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Hi everyone, I'm new here but have used other sites trying to fathom out why I feel the way I do, trying to make sense of it all. I started taking 10 mg citalopram about 10 years ago when I suddenly started to get mild anxiety symptoms and they worked well for me. A couple of years ago I decided to come off them, I tried cold turkey which was a stupid idea and quickly went back on 10mgs. Next I tried halving my tablet but that didn't work either so I went back on 10mg. A year ago I decided on a slower approach and reduced down to 7.5 mgs. Two months later I reduced to 5mg, probably too soon in retrospect and here I am 10 months later still getting withdrawal symptoms. My symptoms seem to come and go, sometimes in phases. The head zaps are not so severe now, I just get the occasional one. Night sweats have stopped and so have the horrific nightmarish dreams. I still get strange dreams but not the horror ones. I never had nausea until recently. I get dizzy feelings, head dropping sensations, sometimes balance issues, digestive issues, aches and pains, flu like symptoms, headaches neck and shoulder stiffness, ear fulness, tinnirtus dry mouth, anxiety, crying spells, the list goes on. I am 58, retired from my office job, married with one grown up independent daughter who has her own home. My husband has his own health issues but he just gets on with things. I sometimes struggle to make him see how and why I feel the way I do when I don"t understand myself. I get gum infections which may or may not be caused by citalopram but antibiotics and citalopram don't mix well and after a course my anxiety seems to flare up. Lockdown hasn't helped and I believe my symptoms have worsened since the start of it. I don't know what to do for the best, whether to increase or try another antidepressant or come off all together. Could the reduced dose, which I achieve by using a pill cutter and they are not precise, be prolonging my symptoms, I could be 1 mg out either way? Thanks for reading.Regards.

Hi, Unfortunately i think I have kindled. A few months ago I got down to 10g very quickly from 20mg P I have been on it for 25 years) and my old Gp told me to miss every other day which I did for about a week but felt unwell and went back on. 7 weeks ago I ended up in hospital for another reason and decided to up to 20mg 3 weeks ago when I was in hospital again (all before I joined this group). I now have been crippled by extreme symptoms especially over night that include a few hours of dosing then woken up with tingling down my back arms, head pain, thumping heart and nausea and the I dose again and it wakes me up again. I don’t really sleep and first thing in the morning I have nausea and debilitating anxiety that turns me into crying mess only being helped by an anti anxiety drug in the morning (which frightens me) It hasn’t helped with the nighttime symptoms. I dread going to bed I feel I am being tortured and do not know where to turn. Do I keep with the 20mg to stabilise and hope things settle. My new GP wanted me to taper right off over two weeks and add another one as I do it but I said no. My poor husband is trying to help me but ends up in tears seeing how I am suffering. Please can someone tell me it will get better. Knoingwhat know now I tapered down to 10mg to quickly, missed doses and instated far to high.Thank you

I took Lexapro 20 mg last year for the first time ever for situational depression and it helped. But in June 2023 I missed 3+ doses and immediately withdrawal set in. As I wanted to just get off this, at the recommendation of my psychiatrist I jumped down to 10 mg to start the taper. Terrible OCD thoughts set in and in desperation I jumped to 20, then stupidly 30, but things just got worse. I have finally landed at 10 mg and have been holding until I stabilize, 10 weeks now, as my central nervous system was very much destabilized by all of this switching doses rapidly. I had akathisia, serotonin overload, jerking of my arms and legs, hypersensitive hearing and blurry vision for about 2 weeks each. At this dose over the last 10 weeks, though, all of that has improved and stopped, which leads me to believe that I am doing the right thing by just trying to stabilize. The intrusive thoughts have been the worst part that just won't quit, and the constant shameful thoughts, me wondering "What have I done wrong, will this ever get better, will I ever be myself again?" are constant. I look for counsel from other members here who have gone through a similar thing and asking for affirmation that I am doing the right thing by holding. Tapering off is my absolute goal, but I have read enough here that I understand I need to not even begin to think about that until I have been stabilized for a good while. Thankfully, I have a very supportive family in all of this. Any comments and advice are appreciated.

Hi everyone! So glad I found this forum, seems like you have lots of experiences with different situations like this, so I hope my post follows your guidance. If not, I'm willing to correct it. I've been a casual psychiatric patient dealing with officially diagnosed schizoaffective personality disorder, major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder since 10.2020 when I had to leave my job because of anxiety pushing me into insane reaction. Since then my doctor tried many drugs on me until I finally settled on just 150mg bupropion in 2023. I'm on levothyroxine as well (Hashimoto disease) which I take everyday (25mg) so it was just two tablets a day. 12.12.2023 was when I stopped taking bupropion because there was a deficit in my town. Had no bad effects of it. On 16.12.2023 when I had new box of Welbox I accidently took two tablets (100mg) of the sertraline I had since my first psychiatric visit (still it was stored in dark shelf and expiry date says 02/2024) instead of levothyroxine and bupropion. I was scared and unsure what to do, so I just took levothyroxine and decided not to take anything for a while. I called my doctor and she said I'll be fine (she was being pretty ignorant of that, just wondered where did I get sertraline from), but that evening I had a very anxious reaction for a moment. I ignored that and moved on with everything. In the morning I felt really bad and in the evening I got some terrible symptoms. Since then I felt "broken". Nothing has been improving, so I visited my doctor. She said I have bupropion withdrawal symptoms since I haven't been taking it and prescribed buspirone along with it. 18.12 I took that 150mg of bupropion during afternoon. Next day I had buspirone finally bought (deficient in my town as well), so 19; 20. & 21. I've been on 150mg bupropion and 5mg buspirone. The problem was getting worse. I felt my brain was so overloaded with chemicals I couldn't bear it. Hot flushes, head in the grip, some sort of odd sensation I called "brain screams" because it was like head being past its tolerance of everything and nausea. Incredible suffering with things improving very slowly as I stopped taking any meds besides levothyroxine since then. It was so unbearable that I had no relief besides maybe a little from sitting in coldest room and sleeping a lot. I found this forum this year and decided to implement some strategies. I had to be very delicate with myself, not leaving house, not moving head when it hurt. My doctor supported my decision of ditching out any med for now, but she says she wants me to visit her... except I'm not capable of doing I now. Some of the symptoms improved, mainly temperature sensitivity is gone, headaches mostly gone and brain doesn't feel "overchemicalized" anymore. I thought I learnt to control it around 18.01 when I entered a classic two good days - one low mood, prone to overreacting to negativity day, but suddenly I had a similair attack from my body at 22.01 when I felt like losing balance, "drunk person way of seeing", incredibly bad sensations that my brain produced and it turned into severe panic attack. Then I had a nightmare of never recovering and my heart was pounding at night. After a few, absolutely horrible days I suddenly got a lot better. I felt as if my brain parted in two and as I "stayed" on the light side of it I felt decent, but when I start worrying or panic I enter the dark side of it that I can't control. After two days I had another regular low mood, vulnerable day, but I made through it. Sadly, the next day was absolute horror with my body forcing panic attacks on me almost like diarrhea forces you to run to toilet. I somehow broke through that without panicking, but next day was some unbearable sensations coming from the brain: as if it was overloading, like I was losing balance, having some mental mania or something, as if I was drowning in the whole ground. I couldn't stand it at all and forced sleep (which was difficult as the sensations kept waking me up and I only felt asleep like 3 hours later), but next day was some serious nausea and going mad. Beyond my pain tolerance. Last two days I feel better physically, this is when I lost my headaches and my sight restored to normal, but I feel like something is about to happen. I'm so dread of similair attacks happening again that I can't distract myself. Very clingy to people, cannot feel safe, worries about everything, overall I don't feel myself. I'm utterly hopeless for most days. Today marks 7 weeks since that reaction to sertraline and I'm just too tired to carry this on. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Any guidance or support is welcomed as well!

