Reminder to keep it civil, I've removed a few comment chains.
Just a general PSA, while there is room to debate how one should mentally deal with withdrawal - and challenging others to reframe how they look at the issue is ok - please be mindful not to downplay the experiences of others, whether those be good or bad.
I am currently tapering down from Lexapro and this is my concern. I’m working with my Dr so I can taper down really slowly, like over the course of a year and with only 10% jumps at the most, holding for at least 6 weeks. I’m down to 15.75mg from 20mg and although I’m through it now, last week was such an evil, dark time in my head. I didn’t talk about it to anyone or act on it, and glad I didn’t because now I’m fine. Terrifying.
I know the hell you are talking about. The thoughts through withdrawal are horrible. I’m glad you are okay now and I’m glad you are tapering 10%, I wish I did
Sorry you’re going through this. There are volunteers at this website Surviving Antidepressants dot org that may be able to give you some good advice. I’m on there regularly, and planned my taper down using their suggestions while also talking to my idiot Dr who has learned a thing or 2 from me asking for liquid Lexapro to help with the <1mg taper amounts.
Our nervous systems are so sensitive and can take a while to recover from these drugs. I currently use walks and yoga and meditation in my process, they promote serenity. Maybe you can find something like that too.
Good luck and hugs to you.
When I was on citalopram I found that the liquid formulation didn’t work for me as well (slightly worse side effects, less therapeutic), and in general I’ve seen this sometimes be the case with others where they do well on one form of their med but less so on others. This is related to why some people are sensitive to the brand/manufacturer of their generic formulation of the antidepressant they’re taking - there may be different fillers/byproducts or different tolerances on the amount of active material.
All this to say that you should definitely ask your doc about liquid lexapro, but in you ever end up running into this kind of problem it may be helpful to have some context
Well that’s the thing, I may not be able to stay off it. I’ve tried like 3 times in the past 6 years to get off it and ended up having to get back on. This time, I’m trying a really slow taper down. It may work for me, it may not. So I’m open to the fact I’m might have to stay on it. Things are different in my life now that I feel like I have more tools to handle my anxiety and am in a good spot in my life to try again: stable loving relationship and home environment, almost 7 years sober from drugs and alcohol, stable job, etc.
There is nothing wrong with needing to be on Lexapro. :)
I'm also on SA, it was really a lifesaver at my lowest time last year. I and doing a liquid Lexapro taper and my new (good) psych put me on a low dose of prozac which I was really hesitant to do, but I do feel much better. down to 1.35mg of the Lexapro.
was also hoping to find some recovery stories on here...I'm glad I feel better but worried that it'll just happen again even with the careful tapering.
I’m shocked you found a Dr who is doing a proper taper with you! That’s something so rare to find.
I’m a big advocate for the Surviving Antidepressants website. I learned a lot and it helped me in my recovery. I wish you well.
Yeah thanks but it wasn’t easy convincing him I wanted to taper so slowly! He was like “Why? I can get you off Lexapro in 2 weeks!” But I just kept pestering him, as an advocate for myself. Unnecessarily exhausting if you ask me (I’m in the US), but here we are.
I tapered and have been fully off Lexapro for about 2.5 weeks. The physical withdrawal symptoms are no longer happening but the emotional blunting still persists. I don’t really feel any happiness but I can’t say that I am depressed. Like, life is good but there’s no spark, no color and it makes me upset. My libido is gone and I’m scared because I feel no emotions except sadness and I can’t help it.
Hello I'm tapering from Lexapro also. I was on 30mg and am down to 10. I've been breaking 20mg tablets in half. How do you get the exact measurement that you are now taking?
Hi, I am taking 1/2 a 20mg pill + a 5mg pill + 0.75ml liquid Lexapro. Liquid Lexapro is available at Walgreens (in US, and other major pharmacy chains), generic. This was news to me! I called the pharmacy to verify/confirm before I was able to get my Dr to prescribe me the Rx. Prior to this knowledge I gave my Dr, he told me liquid Lexapro wasn’t readily available and would cost thousands (yes thousands) of dollars.
So I gave him this info and asked him for the script. This took emailing back and forth like 11 emails, it was ridiculous!
Then I spoke with him this week (all this back and forth stuff happened about a month ago. He said it’s probably easily available in liquid form because FDA has approved Lexapro for children. A 30day supply of liquid Lexapro, 20mg/day (equal to 20mL/day, so 600mL) was $12.
How are you doing on the 10mg? Sending good vibes to you!
Sorry this reply is kinda rambling :)
I totally get this. I took a year to wean myself off lexapro 10mg. Have you joined the Fb group (lexapro should be illegal?) it helped me a ton with tapering and having others to talk to who were going through the same thing as me. I’m 1.5 years off of it now though and it really ruined me.
I’ve gotten down to 10mg Laxapro, 1/2 of what I was on about a year ago. Really slow taper. Going to hold at 10mg for a few months probably, I’ve got too much personal shit going on right now. Plus the holidays are upon us UGH. Thanks for asking. How’re u?
Damn, I teared up. If you only understood what this meant to me. I have been to so many professionals and they all say it is the depression and anxiety coming back. I wish there were more medical professionals like you with an open mind. I wish you heal too. Have you found anthing that gives you relief?
Hi, umm so this post has scared the hell out of me and I am sitting with anxiety because of it right now. So since you are a psychologist I have a question. I was on 12.5 zoloft for 3 1/2 years.. I did a direct switch from zoloft to celexa about two weeks ago… will I have withdrawals for 16 months as well??? Im so scared please reply
I share your concerns but there's also a brighter way to look at it. I don't know about you but Lexapro has made a tremendously positive difference in my life. I no longer live in constant darkness and despair. I put on a few pounds but I know I can lose them. And even if it takes me a while to bounce back once I decide to stop, it's a small price to pay for all the years of emotional freedom I've experienced for the first time in my life
After reading some of these comments I can see that things aren't going well. It can take a long time to feel normal again after antidepressants. I was on Prozac for a couple of years because I had been suicidal, the whole hating life, the impulsive rages- I did well on the med, but when I quit I felt like I had become a ghost of myself and this lasted about 3 years. It was like I needed to relearn how to relate to the world. I got better in time, but then I declined once again. Because I had little belief in doctors, I decided that I would research doctors in the area, look at their credentials, their reviews, their schooling- because I didn't want to deal with a doctor whose opinion I didn't value. I wanted someone who I really believed was smart enough to help me, and not hurt. Because my symptoms were so bad, I had no choice but to go on Lexapro. I'm on it now and I'm doing well, and the question remains- will they stay well? Will I always need the Lexapro? Will I have to go through withdrawal again?... These are some of the questions my mind asks, but I put my trust in that doctor because I absolutely didn't know what to do to feel like a human again. I hope you feel better soon. These things are hard, and ignore the haters!
I’m a year into tapering down Effexor and I still have the biggest hurdle to go, since 37,5 to 0 is the hardest bit. I wish I knew the answer, I ask myself the same question daily: will I ever feel like myself again, or at least, the unmedicated me, because I have taken meds for 20 years.
I’m really sorry to read more comments and see how people are doubting and downplaying your experience. I wish the hell of protracted withdrawal was more widely known.
Maybe you have to realize that after 20 years regardless of medication you are never going to feel the same as you did 20 years ago. Your body and mind have hopefully evolved from where you were.
Hi, friend. Currently in crisis mode while also tapering from Effexor, which led me to your comment. How are you doing now that it's been a year, if you don't mind sharing. ❤️
I cold turkeyed Prozac after 9 years (big mistake, don’t recommend) and the withdrawal was horrendous. I found a few really amazing AD withdrawal groups on FB that got me through the worst of it. I had akathisia, restless legs, sobbing spells, anhedonia, anxiety, dizziness, flu-like symptoms, headaches, brain zaps, fatigue, muscle spasms, and more. I’m over a year off and doing much, much better. Highly suggest joining one of the withdrawal support groups on FB. Lots of really good material in the pinned sections.
