Search the Community

Hello everyone my name is kym I’m new here and I’m hope I’m doing this right . Short story about my situation. In my teens (now 37) i was diagnosed with depression and anxiety but i was always able to handle it . My symptoms was a mind thing not physical. Fast forward to the end of FEB 2024 . I was struggling with gastro issues and i got really down . I felt myself getting depressed so for some reason i asked my doctor for a picker upper and she gave me Zoloft 50mg . At first i was hesitant to take it ,but I decided too . Within 3 days of taking it i noticed something wasn’t right .i felt jittery like i was gonna jump out my skin . So i stopped ! I was ok for 5 days then boom hell broke loose. I was starting to feel physical panic or anxiety attacks (don’t know the difference) , i couldn’t sleep , i cried all day long .chest was pounding . I even went the hospital because of the chest pain and was told i was ok and was given Ativan which helped .I stated to keep a journal and i noticed my symptoms was going up and down . Example : 1 week I’m doing bad , next 4 days I’m back to normal , next 5 days I’m doing bad etc . Fast forward again to Friday March 29,2024 i started feeling shortness of breath. Today will make day 5 i have shortness of breath 24/7 . I can’t take a deep breath and my chest hurts . I went to the hospital twice this week to be told my lungs is perfect ,o2 is perfect and no respiratory infection and was just sent home . I am now bed bound because when i walk im out of breath. I am a very active person i strength train 6 times a week ,i dont drink or do drugs . I didn’t have these issues until i took that pill . I’ve tried to be positive and pray , but i just want to know has anyone else experienced this ?! Am i going crazy ?! The doctors cants find anything ! Also , i am in therapy as of 6 weeks ago and i have a psychiatrist i see for the first time next week . Will this go away on its own ?! I really don’t want to be put on another antidepressant . Please any advice will help . I just want to know I’m not alone . (also i will add : years ago (2016) i was put on Prozac i only took a couple of times because i didn’t think i needed it and in 2019 i was put on lexapro i only took a couple of times (4) cause it made me sleepy ) I only took it because my sister thought it will help me from feeling down after my granny and mom passed . But those pills didnt do any harm . i hope this helps and i hope someone can help me understand i will be ok and this shall pass.

Hi, I am new here I have been browsing for about a month and a half and I just made an account once registration was opened back up. I was kindled. he’s a little background information. I was on Lexapro for eight months it was a horrible time being on these meds after stopping the medication I was often for four months I was going through withdrawals, but at the time I did not know that, as anti-depressant medication were very new to me with that being said the doctors taught me into believing that I was going through a relapse and put me on Prozac. Being on Prozac felt like. Death it was a horrific and traumatizing time going through withdrawals even more traumatizing. I am 4 1/2 months into withdrawals and I am struggling tremendously with so many symptoms that are very scary. I’m just asking you give me recovery stories or improvement stories to help me get through this process, this is a really tough time for me. I am non-functional and housebound at the moment and I can’t work. I am in my mid 25-30 range. I’ve had to put my Graduate program on hold and just a lot of other things on hold because of this the doctors around me don’t believe in withdrawals and invalidate the way that I feel I’m starting to get really discouraged. I am happy that I found this forum and again, please if anybody could give me encouragement and motivation, that would be great. My symptoms are as follows Akathisia Chest burning, tightness, tingling Air hunger Fast heart rate with little to none exhertion Doom, terror Jittery Body tension Tremors Spaced out feelings Dizziness Body numbness Heightened anxiety I feel this way some times 8-12 hours a day Over stimulated by watching tv or by little things Complete sadness ( never had depression before this med )

Hello,this is my story (sorry for my English), Currently suffering a lot and don't have a good supporting system,I feel so alone and lost and don't know if this nightmare will ever end, any help appreciated. 01/2017-12/2022 ~6 Years on Generic Lexapro (5mg-20mg) because of repeataive panic attacks and anxiety that lead to depression.No idea about withdrawal,dr just said that it will be easy to stop them just like I started them .Just I have to do it slowly when I see myself better.My tapering was not tapering as i read here ,I consider it cold turkey because of wrong directionns of docs. I went from 20mg to 5mg in a short time(4-5 month) and and then 0mg. Withdrawal symptoms: 01/23-04/23 Low mood , anxiety at times, high energy, feeling uncomfortable some times.I was feeling that something is not going very well and something is coming but no idea that was from withdrawl as I thought this poison was already out of my system as I was told by doctors. 04/23-07/23 Lot more stress and anxiety, shortness of breath, higher heart rate, balance problem showed, several panic attacks, difficulties focusing, lower productivity at work as my cognitive skills started to go down,pssd.(Thought just ws high stress and anxiety who caused this maybe need some rest ,still no idea about withdrawal.) 07/23-31/09/23 The terror just started,all the above symptoms but in much more extreme which gradually worsened(I took maca for pssd for 4 days in the beginning of 07/23 possibly worsened my symptoms or just what came was supposed to happen ).In the beginning I couldn't talk , couldn't find the easiest words tos say to complete sentences.My cognitive skills just faded away (I was able to understand that because I used to be a good student at uni so I had great pc skills and was a smart guy high grades ) but my mind just stopped to cooperate.All of this gave me a lot ,a lot of stress I thought I was going insane and I just couldn't accept this.I stopped my work temporary for a month because I thought I need some rest because of anxiety i had and I just needed some rest but the worse was coming.My balance problems worsned a lot more ,and just one day I started to have a headache in back of my head ,It was like someone was burning my brain inside.Then everything went worse i started to have headaches in every part of my head , sometimes feel like there is missing part of my brain ,and i feel that parts of my brain are missing sometimes,Very sensitive to louds and sounds in general cand handle everyday sounds I feel paralyzed ,not able to communicate for a long time or focusing in the words someone says ro me because headache starts and just cant handle (it is like it triggers stressors and if i continue to hear or focus in conversations after the pain this goes me to a panic attack )The same happens if i see a vidio for lot of minutes ,feell like my brain is very sensitive maybe due to the fact that i had so much stress about what was happening.I found about this group accidentally as I was in 2psy docs who suggested that i had relapsing and wante ro give me cocktail of other drugs . I suspected that and started the searching on internet.In the beginning i found a group of pssd because this is a problem I have since my CT,and wanted to know about these other drugs they prescribed me ,then I saw @pugsuccess story which lead me to this amazing forum.And reading here about symptoms and everything about withdrawals things started to make sense ,but I was in shock (I found SA0 12/09/23).I didn't started to get these drugs they prescribed me but Im suffering a lot these days.Worth to mention that when my headache started I had a lot of pain on my brain (I thought I was going insane minute to minute )and I wa unable to tolerate it.My family went me In ER and they gave me sth no idea what it was however they told me to take Lyrica(pregbalin) and see how things will go.I took lyrica next day (50mg) and it helped me a lot to be honest my pain reduced and since then I continue it ,but im afraid as it is also addictive and dont know really in this moment it helps or puts more fuel to the fire,but im afraid to take it off because the terror I saw when i went in ER was out of this world.I don't work anymore as I am not able to concentrate on pc and my cognitive impairment is very low . I live with my family this moment as not able to take care by myself but they don't understand me they think that everything is just in my head and they expectthis to pass day by day putting some sort of pressure on me ,also my friends dont understand me,thay just have not ever heard about everything i say so doesn't make sanse ,Im not not able to seee them a lot because I cant handle conversation for lots o minutes with pepople it trigers me that pain in my head .I don't know what to do anymore,I cant go back to ssri the stole my feelings for years ,but im suffering a lot now and 2 month ( 9 months off srri).Apart from the fact that i dont function normally because of my brain I also have lots of stress daily which also cause high heart rate . My worts days are usually I'm bedridden and just a step away to go in ER(lot of pain inside in my soul like is screaming so loudly but only me can hear it , fatigue,not able to communicate, sensitive to light and sound,and dont know if i will make next hour or not).It goes after 6-7 hours some times takes all day and night but freaks me out.Some moments of the day I feel ok but ar less than the waves. My sleep is (4-5 hours per night) except from some days that I was no able to sleep at all .Try to eat 3xday even though some days i don't have appetite.Exerxice whenever Im able and not beddriden usually (30 -50min biking ride or walking/jogging ~8000steps )5/7 days a week . Im trying to fight this but in we deepest waves i feel so bad ,so weak and not imaggine to tolerate this for much time .I don't know if anything i said makes any sense because my symptoms are a little different from others with lexapro.I just want to ask the moderators if is a good idea to continue with lyrica or not? And what is the best thing to do when acute withdrawal hits because I cannot know if there will be strongers acute waves than these who passed just in case to be prepared.Would be a good idea any benzo or any other way either way? Any support and suggestions appreciated. #Thank you for reading my story.🙂