Hi, I’ve taken zoloft 50mg 14 years non-stop. Later years felt numbed, disinterest, vision problems, inner shakes, burning weird headache etc. First doctor wanted to increase dose but I felt so bad we stopped it. Later on decreased dose with 12,5mg. In few days had symptoms and got advised to go back to 50mg - adverse effect and became worse. Muscle twitching, heart palpitations, aggression, intensive suicide thoughts, burning in head felt like electricity. Went to clinic first time. They said stress. Then another doctor said it could be serotonin syndrome or akathisia. Months went by with severe side effects. Difficult position having side effects from taken zoloft but also from reducing it. Went into clinic to get help to reduce. 25mg cut ”your on observation”. The fifth day I didnt get anything and said - Stop, you cannot do this in five days!!? 50mg to zero 😕. I left. Was told by doctor ”you can't go back now because then you'll get really sick”. Its 10 weeks since cut from 50 to 25. At first felt ”ok” but third week came most of the hard WD. Mostly in bed for weeks: weekness, extreme fatigue, cognitive memory, difficulties to walk, palpitations, buzzing electric sensations with headache, pain in body neck shoulders, blurred weird vision diziness disoriented. Few times also feeling little more presence than zombie-feeling. But it feels like senses are overwhelmed to take in impressions. Been taking Zoloft for so long I don’t know how it is without. Think Im breaking down Zoloft slowly and sensitive but haven’t checked it out. Right now my worst WD is severe headache in different places, pressure in head, eyes down my neck and in general feel week and lost. Some days been unbearable. Brainfog, cognitive (to write this). No energy, electric buzzing head, achy, stiffness, feeling behind and sensitive to noise and light. Tried few walks but body mostly says No. I know it's a too big reduction but was hoping. Had severe side effects and heard that the last 25mg is the hardest, would do it very slowly. Worried that maybe WD will be delayed and could be worse... Is it common for Zoloft (short half-life)? Thinking about long time effects and if I made a to big cut for the system. Also worried how tough 25mg reducing is for my heart, female 50 year. Could it be dangerous? Its 10 weeks since cut, is it even possible to reinstate and how small amount? I dont know…trying to hold on, wait, and just feels good to be here…

Hi I was prescribed Paroxetine and Lexapro for over 10 years for my depression and anxiety. Tbh I was prescribed an array of medications by my first doctor who seemed hell bent on throwing them at me like tic tacs. After still having suicidal idealtion, endless crying spells, depression and anxiety another medication was added to the growing list...Zoloft. I had a severe reaction and had to stop it in a day. It traumatised me so much, I didn't resume my Lexapro medication. I went on with my life and for the first month I was fine and didn't really notice the absence of Lexapro in my life. But then I was struck down with anxiety and depression and tried to go back on my 5mg of Lexapro but got an allergic reaction from being off them for a month. I have been put on St. John's Wort and I'm trying to hold on but I'm losing all hope as I see my life collapse before my eyes. I'm physically getting worse and feel so physically weak and nauseated. I have brain zaps and tingles. I can't eat or exercise and feel that my life is over. It's absolutely terrifying. I fear becoming homeless because I need a job and money for essentials. I miss the person I used to be and never felt so alone in my life. There's no one that seems to understand and no support network in Australia. I know I didn't taper slowly enough and it would of been wise to do it slower. But unfortunately I tried to restart using Lexapro and had severe allergic reactions. We also don't have it in liquid form in Australia for a 10 percent tapering reduction. I now live all alone with no partner or support network. I'm 49 years old and feel that my life is over. Living with no hope, physical and mental symptoms, suicidal idealation, loneliness and despair coupled with financial stress makes me feel as though I just can't make it through this. I'm starting to lose all hope.

Not sure what to write…. I tried an unsuccessful tapering around 4 years ago, 2020, I was 60, crashed so badly, reinstated again, built my life up again. After some research I tried again tapering off last year 2023, did the tapering twice as long, over 6 months, not much information out there for getting off meds…. So wish I had this site then, did not know the tapering should be so slow!! Anyways, serious withdrawal symptoms that have destroyed my life again, now I live with horrible anxiety, physical pain, stomach issues, and mental anguish! Lost my whole lifestyle….I question daily “why did I do this to myself? Why am I putting myself through this suffering? On the Meds, my life wasn’t so bad, not like what some of you have. Yes, I slept 12 to 15 hours a day, mental fog, emotional numbness, but I had the strength to live, hobbies, reasons to be. now I’m just so lost…. There are days when I think I should reinstate but from reading here I’m afraid of different symptoms. I have been drug free 6 months,…. Something stops me from going back on…. Like if I do then this last year of suffering will be for nothing…. reading stories here is scary for me cause I didn’t know it would take so long for my brain, body, mind to heal. But it also the most real truthful place I found. I do a lot of daily walking, deep breathing, listening to healing videos, it is helping some…. But I have no meaning, no value in living, the real world outside of my home scares me, I feel like I don’t belong anymore. Now I live in an environment that I dislike immensely, which makes it even harder to build from. anyways, that’s it for now…. Now how to add the signature part of med history…

Hello dear wonderful forum of SA ❤️ My name is Ana (and English is not my first language ) , my story about ADs has been a long one. I have been on and off them for many years ,starting 14 years old (now 32) when I took them for 2-3 days and due to side effects I didn’t take them anymore. Years later after my intrusive thoughts and scary ones emerged, I took ADs for a couple of months and dropped them. And after some years later I took them for a year and dropped them (Circa 2016-2017) I have been on different ones: Escitalopram , Zoloft and others I cannot remember. In 2022 after 4 years of battling my anxiety ( anxiety non stop, headaches, racing thoughts, vomiting, neck, head and terrible body pain at the point that I barely could stand up. Which may have been caused because of me experimenting with my on/off drug use ) I decided to try another psychiatrist. She prescribed me Abilify 10mg explaining that I was resisting the ADs and needed something else(poor me for believing this) I cannot explain how I survived the beginning of taking this drug. I stayed on it for 1.5 year and my anxiety still continued(no improvement whatsoever). Me and my psychiatrist decided to add Zoloft so maybe I could feel better. After a year and a half on Abilify I decided to drop it and went from 10 to 5 and from 5 to 2.5. Then cut it off at the end of November 2023. I had terrible Withdrawal symptoms but also had a little sparkle of determination and hope that I will survive it(this was my 4th attempt). I survived somehow. At the end of December I decided to cut Zoloft from 50 to 25mg (bad mistake, don't do it please) and ended in a terrible situation. Then went back to 50mg in January 2024. I have decided that I should try the 10% method. My question is when should I start ? How should I cut the doses? (in my country no liquid is available). Should I buy a scale and a pill cutter? Please help to start my safe (hopefully) withdrawal. Right now my symptoms are: Fatigue, brain fog, memory problems, allergy like symptoms : watery eyes, overwhelmed easily, anhedonia, depression, anxiety but not at big levels (after cutting off Abilify anxiety has really improved). At the moment I am trying to stay on track with a healthy diet( mostly I cook by myself healthy meals). I try and walk every 2-3 days a week and do 10-15 minutes of stretching/exercises every day. I am trying to add prayers to my daily routine but don't know how to do it ( I believe that a greater force has kept me alive so far and thus I need to create a connection with that) I have a full time job and don't know how I have managed but I still do work these 6 past years have been a nightmare and I don't really know how I have been able to work, I am married and have a 3.5 year old daughter ( she is my light ❤️ and mostly I am doing this because of her because I don't want her to be without a mother and I really do want to come to the other side ). Being a mother during this time of my life has been exhausting to say the least but I still have tried to keep a smile in front of my lovely daughter. My family is very supportive and they really have helped me be alive so far and for this I am really grateful. What has also kept me alive so far is the thought that I was not born like this and I clearly remember how I was such an active person, very alive and creative one. I am crying while writing this and am so sorry we all have to go through this season. Today I join this wonderful forum which I found after so many years of questions and no answers. I found my people ❤️ Note: Today's my father heavenly birthday (68 years) and I am really happy to join in a remarkable day to this remarkable site ❤️

