DwightShrute: experiencing withdrawl symptoms that are really making my life miserable

[DwightShrute]

hello, my name is DwightShrute. A 20 year old from egypt.

 

last year around march of 2024 i started taking a medicine called ciprapro (it's an egyptian substitute for the more known cipralex which is an escitalopram).

i didn't see a doctor and i took it by myself and i was definitley wrong for that. i had some very big  problems in my life then and when those problems went away i decided to stop the medicine.

 

i used to take 10mg tablet everyday for around 6 months (from march 2024 to around early october 2024)

i did a cold turkey and again i was completley wrong for doing that but i had some financial problems and i couldn't go and see a doctor and didn't know about tapering it off.

 

after 1 week of stopping i started having some withdrawl symptoms like dizziness, vertigo, yawning a lot, feeling that i wanted to sleep.

and then it went away after 1 week. BUT right now as of 10th of jan 2025 i started having those symptoms again for 3 days but they are not mild anymore.

i feel very dizzy the whole day, whenever i move my head or eyes around. my vision doesn't feel right. i vomited once and feel like vomiting sometimes. i yawn a lot and can't concentrate.

 

idk what should i do. the more i read about others having withdrawl symptoms lasting for very long the more i worry that i have ruined myself.

i am going to see a neurologist tomorrow to see if something can be done. i don't want to see a psychiatrist as most of the ones here are really bad doctors and they just want to give you medicines. 

i don't really know what to do. i am really afraid that this is going to be permenant or last a very long time.

Edited Friday at 08:43 PM by Emonda
Name to title - updatedf name

[Emonda]

Welcome @DwightShrute

 

Love the name. That guy on TV makes me laugh (assuming that's where the name came from).

 

3 hours ago, DwightShrute said:

i did a cold turkey

 

Certainly not the recommended approach. Nor is obtaining prescription medication by means other than from a doctor....what's done is done.

 

3 hours ago, DwightShrute said:

after 1 week of stopping i started having some withdrawl symptoms like dizziness, vertigo, yawning a lot, feeling that i wanted to sleep.

and then it went away after 1 week.

Those that taper too quickly (or stop meds CT) often develop very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. This Daily checklist of antidepressant withdrawal symptoms is a helpful summary of what many experience.

3 hours ago, DwightShrute said:

UT right now as of 10th of jan 2025 i started having those symptoms again for 3 days but they are not mild anymore.

i feel very dizzy the whole day, whenever i move my head or eyes around. my vision doesn't feel right. i vomited once and feel like vomiting sometimes. i yawn a lot and can't concentrate.

This sounds about right - is very predictable.

3 hours ago, DwightShrute said:

idk what should i do.

 

Recovery from ADs and stopping CT is not linear. There are good days and not-so-good days/weeks/months. This is referred to as the Windows and waves pattern of stabilization.

Two other links to read (although what date in October 2024 did you stop? These links are less relevant once you are more than 3 months off meds):

About Reinstating and Stabilizing to Reduce Withdrawal Symptoms

Kindling

3 hours ago, DwightShrute said:

i worry that i have ruined myself.

 

You haven't ruined yourself, but it is going to take time to bounce back. Think many, many months, not days or weeks.

 

3 hours ago, DwightShrute said:

i am going to see a neurologist tomorrow to see if something can be done.

 

Be careful. More drugs are not the solution to WD symptoms.

 

3 hours ago, DwightShrute said:

i am really afraid that this is going to be permenant or last a very long time.

 

Time + Patience are required as you recover from this.

 

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

Magnesium

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil)

Avoid alcohol.

Once again, welcome to S.A.

Emonda

[DwightShrute]

29 minutes ago, Emonda said:

Love the name. That guy on TV makes me laugh (assuming that's where the name came from).

yes! the name is from the office. it's a really good show indeed.

 

29 minutes ago, Emonda said:

Certainly not the recommended approach. Nor is obtaining prescription medication by means other than from a doctor....what's done is done.

i didn't know it wasn't the recommended approach when i stopped or else i would follow the tapering method (i wish i knew)

also i didn't get the drug illegaly as here in egypt it's an OTC medication which is so wrong.

31 minutes ago, Emonda said:

Those that taper too quickly (or stop meds CT) often develop very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. This Daily checklist of antidepressant withdrawal symptoms is a helpful summary of what many experience.

i looked at the list and most of the symptoms i am having are physical.i am having like 30-40% of the physical symptoms. idk if the others are going to show later on (i hope they do not).

i really don't know what to do. the more i think about it the more i am really sad about what i have done.

so do you think i should just continue with my withdrawl or maybe see a doctor and reinstate the medication so i can taper it off gradually?

i don't want the medication nor i have physiatric symptoms that i used to have before like depression. that's why i stopped the medication.

and tbh after i stopped it i didn't feel like the depression came back. it's just these awful WD symptoms.