Hey Everyone, I have been working on coming off of Lexapro for years and this is the closest I have ever been. Long story short, I have been weaning off lexapro after a couple of failed attempts of 20mg. I am currently at 5mg and having severe waves and windows of withdrawal. Looking for a little support that this is normal. I have a week or two where I feel phenomenal then suddenly a sharp drop where all the suicidal fake thoughts intrude. This also includes horrible chest pain, nausea, gastrointestinal issues, insomnia and just an overall feeling of dread. These last anywhere from two weeks to a couple of days. I am unsure about whether I should continue a taper, or if I should hold, but from what I am reading this is going to be a long arduous process. Any support or advise is appreciated. Been reading many of the articles on here and just now decided to try to become a member myself. Thanks so much.

Excuse me if I'm being vague / chaotic, it's too hard to focus or think about anything, also I apologize for not researching much on the site, it takes a lot of effort just to type this and I'm too desperate, however I'll take as much as time as needed to follow through any reply / references I get, thanks in advance. It's been years and I didn't know the cause was antidepressants, I only remember a few names (Clonszipam, Fluxtonin[I think], Seroxat, Alprazolam..) I've been through 10 different doctors and each gave me a different pack of 4 meds, I don't remember many of the names since it was more than 4 years ago and I spent 3-6 months on each pack, I just remember suffering from 24/7 seizure symptoms, endless fear, and stomach complications, they're still with me till now, calmed down a little after 3 years of fighting, but I made a mistake an started Amitriptyline, and I'm getting complications each time I try to lower the dose (it's only 10 mg, and I get seizures whenever I go off it for half a day) Somehow my migraine med (Zomitriptan) eases most of the symptoms, doctors keep brushing off my pain saying I'm fine. Basically it was: 3 years of chaotic 4 pack prescriptions by 10 different doctors >> cold turkey withdrawal (because they refused to tell me how to go off the meds and I screwed up) >> withdrawal effects for 3 years, slight recovery after the long fight >> getting stuck with 10 MG Amitriptyline (reduced to 5 now) and getting seizures if I go off I'll add in any details when I remember them, My symptoms before Amytriptyline were: - Nausea (too heavy) - chronic fatigue (too heavy, hardly can stand up) - dizziness, lack of coordination, - full time panic - twitching in muscles, uncontrollable - mouth shivers like it's cold and it becomes hard to talk or stop it - seizures trigger after eating, along with psychological complications like extreme fear, anxiety and loss of coordination, I still have no idea why this happens, and it mostly happens if the food is dense / oily (even drinks trigger that) - too hard to think, focus or even read messages - full time fear - too hard to identify my pain type, source or symptoms (including the ones I mentioned, took me months to detect them) - unidentifiable heavy pain I hardly managed to overcome the seizures before I started Amytriptyline, but they were back as soon as I tried to withdraw Symptoms on Amitriptyline : same except: - extreme fatigue - sickness (as much as Sinus / Vertigo, I mistook it for them at the beginning, I'm using their med to relieve the symptoms - increased fogginess / separation from reality - loss of taste, and increased craving for all sorts of organic / liquid materials (including the most disgusting ones, I can't distinguish in terms of feeling) - decreased energy from the already low levels On Amytriptyline withdrawal : - Seizures, mild to heavy I guess - Suicidal behavior on extreme seizures, because I lose all awareness / emotions and only pain remains, feels like I'll only live pain for the rest of my life A few notes: - The symptoms I mentioned are based on my own research and I could be describing them wrong, for example I though I my "seizures" were simply "panic attacks" until I checked how panic attacks are and checked the first search result of "seizures" in Google, I still don't know enough about seizure types but I know that it's more than a panic / fear, you're welcome to ask me or correct me about any symptoms and / or their meaning - Doctors never told me any diagnosis, they simply threw me meds after a short interview, I was 18-ish back then and didn't know the risks of what they were doing, you're welcome to ask me about that part too since I'm not in the best country to get diagnosed