Hi, I started reducing my 10 mg of prozac on 1/1. My doctor recommended going down to 7.5 mg. I have been taking it consistently in the evening to no initial side effects for the first week, but today (about 8 days in) I am feeling the effects of the taper. Was 7.5 too much, too fast? Should I go back up to 10 mg and then wait for it to level out and then reduce it by 10% (per the guidance here)? Thanks all, Erin

Hello everybody, I have a bit of a history with depression. It seems largely situational for me, I have a history of being abused and having low self-esteem. I have also been through homelessness and transitioning at the same time, which did a number on my mental health. It was at that time that I was prescribed my first antidepressant, paroxetine. I quit it cold-turkey after one month because it seemed inefficient -- all it was doing was numbing my emotions but I still felt like ****. At the same time, helping me gain stable housing would have been way more helpful than throwing pills at me, but all they had to offer was "apply for social housing and maaaaaaaaaybe receive an apartment after waiting for 10 years". I'm not even exaggerating, this is the situation of social housing in my country. I eventually managed to get to a more stable situation, but depression was still around, so I have a bit of a history of trying different things. In December 2020 and January 2021, I was prescribed vortioxetine, and it wasn't particularly effective, so I ended up quitting that cold turkey too. Later, throughout February-March 2021, I was prescribed fluoxetine. After a while, it started causing me insomnia, so I got scared and quit it cold-turkey, again. Throughout 2021-2022, I also tried edibles and psychedelics. I was taking edibles once a week, sometimes twice. At first I found that they helped keep depression at bay, but after a while it was less effective. Retrospectively I think it might also have made things worse by causing or worsening some imbalance. I took a break of one month in April 2022 and it was pretty ugly: bouts of insomnia, intense depression, and so on. In October 2022, I tried vortioxetine again, but it immediately gave me insomnia. In retrospect I think this is a sign that my brain was destabilized or sensitivized in some way, because the first time I tried vortioxetine it didn't give me any insomnia. In November 2022, following a particularly bad depressive crisis, I wanted to try antidepressants again, and was prescribed venlafaxine. I had to get through 40+ days of insomnia when I started it. Regardless, I felt that it had immediate efficacy, which might be another sign I was dealing with some form of imbalance at that moment? Regardless, venlafaxine greatly helped me in that it gave me time and space to pursue therapy and work on some of my problems. In March 2023 I was diagnosed with ADHD and started Ritalin, hoping it could help me. It felt pretty efficient at first -- I was happy, full of energy, and it was a lot easier for me to start tasks and complete them. However, in the end, it didn't bode well with venlafaxine. I reached doses of 30mg/day Ritalin, 112.5mg/day venlafaxine, and the combo gave me pretty sh*tty side effects -- sensitivity to light, tiredness, headache, absurdly dry mouth -- without helping with ADHD at all. I quit Ritalin and the side effects mostly subsided. Following this, I wanted to quit venlafaxine to see how ADHD meds alone would work out. My reasoning is that dealing with ADHD may work better for depression since it would make it easier for me to undertake beneficial life changes, rather than just going to work and getting back home and not doing much. So after 10 months of venlafaxine, I tapered off from August to September, from 112.5mg to 0mg. It was a quick taper, but at the time it seemed to be okay for me. When I made the jump to zero, I felt a bit weird and sensitive for a couple weeks, and had very mild brain zaps. The physical withdrawals had been very mild compared to what I was expecting, so I thought I'd made it. I later tried ADHD meds again, but they didn't seem to work well. Ritalin did work at first, albeit not as strong as when I was on venlafaxine. But after a while, it lost efficacy and seemed to make me feel sad, so with my psychiatrist we decided not to try higher doses. I tried Concerta and it was similar, albeit shorter lived. Throughout October and November 2023 I had periods of anhedonia and dull sadness, which started worrying me. Later I was feeling depressed too, probably didn't help that I was starting to get sick of my job. I also feel that, looking back on 2023, the antidepressant did help me feel better but I felt largely content with a life situation that doesn't suit me well. In December, I was feeling better when I took vacation time and visited my parents -- until I started feeling depressed again for no apparent reason. I also experienced some sleep trouble and insomnia at that time. January 2024 was kinda rough. I think protracted withdrawals and work-related stress combined into something quite bad. But at the time I didn't think protracted withdrawals could be something lasting for so long. Feeling desperate, and afraid of the work situation, I tried going back on venlafaxine. But it felt wrong -- it immediately made me feel quite anxious and tripped out. When I started it in November 2022 it didn't feel this way, and I'm normally not a very anxious person. It felt like my brain was overly sensitive and I was adding fuel to the fire, so I quit after 5 days of venlafaxine. I went back to work and saw my mood decline throughout the week, had a breakdown the next Monday. I'm now on medical leave, again. I feel some guilt about it. I'm in the process of quitting my job -- I want to take some time to rest before going for another, hopefully better job. I'm a bit afraid though. I'm probably still going through protracted withdrawals, but I'm concerned about depression returning too. I'm concerned that the 5-day reinstatement attempt may have worsened things. For now my idea is to avoid all psychoactive drugs until my brain is stabilized, but if anyone here has suggestions about this, I'm all ears.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, I am a 62 year old man with Ankylosing Spondylitis that was diagnosed 40 years ago. This systemic autoimmune disease made life quite difficult. And it began with going from being a decently talented Track & Field athlete, to not being able to walk very well. Along with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), I had a spondylolisthesis, which led to temporary paralysis a couple times. While my doctors told me I needed a double fusion back operation, I was terrified of such a surgery, and put it off until the second time I lost the feel of my legs. I then went in for surgery the very next week! After the surgery I thought I would just take off and be back to sports. But I struggled another few years until they found I had AS. Dealing with sciatica for years prior to the surgery, and after the surgery, I had to use anti-inflammatories, and muscle relaxants to get through the really difficult times. Aside from the anti-inflammatories though, I never really took any drugs for long. I had to take steroids for inflammation many times, but they were short lived dosages. But around 2002, a doctor prescribed amitriptyline for nerve pain, and strange, severe muscle cramps I would get during sleep. I ended up taking that drug on an off from that point up until three months ago, when I did a very short three week taper from 50 to 25 to 12.5 to stopping. And for the first time I had many side effects that I don't recall experiencing any time in the past when I stopped the drug for awhile. Even three years ago when I stopped it, it wasn't bad at all, and I never even concluded anxiety could be from amitriptyline. I truly thought it was the safest drug ever! And if I am honest, I had forgotten it was an antidepressant drug being used off-label for so many things. Since Ankylosing Spondylitis is systemic with inflammation, I ended up with blocked arteries, kidney issues, and hypothyroidism. I had to take beta blockers the past 6 years, along with some other heart medications, and a thyroid medication. I went on a strict whole food plant based diet 8 months ago, and have since stopped all medications except the thyroid medication. I stopped the beta blocker Atenolol 4 months ago (and my blood pressure and heart rate has been amazing), and quit the Amitriptyline completely almost 3 months ago. I went from feeling very clear minded, serene, and proud of my strict diet accomplishments, to feeling odd heart fluttering (maybe palpitations), anxiety, panic attacks, hypersensitivity in these cuts on my hands that get during the dry, cold winters here, and waking insomnia (I would fall asleep but wake up restless, worried, etc.). This all started a few days after I stopped taking the amitriptyline completely nearly 3 months ago. I didn't expect the amitriptyline to cause this. But I noticed when I began taking metoprolol 6 years ago, that I angered quickly, became impatient, and things began to feel harder and harder to do. With AS, I am fused in much of my spine making simple movements difficult; which of course makes life filled with daily pain already. But I thought the beta blocker metoprolol was the reason for it all, and tried changing over to other drugs (I only had two drug class options due to my blocked arteries). Only when I was able to change from a lipid beta blocker to the water based atenolol did it improve a bit. But it only improved somewhat. I learned that amitriptyline was so good at getting past the blood brain barrier that it was often used with other drugs designed to heal brain issues (because most drugs were not able to get past the blood brain barrier). I then began to think that the amitriptyline was escorting all the beta blockers I had been taking and perhaps acting as a potentiator, augmenting the different side effects I had (hallucinations, nightmares, numb hands and fingers, eye issues). It wasn't till I got off the beta blockers completely that it seemed amitriptyline may have been behind all the difficulties over the last 6 years. Sorry for the lengthy story. I just wanted to share that while life with AS is difficult, I was never into any type of drugs. I had problems with drinking beer at times of my life, but always managed to stop that. And I only had alcohol once during the past several months during a horrible panic attack! I don't wish to take anything to get through this, unless someone thinks that starting amitriptyline again to taper slowly is a plausible course of action?? I would rather not though. I just wanted to know what others taking amitriptyline thought about all of this. I can already understand that there is no definitive time frame for discontinuation syndrome, or protracted withdrawal. I can only recall stopping the 50mg amtriptyline back in 2020 after having Covid (stopped for about 4 months without much of an issue). I did take 100mg a couple times after a new blood pressure medications terrified me after a single dose I went through several trying to reduce the horrid side effects, and used amitriptyline just to calm myself and get through that night. Other than that, it was always 50mg. Thanks again for taking the time! WestOn4th