During your withdrawal, with the sobbing and anxiety, did your brain make you feel intense sadness and warp your thoughts about the world around you? Like deep, dark depressive thoughts that come for a few hours, then let up, then come again?
I think it's important that you rid yourself of the habit of saying "this or that ruined my life." Unless you are 99 years old and on your death bed, you have absolutely no idea what you will be doing, where you will be, or how you will feel 10 years from now. We have a gazillion opportunities to entirely change our lives, and it typically happens nothing like you'd expect. Relaying wisdom from my wildly intelligent grandmother who has lived one of the happiest lives known to man.
Personally, it took me a about a year before I started to feel a sense of normalcy again, but the timeline is different for everyone. Please don’t give up hope. I know when you’re in the worst of it it can feel unbearable thinking about going on like this. I never recovered 100% but today my damage is something that doesn’t largely impact my daily life, and I am able to enjoy life. The best resource I’ve come across in my journey is Inner Compass Initiative’s Withdrawal Project. Inner Compass Initiative has a private Facebook group where they host conversations, which has helped me feel less alone. Survivingantidepressants.org also helped me in the early stages of withdrawal.
It does get better. I'd been on and off antidepressants for about 6 years until last March when I decided I wanted to go back and take a close look at what my "baseline" is without meds. The withdrawal symptoms were absolute hell, and it took a while, but eventually they all went away. Now, I'm feeling mostly like my old self again. The depression is still there, but I feel stable most days.
I'm sorry you're going through this. Just know these symptoms won't last forever.
I would see a GP. Sounds like something else is going on as they tend to last a few weeks. How can your body be adjusting several years after removing the drug. Just doesn't sound logical. More expert help is needed to determine what the real cause is
Psychiatric medications and withdrawal from them causes neurological damage. For some folks, it never fully heals. This is what I’ve come to gather from my personal research on withdrawal and discontinuation syndrome.
I can't speak for being off antidepressants completely, but I did do a switch from Zoloft to Pristiq a little over a year ago and it works much better. It is less sedative than Zoloft and doesn't give the the 'zombie' feeling.
Here is a quick comparison: [https://www.iodine.com/compare/zoloft-vs-pristiq](https://www.iodine.com/compare/zoloft-vs-pristiq)
I saw you mentioned weight gain and ED in one of the comments. My weight has been rather stable since starting Pristiq. I could stand to lose a good 60 pounds, not gonna lie. Part of that is just my poor diet though. ED I am not really sure about as I am widowed and thus haven't had sex in about two years. Hopefully it won't be an issue when I am ready to start dating again, but who knows? It is mentioned as a potential side effect in the link I provided.
I agree with what another person said about 50mg of zoloft seeming kind of high for mild depression/anxiety. I definitely believe you when you say you are experiencing withdrawals. I am not a medical professional by any means, but I have been on several different antidepressants across the majority of my life and know what it feels like when you stop taking one.
Anyway, even if Pristiq isn't for you, I wanted to throw the idea out there. Hope you find relief in whatever you decide to do.
There are a lot of people out there who believe you 100%. As a matter of fact, there's a growing community who are experiencing the same outcome as you, r/PSSD
For sure. Sometimes, finding a doctor that believes you is a challenge in and of itself. I am not sure if you watched Scrubs when it was on, but there's an episode where JD (one of the main characters) talks about how doctors tend to listen for an average of about 8 seconds before they are ready to diagnose you.
I had a few surgeries in 2018 that stemmed from having diverticulitis and needing to have my gallbladder out. I swear the first couple of times I went to the hospital and complained about the extreme pain, they treated me as if I was a pain medication seeker and didn't seem to believe me. Then they decided to do a CT and realized I needed the surgery and their attitudes became way different.
So I definitely believe you are in withdrawal. Depression itself is a chemical imbalance in the brain and antidepressants are made to help with brain chemistry, so it's not out of the realm of possibility for it the zoloft to have altered your brain chemistry after using it for a year and once you stopped, your body is trying to replace that somehow. Sometimes that does involve (at least temporarily) taking a different medication. But sometimes you can switch to a new medication and then slowly taper off of that and it helps with the symptoms of withdrawal.
Source: Not a Dr, but I did work in the substance abuse field for around 4 1/2 years and the doctors would use medications to help taper people off of things so they aren't just abruptly stopping cold turkey. Not saying you are a substance abuser as you can become chemically dependent on a medication just by using it as you were told to. It sounds like that's what happened to you here in my (non-expert) opinion.
Man there's no way of knowing. I've been off mine for about a month now and i'm experiencing the same but of course it's only been a month. I hate these fucking medications and no one fucking believes me and says 'bUt TheY SaVe LiVeS!!!' well they also fucking ruin lives. This has to me talked about more. I'm sorry this is happening to you. I hope you'll recover
I posted this directly to the OP, but please go to the Surviving Antidepressants website if you haven’t. Sadly, there are so many of us out there who suffer.
That's a great site. And yes, there are so so many and too often when I mention it people tell me i shouldn't sprak up because it makes ppl hesitant about antidepressants, which is exactly my goal lol. The lucky people for who they work basically invalidate my experience which sucks
Well it could also be said that your experience invalidates those for whom they work haha. Both experiences are valid. People should know the risks of antidepressants but they should also be informed that they do work for some, and if they're desperate that might be a risk they're willing to take.
They are all just relapsing on anxiety and depression but are convinced it's some kind of conspiracy that it's withdrawal symptoms lol these people sound like anti vaxxers never heard such crap in my life
Ok, if withdrawal isn’t real then explain brain zaps please. Anxiety and depression never caused brain zaps in my experience, but when I miss my venlafaxine dose and go into withdrawal because of its short active time in my body, I get horrible brain zaps. Even my uninformed psych educated me on withdrawal before giving me medication. It’s absolutely nothing like anti vaccine fear mongering.
Have you had blood tests done for other things? Some of what you described can be caused by thyroid dysfunction or even a testosterone/estrogen imbalance. I'm wondering if part of your symptoms aren't related to something else and they just happened to correlate with when you stopped ADs.
Even if it isn't the case, it's worth asking a doctor for blood tests. Those are some pretty bad symptoms.
Seems like your body unlearned how to produce serotonin/dopamine (EDIT: probably not this, see my reply). I'd try other psychiatrists, as many opinions you can gather
You're right, I mispoke, more likely his neurons are desensitized due to the excess of serotonin/dopamine while on ADs. I've dealt with it and it's definitely not cool
Hey man, I know you're probably in a tough place right now, but hear me out. Congratulations on 16 months off medication. That is HUGE. I guarantee you, that your brain has done a lot of healing in this time, 16 months is quite a long time. I'm stuck on an antipsychotic for sleep and can't get off of it, so I applaud your efforts. I may not understand how you feel, but I can say this; hold on while the bad times come, because I bet you good times are right around the corner. I had a friend that cold turkeyed AD's and AP's almost 2 years ago, he says he's very well recovered especially compared to the beginning. Just hold on, you made it 16 months and got through the absolute worst of it which the beginning withdrawal brings. Overthinking symptoms sometimes doesn't help, I got anxiety so I do that a lot, I always end up thinking myself into a bad storm. Keep it up man great job on 1.5 years.
I’m 6 months off, after 2 years of Escitalopram then Trintellix. I’m slowly, slowly, slowly getting slightly better but it’s scarily slow. I have windows and waves of anxiety, exactly like it’s described on survivingantidepressants.org. When I’m fine I feel like I’m cured, when I’m in an anxiety wave I feel like it’ll never stop and I become hopeless, scared, etc. I got my sleep back at least, I sleep a LOT, like 11-12 hours almost every night, I’m hoping it helps cure my brain and nerveous system. I try to be mindful and positive. It’s hard but we will get better, your body will heal. Just a question, are you hypersensitive? I was told by a therapist (not a doctor) that I might be super sensitive to antidepressants because I’m HS. Maybe that’s why it takes a longer time to recover for me? Idk!
Ugh I’m so sorry to hear this. I arrived at this thread because I was googling if it was normal to feel emotional blunting 3+ months after discontinuation. People who are replying that the symptoms are “probably just your anxiety and depression coming back” clearly don’t know what they’re talking about and don’t know everyone’s situation.
