. I feel so stupid now but honestly, I went off because I kind of just wanted to have a fun psychedelic experience and party. After my first ill-advised "cold turkey" experience I actually felt really great. It wasn't perfect but I was kind of shocked by how nice it was to feel things again. I didn't mind crying easily or getting mild full-body jitters or night sweats. I planned on just toughing it out. My parents are fairly emotionally abusive and stress me out a lot. I hate being around them. On day 9 of withdrawals I was out in public with my mother and snapped at her because I was no longer totally numb to her presence. She was upset (rightfully, although I was kind of just trying to communicate that I wanted space from her and was too sensitized so came on strong) and I let slip that I'd gone off the Zoloft trying to explain myself. She freaked out and began threatening to put me in the psych ward, saying she was going to call my therapist and psychiatrist and tell them that I'm "going off the rails." To put her and my therapist at ease I just went right back to 100mg and was totally fine. My roommate and I had a big event planned (the one we had bought the drugs for in the first place) so last week I did a couple days cold turkey. I barely felt any difference until today. We went out yesterday and had a good time. Now, I just got to my office job this Monday morning and suddenly feel like my head is made of cotton balls and everything is making me want to cry. It hits me: Withdrawals. I wonder what I should do to be safer this time, and kind of am considering a taper process because even amidst withdrawal symptoms I realize that I've been a zombie and not even realized it. so I start going down Internet rabbit holes. I've spent 4 hours now reading forums about how dangerous what I've done is. Now I can't tell what's worse: Going back on the SSRIs or continuing cold turkey...... I am young, broke, I have no college degree, and no close friends with an abusive family. It would NOT be worth it for me to risk the kind of withdrawal that "blows your life up," the tiny amount of independence I've been able to get from my family is so delicate. I'm already constantly terrified of even having something like a physical injury because I would end up unemployed and living with my family again being tortured. I've spent years of my life being "the crazy one," I can't have another breakdown and wind up back under my mother and father's full control. Reading about "kindling" is in particular freaking me out a lot. I'm sitting at my desk absolutely freaking out about how to proceed safely. I am so so sorry if I have broken any of the forum rules but as I said my head is slightly full of cotton balls. I am a bit of a hypochondriac, I know I have made a mistake and I really feel like an idiot, I just want to know how to be safe as I proceed.

Hello Everyone, I am new to this forum and I am excited there is a support network for individuals who are coming off anti-depressants. My story might be a little different. 6 years ago I was put on Fluoxetine for the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Previously, I tried all the various medications, augmentations and different classes with little success. So, my doctor and I decided to try fluoxetine along with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. While the CBT worked, I found fluoxetine to have little or no effect at all when taking 20mg. My doctor upped the dose to 40mg and I still didn't feel much of a different. Regardless, I was going through a stressful time in my life (i left a career overseas and entered a Ph.D program) and decided to stick with the treatment. 6 years later, I left the program in good standing (ABD status) and I am proud of my accomplishments. Now, I am looking for employment and excited for new opportunities. However, my family physician recently left the practice and we got a new family physician. I told him my situation and my symptoms that never seemed to get resolved over the pat 20 years of various treatments. He decided to do a few diagnostic tests and confirmed that I likely have ADHD, as opposed to OCD, based on the symptoms before treatment and after treatment (ones that never got resolved). Thus, I started my journey of treating ADHD with my new doctor. I was told, however, that Fluoxetine interacts with many different medications and that I should discontinue by tapering. It's been two weeks since my last dose of fluoxetine, and some withdrawals are beginning to surface. However, I remain optimistic as I use CBT techniques, monitor my blood pressure twice a day, get regular exercise, and practice mindfulness breathing techniques to help deal with the fight or flight response that may be temporarily more frequent. I also have regular appointments with my family physician to check in and see how I am doing. I say this is a unique scenario because I am now taking ADHD medications which I suspect are likely helping to an extent with the withdrawals. I am not advocating for the use of any of these meds but I wanted to bring them up as they worked for me almost instantly, which was a real eye-opener. However, the problem is that i need to distinguish between symptoms that are caused by one new medication and the symptoms caused by discontinuing fluoxetine. I'd say today I am starting to feel the fluoxetine withdrawal as i've gone through SSRI withdrawals before and some of the symptoms are similar (my brain feels like it's floating). I am here for support regarding fluoxetine discontinuation and look forward to reading posts and interacting with others. Over the past twenty years, I've discontinued many different SSRIs/SNRIs, so I have a lot of experience - mind you, we are all different and react differently. In addition, a couple of years ago my doctor and I decided to taper me off a benzodiazepine extremely slowly (over a course of 8 months). I'd say that was far more challenging for me than tappering off SSRI's. I am glad I am benzo free now! I believe in the neuroplasticity of the brain in that it has the ability to heal and achieve a new homeostasis. I am hoping discontinuing fluoxetine will continue to re-affirm my beliefs. Nice to meet everyone!