Hi I hope that someone will be able to give me some kind of hope. I have been tapering from 20mg of Prozac and am now down to 4mg (for the last two months) but the side effects have been awful - mainly chronic fatigue, terror attacks, anxiety and generally feeling like I have the start or end of flu. Should I stay on the 4mg until this subsides? I was also on Venlafaxine 75mg (until about a year ago - but my GP withdrew me from this in a matter of weeks) so I'm not really sure if the symptoms are also due to this too.

Hi Everyone! I’m so glad I found this forum. I hope it’s the right one for me. I came here because an antidepressant was the start of my problems. Also, I have been unable to find a forum just for people trying to get off mood stabilizers. I was put on 10 mg of Lexapro at age 36 during a moderate depression in 2004. Before long, I was told that I had a “mood disorder NOS” and 600mg lithium was added in. Eventually, I was told I had Bipolar 2 Disorder, dropped Lexapro, and 100mg Lamictal was added. I think it’s very odd to be diagnosed with BD2 at age 41. I happened across videos by a lovely man, Dr Peter Breggin. Before long, I showed them to my husband. We both knew that we had to get his book and get me off these toxins! My psychiatrist reluctantly agreed to go along with us. He called Dr Breggin an “outlier”. My taper began March 11, 2020. I took my last pills on May 14, 2020. I had a very uncomfortable week in the middle of April, but otherwise was holding it together pretty well. About two weeks after I took my last pills, I began to have more symptoms. I haven’t had a normal day since. It’s been about three weeks of ups and downs. I’m waiting for “normal“ to come back. I have had these symptoms: -hypomania in the form of over-talkativeness, scattered energy, and insomnia -anxiety, frequent but fleeting panic attacks -depression symptoms that affect the body, such as tiredness, low motivation, sensitivity to lack of sun. I have not felt the hopelessness or despair I had when I was diagnosed with depression in 2004. -I have light headaches when I feel depression symptoms. -I have heard a “buzzing” in my head, only for one day though. -I struggle to drive further than my local small grocery store. I fear highways. It’s almost as if I’m a student driver. I’ve gotten mixed up a few times. (I’ve driven for 32 years with a good record.) I hope to gain some helpful information here and I hope I can help others. I feel rather alone, knowing nobody else in person who has gone through this. Sometimes my family doesn’t seem to really get what’s going on with me, though I try to explain again and again. My husband is a treasure! He was the one who adjusted my meds for me and filled the boxes every Tuesday night. May God bless him for it! He is the wind beneath my wings. ❤️

Hey guys, I've been on Escilatopram/ Lexapro for 17 years and I went from 20mg to 15mg with not much fuss. I stayed there for around 8 months coz I kept missing appointments with my psychiatrist. In those months, I started taking Omega 3, Lion's Mane and I'm on Probiotics and Magnesium anyway. I also started going to the gym 3 times a week. If making exercise a habit is a mystery to you, read this amazing book https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits. It might be important to note that I've been on an intense healing journey for 4 years. I've done lots of talk therapy(covered), breathwork(not covered), subconscious therapy(not covered), somatic massage(not covered), and done lots of reading on the nervous system, anger, etc. All of this built my self-awareness, so I know my limits a bit better. Then I went down to 10mg with liquid Escilatopram and had a rough week. I was very angry, and lots of thoughts/ feelings came up. I'm guessing this was all suppressed by the medicine. So I started looking for urgent therapy. In Germany, you need a consultation appointment to verify that you need therapy before you actually get therapy. In Berlin, you go through KV Berlin (association of Doctors); you can even make an appointment online now: https://www.116117.de/de/index.php. Click on the time to book the appointment. But you need to go back to KV database of doctors to figure out what languages these available doctors speak. Make sure your browser is not automatically translating; it messes up the search. So, after the first rough week of withdrawal, I've had a week of feeling ok with bouts of irrational anger, which was under control. Also, I didn't push myself and took naps when overwhelmed, normally 2 hours each. I also took pharmacy-grade Ketamine to cope with the really rough moments and took 1.2gm of magic mushrooms once in that 2 week period. I only went to the gym twice this week and did a big bike ride and forest walk. I also added B-complex to my supplements. So I did the consultation appointment, and she told me to go to a day clinic within a hospital where they would also deal with my chronic pain and give me daily therapy (covered). Apparently, that clinic will get me on to weekly therapy sessions once I'm ready for that. I will do that after Easter weekend and continue tapering. There's also an option to stay at a rehabilitation clinic (covered) which has a daily schedule of therapy and exercise. So the journey continues. I've tried to get off these meds before, and I feel a lot more stable and in control. I do believe the supplements and exercise help. My husband is also being super supportive. I see my psychiatrist soon and will taper down to maybe 7mg or 5mg. I'm not the most patient person, I want to be able to go back to work quickly without biting anyone's head off. Has anyone tried vagus nerve exercises to calm the nervous system in these bad moments?

