AppleLover909 : Took 50mg Zoloft for about a month, 20 Prozac for 2 weeks for OCD

[AppleLover909]

Ive been lurking ever since my two deleted posts, and I think I’m here to stay.  I’ve been struggling a whole lot with this withdrawal, and since reading and my short time of me being dosed I’m starting to think it’s an adverse reaction. I don’t have the exact time but since around November on and off to about half of december I was taking 50mg of Zoloft for my OCD. I stopped due to the weird effect of me losing all sense of humor, ability to make jokes, and ability to connect with others. I sort of felt like a socially awkward vegetable. Then, I was thinking “oh well not everyone has the same good reaction with one medicine” so I got prescribed 20mg of Prozac. Took that for 2 weeks and even worse, my sense of humor. Disappeared. All my friends distancing because of awkwardness, inability to hold a conversation, and losing my

sense of humor that bonded me with all my friends. It’s been about a month of not taking it, I’ve gotten headaches, brain fog, and fatigue. As I am on the younger side, will I ever return back to my funny self? Will this impact me forever? This humor thing is driving me nuts, but really it’s a huge core of everything I am. Is there an estimate for this process? Is this just something I need to fight through? Props to everyone on here. 

Edited February 25, 2021 by Erell

[Erell]

Hello

 

And welcome on SA. 

 

This site is run entirely by volunteer Administrators and Moderators, all have been through or going through withdrawal.

There are no commercial interests or influences  involved.

 

--》 I understand that you've given the infos above but could you please create a drug signature ? Please include drugs, dates, discontinuations. Also include supplements. This will help us give you the most accurate advice we can, and allow us to see your history at a glance.
 

This is a direct link to your signature:

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18 hours ago, AppleLover909 said:

It’s been about a month of not taking it, I’ve gotten headaches, brain fog, and fatigue. As I am on the younger side, will I ever return back to my funny self? Will this impact me forever? This humor thing is driving me nuts, but really it’s a huge core of everything I am. Is there an estimate for this process? Is this just something I need to fight through? Props to everyone on here. 

 

Unfortunately, nobody can predict how long it will take for a destabilised Central Nervous System to heal.
However, thanks to all the testimonies those ahead us have shared, we do know that it does get better, with time.

This might help you understand the process : 

are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take

 

You might also find comfort in our Success Stories : 

 

success-stories-recovery

 

We recommend our members to learn nondrug coping skills  : have you found some tips (like, for example, relaxation, meditation, walks, ...) to help you ?

 

change-the-channel-dealing-with-cognitive-symptoms

 

 

Some people find that CBT does help with OCD : 

cognitive-behavior-therapy

 

We only recommend two supplements on SA : if you do try, please try one at a time and at low dose to see how it affects you : 

 

king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil

 

magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

Again, welcome.

 

Edited February 25, 2021 by Erell

[AppleLover909]

Topic title:  Been Lurking, afraid to post in fear of someone seeing. Now joining this amazing community, in any hope I can find.

 

I have been lurking for a couple weeks now. Rereading posts, mod posts, any hope I could find. I had created an account but deleted an introduction twice in fears anyone I knew would see.

 

Im here for the same reasons this whole community seems to be bonded over, finding hope in our medication holes, voluntary or involuntary. The strong people in this site amaze me, sending chills down my back on how they are pushing through currently and how some have recovered. I hope to join this family of people who know exactly what we all are going through, which I have lacked a understanding recently from my close people.  These months of what I believe are an extreme reaction or withdrawal have been the hardest battles I think I will ever have to endure in my life. The sickness, the pure agony with your mind, it is something I would not wish on anyone.  

 

I hope someone will give me some insight or at least a direction in what im going through.

 

Medication history:   50mg of Zoloft for OCD- 2020 November to around 2020 December, memory is foggy. 

                                    Switched to 25mg of Prozac for OCD - Some of 2020 December to some of 2021 January. I would like to say 2-4 weeks. I cant remember. 

                                        Cold turkey: A bit before to Mid-January to now.

                                                                                           My medication was forced. Since I am young, I did not get a choice. My OCD did get bad, so I understand why I was put on it but I did not need it. 

                                        I am more suffering the medications side effects even after these months, more then my actual disorder. I do have some questions about half life, things like that. 