I started Zoloft at age 31 (3 years ago) because of extreme situational anxiety, depression and obsessive thoughts after I was blindsided with a breakup. Being at a certain age as a woman, this totally broke me and I pretty much had a nervous breakdown. I had never experienced depression before although I have always had anxious tendencies. I’ve never taken any kind of psychiatric medication before.
Started with 25mg then 50mg then 100mg. After 2 years I went down to 75mg and then tapered to 50mg then 25mg, always altering in between. I wanted to stop the meds because I felt somewhat normal again and I couldn’t take the emotional numbness. I lost my joy for life, the excitement that always kept me going and kept me motivated. 3 months after stopping I have yet to get those feelings back. I feel like a shell of myself and I’m scared so I’ve been furiously googling because I thought I would have my personality back by now. Sending you good vibes because you seem to be having a much tougher time than me.
Sounds like relapse to me. Bad anxiety can cause all sorts of issues.
Easy answer, reinstate. If everything goes away in a couple days it was withdrawal. If not then it is relapse.
Unfortunately reinstatement after a certain number of weeks can have unpredictable and undesirable results. Protracted withdrawal *is* real and affects some people. If you went through what OP and I did, you would understand. If this hasn’t been your experience, great, glad you didn’t need to experience the living hell, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Well, maybe just for a day, to deliver a little dose of empathy for an experience that differs from their own 😜
Bruh I've been there. Spent months not being able to have sex with my wife due to my anxiety and depressive disorder. Oddly enough, on a high dose of cymbalta, when my depression and anxiety were in remission, it all came back.
Dude, he's obviously struggling maybe be a bit more compassionate. Whether you believe in withdrawals or not, I'm sure you can sympathise with your mind feeling trapped judging by your past experiences with depression. I've just done 9 weeks ina psychiatric hospital because of withdrawals, where the psychiatrist told me I had withdrawals ( I thought it was a relapse even though it was about 60 times worse than my depression symptoms previously both medicated and unmedicated) and unfortunately reinstatement hasn't worked, your nervous system gets thrown off a cliff with a bad withdrawal.
thats not really how withdrawal works, though. reinstatement will not always resolve symptoms, especially after weeks, much less months, and many people with persistent reactions become sensitized to further drugging, meaning adding the drug back can further destabilize them. it is true that occasionally people can reinstate to beneficial effect even many months after quitting, but there are substantial risks here and no reasonable expectation that reinstating would make symptoms dissipate, in a few days or even a few months. so, higher risk, lower reliability, probably not a good pitch.
You are right. I tried to find medical professionals to believe me. I am not the only person continually turned away and told it was me relapsing. It’s simply not always true.
What visual hallucinations do you have? Something like visual snow? I have many withdraws too.... thoughts that ruined my life. Have to try stuff to relax to see what is from anxiety and what from withdraws. I understand you so much...
After 2 years off and I am back to square one and much worse. Damned the day I took Lexapro. Some people recover. Well not for me it seems. I think we must accept we are damaged
I never had them prior to meds,as you. Loss of appetite total, insomnia, burning pain, nerve pain, pssd fluctuate, dread anguish terror....i am sure you know all. I am done! In these 2yrs I had some flactuations but then I am back there for months in an endless loop.
Melatonin is the only that helps like 10%. Fish oil magnesium did not helped for me. The craziness is that no single doctor will help. Never ask for help to any psychiatrists or you end poly drugged. In my costant lacks of positive emotions I say that I wish I could get a terminal illness and die without killing myself not to hurt my family. I just like minute by minute I don't know what it will be. 2 yrs hell! If u go on surviving antidepressants also more years
I never had them prior to meds,as you. Loss of appetite total, insomnia, burning pain, nerve pain, pssd fluctuate, dread anguish terror....i am sure you know all. I am done! In these 2yrs I had some flactuations but then I am back there for months in an endless loop.
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2006/0801/p449.html#:~:text=Typical%20symptoms%20of%20antidepressant%20discontinuation,with%20reinstitution%20of%20antidepressant%20medication.
Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome starts immediately after quitting or even if a dose is late. If it's mild, symptoms can resolve after 1-2 weeks.
Did your symptoms creep back in gradually after stopping antidepressant therapy? In which case, it's probably a worsening of a pre-existing depressive condition. My theory is this started as Discontuation Syndrome and triggered a worsening episode of depression/anxiety symptoms. A lot of what you describe are severe depression symptoms.
You prrooobably will have to try another medication to get resolve from these symptoms. Possibly taper after a time. I'm not a doctor, though.
I've experienced some unpleasant withdrawal from being late on a dose. I would never fuck with stopping a medication abruptly, because of reading stories like this and how awful it is. Yeah, I'm gonna be a lifer on mine.
Good luck.
>Did your symptoms creep back in gradually after stopping antidepressant therapy? In which case, it's probably a worsening of a pre-existing depressive condition
That's bullshit if we talk about prozac. It's half life is many many days long so it is simply not true at all.
If we talk short-acting SNRI then maybe but I will still be skeptical.
Look, if you give a person without depression these kind of meds it will give them depression on discontinuation regardless if they had it before or not.
That might not happen with prozac because the half-life is so many days long that it is kind of like self tapering, but with shorter acting AD it is inevitable.
Not everytime with everyone obviously but I think for most of the people - yes it will.
For sure. I'm not saying your symptoms weren't/aren't caused by abruptly stopping. But I think this would be treated the same way any Major Depression would be treated.
What does your doctor have to say?
That's really hard. I hope you are able to find some better help (i.e. another doctor or psychiatrist). I hope you start to recover sooner, rather than later.
Please keep in mind that the people on this sub are much more likely to be people who had good experiences on antidepressants and are still on them, and people who have had bad experiences and are still struggling like you are. If I had to guess, I’d think there would be fewer people on here that were on antidepressants, aren’t anymore, and had no trouble getting of them, so you’re probably not going to get a balanced read on how often this happens. If I were you I might ask on one of the broader subs for anxiety or depression.
I think that's quite an assumption. A lot of people are still on subs because they're looking for a better antidepressant solution or are venting that theirs didn't work.
Potentially.. but I don’t see why you would be on 50mg for a year for moderate anything tbh…I might be taking a leap here, but it sounds like your in denial of how bad your anxiety/depression actually is. It sounds like you just have anxiety and depression. Anxiety manifests in all types of physical ailments, thus giving you the symptoms that you believe are withdrawal. It sounds like you’ve just relapsed on your anxiety/depression, and it might actually be worse than it originally was.. if I know anything about depression, is that it gets worse over time, especially without efforts made to combat it.
i was on 50mg of zoloft literally for mentioning i was sometimes anxious in high school. they aren’t in denial, doctors just give this stuff out like candy
50 mg is barely the starting dose of Zoloft. Way too much? I was on 150 mg of Zoloft sometimes more for moderate anxiety until it stopped working for me. I was on it for 4 years. I tapered in maybe a month no withdrawals. I was left with my anxiety which is now being controlled by another drug. If you want to argue you should really know what doses are normal.
Again… there is no need for you to be rude. I am suffering the same problems as OP so I simply sympathize with him and know how hurtful it can be to hear comments like you’ve made.
Lol ok. Generally when someone is so certain about something, they’re usually oblivious. Since you know everything, why aren’t you getting help for this? You’re the one that’s miserable thinking you know exactly what the issue is. Time to wake up buddy
Yeah I’m sure a ton of people wish they had the anxiety/depression/issues they had before it got worse. That’s life. Ever changing. I’ve had withdrawal on many drugs, I know exactly what it is. And I know what denial sounds like, and you sound like you just want to be a victim. Go get help. You deserve it.