Introduction topic: ☼-mranxious-3-months-off-effexor-xr-6-years-on Heyyyyyy 😊 I am alive !!!!!! Out there living a life that I am proud of and comfortable with. Pheww I am one of the blessed ones to have breached the other side and lived to talk about and YOU WILL TOO !! That was one hell of a ride. One that is FAR FAR FAR in the rearview mirror 🙃 If you have read my story, you will know that I went through literally the most traumatic event in my life and that was "Effexor Withdrawal". From start to finish I was unsure I would make it through this time, but here I am and let me tell you "Its a process". This will not happen overnight...BUT if you make the right moves, eat healthy and take your vitamins, time will heal, only time BUT everything you do in the mean time will make the difference in the end. Here is what I did : -Increased Omega 3:6:9 daily -Lots of purified water -Maximize sleep if you can and set a goof environment to be able to sleep(No sleeping drugs) -eliminated processed foods and to a whole food plant based lifestyle(THE BIGGEST GAME CHANGER for me and healer I believe* -Cut out all toxic people -light walks/bikes/swims daily(Key word "light". -meditation- daily(Prayer as well daily) -Church -daily mantras "I will heal" "I will get better" "I am getting better" -Reading books, occupying my time -Multivitamin and mineral support tablet I went from being a very anxious person once off Effexor for months and months of withdrawal , to now years later, a fully functional human being again 😎 I fully believe that in order to fully heal, you need to be fully off any pharmatheuticals (Per doctors orders of course, my disclosure) ughh 😋 Oh yes and find a good doctor that will listen to you and meet your needs "YOUR NEEDS". I have found a wonderful doctor and he is all about my plant life and healing and he is all about me living my best life drug free. Whatever you are going through right now, just know it gets so much better. It can takes months to years to recover. Realize this is your journey and a special one. Myself personally believes that god has transformed my old life into my new life and I can't be ever more thankful and grateful. One hell of a adventure but "hey" I love who I am more now and have grown exponentially since this ordeal. I have days where I cry happy tears over the smallest things, butterfly on a flower, old person smiling, to the breeze blowing off the lake , to the food on my plate. I never appreciated it before Effexor and I took it for granted, now it just happens and i love it 😊 I guess it all depends how you look at it, but when things get grim and they will, come back here, read my story and just know you are all in good hands😊 The effort you put out now in the throws of this awful withdrawal, will eventually become the reward you see in your future !!!!! YOU ARE GOING TO RECOVER MY FRIENDS, ALL OF YOU !!!! STAY CALM AND SOLDIER ON, stay safe and always consult your doctor before making any moves and if they don't listen to you : FIND A NEW ONE !!!! But always stay in close touch with them please 😎 This website has been a game changer and so are all the admins* Beautiful hard working volunteers 🧡💛💚💜💖 *Taper, taper, taper your mediction , this is most important, don't rush a taper just because you start feeling good. It will catch up to you, stay the course 😎 or possibly suffer grave setbacks * *Feel free to message me* MR. A

Hello there, My name is Phil and I’m 31 years old. My pharmaceutical journey began in October 2020. I began to experience random waves of nausea, indigestion, dizziness and anxiety out of no where. So, I figured I’d seek help. I went to a clinic, and they ran a bunch of tests. They decided that my anxiety is the culprit, so they gave me a script for Celexa. I took the 10mg and later that night I went to the ER from sheer fear that I was about to die. Safe to say, I gave up Celexa and moved on to “the next best thing” which in their mind was Mirtazapine. I will admit, Mirt gave me the most sound sleep I’ve ever experienced in my life. But that’s about as far as Mirt did for me. It gave me brutal anxiety and panic attacks during the day, and beautiful sleep during the night. Kinda ironic. Eventually the clinic gave me a referral to see a gastroenterologist. From there, I had a series of tests done that left the GI with no answers. He decided to diagnose me with the umbrella term of “functional Dyspepsia”. Basically they give you this diagnosis when they can’t find anything wrong with you. Shortly after my “diagnosis”, he chose to put me on Amitriptyline for my “nerve pain” So I transitioned from Mirtazapine to Amitriptyline very quickly. It was a bumpy few weeks, but I eventually stabilized on 10mg amitriptyline. They told me it would take up to 6-8 months to see any benefits from Amitriptyline; so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I waited. I suffered and told myself that it’ll eventually get better. Fast forward to today and I feel like I’m going to war with myself everyday. I am now a slave to Amitriptyline. I have attempted to self-ween myself from this poison and I have been humbled by the drug multiple times. I don’t remember my experience coming from 10mg to 5mg, but this time around trying to get to 2.5mg has been the most brutal thing I’ve ever encountered. I’m currently in the throes of my most recent attempt to ween to 2.5mg. Im currently experiencing grotesque GI symptoms that include violent waves of nausea, cramping, diarrhea, constipation, 0% appetite, etc. As far as the mental aspect goes, I don’t think I can even put into words what the last few weeks have been like. I’m in constant loops of what feels like psychotic episodes. Ranging from severe panic attacks, paranoia, derealization, depersonalization, suicidal ideation, insomnia, night terrors and self isolation. I am truly at a loss, and I know that this is Amitriptyline’s doing. I have felt these things in the past from attempting a ween, but this time around has been very violent. I’ve had to take a leave of absence at work, and I’ve been bed ridden for about two weeks now attempting to stabilize on 2.5mg. Every night when it’s time to take the pill, I battle with myself. It’s either I continue down the path of the 2.5mg or attempt to re-stabilize myself on 5mg. Im feeling very lost at the moment and was hoping for some type of guidance here. If you chose to read my story, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Greetings, A brief history about me, I am currently 26.5 YO: - Early 2018 - 10mg of Lexapro for GAD and Depression - Early-Mid 2019 - 5mg - Early 2021 - Start to take 5mg every second day in hope to taper (Very dumb yes) - March 2023 - Cold Turkey Life was good on 5mg Lexapro, I felt strong, I felt fine, and everything was good. I got overconfident and decided to quit CT which I am currently regretting very much. From March to June I experienced all kind of symptoms, mainly sleep issue, feeling dazed, unfocused and a Lot of vivid dreams. Mentally I felt fine then. June starts to get used to the symptoms and starting to feel a little bit better. Late June I start to develop right side Tinnitus which caused me all kind anxiety and stress, and my brother was also happened to be severely sick in the same time frame. 25th of July starting to get used to the Tinnitus but starting to experience some mental problems like: - Feeling of strong regrets, missing those bygone days, missing the life I have had before all of this. - Very emotional, and cry quite easily (Thankfully my mom is still with me). - Mentally easily disturbed, negative thoughts tend to be sticky (Meditation is helping with this). - Moderate to high Anxiety about the fact that I CT this without tapering (After I discovered this forum ~2-3 days ago). - Having a bit of sleep issue again, mainly waking up during the night and in-between sleep (Feel like I was half awake). The reason for my extremely late response to all of this is because during the early days of my symptoms I have asked multiple GPs (at least 4), and every single one of them has told me Lexapro withdrawal should only last about 3-5 days because that is when the drug finally leave one's system. They all thought that it was something else, one even prescribed me with Mirtazapine (which I didn't take, thankfully). One did refer me to a psychiatrist but the appointment was 4 months away (2nd August). I have only found this forum around 2 days ago and I am wondering is it worth to reinstate now or is it too late and I should wait it out? My biggest concern for reinstatement would be the potential of worsening Tinnitus and I am traveling overseas for 11 days soon (4th - 15th August). I sincerely hope I did not mess up my life after due to this CT. Thank you kindly!!