 

My physical symptoms:  Brain chills, brain zaps, intense headaches, nausea, diarrhea, paranoia, nightmares, fatigue, lack of motivation, extreme mood swings, aggression, neuroemotions, lack of appetite, weakness, limb numbness, kladiscope vision.

 

 My mental symptoms:       Loss of sense of humor, loss of identity within sense of humor, Loss of non-awkward social skills, Personality wrecked, Hopelessness, Constant crying

 

 

         My OCD, convinces myself sometimes that people have snuck it into my food. Sometimes this is rational, most of the time its definitely not.  This fear comes from the singular time during my Zoloft experience when a half was snuck into my food, visibly there. Which gave me a chuckle, like cmon! Didn't even try to hide it. They later admitted this, and this was when I was more resistant about taking the full tablet. This OCD has made the process hard, with frequent searching up half-life articles, counting days and convincing myself that I had restarted my entire process of withdrawal to zero. Its frustrating, because this disorder convinces you. Add withdrawal.. Oh god this sucks.  I have read that it takes around 25 days for a dose to be 99% out of your body. If I had been taking Prozac for those 3 weeks, would it take 25 days for each pill? Confusing it is. This whole process is beyond painstakingly difficult, because I wonder, is it me? Am I faking these personality changes?  Is this me forever? A blank person? Is there still Prozac in me? Will I ever be medication free and see myself coming back to how I was? 

 

My main concerns are that, Have I been really medication free since CT'd and my obsessions about medication being snuck into my things, are fake; And this is now the real me but I convince myself its the medication? Is this just truly the pain of the withdrawal? My personality, and I mean my jokes is the most surprising. I have always had a sense of humor, and it went away. Its still away. I bond throughout it, its my main love in life. I love joking, and its just painstakingly hard. I cant think of them how I used to. It was natural to me. This has to be the medication because I have had friends and family distance because of my humor. Its all I want back after this. I want me back, I want my life to be mine, I want to feel everything good and bad. If anyone could tell me if there personality dramatically changed/aslong with making jokes and connecting, Please reach out. I would love to feel like im not alone especially within the biggest part of my life that made me connect with everyone. 

 

Why after taking it for so short, all these side effects are happening? Since this is such a intense reaction, is this withdrawal? is this me faking it? 

I want hope, that one day soon my prayers will be answered. I will be medication free, to 0.0000. Factually, a 0.0000. No medicine. And my life, its finally mine. Mine to feel, mine to experience. Mine to tell the world what I went through and how I'm back to normal.         One day, I want to share a success story. How a miracle happened. I hope.

 

           

Edited April 10, 2021 by AppleLover909
added topic title before merging 2 Intro topics

[ChessieCat]

As requested by Erell back in February, please create your drug signature.  This will appear below every post you make and will allow us to see your drug history at a glance and not have to read back through you posts to get the information.  Thank you.

 

Instructions:  Withdrawal History Signature

[getofflex]

It sounds to me like you are probably going through a withdrawal.  I understand  a little bit about OCD, because I believe that I have a touch of it myself.  No, I don't believe you will be like this forever.  By the way, when you said "I stopped due to the weird effect of me losing all sense of humor, ability to make jokes, and ability to connect with others."  This sounds to me like the effect the drugs have on many people.  They "work" by basically numbing and suppressing our emotions, and tend to make many of us flat and apathetic.  I do believe you will get your funny and bubbly self back when you recover.  

 

Here is some information about how these drugs actually work.  These drugs make actual changes to our nervous system, which is incredibly complex.  It is not like taking an over the counter pain med, where once the drug is out of your system, everything just goes back to normal.  Your system has to undo all the changes it makes while it was on the drug to get back to homeostasis.  This takes time.  The links below will explain it better than I can. 

 

How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain

 

This helps you understand what withdrawal syndrome is: 

 

What is Withdrawal Syndrome?

 

When we recover, there are times of feeling OK mixed in with times of feeling bad.  This is called windows and waves.

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

Here are some techniques to cope with symptoms: 

 

Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms

 

Please know that the brain is amazing in it's healing abilities.  It takes time, but healing can and will happen.  I believe that if you have patience and endurance, you will one day share a success story.  Hang in there.  🙂. 

 

Edited April 10, 2021 by getofflex