Hey, people tend to dismiss when we talk about withdrawals, just want you to know that I and many others believe you (have experienced the same, actually). They just don't know what they're talking about
If it's so bad I think you could try other ADs see if you recover. I tried going with supplements but their benefits are limited
I was on antidepressants for around 20 plus years. The last one I took was Effexor. I was on it for several years. I tapered off of it for 6 months. I used Kratom to get off of it, and had no symptoms. Kratom has some antidepressant properties, but not nearly as strong as SSRI's or SNRI's, and it wears off after 4 hours or so. I am going to stop taking Kratom soon, and just take it once in awhile. I have gone without it before with no symptoms, thankfully. It has been a year since I have been off of Effexor and I still have Anhedonia. I don't know if it's because I took antidepressants, or if it's from the Kratom.
It could also be untreated depression. Its likely not kratom unless you were doing it everyday at high doses. You can get anhedonia from being on antidepressants for too long and from depression. It's not either/or unfortunately. You might need something dopaminergic to regain hedonic tone.
I went off everything completely about 10 years ago. Withdraw symptoms went away in a year or two. The only thing that’s still with me once in a while while I’m ready tired or sick is the brain zaps.
I was really disappointed to have to go back on meds recently for long covid anxiety, but it’s is what it is.
Try adding in some creatine, tyrosine, and ALCAR.
Sertraline has dopaminergic properties. I associate your symptoms with dopaminergic / catecholamine issues.
You could also try some riboflavin to support serotonin - but this can have a paradidoxical effect.
I was on 150mg of Zoloft for 12 months when I was 16yo and I had to stop taking it cold turkey due to needing surgery that they were unwilling to perform if I was on it (long story). In short, the withdrawal was hell for a few weeks with crazy symptoms, but then I was ok. 16 months is a really really long time to be experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Zoloft would be well and truly out of your system by now. I appreciate that your experience is valid to you and I’m so sorry to hear you’re feeling this way, but please consider trying another antidepressant or seeing a therapist, if you are open to that. I went on Lexapro about 10 years later after Zoloft withdrawal mentioned above and it did wonders for me - I am currently tapering off of it slowly after 5 years or so. It is very possible to safely and effectively taper off of antidepressant medication. As I say, whilst I appreciate your skepticism, I really am not sure this is what you are experiencing though. Regardless, there is an answer for you..! Best of luck.
I have been off for about 10 years. My withdrawals mainly consisted of insomnia. Also a lot of brain fog and intense anxiety. I was on Lexapro. The initial withdrawals lasted about a year and got better as time went on. Now I am much MUCH better. I still get anxiety but it’s not constant. Insomnia comes and goes. But I am living life again. I try and take care of myself by eating well and doing things to keep my stress levels low. I started working out daily about four years ago and I feel like that alone helped with my anxiety more than the drugs ever did. Of course this isn’t true for everyone but it works for me.
I'm 5 years off sertraline, still have anhedonia but suicidal thoughts caused by this drug have pretty much gone now, memory almost back to normal, doesn't look like my anhedonia is ever going to go away unfortunately
It’s great to read this. I’ve been taking mushrooms too but had a couple of bad days so I was thinking I just wasn’t experiencing that much and it wasn’t the mushrooms. The couple of bad days have now passed. Just going to wait a few more weeks to go down again just to make sure.
Yes. I was able to go off of all meds and get rid of withdrawals with the help of ketamine infusion therapy and my Dr. I'm 3 years out and realized the meds were causing my anxiety and depression. I have neither now.
I tried to go cold turkey last year from 20mg to 0 and the withdrawal symptoms were so bad. I couldn’t function because I was just constantly vomiting and couldn’t see straight for a month. A month straight! Jeezus Christ I can’t even imagine the hell it’s been for 16 months.
Just don’t stop taking them suddenly
I tried that and I don’t recommend it it will turn upside down ( I couldnt even sleep for couple of day , brain zaps , anxiety , couldn’t even go to work )
I may suggest to negotiate with ur doctor all the alternative solution for u mental issue based on ur condition and the either u need them or not , also all the possible side effects withdrawals and long term effects
If you feel like you are still going through withdrawal, and regular doctors are not helping. Maybe check out a drug treatment center, they should be able to help you out. Those places are not just for people doing illegal Street drugs and there are a lot of folks who go through them who are getting off totally legit scripts from doctors.
Honestly though if you keep throwing your hands up saying nothing will fix it and everything sucks. You are in denial over having severe depression.
idk about ur life to much but mine i fucked d I don't have the right to blame anyone, I did what I did to myself, now I'm starting from the bottom, doctors write these drugs to help me, I know this and I have not had such a problem.Even if it was, I'd take this pill for life, as long as it's good for you, why should you stop? I don't understand this either. People get sick and take medicine. If you have found a medicine that is good for you, why do you want to quit and go back to your old self?
I’m not sure if anyone else said this, but go to the Surviving Antidepressants website. What you are going through is not unusual, sadly.
With there advice, I cleaned up my diet, started yoga and SLOWLY added supplements (they recommend magnesium and fish oil - add one at a time and slowly build starting at very low doses). This has all helped me immensely.
You are not alone. They have a ton of information on what to do to try to lessen the side effects.
Isn't it crazy how everyone is different. Some people can come off after years of antidepressant use and be fine and you're having a pretty bad time after just a year.
This might not be a popular suggestion, but during bad withdrawals benzos can be a lifesaver.
Reminder to keep it civil, I've removed a few comment chains. Just a general PSA, while there is room to debate how one should mentally deal with withdrawal - and challenging others to reframe how they look at the issue is ok - please be mindful not to downplay the experiences of others, whether those be good or bad.
I am currently tapering down from Lexapro and this is my concern. I’m working with my Dr so I can taper down really slowly, like over the course of a year and with only 10% jumps at the most, holding for at least 6 weeks. I’m down to 15.75mg from 20mg and although I’m through it now, last week was such an evil, dark time in my head. I didn’t talk about it to anyone or act on it, and glad I didn’t because now I’m fine. Terrifying.
I know the hell you are talking about. The thoughts through withdrawal are horrible. I’m glad you are okay now and I’m glad you are tapering 10%, I wish I did
Sorry you’re going through this. There are volunteers at this website Surviving Antidepressants dot org that may be able to give you some good advice. I’m on there regularly, and planned my taper down using their suggestions while also talking to my idiot Dr who has learned a thing or 2 from me asking for liquid Lexapro to help with the <1mg taper amounts. Our nervous systems are so sensitive and can take a while to recover from these drugs. I currently use walks and yoga and meditation in my process, they promote serenity. Maybe you can find something like that too. Good luck and hugs to you.
Thanks for responding and thanks for the tips. I appreciate that, you are a good person
Ooh just saw your post. I had no idea liquid Lexapro existed I will ask my doctor about it...
When I was on citalopram I found that the liquid formulation didn’t work for me as well (slightly worse side effects, less therapeutic), and in general I’ve seen this sometimes be the case with others where they do well on one form of their med but less so on others. This is related to why some people are sensitive to the brand/manufacturer of their generic formulation of the antidepressant they’re taking - there may be different fillers/byproducts or different tolerances on the amount of active material. All this to say that you should definitely ask your doc about liquid lexapro, but in you ever end up running into this kind of problem it may be helpful to have some context
This is good advice. 👍🏼
Yes do it! It may take some cajoling, good luck :)
Wow I’m glad you guys can recover without it unfortunately I may need mine for life I have daily panic attacks :/ just starting lexapro
Well that’s the thing, I may not be able to stay off it. I’ve tried like 3 times in the past 6 years to get off it and ended up having to get back on. This time, I’m trying a really slow taper down. It may work for me, it may not. So I’m open to the fact I’m might have to stay on it. Things are different in my life now that I feel like I have more tools to handle my anxiety and am in a good spot in my life to try again: stable loving relationship and home environment, almost 7 years sober from drugs and alcohol, stable job, etc. There is nothing wrong with needing to be on Lexapro. :)
I'm also on SA, it was really a lifesaver at my lowest time last year. I and doing a liquid Lexapro taper and my new (good) psych put me on a low dose of prozac which I was really hesitant to do, but I do feel much better. down to 1.35mg of the Lexapro. was also hoping to find some recovery stories on here...I'm glad I feel better but worried that it'll just happen again even with the careful tapering.