So may of 2022 I started my SSRI journey I had bad anxiety and my doctor recommended I take Zoloft. I listened and started with a low dose I completely forget what dose I took but I know I had a terrible reaction to it I lasted like 2 months and then got switched to lexapro. Once I was in lexapro I went from 2.5mg to 10mg wayyyy to fast my psychiatrist was terrible and I got so so many side effects from 10mg so she had me taper off within a month from 10mg-0mg and I had every side effect in the book, you name it I had it. (Brain Zaps were the worst). She then switched me to buspar 5mg 3 times a day and man I could only last 9 days on it. It gave such bad intrusive thoughts it was scary. So I decided to get back on lexapro in January of 2023 and go super slow like start with 2.5 mg and I knew I was sensitive because 2.5 gave me side effects so I started slowly upping my dose and the intrusive thoughts got worse, blurry vision, urge to cry daily, dizzy, and after about 5 months in it I became numb. Nothing would give me anxiety but also nothing would give me excitement. So I started tapering very very slow I went from 5mg to 2.5mg to 1.25mg and then 1.25mg every other day and it was definitely a better taper from last time because I got no brain zaps so far. So currently I’m almost 4 weeks in off of lexapro and man this is hard. I’ve technically been on meds for 1 year just not consistently so I do understand that it will take awhile to heal but man these side effects are weird. I don’t feel happy but I don’t feel sad it is such a weird feeling. I have days where I feel amazing like back to normal and then the next day sucks. Just feels like my motivation is low right now and excitement, I thought that would come back after almost 4 weeks off the pill. Another big thing is the insomnia it is so hard to stay asleep at night. It’s like I have an urge to cry but can’t. just wanted to know if these side effects are common with someone who’s been on ssris for a year

Hello everyone, This is my first post, and I wanted to express my sincere appreciation for the supportive environment this forum provides to individuals grappling with antidepressant withdrawal symptoms. The particulars of my journey can be found in my signature block, but in short, I've been navigating a three-month withdrawal process following an abrupt cessation of over three years of antidepressant use [cycling through the TCA class of drugs with Amitryptoline, Trazadone (Trittico), and Mirtazapine (Remeron)]. The withdrawal symptoms were triggered by the decision of my psychiatrist to abruptly switch me to Pristiq (Desvenlafaxine, an SNRI). After complaints of fatigue and depression, his expectation was that the SNRI would give me an energy boost. This switch was aggravated by the decision to not cross taper. Instead, within 24 hours stopping Remeron and starting Pristiq triggered nearly manic side effects. I was in a hyper-agitated state, dizzy and unable to sleep. He suggested I continue with Pristiq for a week to see if symptoms improved, after they did not, he cold turkey transitioned me to an SSRI (Lexapro) to test its efficacy. Unfortunately, this change didn't bring any improvement. Ultimately, we attempted to reinstate Trittico at a very low dosage. By that point, however, my body had become hypersensitive and reacted adversely to any changes. About 100 days later, my withdrawal symptoms are still significant, with only sporadic periods of reprieve. My most debilitating symptoms include severe dizziness and disassociation (which can last for days), brain fog and forgetfulness, hypersensitivity to certain foods and stimulants like sugar and caffeine, intense anxiety and insomnia, and a persistent, severe ache in my neck muscles that make it feel as though my entire head is trapped in a vise. I also suffer from a constant, low-grade stomachache. These symptoms are negatively impacting my work and personal relationships, which leaves me questioning whether I should consider reinstating a low dosage of one of the original successful drugs (Amatryptoline, Trazadone or Mirtazapine) in an attempt to alleviate these issues. Alternatively, I'm wondering if it would be better to continue without introducing drugs, out of fear of potentially exacerbating the situation. I've also explored virtually every dietary supplement available, but I'm unsure whether any have a real impact. Despite maintaining a healthy diet and exercising lightly each day, I'm not witnessing any significant improvements. Does anyone know of any reliable methods to lessen these symptoms? Since Pristiq seemed to have caused this effect on my body, are there any other people who have transitioned from TCAs to an SNRI and experienced the same negative symptoms? What does the recovery timeline look like? At 90+ days, I am severely demoralized and considering restarting anti-depressants. Having read through numerous posts on this forum, I am well aware there's no simple solution. However, my confidence in my psychiatrist has been completely undermined due to his choices to rapidly switch me through medications and his subsequent trial-and-error approach in trying to correct that initial error. Currently, I take 25mg of Xanax at night to aid sleep, but this doesn't guarantee a restful sleep, and I often wake up in a state of panic. I'd be grateful for any advice or guidance on what steps I might take next, as it feels as though I've exhausted all my options. I'm currently undergoing therapy to tackle my baseline anxiety, which has been beneficial, but it doesn't tackle the fundamental issue - the alterations in my neurochemistry and the impact that years of antidepressant use has had on my brain. I am hopeful that there are strategies or tips out there that might alleviate these symptoms and assist me on my journey towards a drug-free life. With sincere thanks.

As the title says, my psychiatrist (who I don’t think ill be seeing again) told me to stop taking my 150 mg dose of effexor and start on 300 mg wellbutrin. She told me I would be fine and not to worry about withdrawal. Obviously she was very wrong. My symptoms are severe. Muscle pains, heavy pressure on my cheat, horrible mood swings, lots of crying, brain zaps only minutes apart, cloudy thinking, nausea, I have it all- Ive nearly attempted suicide and I wake up every day knowing Im about to have another horrible day of insane discomfort. I told my psychiatrist about this and she told me to go to the ER- they gave me a 30 day supply of 37.5 mg pills and told me to take two today to get relief from the symptoms which I did but its not enough. The discomfort/bordering pain is back, the dread and anxiety is back, I am physically unwell from this. The way I see it I have two options-either continue cold turkey and wait out the hell and be done with this horrible drug- or go back to 150 mg to make the symptoms stop and attempt a slow taper. Im wondering if anyone has any advice or experience with this. How long should I anticipate these horrible side effects lasting for if I continue cold turkey? I dont think the 37.5 mg tablets are going to do me much good in reducing the symptoms if my original dose was 150 mg. My psychiatrist cant possibly be any help if she thought this was a good idea to begin with. I am genuinely scares that I will not survive feeling this awful for much longer, but im terrified to go back on 150 if im just foing to feel like this the whole time i taper my dose. What should I do?

