Callieflower: unexpected symptoms

[Callieflower]

Hi all. Since my history with SSRIs is relatively brief (3 years), I felt that tapering would be a piece of cake for me. I started on citalopram 20mg for severe depression in 2019. About a year and a half later I switched to fluoxetine 20mg. In early 2021 I started high dose Vitamin D3 (read—REAL high, no 2000iu child’s play) which did wonders for my mood. It actually did what I expected SSRIs to do. I wanted to wean off almost as soon as I started  SSRIs but was terrified to until this April. I weaned over 60 days and boy, oh boy, withdrawal hit me hard. I’m talking insomnia, visual hallucinations, dizziness/balance/coordination issues, confusion and problems focusing, shock and zap sensations in my body and brain, and many others more intermittently. Mostly CNS stuff but if it’s not too much information I had severe diarrhea multiple times every day during the entire tapering process and for weeks afterward. I’m still facing the CNS symptoms daily.

 

All of this caught me off guard and much of what I could find online gave me no validating information that what I was feeling can be normal. After reading many different threads here I feel like I’m not crazy, which is such a relief after feeling isolated from everyone for months.

 

I am curious to ask the group—something odd that I’ve been experiencing in the last few days is paranoia over things that I know are totally outlandish—have any of you experienced paranoia as one of your symptoms?

 

Im also wondering how long your withdrawal symptoms lasted (bonus points if you were on 20mg fluoxetine), months? Years? Just trying to feel out what I’m up against.

 

Good to be here.

Callie

 

Edited July 21, 2022 by ChessieCat
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[getofflex]

Hello, and welcome to SA.  We are a volunteer-run community of people who have been or are getting off of psychiatric drugs.  I'm very sorry you got hit so hard with WD.  It sounds as if you tapered off the fluoxetine faster than your brain was able to handle and adjust to.  Gradually, with time and proper self care, you will recover, and these symptoms will go away.  In the meantime, here is information that will help you understand and deal with this.  

 

Can you please give us specific information in your signature about your drug history for all drugs you are on and have been on, especially for the past 18-24 months?  It would be especially helpful to have the details of your drugs in a concise vertical list (no symptoms), only drug names, specific dates (as best you can say for example early March if you don't recall the day) and dosages of each medication decrease or increase.  Use this format:

 

Drug name: date, dose, date, dose, date, dose…

Drug name: date, dose, date, dose, date, dose…

Etcetera

 

Please read the link below for instructions.  This will allow us to give you the best guidance.  

 

How to List Drug History in Signature

 

Here is some important information about how these drugs actually work.  This explains why we get symptoms from going off of these medications, and why it's so important to taper slowly and carefully, and be very cautious about changing our doses: 

 

How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain

 

 

This helps you understand what withdrawal syndrome is: 

 

Video on Recovery from Psych Drugs

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

 

Here is a link with checklists of common WD symptoms: 

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen Withdrawal Symptom Checklists

 

 

Here are some techniques to cope with symptoms: 

 

Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms

 

Stability is really important when we are tapering off psych meds.  Please read the link about stability:

 

Keep It Simple, Slow, and Stable

 

 

We don't suggest many supplements, but 2 that many of us find helpful are magnesium and omega-3 fish oil. Here are the links for info about those. It is suggested to add one at a time, and start with a low dose to see how it affects you. 

Magnesium

Omega 3 Fish Oil

 

How are your symptoms now?  Have you seen any improvement in them since you went off the fluoxetine? Are you still on the high doses of vitamin D?  

 

To answer your questions:  

 

1) yes, paranoia is a common symptoms of withdrawal. I've had this one myself a lot.  I still deal with it to some extent, and it got worse when I was in a wave.  This thread is a discussion of some of our members about this symptom: 

 

Paranoia and Interpersonal Insecurity

 

2) Recovery from this depends upon many factors: age of the person, how long on the drug, your metabolism, what other drugs you've taken, your life circumstances, current stress factors, how you tapered or didn't taper, and other things.  This link will go into all of this, and how it affects the length of recovery time: 

 

How Long Withdrawal Could Take

 

I've given you quite a bit of information here.  Please read through it, and mull it over, and we will take it from there. In the meantime, take care of yourself, and take heart.  We in this forum have been through this, and we understand first hand the pain and discomfort you are going through.  Please know that the brain is amazing in it's healing abilities.  It takes time, but healing can and will happen.