I'm 23 years old male studying psilosophy. When I entered college I suffered immensely from anxiety, I had insomnia as a result of it. I took Trazodone 50mg and then 100mg over a period of one year. I stopped 50mg cold turkey due to sexual impotence and a life without joy. I had suicidal thoughts the first month. I am depressed, restless, constant urge to cry, heaviness in my head. The suicidal thoughts returned. I have a huge temptation to go back on Trazodone again but I want a happy life, with sex, with sparkle, with real joy. It seems like it never goes away... It's been 5 months that I'm off trazodone. Has anyone gone through something similar? Is there hope that I will return to normal? I started doing psychodrama and cognitive behavioral therapy. My psychologist thinks it's better for me to endure the suffering and not take anything but I'm DESPERATE!

My first experience with these drugs was back in 2021 with my first psychiatrist. I was put on topiramate and Brintellix. No problem getting off of them when i felt like i needed to. He let me speak for a good hour or more. Spoke to a neurologist in late 2022 because i developed brain heating in response to frustration. He didn't even let me speak at times. Haldol + Neuleptil seemed to work at first but then noticed they were just putting me to sleep. Not the cure i needed. Had 4 days of akathesia after being suggested to drink heavy alcohol while the drug was still circulating ( I thought it didn't because the last cycle before the occurrence i have took the day before ). Went to another psychiatrist, and after a " Careful check " of 5 minutes i was told i'm depressed and i should take Cipralex 20 mg ( 10 drops at first upping the dose by 2 till i reach 20 ), Depakin 250 mg ( 2 envelopes ) and 1 Quetiapine 100 mg for the night. The reasoning was that supposedly Cipralex would make me feel euphoric and Depakin and Quetiapine would have me stabilized. He told me that this stuff doesn't have side effects and it's " Light ". After the first week i felt my depression worsened to a point i never had reached before. Plus i had eye pain, blurred vision, diarrhea, cognitive malfunctions, couldn't think and speak properly, heavy depersonalisation and derealization, feeling like i had a flu, gained weight, ate more, and problems with erections/orgasms. Psychiatrist told me it was my depression coming back. I asked him if those things are supposed to make me feel better why would that be the case and why have i never felt this way prior to the " Medication ". I was left on read. Looked up on internet and started reading about the millions of horror stories related to antidepressants and such. My friend had my same exact symptoms, including the eye pain that was confirmed by my eye doctor to be brought in by the antidepressant ( He asked me if I'm taking them even before i could say anything ). In a week i knew more than he does ( Implying he doesn't know what he's doing, which i heavily doubt ). Since i intuitively knew i was poisoning my body, even before i searched on Google, i let go of his " Trust me "s and tapered off everything in 1 week: Cipralex from 20 drops to 10 for 2 days, then 5 for 2 other days, As for Depakin took 1 envelope in the last 3 days of that week and cut quetiapine completely in the other half of the week. I was told to take Cipralex at 2pm, Depakin at 8pm and Quetiapine at 10pm. In total, i took 3 weeks and a half of everything, including taper, more or less. The first week was more or less fine. However, the withdrawal symptoms started to kick in after then. Astonishingly high levels of depression, nightmares in which i would feel extremely depressed ( Didn't even know something like that could happen, aswell as such levels of depression ), stopped sleeping, would have 5 minutes of half a sleep and wake up panicky, and quickly developed into high anxiety/arousal. Can't feel emotions like i did, hardly can laugh and everything, i'm more uninhibited because i'm searching for those chemicals i lost and can't find them, and when i try and remember something or something really emotional hits me i can barely cry and the rest of the feeling mutates into yet another panicky feeling. I just know this is farmacological as much as i knew akathesia was. I'm starting to develop some tremors, too. Several important occasions were ruined for me because i was either too ill to go or i would get almost a panic attack because i wanted to go home, where i had no rest anyway. I'm smoking 10 to 15 cigs a day just to try and feel something/calm the anxiety with not so good results, and i was never a heavy smoker. I went there for my akathesia and he told me if i didn't take my new cure i would still have akathesia, which i strongly doubt. I feel like akathesia is next door again now, really, because i stared pacing again, not at that level, for now. I spoke with the psychiatrist again and i told him all about this. He said it's all about me and what i had prior to the medication, didn't really make sense through the whole thing and could hardly hear what he was hastily saying, didn't seem to know what ssri means and he told me that " SSRIs boost serotonin ", which is not true, even implying depression has anything to do with serotonin and it's about a chemical imbalance which actually seems like these things gave me. I basically told him he should work on his ego and that he doesn't know anything about what he prescribes and he's comparable to an angel of death. He told me there is no such thing as withdrawal, you can't get hooked on antidepressants, avoided the " Why am i getting worse if that's my depression " question. He admitted to have given me a horse dosage/cure. He says this stuff doesn't change anything in the brain even tho the meaning of ssri literally points to the opposite direction of that claim. I also asked him if they don't change anything what's the point of taking them in the long run. Again, no answer. He said i'm going against " Science " ( More like a cult ). I also have him recorded. Max i could do was review him 1 star and possibly sue him. Anyway, i didn't tell him i already tapered off, and he gave me a 2 week taper, obviously. All of this got so bad i got suicidal thoughts and i had to take quetiapine again, and that's all i take, after trying xan for 2 days and it was doing nothing except giving me itches, had no trouble stopping it fortunately. Still feeling bad and nothing like before the cycle. Still can hardly concentrate and everything. Everything still overwhelms me sensory wise but i have little to no emotions. Got a little bit of cognition back again. I developed hard tinnitus. I had a dream in which i felt the dissociation it gives me. I'm taking it one before bed and one or two throughout the day, split. Its sleeping effects are fading and i'm having windows and waves. I'm feeling new bad sensations everyday but quetiapine keeps me from getting too low, for now. It seems like my body is asking for more except when in windows, in which i feel empty but a bit more chill. What do i do ? What's happening ? Is it the deadly cocktail that was given to me and i tapered off too quickly ? What am i withdrawing from ? Is it the haldol + neuleptil even ? Should i go back to antidepressants ? I have no intention to take any other neurotoxin whatsoever. Only taking quetiapine makes everything seem flat but i don't wanna take antidepressants that make me more depressed again.