Hello Everyone, This is for Fresh, who has coerced me in to finally starting my own forum thread which I will add to over time. Please pull up a chair, sit down and may be get a hot drink and let me begin. History In a galaxy.. far far away.... oh no that's not it. Ah this is it....... I was holidaying in Italy and got a bit too much sun one day, which meant that I got a pretty servere case of heat / sun stroke. I was unable to sleep for days on end as the slightest noise would jar me awake. I was also unable to eat properly at this time and had a bad stomach, which I believe was all brought on by the sun episode. I remember having a feeling that there was a black cloud above my right eye all of the time. I started to get depressed and felt myself getting lower and lower. Until one morning a few days after the incident, I had an ice cold shower. This bought on my first ever panic attack. I first had a feeling of buzzing in my head and then my muscles in my legs and hands started to contract. I now know this is caused by hyperventilation. An ambulance was called and I was taken to the ER in an Italian hospital where I was given Valium to calm me down. When I came round the black cloud had disappeared. (never to return.... well at least thus far). I was sent home and told to take liquid Valium twice a day for 3 further days. My holiday was coming to an end and this would see me through until I was on the flight home. I slept like a baby and felt wonderful when awake. I thought the whole episode was over, but little did I know that the big change in my life was just starting. I came home and was fine for 24 hours. I went to the cinema to watch the movie "Twister" and it was whilst the film was at one of it's high tension moments that I experienced my second panic attack, it was nowhere near as bad as my first but it affected me for the next couple of days as once again I lost my appetite. I started a new job and this put me in to another tailspin, and it seemed as though panic and anxiety ruled my life for the next 8 months or so. I was put on a short course of betablockers, but they didn't do anything. I can't remember the name of that particular medicine. I finally saw a GP and was diagnosed with Anxiety and Depression, I can honestly say that other than the depressive episode whilst on holiday I have never felt depressed in my life. Yes I have had blue days but never what I now think as depression. I was prescribed Seroxat 10mg once a day. Which I started to take in the morning. Early issues involved initial panic attack when first staring the meds and then suicidal ideation which I had never experienced before. I was concerned and spoke to a GP who then prescribed Diazepan to help me "get on to the drug", a strange phrase and if I'd realised at that time what these things were doing then I would have stopped taking them. It took approximately 2 - 4 weeks for me to start to feel relief and during this time I felt the meds entering every organ in my body or at least that's what I swear I felt. I even got in to a stage where I felt myself rocking back and forth but this only lasted a day or so. Anyway after 4 weeks I was better and over the course of a few months I started to feel "normal" (whatever that may be). I stayed on the meds for a few years before attempting to wean / taper myself off, but this was very shortlived as the symptoms soon appeared. Of course the GP said.... "that the original condition was coming back" and "you need to go back on the meds". So like a good patient always does, they follow the doctors orders, because after all, they know what is right for you, right? So I think I was on Seroxat for approximately 4 years and then started to experience what I now know as "poop-out", where the meds stopped working. So my GP moved me over to Escitalopram as it was a "easier" medication to contend with and would stop me feeling the SI's. Yes this was one of the side effects once the Seroxat had stopped working. To be continued..... Namaste. DC.

hello - i am seeking information and insights into what happens to a person who decides to go cold turkey on anti depressants after taking 50mg of Zoloft for 5 years what is the best way to support this person? i want to be supportive and understanding but i worry that abruptly stopping them will make things worse for him - it’s been 2 weeks now and he has retreated into silence, no contact, very removed except for a couple of erratic messages about how sick he is i am so worried any information to help educate me on these drugs and what goes in much appreciated X X Sarachka

Change is coming 😁 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psychiatry-through-the-looking-glass/202010/withdrawal-antidepressants-review

Hello, I have been on paroxetine for 7 years,have tried many times to go off but unsuccessfully. Finally on 7 th year i lowered my dose from 20 mg to 10 mg. After panic attacked and insomnia appeared on my trip few months later I took 20 mg while I was on a trip and lowered it again on 10 mg.Due to some medical conditions that I suspected that are cause of paroxetine,I lowered the dose to 0 in maybe two months,way too fast. I was okeish for about two months ( I had all of the symptoms of wd but I fought with it ) and I compelety crushed this February . Tinitus and never ending insomnia are the worse. I started to Google and found all the posts about some neurological damage From this drug which made my anxiety worse. Doctor gave me lorazepam to sleep. My question is ,should I go back to 10 mg and taper more slowly? Am I in a risk of neurological damage From tapering too fast ? Is this tinitus permanent? How long wd simptoms approximately last ? I see I am in risk of developing tolerance to lorazepam since I have been using it two weeks for sleep. My doctor's don't know anything since one wants to put me on mirtazapine and other on Prozac. I am so worried and feeling alone in all this.

