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mikey0: Dont know what to do - sertraline caused what i think is pssd


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Hi, im already a year and 5 months off all psychiatric drugs but the side effects persist and some getting stronger over time although i dont know if its depression coming back or PSSD.

My libido is very low all the time starting from first dose of sertraline.

Anhedonia (nothing is fun anymore, listening to music became blunt), not feeling sleepy, no feeling of thirst, genital numbness to some degree. And 0 effect of alcohol and other drugs. Emotionaly its complicated tho, hardly ever i can shed some tears but no positive feelings to other people such as love or attachment, excitment. Also my cognitive abilites decreased very much, i have troubles speaking, reading, and overall mind sharpness. Brain fog and dp/dr is with me on daily basis. Ive just stared law school and its very important to me but i feel like i cant do this with this cognitive impairment. Back on the sertraline i wasnt having these problems, only my libido and drive for meeting women was down, music caused so much pleasure and i wasnt having any cognitive issues so im thinking that what im dealing with now is a stress, trauma of discovering pssd back in october last year and anxiety that it will never get better.

I really dont want to reinstate the meds or try another one but law school means so much to me and i can sacrifice some libido if the other problems go away. Can you help me figure out what should i do?

Sertraline february 2023 - may 2023

very quick taper 2 and a half week

pregabalin february 2023- july 2023

cold turkey with no visible withdrawal

acute withdrawals subsided quickly although PSSD and psychological symptoms persist to this day.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi @mikey0, welcome to SA. 

I am sorry you are dealing with anhedonia, it is a very hard place to be. 

I wouldn't jump into conclusions of PSSD etc. I would advise that you stop reading on it on other forums. Here we find that anhedonia and low libido or what people call PSSD subside slowly (over months and years). The more you get obsessed with it, the harder it will be. I would suggest that you allow for your body to recover (it does!!!)

 

The thing that works best for getting through withdrawal is to accept it is happening to you and let it work its way through your body. Ignore the "doom and gloom" people on other forums. We have seen thousands of people on this forum and we find that withdrawal goes away even though it does so very slowly and during that time can get worse at times after some improvement. 

 

You will be OK. 

However, we find that alcohol and other psychoactive drugs can make withdrawal much worse and can set people back to square 1. I would advise no alcohol. Some people can handle coffee but we also recommend that you avoid it if it makes you anxious. 

 

Good luck with your studies, it is an exciting beginning for you and you have so much to look forward to. Focus on your life and let the brain fog and the sexual issues work themselves out. Try to get as much sleep as you can, avoid drugs and alcohol, eat well, drink water and enjoy your studies. 

OMW

"Nothing so small as a moment is insurmountable, and moments are all that we have. You have survived every trial and tribulation that life has thrown at you up until this very instant. When future troubles come—and they will come—a version of you will be born into that moment that can conquer them, too." - Kevin Koenig 

 

I am not a doctor and this should not be considered medical advice. You can use the information and recommendations provided in whatever way you want and all decisions on your treatment are yours. 

 

In the next few weeks I do not have a lot of capacity to respond to questions. If you need a quick answer pls tag or ask other moderators who may want to be tagged. 

 

Aug  2000 - July 2003 (ct, 4-6 wk wd) , citalopram 20 mg,  xanax prn, wellbutrin for a few months, trazodone prn 

Dec 2004 - July 2018 citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn (rarely used)

Aug 2018 - citalopram 40 mg (self titrated up)

September 2018 - January 2019 tapered citalopram - 40/30/20/10/5 no issues until a week after reaching 0

Feb 2019 0.25 xanax - 0.5/day (3 weeks) over to klonopin 0.25 once a day to manage severe wd

March 6, reinstated citalopram 2.5 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 mg for sleep 2-3 times a week

Apr 1st citalopram 2.0 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 once a week (off by 4/14/19- no tapering)

citalopram (liquid) 4/14/19 -1.8 mg, 5/8/19 - 1.6 mg,  7/27/19 -1.5 mg,  8/15/19 - 1.35, 2/21/21 - 1.1 (smaller drops in between), 6/20/21 - 1.03 mg, 8/7/21- 1.025, 8/11/21 - 1.02, 8/15/21 - 1.015, 9/3/21 - 0.925 (fingers crossed!), 10/8/21 - 0.9, 10/18/21 - 0.875, 12/31/21 - 0.85, 1/7/22 - 0.825, 1/14/22 - 0.8, 1/22/22 - 0.785, 8/18/22 - 0.59, 12/15/2022 - 0.48, 2/15/22 - 0.43, 25/07/23 - 0.25 (mistake), 6/08/23 - 0.33mg

 

Supplements: magnesium citrate and bi-glycinate

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So i should forget about reinstating or trying other drugs? 

Sertraline february 2023 - may 2023

very quick taper 2 and a half week

pregabalin february 2023- july 2023

cold turkey with no visible withdrawal

acute withdrawals subsided quickly although PSSD and psychological symptoms persist to this day.

Link to comment
  • KenA changed the title to mikey0: Dont know what to do - sertraline caused what i think is pssd
  • Moderator Emeritus

Those are decisions you need to make yourself. Look up the thread on reinstatement and see our advice/considerations on it. There's a link to it on the landing page. If you still have questions after reading it we can discuss. 

"Nothing so small as a moment is insurmountable, and moments are all that we have. You have survived every trial and tribulation that life has thrown at you up until this very instant. When future troubles come—and they will come—a version of you will be born into that moment that can conquer them, too." - Kevin Koenig 

 

I am not a doctor and this should not be considered medical advice. You can use the information and recommendations provided in whatever way you want and all decisions on your treatment are yours. 

 

In the next few weeks I do not have a lot of capacity to respond to questions. If you need a quick answer pls tag or ask other moderators who may want to be tagged. 

 

Aug  2000 - July 2003 (ct, 4-6 wk wd) , citalopram 20 mg,  xanax prn, wellbutrin for a few months, trazodone prn 

Dec 2004 - July 2018 citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn (rarely used)

Aug 2018 - citalopram 40 mg (self titrated up)

September 2018 - January 2019 tapered citalopram - 40/30/20/10/5 no issues until a week after reaching 0

Feb 2019 0.25 xanax - 0.5/day (3 weeks) over to klonopin 0.25 once a day to manage severe wd

March 6, reinstated citalopram 2.5 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 mg for sleep 2-3 times a week

Apr 1st citalopram 2.0 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 once a week (off by 4/14/19- no tapering)

citalopram (liquid) 4/14/19 -1.8 mg, 5/8/19 - 1.6 mg,  7/27/19 -1.5 mg,  8/15/19 - 1.35, 2/21/21 - 1.1 (smaller drops in between), 6/20/21 - 1.03 mg, 8/7/21- 1.025, 8/11/21 - 1.02, 8/15/21 - 1.015, 9/3/21 - 0.925 (fingers crossed!), 10/8/21 - 0.9, 10/18/21 - 0.875, 12/31/21 - 0.85, 1/7/22 - 0.825, 1/14/22 - 0.8, 1/22/22 - 0.785, 8/18/22 - 0.59, 12/15/2022 - 0.48, 2/15/22 - 0.43, 25/07/23 - 0.25 (mistake), 6/08/23 - 0.33mg

 

Supplements: magnesium citrate and bi-glycinate

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