Luvox / fluvoxamine 200 and klonopin 0.5 early user 7 weeks fast taper 6 days feeling hell Hello to every one thats my real story first apologize for my poor language : in summary: i took about 7 weeks antidepressant meds and cutt off suddenly beacyse it going me crazy and feels anxiety!! İn march 2022 i gad veey wild acute withradal for 8 next weeks and some wild symptoms dp dr/ illusion,dizziness, nausea, panic makes me crying ,tinitus, blured vision, hunger breath, palpitation,think of dying , negetive toughts, confussions... in month 6 iam realy better but have some problems still there include: 1- wierd and horny 24/7 if i ejaculate terror and anxiety attacks and all symptoms for 14 next day!! To settle down 2-sleep problem not beacuse i cant sleep terror of wet dream and orgasm in bed and triggered symptoms!! pleease help me i am very tired from this life , sick of it i think nearly kill myself iam crying for these situation all the time 3-akathesia and anhedonia, negetive tought still there Please help me what can i do dont getting horny i suddenly meet nofap group and it help me to lower symptoms but what can i do down my horny level when iam sleep why and how prescriptioned for me antidepreasant Before i took antidepressant pills in december 2021 i had gastric (one year ago) and dr prescribed me 3 bunch of antibiotic (as you know antibiotics stimulate CNS) for 10 days and but beacuse of medical malpractice i ate for 40 days and after that felt i was dying unfortunately this not end yet middle ear infection appears frequently after that and i've been forced to eat another 20 now i get my panic attack multiple times in days dellirium , feel out of my body , fast breath my guess is serotonin syndrome!!! And go to hospital but day said iam ok and it is mental issue next day in February 2022 i went to Psychiatrist he priscribed me list of drugs to eat 1-Flouvoxamine/luvox 200 mg 100 day and night after i said i cant handle it is became 50 day 50 night 2-klomopin .5 mg night 3-quetianpin/seroquel 12.5 mg night 4-trazodone 25 night 5-buspirone/buspar 5 day and night 6-nortriptyline 25 night İ continue these pills for about 7 bext weeks and treat my middle ear again and anxiety and dellirium comes back but not hard as before so i talked to my dr and he change luvox 200 to 100 but not work and when i have sex or ejaculation 1to4 next days i had wild anxiety but meds comes it down ! İ was desprate and deppressed from this situation and deside to not take them any more!!! And boom after some abruptly discountiuation in last of march 2022

Hi all, I was excited to see that this site was accepting new members starting back up January 1st, as I wanted to join a couple months ago and couldn't. I am currently tapering off 20mg of lexapro. I started tapering on 9/01/23 by dropping down to 15mg as suggested by my psychiatrist. I did that and had virtually no side effects. Two or three weeks later I tried dropping to 10mg per his recommendation and bam.... I had a terrible reaction. Worst anxiousness I've ever felt in my life. That's when I started doing my research and found that most doctors don't know what they are doing when it comes to tapering and I also found this wonderful website. I then went back to 15mg and the next day I went down to 12.5 mg. I was on 12.5 mg for three or so weeks and then dropped to 10mg on 10/24/23. I was on 10mg until 12/05/23 so a little over one month. Again, I have had virtually no side affects lowering my dose at any time... just occasion weird feelings in head and I am starting to feel my emotions come back. I then dropped down to 7.5mg on 12/05/23 and took it for about three weeks again with virtually no side effects. Then, the day after Christmas I started to feel pretty off. Very irritable and angry for no reason. I also felt very anxious and started to sweat a lot for about 15 minutes and then it went away. I also started to not sleep as well. My main symptoms were achy or painful joints off and on, lack of focus/brain fog at times, pressure in head, emotional fluctuations, occasional spikes in anxiety, stomach pain/cramps that would come and go, bloating/gas at times, and muscle fatigue. This all started on 12/26/23 and continued until 1/3/24. On 1/3/24 I started to feel pretty much normal again. No issues. I figured this little spell was just my body getting used to a lower dose. Then, around 1/8/24, I started feeling my body kind of slip back into this sucky state that I had previously felt a week or so ago. I am not sleeping as good, though I never feel tired during the day. These past three days have kind of been a blur, but I am managing to get through them. Today has been kind of crazy. Started noticing a sensitivity to loud noises that kind of comes and goes (this is a problem as I work in construction... constant loud noises). I also get these really weird shivering/shaking spells that I cannot control. I do not feel cold, I just start to shiver uncontrollably. I also felt like I was in a terrible mental state... something I have never felt before, but I was not anxious at all. I felt like I couldn't and did not want to eat... which is very much unlike me. I also noticed a gagging feeling coming on for no reason. I then ate some cheese and crackers and bam! Within 5 minutes it was like I was healed. Here I am 20 minutes later typing this out for you guys to hear. Throughout this whole process, I have noticed that exercise has helped tremendously! 30 minutes of speed walking and running on the treadmill everyday works miracles. I am also learning how much diet and nutrient/vitamin levels help regulate the body and mental health. So that's my story so far.... not sure why I never have had any symptoms of withdrawal the past four months until two or so weeks ago. Any help would be appreciated! I look forward to learning and helping others through their tapering journey!

Hello. New here. I started Lexapro towards the end of June 2023. I was on 2.5 mg for two weeks. 5 for two weeks. 7.5 for two weeks and 10 for 6 weeks before I started tapering off. I tapered off under doctors recs. I didn't know any better. While I was on the drug I had this awful heavy body feeling and muscle tension. Whenever I would go up the next dose I would have hyperreflexia and my joints would just twitch at night while trying to fall asleep. I've been off 3 and a half months. The first 3 weeks I was about getting back to normal. I went and got botox one day, and I don't know if it was the botox or if it would have happened anyway but i fell hard into withdrawl. Oddly on the meds and on my bad days, I notice my joints don't crack like they normally do. It's weird. My blood pressure for three weeks in December was insane. It would go into the high 40s and then shoot up into the 70s. That seems to be stable now. Still dealing with the heavy body feeling. Loss of sensation. Muscle tension and sometimes twitching. I had a few day window last week, where I felt almost 100 percent back to normal. My dry eyes are killing me. Followed by today where I don't have much sensation on my arms or hands. My head feels 200 lbs. And I have extreme muscle tension in the back of my head. Are there even muscles there? How can that even hurt so bad. The cervical spine area seems to be the worst. I went to PT to try and help, but I don't think it did anything. I see people that never recover and I just worry I will hit a wave and never come out.