I had postpartum depression 18 years ago. I started antidepressants then. Over the years, I was switched to Zoloft, Lexapro, Cymbalta, Prozac, Wellbutrin and Buspirone. In that time period, my PCP never considered I may not need the meds. I have a very stressful job, I raised three kids, went through a divorce, and was diagnosed with MS. In that time period, more and more meds were added until the last 6 months when I asked myself, WHY are we adding more meds instead of taking some away? Why are we not looking at the big picture and trying to figure out what I actually have and don't have? Why has no one considered this? Not even me? My original doctor "lost my file" after being with her for 20+ years when I decided to get another opinion and find a doctor to listen. I don't have exact dates or drugs, just memories of being switched and a long history of taking them. The straw that broke the camel's back... I was taking Wellbutrin 300 mg since I can remember Buspirone 10 mg (added 6/2022 by new PCP) Trazadone 150-200 mg since I can remember for sleep (I didn't even know it was an antidepressant) Xanax .5mg-1 mg since I can remember- only recently did my new PCP suggest this was not a safe drug to continue The new PCP didn't "feel comfortable" prescribing mental health meds, so I was sent to a psychiatrist. I have only met him via virtual visits. He prescribed: Clonazepam 1 mg in place of Xanax .5-1 mg Mirtazapine 7.5 mg in place of Trazadone (cold turkey) He also suggested if the mirtazapine didn't work, go ahead and take it with the Trazadone, and the Wellbutrin, and the Buspirone! I read about the drug interactions and Serotonin Syndrome and started freaking out. FOUR MEDS??? WTH? I am NOT EVEN SURE I NEED THESE MEDS!!!!!!!! I completed the psych forms and marked all 0's for anxiety/depression. My anxiety does happen at night mostly in regards to family issues and work. I do need something to take at this point because the Trazadone wasn't working. I was pacing the house, awake for hours-insomnia. I was struggling with agitation, restlessness, high BP, and other things. I agreed to stop the Trazadone 200 mg and replace with mirtazapine 7.5 mg. I also discontinued the Busipirone 10mg due to a drug interaction suggested with the filling of the mirtazapine. That was one week ago. After stopping Trazadone 200 mg nightly and the Buspirone 10mg daily (due to a potential interaction), I do believe I am experiencing withdrawal or Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome. A day or two later, I experienced feeling like I was "on speed", if I actually knew what that felt like. It has continued through the weekend and I am now aware of it and can breathe through it happening. Last week, I was extremely anxious and irritable. Over the weekend my husband also noticed these symptoms persisting. My sense of smell/taste/hearing has been extremely heightened and so has my arousal level. I feel like I have tunnel vision and am disoriented, dizzy, and nauseous a few times. Today I had to leave work and come home. I took .5 Xanax to calm myself. My MS protocol for fatigue is to take Adderal 10mg daily. BIG mistake. It was a horrible morning. It was classic- I sent a message and a made a phone call to him and 6 hours later I got a MyChart message. I asked for help today in dealing with these symptoms. He denied Trazadone would have this effect and told me I shouldn't be taking Adderall and Xanax. Well, NO FREAKING KIDDING! It was either that and come home from work to bed, or go to the ER. He said nothing more other than he'd see me at my appointment this week. He basically has deemed me a drug addict with never meeting me, I think. I had been researching for the past week and came upon the article by Adele Framer. I am a very educated person and have lost faith in medical doctors. I was able to find the article with information I needed to know what this is I am feeling and how my psych would react. It's been a week out and he didn't suggest titrating or any help. I have never been so frustrated with medical doctors. My "chief complaint/concern" that no one asked me about is actually how to stop taking all these meds and do I really need them??? Do I have depression? Anxiety? I found this group, and hope to learn more. I hope to have support from people experiencing similar issues when medicine and doctors no longer seem to be listening. Thanks for reading. Tomorrow is a new day, and I know I can make it better.

This link is to an interview with The Deputy Director for Safety at the FDA's Division of Psychiatry Products. The FDA's stance is that they determine efficacy but safety is subjective and is largely up to doctor and patient to determine for themselves based on individual circumstances. He went on to state that it is up to the patient to thoroughly research each drug for themselves and that informed consent is basically up to the patient. That pretty much says it all. It also goes on to discuss what is lacking in the studies and the FDA's official response is that their data on withdrawal and long term effects is seriously lacking and needs improvement but that it is very hard to do all of that which is why it doesn't get done. It also states that the drug companies tend to prefer a certain level of ambiguity when it comes to safety. WTH??? 🤬 https://www.theinnercompass.org/blog/are-psychiatric-medications-safe-fdas-answer-may-surprise-you

Hi everyone. first off all i want to say how strong and brave all of you are to be dealing with these nightmare drugs... i have been on and off of these psychiatric drugs,for 5 years. specifically srris (prozac + zoloft) wellbutrin + gabapentin, abilify, and now currently taking lamictal (150 mg.) i am 36 weeks pregnant and terrified of the near future and as i haven't really been able to fully enjoy my pregnancy. or most of my youth... i don't even know what i am thinking or doing. i feel really alone. the reason of going on these meds was from dealing with depression + anxiety most of my life, and bpd + ptsd from abusive narcissistic parents. i attempted suicide right before. took about 50 pills. i had a very dysfunctional family. i am 22 now. i feel lost, most days i feel empty ,hopeless. i don't go out of my house, besides grocery shopping. i have no friends. maybe 1 but i barely ever see her , i have a social phobia ever since starting and withdrawing from these drugs. i developed major anhedonia from stopping the prozac + zoloft. even though i took one of the lowest doses possible. i had only been on these for 9 months or less. i remember stopping, as i was sick of depending on these. they told me they werent addicting and i could stop anytime,they told me nobody has ever had these symptoms, they lookde at me like i was crazy. made me feel isolated. i regret going cold turkey.. i remember being manic on them. severe anxiety, hallucinations insomnia, crawling sensations brain zaps major anhedonia, memory loss, etc. i hadn't been myself since. i was grieving my old self, it is one of the worst things you could ever experience. i didnt even know was possible. but here we are... anyways, i have been off the prozac + zoloft for almost 6 years now and wouldnt ever touch those things again. i took abilify for only a few weeks. amitryptiline once or twice. ambien, once. ativan only for a week. ive been off the gabapentin for almsot 3 years now. i tapered that one. after going off cold turkey off the srris, i went on wellbutrin and took that for 3 years, and gabapentin for 2 years. i went off the wellbutrin for a year, then went back on, which i regret once again. i took the wellbutrin for 9 months then stopped, again,to get pregnant at 150 mg. then went back on... at 8 weeks pregnant for about a month. then stopped. then started a drug called lamictal , i am now at 150 mg. i am just over all of this and wish to be drug free, but it seems impossible at this point and afraid ill never recover completely. i am afraid of experiencing anhedonia memory loss as i did before with the srris + wellbutrin. i have sever memroy loss. i feel like i cant even keep up with a conversation because my mind goes blank.. i have depersonalization now. i just dont want to accept this is the end, this is it,,. it can't be. but how is this any way to live? how am i supposed to raise a child into this world.. it all seems unfair and i feel like an absolute idiot for getting pregnant, i thought it was meant to be at the time, but im second guessing it all now. im very afraid. do you think i could stop the lamictal and get back to my old self one day? ive thought about natural holistic alternatives such as turmeric + lions mane, ginger + l theanine, magnesium, ashwaghanda rhodiola + brahmi + holy basil + cacao coffee, etc. and some work but i dont know if i should continue taking after the pregnancy and just rely on these. i dont want to exist if this is truly how life is.. i wish i never took these awful drugs. i feel its the worst thing that i could have ever done, i want my old life back even if it was so painful. atleast then i still felt alive in a sense. thank you all, i wish you all the best in your recorvery + healing journeys.

I am currently withdrawing from Paxil. Did a too fast taper, crashed bad, and have reinstated. I seem to be somewhat (compared to being out of my mind) stabilized after 3 months of reinstatement. However, my daily routine aside from poor sleep quality, is that I feel very anxious with panic barely under control from about 5:00 AM until noon'ish. The rest of the day I am functional and actually have periods where I feel almost normal. Does anybody experiencing Paxil (or any SSRI) withdrawal have this symptom pattern? Before using Paxil I never had any of these symptoms. I took it for mild seasonal depression annually for 4 months. Each year it was harder and harder to get off. I should have paid closer attention.