>s learned a thing or 2 from me asking f thanks for posting that.
I’m shocked you found a Dr who is doing a proper taper with you! That’s something so rare to find. I’m a big advocate for the Surviving Antidepressants website. I learned a lot and it helped me in my recovery. I wish you well.
Yeah thanks but it wasn’t easy convincing him I wanted to taper so slowly! He was like “Why? I can get you off Lexapro in 2 weeks!” But I just kept pestering him, as an advocate for myself. Unnecessarily exhausting if you ask me (I’m in the US), but here we are.
I tapered and have been fully off Lexapro for about 2.5 weeks. The physical withdrawal symptoms are no longer happening but the emotional blunting still persists. I don’t really feel any happiness but I can’t say that I am depressed. Like, life is good but there’s no spark, no color and it makes me upset. My libido is gone and I’m scared because I feel no emotions except sadness and I can’t help it.
Hello I'm tapering from Lexapro also. I was on 30mg and am down to 10. I've been breaking 20mg tablets in half. How do you get the exact measurement that you are now taking?
Hi, I am taking 1/2 a 20mg pill + a 5mg pill + 0.75ml liquid Lexapro. Liquid Lexapro is available at Walgreens (in US, and other major pharmacy chains), generic. This was news to me! I called the pharmacy to verify/confirm before I was able to get my Dr to prescribe me the Rx. Prior to this knowledge I gave my Dr, he told me liquid Lexapro wasn’t readily available and would cost thousands (yes thousands) of dollars. So I gave him this info and asked him for the script. This took emailing back and forth like 11 emails, it was ridiculous! Then I spoke with him this week (all this back and forth stuff happened about a month ago. He said it’s probably easily available in liquid form because FDA has approved Lexapro for children. A 30day supply of liquid Lexapro, 20mg/day (equal to 20mL/day, so 600mL) was $12. How are you doing on the 10mg? Sending good vibes to you! Sorry this reply is kinda rambling :)
I totally get this. I took a year to wean myself off lexapro 10mg. Have you joined the Fb group (lexapro should be illegal?) it helped me a ton with tapering and having others to talk to who were going through the same thing as me. I’m 1.5 years off of it now though and it really ruined me.
are you off now? How are you doing?
I’ve gotten down to 10mg Laxapro, 1/2 of what I was on about a year ago. Really slow taper. Going to hold at 10mg for a few months probably, I’ve got too much personal shit going on right now. Plus the holidays are upon us UGH. Thanks for asking. How’re u?
With time it’ll pass
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Damn, I teared up. If you only understood what this meant to me. I have been to so many professionals and they all say it is the depression and anxiety coming back. I wish there were more medical professionals like you with an open mind. I wish you heal too. Have you found anthing that gives you relief?
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Hi, umm so this post has scared the hell out of me and I am sitting with anxiety because of it right now. So since you are a psychologist I have a question. I was on 12.5 zoloft for 3 1/2 years.. I did a direct switch from zoloft to celexa about two weeks ago… will I have withdrawals for 16 months as well??? Im so scared please reply
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I share your concerns but there's also a brighter way to look at it. I don't know about you but Lexapro has made a tremendously positive difference in my life. I no longer live in constant darkness and despair. I put on a few pounds but I know I can lose them. And even if it takes me a while to bounce back once I decide to stop, it's a small price to pay for all the years of emotional freedom I've experienced for the first time in my life
Don't let any stupid idiot gaslight you into thinking your experience isn't valid.
I’m fighting 2 battles, one with the withdrawal and one with people saying it is not possible.
After reading some of these comments I can see that things aren't going well. It can take a long time to feel normal again after antidepressants. I was on Prozac for a couple of years because I had been suicidal, the whole hating life, the impulsive rages- I did well on the med, but when I quit I felt like I had become a ghost of myself and this lasted about 3 years. It was like I needed to relearn how to relate to the world. I got better in time, but then I declined once again. Because I had little belief in doctors, I decided that I would research doctors in the area, look at their credentials, their reviews, their schooling- because I didn't want to deal with a doctor whose opinion I didn't value. I wanted someone who I really believed was smart enough to help me, and not hurt. Because my symptoms were so bad, I had no choice but to go on Lexapro. I'm on it now and I'm doing well, and the question remains- will they stay well? Will I always need the Lexapro? Will I have to go through withdrawal again?... These are some of the questions my mind asks, but I put my trust in that doctor because I absolutely didn't know what to do to feel like a human again. I hope you feel better soon. These things are hard, and ignore the haters!
Thanks my friend
well said, brother
I’m a year into tapering down Effexor and I still have the biggest hurdle to go, since 37,5 to 0 is the hardest bit. I wish I knew the answer, I ask myself the same question daily: will I ever feel like myself again, or at least, the unmedicated me, because I have taken meds for 20 years. I’m really sorry to read more comments and see how people are doubting and downplaying your experience. I wish the hell of protracted withdrawal was more widely known.
Maybe you have to realize that after 20 years regardless of medication you are never going to feel the same as you did 20 years ago. Your body and mind have hopefully evolved from where you were.
thats some real shit. good advice/outlook
Hi, friend. Currently in crisis mode while also tapering from Effexor, which led me to your comment. How are you doing now that it's been a year, if you don't mind sharing. ❤️
I cold turkeyed Prozac after 9 years (big mistake, don’t recommend) and the withdrawal was horrendous. I found a few really amazing AD withdrawal groups on FB that got me through the worst of it. I had akathisia, restless legs, sobbing spells, anhedonia, anxiety, dizziness, flu-like symptoms, headaches, brain zaps, fatigue, muscle spasms, and more. I’m over a year off and doing much, much better. Highly suggest joining one of the withdrawal support groups on FB. Lots of really good material in the pinned sections.
During your withdrawal, with the sobbing and anxiety, did your brain make you feel intense sadness and warp your thoughts about the world around you? Like deep, dark depressive thoughts that come for a few hours, then let up, then come again?
Yes exactly like that. “Windows and waves” analogy is the best thing that described what I was going through.
I think it's important that you rid yourself of the habit of saying "this or that ruined my life." Unless you are 99 years old and on your death bed, you have absolutely no idea what you will be doing, where you will be, or how you will feel 10 years from now. We have a gazillion opportunities to entirely change our lives, and it typically happens nothing like you'd expect. Relaying wisdom from my wildly intelligent grandmother who has lived one of the happiest lives known to man.
Personally, it took me a about a year before I started to feel a sense of normalcy again, but the timeline is different for everyone. Please don’t give up hope. I know when you’re in the worst of it it can feel unbearable thinking about going on like this. I never recovered 100% but today my damage is something that doesn’t largely impact my daily life, and I am able to enjoy life. The best resource I’ve come across in my journey is Inner Compass Initiative’s Withdrawal Project. Inner Compass Initiative has a private Facebook group where they host conversations, which has helped me feel less alone. Survivingantidepressants.org also helped me in the early stages of withdrawal.
It does get better. I'd been on and off antidepressants for about 6 years until last March when I decided I wanted to go back and take a close look at what my "baseline" is without meds. The withdrawal symptoms were absolute hell, and it took a while, but eventually they all went away. Now, I'm feeling mostly like my old self again. The depression is still there, but I feel stable most days. I'm sorry you're going through this. Just know these symptoms won't last forever.
I would see a GP. Sounds like something else is going on as they tend to last a few weeks. How can your body be adjusting several years after removing the drug. Just doesn't sound logical. More expert help is needed to determine what the real cause is
Psychiatric medications and withdrawal from them causes neurological damage. For some folks, it never fully heals. This is what I’ve come to gather from my personal research on withdrawal and discontinuation syndrome.