>I'm mexican, living in Mexico. In my 20s. >Severe OCD >One day, depression appears suddenly. Now, severe OCD and strong (but not severe) depression. >2020 i'm given Sertraline 50mg by a Neurologist. Did not had any type of therapy, was sent directly to taking drugs. >2021 Change to Escitalopram 10 mg >Escitalopram 2021 10mg >Had a session of TMS, offered as a trial by a Neurologist. >Escitalopram 2022 10 mg >Escitalopram January 2023 25% reduction each week >February 2023 stop taking Escitalopram >May 2023 Escitalopram for 2 weeks, varying doses from 2.5mg to 10mg, then stopped again. >October 2023 took 2.5mg for one week Important notes - During 2022 and 2023 I went to several psychologists for help (In México) with my OCD and Depression. I consider they didn't help much. Tried CBT. Currently: - I'm no longer having difficulty with OCD (as far as I know). After reading several books about the topic, I kind of started getting better, and without SSRIs. - I consider i'm no longer depressed. However i'm mostly in a bad mood, until I force myself to socialize and do fun things. It kind of depends on chemicals in my brain. - I'm having strong difficulty socializing. I sometimes feel like i'm about to break down, when having a simple conversation. Eye contact, depending on my mood, becomes very hard. I'm seriously considering taking 1-2 mg of Escitalopram to help with this. What are your thoughts? When I took 2.5mg just for a week, It did helped.

Hi everyone, I was on Lexapro 20mg for more than 9 years - constantly. This was initially for symptoms related to body dysmorphic disorder, but then anxiety and depression also became an issue. Last September (2023), I decided I no longer wanted to be reliant on anti-depressants. I tapered down much too quickly within 3 months - 20mg -> 15mg -> 10mg -> 5mg -> over 3 months before stopping completely in November. I felt normal and fine all of November & December. Then January hit me, then February, then March & now April. The symptoms of anxiety and depression, memory loss, brain fog, fatigue, feeling like I have some sort of viral sickness - has plagued me since early January. These symptoms are much worse in the week leading up to when my period is due. After feeling this exhaustion for 3 - 4 months, today I decided to go back on 5mg of Lexapro to see if this might help, with the eventual goal of tapering back down to 0mg using liquid form, however, over a much longer period of time. Any insight or advice would be so greatly appreciated. Thanking you in advance.

Hi all , I have heard about this site for awhile and have been struggling this past year with my prozac medication. I was originally prescribed it for very bad anxiety episodes after my mother's passing in 2015. Last year I had decided to come off completely but apparently went off way to quick. I reinstated my prozac soon as per my doctor but did not receive much relief, if at all . I was still experiencing what people refer to here as "windows and waves"..... I had really wanted to stick it out but after almost 8 months after reinstating I am not sure what to do. I am afraid of touching any other medication but at the same time these waves feel absolutely awful. A local support group I was attending had someone going through something similar and they had mentioned this site among a few others. I watched a documentary featuring the creator of this site and she seemed very knowledgeable about the subject and I had wanted to ask for some kind of take on my situation. Is this a common occurence to reinstate the drug but it having little to no effect? I'm really at a loss right now, any response would be greatly appreciated! I want to get through this for my cat and two beautiful nieces

Hi I am currently withdrawing from Citalopram (40mg) but I've been stuck on 10mg for 3 months with withdrawl symptoms and fear to taper lower. I now know I tapered wayyyy too fast, 30mg drop over 5 weeks. I had no withdrawl until I hit 10mg and I was withdrawing hard for 6 weeks after. It's now been about 3 months and I think I am in withdrawal again. Is that possible? My current symptoms are - No engery Waking up achey Headaches On going menstrual cycle (23 days of bleeding, intermittent bleeding, horrible periods) So moody and sensitive I have been having my hormones checked thinking something is wrong but now it has been suggested to me that I might still be withdrawing. Does citalopram/withdrawl effect people's menstrual cycle? I welcome all advice going forward.

hey everyone, I came across this site last week after looking into Reddit for withdrawal/tapering information. Wanted to make an intro post to interact with you all about what I’m going through. So here’s a run down of my history with antidepressants. Zoloft 100mg in 2016 I believe. 2 month taper in February/March 2020. By mid September/October 2020, experiencing severe withdrawals (after moving across the country for a promotion in July 2020). Withdrawals including emotional rollercoaster, depression, anxiety, paranoia, extreme muscle rigidity. At this point, with having been off Zoloft for so long, I really didn’t think the symptoms could be from any withdrawal. I thought they were all from such a huge life change, being pretty isolated from the state of our society with masks, shutdowns, etc. So, Went to the doctor in October 2020, where I got back onto Zoloft at 50mg. We also took some blood work, finding my free testosterone to be at 92, so I went on TRT as well. From there, the muscle rigidity came and went, but mostly was present. There were times where I returned to Ohio for the holidays and my symptoms reduced, further instilling my belief that the symptoms were from isolation and being “homesick”. April 2021, I left the job that took me a cross the country. Then May 2021, I tapered off Zoloft at a more accelerated rate, being off within about a month. I was going into a complete career change, one that I thought would be the saving Grace to all the symptoms I had experienced at this point. Thinking my career had been a huge contributing stressor. In hindsight, as I’ve learned more about antidepressant withdrawals, I realized this logic was a little flawed. By July 2021, I was experiencing severe insomnia. I got back on Zoloft at 75mg. Also tried Xanax and Klonopin for the insomnia. Neither really worked, so we ended up on Temazepam. Gradually increased to 30mg, the highest dose. Was on 75mg Zoloft and 30mg Temazepam until May 2022. Mistakenly decided to cold turkey Zoloft, thinking I was experiencing serotonin syndrome. I began my Temazepam taper at the beginning of May 2022, reducing by about 10% every couple of weeks. I’ve been off Temazepam for 1 week as of today. And I’ve been back on 50mg of Zoloft since mid June 2022. The insomnia is not present, but sleep still disrupted throughout the night. Muscle rigidity is pretty fierce. Anxiety is present and depression. Some days worse than others. Brain fog, inability to focus (difficult to read), lack of joy, muscle stiffness all over, negative thinking/rumination, among other symptoms I may not be thinking of. As you’ve seen, I foolishly tapered too quickly in the last and tried cold turkeying. I’m just getting familiar with a lot of the terminology… and I’m wondering if I’ve possibly kindled my nervous system from going off/on Zoloft so many times. I’ve been holding at 50mg until the muscle rigidity symptoms dissipate. Last week, I left the job I was working at in NC and returned to my parents house in Ohio for a while so I could rest up while stopping Temazepam. I thought for a long time the muscle rigidity was coming from the Temazepam usage, lack of quality sleep and I would take it before bed so was thinking by mid or late the next day, I was experiencing withdrawals from Temazepam. At this point in my research, I’m starting to believe it’s more from the Zoloft. I’ve been bounced so much by doctors, that I was hoping to come here for a little insight. this is really hard for me because I was on top of the world when I first got off Zoloft in spring of 2020. I was getting a promotion to move across the country. Then got there, thought the side effects I was experiencing were a result of stress from the move, when now I’m thinking it was more from Zoloft, with it having been about 6 months since stopping it completely. And leaving that job in 2021, thinking it was a cause of much of what I was experiencing, before bouncing around from job to job, and taking huge financial setbacks has really taken a toll on my confidence and mental state. I know I’m not functioning at my full cognitive capacity that I’m used to from the past, and with it going on 2 years now, I’m so desperate for a change.