 

35 minutes ago, Emonda said:

although what date in October 2024 did you stop?

i can't remember exactly but i think it was around 5th of october

 

35 minutes ago, Emonda said:

Think many, many months, not days or weeks.

does it take that long with many people or people are different? like can some people be done with 2-3 months. others by 6-8 months and others my take a year or more?

 

i will definitely look at the links you sent although i have read some of them upon visiting the site as i was really worried.

[Yesyes123]

19 hours ago, DwightShrute said:

i don't really know what to do. i am really afraid that this is going to be permenant or last a very long time.

Don’t worry about it being permament. Although it may feel like it, we have countless documented cases of people in similar situations and it does get better with time to the point you’re fully healed and this is no longer a problem for you.

 

It can take a while to get there, but you are young and that is extremely helpful.

 

I had a similar problem with escitalopram when I was 21 and now I’m 25 and fully healed and have no more problems with it.

 

Hang in there, it does get better and it’s great you were lucky enough to find this website before introducing another drug or doing something that could further damage your nervous system.

 

wish you peace and healing

[Yesyes123]

15 hours ago, DwightShrute said:

does it take that long with many people or people are different? like can some people be done with 2-3 months. others by 6-8 months and others my take a year or more?

 You might feel a lot better in 2-3 months, much better than now. The fact you’re only 20 years old is in your favor.

 

15 hours ago, DwightShrute said:

so do you think i should just continue with my withdrawl or maybe see a doctor and reinstate the medication so i can taper it off gradually?

You are now about 3 months off an escitalopram cold turkey, which is when my symptoms and many others as well following their reports have really flared up. 
 

It seems you are pretty much at the end of the window of reinstatement, or maybe it could be too late to reinstate. I think @Jane318 may have something more solid to suggest about this possible reinstatement.

 

If you were to reinstate, I would personally do it at a very low dose, as low as 1mg Escitalopram per day.

 

Other members will have more information to aid you in your decision to either reinstate or ride this out drug free until you feel better

[Mads1202]

4 hours ago, Yesyes123 said:

does it take that long with many people or people are different? like can some people be done with 2-3 months. others by 6-8 months and others my take a year or more?

I CTed Zoloft back in May 2024 and I am 8 months off today. I will say that I have made so much progress from 1-3 months being off until now. I was hardly functioning in the beginning but I am now experiencing huge windows and feeling more myself. My waves are not as bad as they used to be. Hang in there!

[DwightShrute]

4 hours ago, Yesyes123 said:

Don’t worry about it being permament. Although it may feel like it, we have countless documented cases of people in similar situations and it does get better with time to the point you’re fully healed and this is no longer a problem for you.

 

It can take a while to get there, but you are young and that is extremely helpful.

 

I had a similar problem with escitalopram when I was 21 and now I’m 25 and fully healed and have no more problems with it.

 

Hang in there, it does get better and it’s great you were lucky enough to find this website before introducing another drug or doing something that could further damage your nervous system.

 

wish you peace and healing

thank you for reassuring me that this is not the end of the world. i have read some of the healing journeys of the heroes here and that made me calm a bit.

i am glad that you finally healed from that awful medicine. i really think that people should be warned before using any of the AD meds as more and more people are starting to take them.

i actually went to a doctor before i CTed so he can help me taper it off but he just prescribed more medicines like an antipsychotic however i didn't show any signs of psychosis. i decided not to go to him again and was starting to feel worse from the medicine. my memory was messed up, i slept A LOT and i couldn't feel any emotions so i decided to quit!

 

i am glad that i didn't stay longer on it but i wish i knew that i should taper it off. well Lessons are not free and i have learned a valuable lesson here.

i am feeling a little better today and i will update if anything new happened.

Thank you!

[Jane318]

10 hours ago, Yesyes123 said:

It seems you are pretty much at the end of the window of reinstatement, or maybe it could be too late to reinstate. I think @Jane318 may have something more solid to suggest about this possible reinstatement.

Greetings @DwightShrute - I am sorry for all you are suffering right now.  Cold turkeys are enormously hard on our bodies and brains.  YesYes123 is right, though - youth is in your favor.  Also, that you taken only one drug for only six months is in your favor.  Sometimes, we recommend reinstating a small dose of the drug to help people stabilize - that works best within three months of quitting. 

 

The advantage of reinstating is that it can make those awful withdrawal symptoms less severe.  The disadvantage is that you are now taking the drug again - although at a much lower dose - and so will need to slowly taper off it after you stabilize.  The advantage of not reinstating is that you stay off the drug, you are done with it.  The disadvantage is when the symptoms are so severe that life is intolerable; you are not able to function. 

 

If you are seeing some improvement, this is a good sign you are starting to stabilize.  If you are able to endure, I am sure you will feel much better in a couple more months, although it will likely take even longer to fully stabilize.

 

Let us know if you have any questions about reinstating.  We can help you decide on a dose to try, if you think you want to do so.

 

The thing is - especially after this CT experience - you do not want to take any more of these drugs - prescription or not.  And you want to be careful of any drug a doctor tells you to take for whatever reason.  Do your research first.