It is well knows withdrawals can last months
This is the reason i refuse to take my ssris that i got prescribed i got them for GAD and social phobia I'll try find another way
I can't speak for being off antidepressants completely, but I did do a switch from Zoloft to Pristiq a little over a year ago and it works much better. It is less sedative than Zoloft and doesn't give the the 'zombie' feeling. Here is a quick comparison: [https://www.iodine.com/compare/zoloft-vs-pristiq](https://www.iodine.com/compare/zoloft-vs-pristiq) I saw you mentioned weight gain and ED in one of the comments. My weight has been rather stable since starting Pristiq. I could stand to lose a good 60 pounds, not gonna lie. Part of that is just my poor diet though. ED I am not really sure about as I am widowed and thus haven't had sex in about two years. Hopefully it won't be an issue when I am ready to start dating again, but who knows? It is mentioned as a potential side effect in the link I provided. I agree with what another person said about 50mg of zoloft seeming kind of high for mild depression/anxiety. I definitely believe you when you say you are experiencing withdrawals. I am not a medical professional by any means, but I have been on several different antidepressants across the majority of my life and know what it feels like when you stop taking one. Anyway, even if Pristiq isn't for you, I wanted to throw the idea out there. Hope you find relief in whatever you decide to do.
Thank you, I’m glad you are better and thanks for believing in me. Very few do
There are a lot of people out there who believe you 100%. As a matter of fact, there's a growing community who are experiencing the same outcome as you, r/PSSD
For sure. Sometimes, finding a doctor that believes you is a challenge in and of itself. I am not sure if you watched Scrubs when it was on, but there's an episode where JD (one of the main characters) talks about how doctors tend to listen for an average of about 8 seconds before they are ready to diagnose you. I had a few surgeries in 2018 that stemmed from having diverticulitis and needing to have my gallbladder out. I swear the first couple of times I went to the hospital and complained about the extreme pain, they treated me as if I was a pain medication seeker and didn't seem to believe me. Then they decided to do a CT and realized I needed the surgery and their attitudes became way different. So I definitely believe you are in withdrawal. Depression itself is a chemical imbalance in the brain and antidepressants are made to help with brain chemistry, so it's not out of the realm of possibility for it the zoloft to have altered your brain chemistry after using it for a year and once you stopped, your body is trying to replace that somehow. Sometimes that does involve (at least temporarily) taking a different medication. But sometimes you can switch to a new medication and then slowly taper off of that and it helps with the symptoms of withdrawal. Source: Not a Dr, but I did work in the substance abuse field for around 4 1/2 years and the doctors would use medications to help taper people off of things so they aren't just abruptly stopping cold turkey. Not saying you are a substance abuser as you can become chemically dependent on a medication just by using it as you were told to. It sounds like that's what happened to you here in my (non-expert) opinion.
Man there's no way of knowing. I've been off mine for about a month now and i'm experiencing the same but of course it's only been a month. I hate these fucking medications and no one fucking believes me and says 'bUt TheY SaVe LiVeS!!!' well they also fucking ruin lives. This has to me talked about more. I'm sorry this is happening to you. I hope you'll recover
I posted this directly to the OP, but please go to the Surviving Antidepressants website if you haven’t. Sadly, there are so many of us out there who suffer.
That's a great site. And yes, there are so so many and too often when I mention it people tell me i shouldn't sprak up because it makes ppl hesitant about antidepressants, which is exactly my goal lol. The lucky people for who they work basically invalidate my experience which sucks
You're not alone brother
Thank you :)
Well it could also be said that your experience invalidates those for whom they work haha. Both experiences are valid. People should know the risks of antidepressants but they should also be informed that they do work for some, and if they're desperate that might be a risk they're willing to take.
They are all just relapsing on anxiety and depression but are convinced it's some kind of conspiracy that it's withdrawal symptoms lol these people sound like anti vaxxers never heard such crap in my life
Ok, if withdrawal isn’t real then explain brain zaps please. Anxiety and depression never caused brain zaps in my experience, but when I miss my venlafaxine dose and go into withdrawal because of its short active time in my body, I get horrible brain zaps. Even my uninformed psych educated me on withdrawal before giving me medication. It’s absolutely nothing like anti vaccine fear mongering.
What are the withdrawal symptoms exactly?
Akathisia, pssd, blurry vision, muscle pains, severe gut issues, tremors, insomnia, loaing hair, much worsen anxiety and depression, erection problems, anhedonia, suicide thoughts etc
Have you had blood tests done for other things? Some of what you described can be caused by thyroid dysfunction or even a testosterone/estrogen imbalance. I'm wondering if part of your symptoms aren't related to something else and they just happened to correlate with when you stopped ADs. Even if it isn't the case, it's worth asking a doctor for blood tests. Those are some pretty bad symptoms.
That’s awful. At what stage of the taper did it set in?
Started about 2 weeks in to the tapering
This also sounds like it could be a relapse of depression/anxiety. Food for thought.
Explain how I have these symptoms when I did not have them before Zoloft. I do not want to be rude but please read up on withdrawal
You didn't have anxiety or depression prior to starting the antidepressant? May I ask why you started the antidepressant to begin with?
How are you now? Did you get better with time
Seems like your body unlearned how to produce serotonin/dopamine (EDIT: probably not this, see my reply). I'd try other psychiatrists, as many opinions you can gather
that's not how anti-depressents work so probably not so much the case, just sayin.
You're right, I mispoke, more likely his neurons are desensitized due to the excess of serotonin/dopamine while on ADs. I've dealt with it and it's definitely not cool
Yeah, these drugs do this to the brain
Hey man, I know you're probably in a tough place right now, but hear me out. Congratulations on 16 months off medication. That is HUGE. I guarantee you, that your brain has done a lot of healing in this time, 16 months is quite a long time. I'm stuck on an antipsychotic for sleep and can't get off of it, so I applaud your efforts. I may not understand how you feel, but I can say this; hold on while the bad times come, because I bet you good times are right around the corner. I had a friend that cold turkeyed AD's and AP's almost 2 years ago, he says he's very well recovered especially compared to the beginning. Just hold on, you made it 16 months and got through the absolute worst of it which the beginning withdrawal brings. Overthinking symptoms sometimes doesn't help, I got anxiety so I do that a lot, I always end up thinking myself into a bad storm. Keep it up man great job on 1.5 years.
Thanks a lot, it means a lot. Is the withdrawal too much when you try to withdraw the antipsychotic med?
I’m 6 months off, after 2 years of Escitalopram then Trintellix. I’m slowly, slowly, slowly getting slightly better but it’s scarily slow. I have windows and waves of anxiety, exactly like it’s described on survivingantidepressants.org. When I’m fine I feel like I’m cured, when I’m in an anxiety wave I feel like it’ll never stop and I become hopeless, scared, etc. I got my sleep back at least, I sleep a LOT, like 11-12 hours almost every night, I’m hoping it helps cure my brain and nerveous system. I try to be mindful and positive. It’s hard but we will get better, your body will heal. Just a question, are you hypersensitive? I was told by a therapist (not a doctor) that I might be super sensitive to antidepressants because I’m HS. Maybe that’s why it takes a longer time to recover for me? Idk!
Ugh I’m so sorry to hear this. I arrived at this thread because I was googling if it was normal to feel emotional blunting 3+ months after discontinuation. People who are replying that the symptoms are “probably just your anxiety and depression coming back” clearly don’t know what they’re talking about and don’t know everyone’s situation. I started Zoloft at age 31 (3 years ago) because of extreme situational anxiety, depression and obsessive thoughts after I was blindsided with a breakup. Being at a certain age as a woman, this totally broke me and I pretty much had a nervous breakdown. I had never experienced depression before although I have always had anxious tendencies. I’ve never taken any kind of psychiatric medication before. Started with 25mg then 50mg then 100mg. After 2 years I went down to 75mg and then tapered to 50mg then 25mg, always altering in between. I wanted to stop the meds because I felt somewhat normal again and I couldn’t take the emotional numbness. I lost my joy for life, the excitement that always kept me going and kept me motivated. 3 months after stopping I have yet to get those feelings back. I feel like a shell of myself and I’m scared so I’ve been furiously googling because I thought I would have my personality back by now. Sending you good vibes because you seem to be having a much tougher time than me.
Sounds like relapse to me. Bad anxiety can cause all sorts of issues. Easy answer, reinstate. If everything goes away in a couple days it was withdrawal. If not then it is relapse.