Hi, I am is 41 years old. I was on Venlafaxine XR for my vestibular migraine in 2019 to 2021. My dosage was 37.5 mg one tablet every 3rd day which was suggested by my neurologist as i was getting hives from taking the medicine. For my hives I was taking half tablet of Allerga M (Montelukast 10mg + Fexofenadine 120mg) twice a week. I took Venlafaxine XR for 1.5 years and Allerga M for 2 years and then CT it as all my vestibular migraine symptoms had gone away. When i CT from venlafaxine I did not get any withdrawal symptoms for 9 months. Then after 9 months in June 2022 my vestibular migraine symptoms (swaying, light and sound sensitivity, unstable feeling, surroundings looking dim and blurred vision) came back, I tried to re-introduce Venlafaxine XR again but on taking just one tablet after 9 months my occipital area started paining and i started getting internal trembling inside my body. I still tried taking it the very next day too but had the same issue so stopped taking it and went to the neurologist. The neurologist then tried paroxetine (1 tablet) which didn’t suit me and so he then tried the following medicines -prednisolone (steroid 1 tablet), betahistine (2 tablets), flunarizine (half tablet) and all the above made my condition even worse as she started getting leg jerks while sleeping which i wasn’t getting before with my vestibular migraine symptoms. Then the neurologist finally said lets try Venlafaxine XR again as that has helped me in the past in 2019 and inspite of hearing I was having trouble taking it told me to try it again. Then when I tried Venlafaxine XR again i started getting brain zaps and myoclonic jerks and my stomach and vagina started making loud noises. This had never happened before so i stopped Venlafaxine XR and went back to the neurologist. He then prescribed a Benzo - Alprazolam (1 tablet) which i didn’t feel well on as my heart started racing rapidly and i had chest pain as well so then i went back the next day and he gave me Sodium Valproate (anti epileptic medicine) and told me not to come back and see a psychiatrist. Then that night when i took the sodium valproate tablet a glass breaking sound while swallowing started in my ears and my brain and hip started thumping so i stopped the medicine on 17th August 2022 immediately. Then on 19th August 2022 as i had Covid symptoms especially cough and sore throat i took a cough syrup which was Dilo DX syrup (Chlorpheniramine maleate with Dextromethorphan hydrobromide) 5 ML, this is when my entire symptoms changed for the worse. My occipital area started shaking internally and my vestibular symptoms went away. As I was still having covid symptoms like cough and sore throat she took Lecope AD (Levocetrizine , phenylephrine and ambroxol) - 1 tablet while the shaking in the occipital area still continued. I couldn’t understand what the internal shaking was for a week but as they were not stopping and as per the instructions of the neurologist I finally met with a psychiatrist. I was also exposed to green fungus around the same time in the house as it was rainy season here in Mumbai (India). The psychiatrist ordered an MRI of the brain which was clear. After that i met various psychiatrists and neurologists who said this was Functional or somatic symptoms of depression and they tried to stop the internal shaking or vibrations with the below class of medicines which made my condition even more worse as I was unable to tolerate any medications because my nerves used to pull and pain and my internal shaking/tremors used to increase on taking every medication. I used to then discontinue the medication after 2 to 3 tablets. Below is the class of medications tried on me since August 2022 till date:- (Small doses of each medication was tried and discontinued) YEAR – 2022 · Provanol 20 MG (Propranolol hydrochloride tablets IP) - Half tablet - Beta blocker. · Nexito 5 mg (escitalopram)- Half tablet – SSRI Antidepressant · Provanol 10 MG – (Propranolol hydrochloride tablets IP) Half tablet - 2 days - Beta blocker. · Rejunex CD 3 - Multivitamin · Folinext (Folic Acid and methylcobalamin) - 1 tablet - Vitamin · Homeopathy medicine – GAVE EXTERNAL TREMORS · Zapiz 0.25 mg (clonazepam) Half tablet – 3 days – Benzodiazepine. · Provanol 2.5 mg (Propranolol hydrochloride tablets IP) – 3 days - Beta blocker. · Tynept 12.5 mg (Tianeptine) – Half tablet for 2 days - Dibenzoxazepine Antidepressant · Mirtaz 7.5 mg (Mirtzpine) - Half tablet – Tetracyclic Antidepressant · Synaptol 50 mg (Tolperisone hydrochloride) - Half tablet - Muscle relaxer. · Gabapin 100 mg (Gabapentin tablet IP) - Half tablet - Antiepileptic · Homeopathy medicine · Ayurvedic medicine · Evion - LC - Half tablet (Vitamin) · Solopose - MD 0.25 mg (Etizolam) - Half tablet - Benzodiazepine. YEAR - 2023 · 10th Jan - Ascoril D plus ( Dextromethorphan hydrobromide + phenylephrine hydrochloride + Chlorpheniramine maleate) - 5ML - Took it for dry cough · 11th Jan - Lecope AD ( Levocetrizine , phenylephrine and ambroxol) - 1 tablet for 4 days – Took it for sore throat · 16th Jan - Nurewire Tablet - 1 tablet (Vitamin) · 23rd Jan - Cetzine (cetrizine) - 2.5 MG - Antihistamine · 25th Jan - Pacitane 2 MG – Half tablet (Trihexyphenidyl) - Anticholinergic medication · 27th Jan - Allegra 180 - Half tablet (Fexofenadine) - Antihistamine · 1st Feb to 3rd Feb - Atrest 12.5 mg -Half tablet (Tetrabenazine) – Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 2 inhibitor · 6th & 7th Feb - Benadryl syrup - 2 ML – Cough syrup · 8th & 9th Feb - Supradyn - 1 tablet - Multivitamin · 14th & 15th Feb - Practin syrup 2 ML (Cyproheptadine) - Antihistamines · 18th Feb - Allegra 180 - Half tablet · 21st & 22nd Feb - Mentat (Himalaya Ayurveda) · 28th Feb - Allegra M ( Montelukast 10mg + Fexofenadine 120mg) – Half tablet Leukotriene antagonist and antiallergic medicine · 2nd & 3rd March - Atarax 5 mg - Half tablet (Hydroxyzine) - Antihistaminic medication · 6th March - Pramipex 0.125 mg - Half tablet (Pramipexole ) - Dopamine agonists · 9th March - 1 CBD Gummy · 10th March - Levocet 2.5 MG (Levocetirizine) - Antihistamine · 11th March - Buspin 2.5 MG (Buspirone) - Anxiolytics · 14th March - Levocet - Half of 2.5 MG · 16th March - Levocet - Half of 2.5 MG · 21st March - Bilagra 3 MG (Bilastine) - Antihistamine · HOSPITALISED on 23rd March to 30th March - Vantaxa 5 MG (Vortioxetine) – Half tablet for 1 day - serotonin modulator and stimulator Antidepressant then Prothaden 25 MG (Dosulepin) – Half tablet for 1 day + quarter tablet for 3 days. - Tricyclic antidepressant · 1st , 3rd , 5th & 7th April - Opiprol 50 MG (Opipramol) – quarter tablet - Tricyclic antidepressant · 8th April to 6th May - Lecope AD ( Levocetrizine , phenylephrine and ambroxol) - Mucolytic, Antihistamines and Nasal decongestants – Took it for Sore throat · 10th May - 1 drop of Rudra Taila (CBD drops) · 15th to 22nd May - Metolar 25 MG - Half tablet (Metoprolol Tartrate tablets IP) - Beta-blockers. · 25th & 26th May - Homeopathy medicine (3 pills) · 13th to 15th June - Homeopathy medicines · 16th to 21st June – Neksium 40 mg ( Esomeprazole tablets I.P ) – 3 tablets – Proton pump inhibitor and Motilium M (Domperidone tablets I.P) – 3 tablets- Dopamine-2 receptor antagonist · 26th June - Homeopathy medicine · 14th July to 22nd July – Oflox 200 MG - Ofloxacin Tablets I.P – Antibiotic · 26th July – Gabawin 25 MG – Quarter Tablet (Pregabalin) – Antiepileptic · 30th July – Deslor 5 mg - Quarter tablet - Desloratadine- Antihistaminic medication · 8th August - Half of Allegra 180 (Fexofenadine) – She takes half tablet of Allegra 180 every 3 days for her hives till date. · 30th August – 1 Meftal spas (Dicyclomine (10mg) & Mefenamic Acid (250mg) Anticholinergic and NSAID · 11th September - Homeopathy medicine + Half of Meftal 500 (Mefenamic Acid) · 3rd & 4th October – Half of Syndopa plus (Levodopa (100mg) + Carbidopa (25mg) - Antiparkinson agent · 6th October - Half of Allegra 180 (Fexofenadine) · 7th October – 1 + ½ Lecope AD (Ambroxol (60mg) + Phenylephrine (5mg) + Levocetirizine (5mg) Mucolytic, Antihistamines and Nasal decongestants – Took it for Sore throat AND 2 tablets of Lanol ER (Paracetamol 650mg) - Analgesic (pain reliever) and anti-pyretic (fever reducer) · 23rd October – 1 tablet of NOW - Saccharomyces Boulardii probiotic – 5 billion CFU · 26th October – 1 tablet of Pan 40 (Pantoprazole Gastro resistant tablets IP ) - Proton pump inhibitor · 27th October - Half of Allegra 180 (Fexofenadine) · 28th October – 1 tablet of Nexpro 40 (Esomeprazole magnesium tablets I.P AND 1/4th tablet of Gastractiv 10mg (DOMPERIDONE) - dopamine antagonist · 29th October - 1 tablet of Nexpro 40 (Esomeprazole magnesium tablets I.P - Proton pump inhibitor (Took for 10 days). My current symptoms since 15 months are:- Internal tremors running from head to toe, involuntary movements, nerves pull and pain on taking any medication, pacing, electrical sensitivity to electronics, tingling in hands and feet, burning of skin, external tremors, pain in my occipital area and neck, pulsating at the base of the head which goes down to my entire body. The neurologists did various tests like MRI of cervical spine, F DOPA PET Scan – Brain, Various blood tests, Whole Genome Sequencing (Genetic testing) and all were clear.They then officially diagnosed me with Functional Neurological Disorder (conversion disorder). Currently I can barely walk and im homebound for 15 months now. I currently take only my thyroid medication which is Thyroxine 112 mcg every morning before breakfast – 1 tablet and half tablet of Allegra 180 MG (fexofenadine) – once a week for Hives. The diagnosis that I have received from most neurologist and psychiatrist is that I have Functional neurological disorder (conversion disorder) or Depression and my symptoms are somatic. But I feel this could Kindling or Akathisia or Serotonin syndrome or Mast cell activation or Mold or Long Covid or Withdrawal from the rapid trial and error of medicines but no doctor is ready to help me or give me clarity as to what is wrong with me and why no medication is working on my body? I have tried counselling, EMDR, CBT, DBT, Physiotherapy, ayurvedic, homeopathy and every allopathy medicine possible but my condition doesn’t improve and im really suffering with the physical symptoms especially internal shaking/tremors. I have no idea what has gone wrong and no doctors in India help and they all have put their hands up. Currently no medication/ supplements works on my body and only makes my condition worse. Can someone please tell me what exactly am i suffering from? And is there any cure? I feel helpless and lost as as I have tried everything in my reach and my condition is getting worse day by day. Please Help and Guide me. Thank you so much in advance.