Hi all, I have been on Zoloft for nearly 7 years before coming off of it a couple of months ago. I wasn't feeling good but it was manageable until recently when I had experienced something on the verge of a panic attack, but never quite close to it that lasted more than 12 hours before subsiding and have not been the same since then. Have been feeling especially worse in the mornings and dread having to go to sleep in fear of what is to come and have started getting interrupted sleep along with very frequent urination and overwhelming fatigue. Anything is now too stimulating and I am worried it may be related to some other condition but after researching it it seems like this may be PAWS. Going to talk with my psychiatrist about it and how to deal with it and although the pain was unbearable two weeks ago, things have begun to "stabilize" so to speak in that I am not nearly completely bed bound and can do some activities without crashing. However, when anxiety and stress is bad, it is very bad, trying to avoid it as much as possible. Feeling hopeful now but when in that state, usually in the morning or when very stressed, things become very dark to the point of considering suicide. This was what really concerned me. Have heard of some people reintroducing a small dose back to help stabilize but even now still skeptical of trying it. Just would like to have some level of normalcy back, as I think anyone would here. Thank you.

I have been on antidepressants on and off since I was 16 years old. I am now 46. I was on Lexapro, 20 mg recently. Started in December 2016 after dealing with postpartum depression with my youngest. I recently decided to wean off, under care of a psychiatrist. He told me to decrease my dosage to 10 MG for a week and then take 10 MG every other day the second week and then quit all together. The last pill I took was on February 14, 2023. I felt my withdrawal was WAY too fast. It was HELL. I experienced all of the physical symptoms - flu like, brain zaps, etc. but have been feeling the emotional symptoms for quite some time. I am VERY irritable and quick to anger and feeling intense emotions. I am not sure if this is still withdrawal symptoms or if I am relapsing. I have family members close to me that always have been very irritable so it just may be my disposition and I may need medication to help with this. I decided to stop taking my meds cause I wanted to see how I felt and what was my actual baseline at this point in my life. I am struggling. I don't know if I should keep going without my medicine or start it back up.