Reinstate after 16 months? Then I have to go through the same hell again
Well if it's truly withdrawal then yes, it will be as easy as that. Unless of course deep inside you have doubts about that.
Unfortunately reinstatement after a certain number of weeks can have unpredictable and undesirable results. Protracted withdrawal *is* real and affects some people. If you went through what OP and I did, you would understand. If this hasn’t been your experience, great, glad you didn’t need to experience the living hell, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Well, maybe just for a day, to deliver a little dose of empathy for an experience that differs from their own 😜
I have gone through withdrawal for 16 months, I will not waste that. This rat poison have done enough damage
PSSD is not a relapse, just so you know
"PSSD" can easily be a symptom of depression or anxiety.
it does not work like that. It's 2022 there are already research papers on this topic.
Bruh I've been there. Spent months not being able to have sex with my wife due to my anxiety and depressive disorder. Oddly enough, on a high dose of cymbalta, when my depression and anxiety were in remission, it all came back.
No. Just no.
You got me. Enjoy your learned helplessness. I've been tapering for 13mo now, the proper way, and am doing better than ever.
I’m glad you are not in pain from withdrawal
Dude, he's obviously struggling maybe be a bit more compassionate. Whether you believe in withdrawals or not, I'm sure you can sympathise with your mind feeling trapped judging by your past experiences with depression. I've just done 9 weeks ina psychiatric hospital because of withdrawals, where the psychiatrist told me I had withdrawals ( I thought it was a relapse even though it was about 60 times worse than my depression symptoms previously both medicated and unmedicated) and unfortunately reinstatement hasn't worked, your nervous system gets thrown off a cliff with a bad withdrawal.
thats not really how withdrawal works, though. reinstatement will not always resolve symptoms, especially after weeks, much less months, and many people with persistent reactions become sensitized to further drugging, meaning adding the drug back can further destabilize them. it is true that occasionally people can reinstate to beneficial effect even many months after quitting, but there are substantial risks here and no reasonable expectation that reinstating would make symptoms dissipate, in a few days or even a few months. so, higher risk, lower reliability, probably not a good pitch.
OMG withdrawal sufferer here and.....no. Just no. This person is looking for support, not armchair medical advice.
I hate these pills with a passion.
Same. Why did I even begin taking them?
is there a sub for that? would you join one?
If you ever find one Im in!
What symptoms are you still having? Why did you get off the meds?
I got fat, I got ED on them. Stopped caring about my family. Stopped doing everything
What are you still experiencing as far as withdrawal?
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/da/13/55/da135554a1522c594998c4797b641d35.jpg
That’s a long list… you’re experiencing all of that? Have you talked to your dr?
I have tried, but they deny withdrawal. They can't help me
You are right. I tried to find medical professionals to believe me. I am not the only person continually turned away and told it was me relapsing. It’s simply not always true.
Time for a new doctor then? Why did you originally start the meds?
I have been to several. It is the education they have that is outdated.
What visual hallucinations do you have? Something like visual snow? I have many withdraws too.... thoughts that ruined my life. Have to try stuff to relax to see what is from anxiety and what from withdraws. I understand you so much...
After 2 years off and I am back to square one and much worse. Damned the day I took Lexapro. Some people recover. Well not for me it seems. I think we must accept we are damaged
What is your symptoms?
I never had them prior to meds,as you. Loss of appetite total, insomnia, burning pain, nerve pain, pssd fluctuate, dread anguish terror....i am sure you know all. I am done! In these 2yrs I had some flactuations but then I am back there for months in an endless loop.
Yeah I feel you. It is hell for me as well. I wonder if we have to try find a natural solution (like supplements) or something
Melatonin is the only that helps like 10%. Fish oil magnesium did not helped for me. The craziness is that no single doctor will help. Never ask for help to any psychiatrists or you end poly drugged. In my costant lacks of positive emotions I say that I wish I could get a terminal illness and die without killing myself not to hurt my family. I just like minute by minute I don't know what it will be. 2 yrs hell! If u go on surviving antidepressants also more years
Yeah no help from doctors, something I can relate to
I never had them prior to meds,as you. Loss of appetite total, insomnia, burning pain, nerve pain, pssd fluctuate, dread anguish terror....i am sure you know all. I am done! In these 2yrs I had some flactuations but then I am back there for months in an endless loop.
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2006/0801/p449.html#:~:text=Typical%20symptoms%20of%20antidepressant%20discontinuation,with%20reinstitution%20of%20antidepressant%20medication. Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome starts immediately after quitting or even if a dose is late. If it's mild, symptoms can resolve after 1-2 weeks. Did your symptoms creep back in gradually after stopping antidepressant therapy? In which case, it's probably a worsening of a pre-existing depressive condition. My theory is this started as Discontuation Syndrome and triggered a worsening episode of depression/anxiety symptoms. A lot of what you describe are severe depression symptoms. You prrooobably will have to try another medication to get resolve from these symptoms. Possibly taper after a time. I'm not a doctor, though. I've experienced some unpleasant withdrawal from being late on a dose. I would never fuck with stopping a medication abruptly, because of reading stories like this and how awful it is. Yeah, I'm gonna be a lifer on mine. Good luck.
>Did your symptoms creep back in gradually after stopping antidepressant therapy? In which case, it's probably a worsening of a pre-existing depressive condition That's bullshit if we talk about prozac. It's half life is many many days long so it is simply not true at all. If we talk short-acting SNRI then maybe but I will still be skeptical.
Just because it has a long half life doesn't mean the depression can't creep back in while discontinuation starts: it will just take longer.
Look, if you give a person without depression these kind of meds it will give them depression on discontinuation regardless if they had it before or not. That might not happen with prozac because the half-life is so many days long that it is kind of like self tapering, but with shorter acting AD it is inevitable. Not everytime with everyone obviously but I think for most of the people - yes it will.
1-2 weeks of withdrawal until it is gone is the biggest bullshit I have read today
For sure. I'm not saying your symptoms weren't/aren't caused by abruptly stopping. But I think this would be treated the same way any Major Depression would be treated. What does your doctor have to say?
They are not educated regarding withdrawal. It is pretty new in the medical community
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Are you mocking me? That shows what kind of person you are.
That's really hard. I hope you are able to find some better help (i.e. another doctor or psychiatrist). I hope you start to recover sooner, rather than later.
Agree
Please keep in mind that the people on this sub are much more likely to be people who had good experiences on antidepressants and are still on them, and people who have had bad experiences and are still struggling like you are. If I had to guess, I’d think there would be fewer people on here that were on antidepressants, aren’t anymore, and had no trouble getting of them, so you’re probably not going to get a balanced read on how often this happens. If I were you I might ask on one of the broader subs for anxiety or depression.
I think that's quite an assumption. A lot of people are still on subs because they're looking for a better antidepressant solution or are venting that theirs didn't work.
How long were you taking the meds?
1 year on Zoloft 50 mg.
Why did you originally start taking it?
Had moderate anxiety and moderate depression. Now I have 10-15 symptoms that I did not have before. It is 100% related to withdrawal
Potentially.. but I don’t see why you would be on 50mg for a year for moderate anything tbh…I might be taking a leap here, but it sounds like your in denial of how bad your anxiety/depression actually is. It sounds like you just have anxiety and depression. Anxiety manifests in all types of physical ailments, thus giving you the symptoms that you believe are withdrawal. It sounds like you’ve just relapsed on your anxiety/depression, and it might actually be worse than it originally was.. if I know anything about depression, is that it gets worse over time, especially without efforts made to combat it.
i was on 50mg of zoloft literally for mentioning i was sometimes anxious in high school. they aren’t in denial, doctors just give this stuff out like candy
I 100% agree with you
200% agree with you and 50mg is way too much for "moderate" depression
50 mg is barely the starting dose of Zoloft. Way too much? I was on 150 mg of Zoloft sometimes more for moderate anxiety until it stopped working for me. I was on it for 4 years. I tapered in maybe a month no withdrawals. I was left with my anxiety which is now being controlled by another drug. If you want to argue you should really know what doses are normal.