I am currently suffering from baby blues and opened up to my doctor about it.She prescribed me 25mg Zoloft. Thinking it would help I took a dose. After this one dose I started getting brain zaps and figured out I could not sleep. I also saw light when closing my eyes. So this made my anxiety flair up. After this I ended up in the ER at Methodist twice. Once for insomnia and a panic attack and the other for the same issue. The just band aided it with Ativan and another sleep aid (which has side effects too). I quit cold turkey after the first dose knowing this medicine was poison. I started experiencing insomnia, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, hypersensitivity to sounds, agitation and brain zaps. I’m on week 4 after quitting and the brain zap that was happening near my left temple has turned into head pressure that’s been lingering . I’ve been taking valerian root tea and cbd for sleep. And have been eating healthier.I’ve also tried NAD IV treatments because I would assume getting nutrients straight to the vein would be better. I’ve also cut caffeine and most sugars. I’m still trying to fix my sleep cycle. I wake up every 3 hours at night and I’m hoping to sleep a full night soon. Any suggestions or recovery stories would get my spirits up. I feel like there has been progress but I’m not out of the woods yet. Hoping to fully heal soon.

Hi there, I am glad that I found this forum and as I am at a very desperate state in my life right now - I am glad that I can find some people relating to my topic. I have first been prescribed Cipralex 5 mg about 10 years ago, when I was 20. I changed from high school to university and started having panic attacks from time to time and a very weird way of feeling myself (like being in a vacuum). Looking back, it was not THAT horrific but a general practitioner prescribed it to me after having a 10 minute-chat with me. I didn´t have any idea what antidepressants were back then - also he did not tell me anything about it. So I took it. I must say that - whether it was placebo or not - it helped. So I got off them (5mg, very small dose). 2 years later I had a similar phase, already working at an agency where I experienced panic attacks and felt very anxious in general. So I thought to myself: Hey that stuff worked the first time - I´ll take that again. I don´t really know if it did anything for me this time because I also quit my job and took a long vacation - I guess that would have done it as well. After maybe a little less than a year I quit again - this time it seemed harder. I always tapered - even with this little dosage. When I quit- the first time in my life ever, I had sort of depressive phases. But it went away. Then again some years later I had a very stressfull time in my life and a trigger-event that got me really freaked out and depression kicked in ...this time I did not want to start medication again but I could not see another way. thankfully shortly after I found my coaching technique that reeeallyyy helped a lot, did some family constellations and really started to understand the whole reason WHY I was dealing with all those problems. I understand now and I don´t feel crazy anymore for having experienced what I have experienced. But okay. So at the maximum I took 10 mg of Cipralex ( i always refused the neurologists wish of taking more and more) because I did not feel that the antidepressants helped. While taking 10 mg I still had very depressive phases, so I thought: Okay, if I take more, will it get better or will I just be damaging my body more and more? I continued working with my coach, working on myself, getting to know myseld and really digging into the hurtful past and reasons. This helped A LOT and was the only reason I felt better. So soon I reduced again to 5mg ( in steps) Eeeevery time I reduced my dose I got a depressive phase following, about 3 weeks later that would last around a month. Including sweating a lot, feeling like having a feaver, being depressed,feeling anxious, feeling like I can´t go to training, feeling weak, etc. but I always got better again. So I did this really slowly..always allowing my body to adjust to the next step. In late August (2015) i took my last „powder 0,000xx mg“ and boom...after 3 weeks I started feeling HORRIBLE. ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE! I had troubles I never had before (or still have) lik e being totally paranoid, feeling completely deprersonalzed, having terrible brainfog, headaches, ...all that in addition to having all the old **** I am used to when having a down. So for 2 months I felt horrible, then it got a lot better for month, now it is completely terrible again since mid-december. I AM GOING CRAZY! I am very well informed and very convinced that all that is due to withdrawl and that my brain needs time to adjust but OH MY GOD how can one stand this horrible times?I feel so terribly weak! All the time I have to push myself really hard: To get out of bed, to talk to friends, to go outside, to go to work, ...everything is a huge struggle...it is sooooo exhausting. Luckily I do have all the support I could wish for from friends and family and boyfriend! I am very thankful for that! But still I feel alone with all this war inside of me because I feel like they don´t know what I am going through. If I feel really bad for two weeks and then have a window – okay, at least you get a break. But feeling that awful for over a month is draining all my energy. How do you cope? How do you get through this? What do you do when you sit alone at home, feel to weak and terrible to call someone..how do you drag yourself out of this? Ps.: Sorry if my English is not that good:)

Hi there! I was recommended to this site by a few people because I have recently come off Prozac after being on them since I was 17 (I’m 33 now). I was advised by my psychiatrist to take about 6 weeks or so in between dose changes. I started at 60 mg and went down to 40 for 6 weeks, followed by 20 for a few weeks. I took it upon myself (maybe not the best idea) to go from 20 down to 10 mg for a week or so and finally stop. My last dose was June 21. Since then I have gained almost 15 pounds and am having mild/moderate side effects. One of the most difficult being the constant leg movements when I’m laying in bed, it’s becoming unbearable. My mood is erratic with lots of spontaneous crying and lashing out at my husband, and I definitely feel on edge at all times. I’m at the point where I don’t know what to do or even how long to expect these unpleasant side effects to last. Any advice would be so helpful! Thank you in advance!!