Hi, I am 29 y.o. guy with a total history of about 6 yrs medication on and off. I started taking Sertraline and had two attemps to quit which was diagnosed as relapses. I had no idea about a thing called withdrawals until the 2nd week of my last reinstatement which was in a high dose excceded to 100 after 25 then 50 then 75 within some days. Which I believe resulted in bad reactions and kindling as my insomnia got worse, I had back pain, induced anxiety and many other issues. The sleep problem never went away even during the third use. Every two times, I reinstated I had a bad pain in back of my head left side down to my neck for some reason as well. I was desperately looking for help to taper down and as I recently moved to Finland I was switching between doctors. One of them told me that theh don't say people about withdrawals and since I am sensitive let's taper in 12 weeks which I did. But I was feeling ok just sleeping problems while quitting, a few weeks later I became like a zombie which lasted till now more or less. I developed new symptoms and mostly having severe cognitive issues and problem with learning. I said to myself this will pass and months has gone by. But I'm a PhD student here and I live alone. I can't do my work and I'm worried sick. Sorry if my English is not good, I hope you got my point. I'm going on a part time sick leave for 3 months but I think this would last long. Since it's been a few months since I came off I'm not sure if it's a good idea to reinstate or not. I have a red mark in my belly and also rash and eczema in my lower lip area since last year on and off almost every which might indicate an adverse reaction of drug or withdrawal symptom. I have a persistent sleeping issue which didn't subside much during third round of medication, the only difference was I could sleep for a few hrs. I used to take my pill in laste evenings but third I was taking it in the morning because of sleeping issue, taht was the only change I made. I was feeling weird thing happeing in my head like releasing some substances for sometime while going on them last time which was weird. All of these makes me worried because I don't want to loose my job and I'm worried if I don't try reinstatement if that could relieve some symptoms, new symptoms may arrive. I never quit cold turkey but always in a months but linearly and not properly. Last time, I guess I came off even faster than two other times. Currently, I have severe insomnia, vision problems, hypersensitivity to sound, hot flushing, burning sensations, nerve pains, wired sensations not painful though on my head (especially that part that was in pain while reinstating each time), feeling of my skull is expanding or maybe its some inflammation, genital numbness, eczema, anxiety, feeling slowminded and kinda retarded, awful memory, unable to write and think clearly, bloated bowl and sometimes anxiety and feeling stressed out. They come and go. I used to have bad nightmares too. What do you suggest? I am worried that my situation doesn't subside before I have a chance to pass my midterm review and later complete my phd. I need to be able to settle down otherwise everything would go for worst and I would end up crashing and coming back to my home country which is not a perfect place to live. Does every reinstatement certainly means expriencing more severe withdrawals while tapering or it depends on how one tapers? I am worried that I'm too hypersensitive or damaged because of the last round of medication that I would exprience more horror if I don't do things wisely whether it's by doing nothing or small reinstatement. Thank you.

Hello! I am wondering whether it would be recommended for me to reinstate at a low dose or to wait it out given my withdrawal symptoms and timeline, detailed below. I started Zoloft 25mg in July 2021 and tapered up to 100mg over about 6 months. I started tapering off in Feb of this year from 100mg to 75mg to 50mg over 1-2 weeks at each dose without any really noticeable side effects at the time. However, I got a migraine and decided to stay on 50mg for a few weeks. Last week I went down to 25mg for a week, then every other day for a few days. I stopped this past Saturday, 3/25/23, and I have been experiencing withdrawal symptoms including, mild/moderate dizziness (able to walk/function but feeling disoriented) mild ringing in ears, and brain fog. I initially didn’t realize the symptoms were from stopping the med because I have other health issues and I wasn’t informed about those potential side effects. I thought it was fine given that I wasn’t having any mood/anxiety symptoms. I have already been taking magnesium and fish oil, as well as other supplements for my autoimmune condition. Yesterday was definitely the worst (which is what lead me figure out it was withdrawal sx) and I’m feeling a bit better today but unsure how things will continue. Given this information, does it seem wise to reinstate at a low dose (if so, what dose makes sense?) and do a slower taper, or wait it out and just focus on taking care of myself? Any other suggestions of things to do or avoid are also welcomed. Thank you!