Hello, I would like to ask you a question. If I started Trazodone in mid April decided to taper in May 14th, and then finally stopped on June 7th, but still have symptoms on August 14th; how long will I be this way. I will not take another SSRI or SNRI as long as I live. I m sacred and would rather suffer, so long as I can be free of this treadful syndrome sooner. But for how long? I m worried. I like to exercise a lot, eat healthy nearly every day of my life, I started taking this medication for Insomnia related to a change in (work hours) a shift that I work. I have went to work suffering from Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome and it was killing me. I developed Tinnitus in Early July, and I still have occasional palpitations. They are worsen with lack of sleep, after I eat, and stress. I never had this issue with before trazodone, in fact, I never had palpitations before, it hit me hard exactly at the peak of my "withdrawal on June 17th. Every symptom that is listed for withdrawal I have had, except sexual dysfunction. Only when I m in capacitated in bed, and can't think about sex does it effect sex drive, but the function has never affected.

2012-2023: 10 mg and 20 mg Citalopram. Had tried to get off, but felt weird below 10 mg every time. Then saw a YouTube video about hyperbolic taper and decided to do that. June 2023 - January 2024: 20 - 10 - 7,5 - 5 - 2,5 - 1,25 mg at random intervals. That's not good. Because I am an idiot who can't do math. 🤦 At first it was fine, finally I got below 10 mg. I didn't realise that I became more and more depressed and anxious. January 16th: Severe symptoms, almost incapable of eating, breakthrough anxiety. I had never dealt with anxiety (although in hindsight I can see that it has been increasing since the start of the pandemic, and) and didn't recognise it as such. Several visits to the doctor to figure out the stomach issue. From January 18th: Total insomnia due to nerve twitches/pangs and muscle jerks. January 22nd: Stilnoct 10 mg, then 31st: Zolpiclone 7,5 mg. Took and still tale every night, getting 4-5 hours of KO/"sleep". Because the constant nerve pangs otherwise kept me completely awake, no sleep. January 27th: Finally(!) realised Citalopram symptoms might be the cause. Reinstated 2,5 - 5 - 10 - 20 mg over the course of the next three weeks. Got Quetiapine/Seroquel, and tried for a few days. But it didn't work for the nerve pangs at all, so still awake. And very doozy for most of the day too. So stopped them after 3 days Update March 2nd: Brain zaps gone, full body chills gone. Speedily learned to accept and defuse some of the anxiety symptoms, which made them go away. But having bad sleep anxiety. The 4-5 hours of "chemical sleep" on Zolpiclone keeps me - minimally - functional. Can't work, bare mimimum home chores. This late night/morning I actually didn't have nerve pangs, but in stead was extremely restless in bed. I can't decide if it is better or worse. I decide that it is better. The nerve pangs are worse. Doctors have absolutely no suggestions for what I could get for the nerve pangs instead of Zolpiclone other than this or that sedating meds. I don't need sleeping pills, I can fall asleep just fine. It is the nerve pangs that keep me awake, like being pricked with a needle randomly all over the body. Oh, and bought a precise weight for weighing meds.