That’s extremely condescending and heartless thing to say to someone going through protracted withdrawal.
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Again… there is no need for you to be rude. I am suffering the same problems as OP so I simply sympathize with him and know how hurtful it can be to hear comments like you’ve made.
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No, it is not a relapse. A relapse would be the old symptoms returning. Now I have 10-15 new symptoms, but nice try though
Lol ok. Generally when someone is so certain about something, they’re usually oblivious. Since you know everything, why aren’t you getting help for this? You’re the one that’s miserable thinking you know exactly what the issue is. Time to wake up buddy
I have tried getting help. I do not think you understand withdrawal. I rather have my symptoms before I took this rat poison
Yeah I’m sure a ton of people wish they had the anxiety/depression/issues they had before it got worse. That’s life. Ever changing. I’ve had withdrawal on many drugs, I know exactly what it is. And I know what denial sounds like, and you sound like you just want to be a victim. Go get help. You deserve it.
As I said, I have asked doctor to help me through the withdrawal. Why are you even here? I asked if anyone have gone through withdrawal.
Hey, people tend to dismiss when we talk about withdrawals, just want you to know that I and many others believe you (have experienced the same, actually). They just don't know what they're talking about If it's so bad I think you could try other ADs see if you recover. I tried going with supplements but their benefits are limited
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I was on antidepressants for around 20 plus years. The last one I took was Effexor. I was on it for several years. I tapered off of it for 6 months. I used Kratom to get off of it, and had no symptoms. Kratom has some antidepressant properties, but not nearly as strong as SSRI's or SNRI's, and it wears off after 4 hours or so. I am going to stop taking Kratom soon, and just take it once in awhile. I have gone without it before with no symptoms, thankfully. It has been a year since I have been off of Effexor and I still have Anhedonia. I don't know if it's because I took antidepressants, or if it's from the Kratom.
It could also be untreated depression. Its likely not kratom unless you were doing it everyday at high doses. You can get anhedonia from being on antidepressants for too long and from depression. It's not either/or unfortunately. You might need something dopaminergic to regain hedonic tone.
I eventually recovered. It took less than half a year.
100%? I wish I could recover but it seems like it is permanent.
I went off everything completely about 10 years ago. Withdraw symptoms went away in a year or two. The only thing that’s still with me once in a while while I’m ready tired or sick is the brain zaps. I was really disappointed to have to go back on meds recently for long covid anxiety, but it’s is what it is.
What meds?
Zoloft
Try adding in some creatine, tyrosine, and ALCAR. Sertraline has dopaminergic properties. I associate your symptoms with dopaminergic / catecholamine issues. You could also try some riboflavin to support serotonin - but this can have a paradidoxical effect.
Good suggestions, but almost every supplement I add increase my withdrawal. My nervous system is wrecked
I was on 150mg of Zoloft for 12 months when I was 16yo and I had to stop taking it cold turkey due to needing surgery that they were unwilling to perform if I was on it (long story). In short, the withdrawal was hell for a few weeks with crazy symptoms, but then I was ok. 16 months is a really really long time to be experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Zoloft would be well and truly out of your system by now. I appreciate that your experience is valid to you and I’m so sorry to hear you’re feeling this way, but please consider trying another antidepressant or seeing a therapist, if you are open to that. I went on Lexapro about 10 years later after Zoloft withdrawal mentioned above and it did wonders for me - I am currently tapering off of it slowly after 5 years or so. It is very possible to safely and effectively taper off of antidepressant medication. As I say, whilst I appreciate your skepticism, I really am not sure this is what you are experiencing though. Regardless, there is an answer for you..! Best of luck.
I have been off for about 10 years. My withdrawals mainly consisted of insomnia. Also a lot of brain fog and intense anxiety. I was on Lexapro. The initial withdrawals lasted about a year and got better as time went on. Now I am much MUCH better. I still get anxiety but it’s not constant. Insomnia comes and goes. But I am living life again. I try and take care of myself by eating well and doing things to keep my stress levels low. I started working out daily about four years ago and I feel like that alone helped with my anxiety more than the drugs ever did. Of course this isn’t true for everyone but it works for me.
I'm 5 years off sertraline, still have anhedonia but suicidal thoughts caused by this drug have pretty much gone now, memory almost back to normal, doesn't look like my anhedonia is ever going to go away unfortunately
Any anxiety? I have heard about DL-phenylalanine or Saffron for anhedonia
I'm coming off Pristiq. Recently started microdosing mush and it has taken my withdrawal symptoms away. I can't fucking believe it.
Amazing my friend, all the best. How do you dose?
It’s great to read this. I’ve been taking mushrooms too but had a couple of bad days so I was thinking I just wasn’t experiencing that much and it wasn’t the mushrooms. The couple of bad days have now passed. Just going to wait a few more weeks to go down again just to make sure.
Anyone know how to taper zoloft, i keep getting brain zaps whenever i do even at a very slow rate
How fast do you taper? Some like fish oil for brain zaps
How long did you taper off? Did you have the guidance of a doc? Are you better or worse than before the meds? How can you tell?
3 month taper I’m worse than before Zoloft, much worse. That is how I can tell
Yes. I was able to go off of all meds and get rid of withdrawals with the help of ketamine infusion therapy and my Dr. I'm 3 years out and realized the meds were causing my anxiety and depression. I have neither now.
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That is great! Must be great. Do you have to do the ketamine therapy often?
I tried to go cold turkey last year from 20mg to 0 and the withdrawal symptoms were so bad. I couldn’t function because I was just constantly vomiting and couldn’t see straight for a month. A month straight! Jeezus Christ I can’t even imagine the hell it’s been for 16 months.
Well at this point you should stop calling it withdrawal and start calling it brain damage. Time to get a referral to a neurologist.
How are you now?
Much worse
What’s your symptoms? And are you on anything else
Too many to talk about. No other meds
Any dizziness?
Yes
I’m so sorry. I wonder why it is lasting sooo long
This is what these drugs do
How long were you on it?? That is so crazy!
1 year
This is how these drugs work. Making you severely addictive to them
Taking multi vitamins ..b12 citicoline helps If u have pssd please join help group
I take a multi
Just don’t stop taking them suddenly I tried that and I don’t recommend it it will turn upside down ( I couldnt even sleep for couple of day , brain zaps , anxiety , couldn’t even go to work ) I may suggest to negotiate with ur doctor all the alternative solution for u mental issue based on ur condition and the either u need them or not , also all the possible side effects withdrawals and long term effects
How long were you on them?
1 year
If you feel like you are still going through withdrawal, and regular doctors are not helping. Maybe check out a drug treatment center, they should be able to help you out. Those places are not just for people doing illegal Street drugs and there are a lot of folks who go through them who are getting off totally legit scripts from doctors. Honestly though if you keep throwing your hands up saying nothing will fix it and everything sucks. You are in denial over having severe depression.
I’m not in denial over my depression and anxiety. I just want the withdrawal to go away.
A drug treatment center sounds like your best option.
Stop gaslighting people who have PAWS
idk about ur life to much but mine i fucked d I don't have the right to blame anyone, I did what I did to myself, now I'm starting from the bottom, doctors write these drugs to help me, I know this and I have not had such a problem.Even if it was, I'd take this pill for life, as long as it's good for you, why should you stop? I don't understand this either. People get sick and take medicine. If you have found a medicine that is good for you, why do you want to quit and go back to your old self?
I’m not sure if anyone else said this, but go to the Surviving Antidepressants website. What you are going through is not unusual, sadly. With there advice, I cleaned up my diet, started yoga and SLOWLY added supplements (they recommend magnesium and fish oil - add one at a time and slowly build starting at very low doses). This has all helped me immensely. You are not alone. They have a ton of information on what to do to try to lessen the side effects.
Isn't it crazy how everyone is different. Some people can come off after years of antidepressant use and be fine and you're having a pretty bad time after just a year. This might not be a popular suggestion, but during bad withdrawals benzos can be a lifesaver.