I have been on Sertraline (Zoloft) over the last 11 years. These were prescribed by a physician in an effort to treat my GAD/panic condition caused from high stress levels in college. Prescribed within a 10 minute appointment. I was 20 years old. And with no information on how long to take it or how to stop taking it. "Take this, it will help." The medication seemed to work OK for a few years. However, my experience over the last 2.5 years on this medication and with the psychiatry system has been a complete mess. My symptoms of anxiety (and the addition of depression) were exacerbated with many new symptoms and side effects: heightened anxiety, suicidal ideations, uncontrollable movements, cognitive impairment, and many others. I continued to speak to my psychiatrist about all these symptoms and my deep sense that we were on the wrong track. In fact I showed up in tears to the office. I was told I needed to increase my dosage, as I had more than likely become tolerant to my current dose. So as a good patient would, I listened to my doctor’s recommendation- increase from 50mg to 100mg. I increased to 75mg, had a follow-up appointment and relayed that I was feeling ‘OK’, but not great. So, I threw out an idea. How about this? Since increasing isn’t making me “better”, I’m going to reduce and taper off. Do the opposite. My psychiatrist was hesitant, but agreed if I wanted to take that journey then she’d support my decision and want me to continue check-ins. Was I given any advice or direction from the psychiatrist on tapering? Not really. I researched myself. I read many testimonials and clinical trials about the challenges of tapering off medications. I was ready for what I thought might be a very bumpy ride and determined I would decrease slowly over many months. I made myself a plan. Make a reduction every 6-8 weeks, so I have time to acclimate in between reductions. So I did just that. I also journaled my symptoms- physical, mental and emotional feelings daily. It wasn’t a fun process (def had some issues), but it wasn’t all that terrible. The added global pandemic definitely did not help the situation (super great time to come off medication). My last dose taken May 31, 2020. Six weeks go by and I’m doing pretty good. THEN, like a freight train, I’m hit with delayed post withdrawal. The most horrendous physical, mental and emotional pain I’ve ever experienced in my life. Nerve shocks, body aches, headaches, cognitive disorientation, tremors, severe insomnia, panic, crying spells, chest pain, no appetite, extreme anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Things I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Overall I lost 10 pounds. I cried every day. The insomnia got so bad (only slept 2 hrs each night), I was put on Trazodone for a short period. I was in a tailspin. I felt so alone. This lasted a very long 3 weeks. And honestly without my support system, this forum, and my stubborn attitude I don’t think I would have gotten through it. After those 3 weeks, I could feel myself getting closer to the surface again. I still struggled, but each day got a little better. A little more healed. Symptoms still lingered, but things were subsiding slowly. My body working out the kinks. I started feeling real improvements and larger windows at the 6 month mark. Still some bumps in the road, the occasional stress induced anxiety symptoms, but overall better. Every day got a little brighter. I now genuinely know the medication was the culprit in making me ill- inflaming all of my anxieties. Today I have been 1 year 3 months without any medication. Last dose taken on May 31, 2020. I can wholeheartedly tell you it does get better. I feel the best I’ve felt in years. My symptoms have all subsided. I still have general anxiety, but it is very minor in comparison to being on the medication. I have learned so much about myself, my strength and the coping mechanisms/exercises that work for me. And I’m still healing. Everyone’s story and timeline is different, however I hope sharing my experience gives you hope. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. You can and will weather the storm and get through this journey. You may not see it now, but there is an end in sight. And it’s beautiful. Keep going. **On a personal note, THANK YOU to those of you that have also shared your experiences on this forum, as this undoubtedly helped me hang on during my journey of tapering and withdrawal.** XX Amber

Hey all. My name is Kelly. I’m new here, but I’ve also been apart of a few Facebook groups that led me here. I’m going to try to make a long story short. About 2 years ago, I was placed on 50 mg of Zoloft because I was tearful and told my OBGYN office that I was feeling overwhelmed and uninterested in sex with my husband. At the time, I just gave birth to my newborn twins, I had an 11 month old at home and a 4 year old step son. Life was very stressful and chaotic. I didn’t feel depressed or anxious before beginning this medicine. Fast forward about 3 months of being on, I and the people around me felt the medication was changing who I was. I was becoming angry and just not my normal self. I forgot to take the Zoloft for about 2 days and I felt like I was okay and getting back to feeling more normal. I decided to continue to skip taking the medication. About 5 days after abruptly quitting, I was going to lay down with my 11 month old in bed, and I got the fleeting thought of “What if I just smothered her right now and nobody was here to save her?” The scariest feeling came over my body. I was terrified of myself, am I actually capable of hurting my sweet and precious girl? Following this came many more intrusive thoughts about harming my babies, my husband and myself. I had thoughts and visualizations of me hurting others, cheating on my spouse, etc. I felt like I was going insane. I had crazy anxiety, I couldn’t sleep, heart palpitations, dizziness to the point I thought I was going to pass out, I felt depressed, easily angered, agitated, I was having vivid dreams, I had increased awareness of every noise around me, depersonalization, I would cry every single day because I didn’t know what was happening. I checked myself into the hospital where they tried to give me more medication and I refused it. I was lucky enough to have a nurse that googled for me “What happens when you abruptly stop taking an antidepressant”. I was so shocked to find just about every single symptom on the packet she printed me, I was experiencing. I showed the packet to the doctor and he agreed. I was released 3 days later. It’s been a roller coaster ever since then. I am now 19 months off of a cold turkey Zoloft and I feel so much better, but I still suffer with waves. When the waves come, the repetitive thoughts return and my brain feels so out of whack. I feel anxiety and feel down. I never experienced real anxiety and depression before until after coming off of the Zoloft. But it passes after a while when I go into a window. My life at home is so chaotic and I know it does not help. I am happy I am able to live a normal life now compared to when I first came off. I can tell I am healing, but it has just been so rough. It’s taken a toll on my relationship, I feel so much guilt from the thoughts that I’ve had about harm, cheating on my spouse, and more. I carry this big lump of guilt that mostly makes an appearance when I feel myself going into a wave. I will say that my husband has been my biggest supporter this entire time. He is actually the one that told me from the beginning when I got the prescription, “Kelly if you take that pill it’s going to mess you up”. I wish I would have listened to him. I guess I’m just writing here to get some support, to see if anyone has experienced something similar, and just to express myself. I had no idea withdrawal was even a thing from antidepressants until I went through it. I would have never touched these types of medications if I knew I was going to go through this. Any advice, success stories or anyone that can relate to me would be so appreciated. (At one point I went on Lexapro to “help the thoughts” but it made everything much worse and I decided to taper down. I even believe at one point I had an auditory hallucination after I abruptly stopped, but it was only one time. The rest of the time it was just intrusive thoughts). Thank you for reading if you made it this far!

Started Zoloft 6 years ago and it worked for my GAD & Health Anxiety and I took it for 2-3 years and went off it cold turkey. 3 years later I got covid Dec 27 2021 and my anxiety was back then got the first dose of the vaccine Jan. 17 2022 and was prescribed Zoloft Jan. 27 25 mg and took it for 3 days then upped to 50 mg for 2 days and was in ER twice for heart palpitations. Discontinued zoloft. Startedmirtzapine 7.5 mg Feb. 3rd and only took one dose and discontinued. Then was giving Trazadone 25 mg for insomnia/get my sleep under control on Feb. 10th. I Was then put on Buspar 5 mg on March 2nd and took for 6 days before ending up in ER for burning sensations and internal vibrations and discontinued buspar. Then was put back on zoloft 25 mg March 17th and took it for 4 days and vibrating sensations got worse and are now constant in my head, which I can’t sleep, and throughout my body.Discontinued again and not sure if I messed up my brain/nervous system from the medication or if it’s Covid and was wondering if I should start a new anxiety medication or is this all happening from going on and off meds or if it’s from covid. I’ve taken trazadone, gabapentin, and melatonin throughout the past 3 months for insomnia. Would really appreciate the help/advice!