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@BaileyHaving a horrid time, fighting for my life with this akayhisa. I am so sorry you’re having it too, it’s beyond words and I keep praying God will take it away for all of us suffering with it. sending so many prayers your way. Lord please hear our prayers and answer them, we need aka taken away soon, this is too hard. hugs and love ,

Hi Caracol! That suck.... I'll echo Onmyway... I also think that holding is your best bet. Updosing while sick would make your symptoms harder to distinguish. if you are anything like me while I was on effexor, it might get a bit rough. Effexor was giving me crazy withdrawal symptoms as soon as I had a fever and I was not even tapering. This is something that still haunt me today, but it's a bit more tolerable with escitalopram for me. Anyway, my point is that getting sick can make withdrawal symptoms worse. If it happen to you, don't panic and wait until you aren't sick anymore to decide what to do next. I wish you and your loved one a quick recovery!

That's so strange lol! We're on the same wavelength it seems! I do love my dance classes... they are great for calming my mind and for burning off akathisia 'energy' when it occurs (though I haven't tapered low enough for that to kick in for me... YET). Unfortunately, I turn very cyanotic when my heart rate goes of 125, so I certainly can't dance with the intensity I would like to and that I once could. I'm at my lyrical jazz class tonight, as we speak (I watch my daughter's class before mine, when I'm up to it). I also take hip hop on Thursdays. And then I sort of crash for several days lol... post exertional malaise is no joke! But to me, it's worth it- we have to choose how we expend our energy, and I would likely be in waaaaay worse shape emotionally if I gave up dance altogether. It's nice to be here, even when I can only watch. I've been having a decent day, reading through lots of threads here. So damned much suffering! It's terrible what these drugs have done to us. Reading about symptoms that others have had makes me wonder if I haven't been suffering the effects of these drugs for my whole adult life, and just not realized what it was. I've had severe hot flashes and night sweats since I was 27- all hormonal tests came back normal for years (obviously not now- perimenopause has begun!). I've had muscle and joint pain since my mid-20s- again, testing has shown absolutely nothing. I had infertility problems, and multiple miscarriages... I was not on any psychoactive meds during that period, but maybe my prior experiences with SSRIs were still having some impact on me? Ever since I was taken off Paxil cold turkey in my early 20s, I've been emotionally labile, and suffered periods of extreme agitation/akathisia, outbursts of rage, and intense sadness for seemingly no reason. It's a scary thought that these symptoms have always been with me in varying degrees- makes me question just how much healing I can actually do? I refuse to give up though, and I'm hoping the fact that I am going to taper slowly this time, with the support of my awesome husband and daughter will help me find the best version of myself. That's it for deep Wednesday evening thoughts lol... time to try to dance! Fingers crossed I can get through the class unscathed tonight...

Yeah seems like holding is the best plan. a few of my friends who are not on ssris shared that they got brain zaps with covid. and it seems to happen to others My son just tested positive one hour ago so im assuming when I test Ill be next. It is so strange. I am also no longer taking herbs in case they are causing any issues. Thank you

@Dahlia50 @Bailey EVERYONE heals. EVERYONE. Unfortunately it takes time. Just know you are not alone. I am here if you ever need support.

The only thing I got from that article is that we don't know sh*t and lots of people speculating about all kinds of things. Brain zaps are a withdrawal symptom and I'd advise stopping any tapering for a while. You may go to the previous dosage if you want but I usually prefer holding. Knowing what I know now I wouldn't use any speculation especially such wild ones based on animal models for medical decisions. Double blinded, preregistered large randomised controlled clinical trial for me.

Well, I feel a bit more relaxed tonight, I think I found a way out of all these issues.

Hi! I’m in a very similar situation and wondering how you are doing now?

I would suggest staying on your current dose, and working on improving your situation outside of the medication.

Thanks. Good advice re, the timing. Prepare for more trial and error 😉

Hi @HelenR, So many complex stories! I had 2 gastroscopies last year. Investigating why I have periods of low iron. The first they saw telangiactasia (like spider veins, broken capillaries) in my upper stomach, with ‘low-grade ooze’ of blood. Sounds great hey! The second procedure was organised to ‘zap’ the blood vessels to stop the bleeding but when they went in they couldn’t see any. This sits with my theory is that they come and go - I have periods with a bad taste in my mouth esp first thing in the morning- a little like reflux but not acidic - maybe this is the blood 🤷‍♀️ and this aligns with symptoms of low iron. The Maudsley Deprescribing Guide mentions upper GI bleeding as a symptom of long term antidepressant use. It’s good to find evidence and shared experiences but we still have to go through it and wait, hope and work for healing. A healthy gut is key to all aspects of good health. Our guts are damaged by the meds but we have to stay on them and taper slowly. I think this is a huge hurdle.

Thanks, will do!

YES, agreed Catina! Your commitment to documenting your experience is so valuable. It tells a heart breaking story that’s familiar to so many of us - stuck and questioning and suffering. The existence of this website and the thousands and thousands of accounts are referenced in the long awaited Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines. It’s reassuring that a medical guide is now physically out in the world. It doesn’t ease the day to day, hour to hour physical and mental pain and discomfort that these drugs and the withdrawal are causing, but it’s a huge step towards change. …. which will also be slow, but happening. I’m gonna keep reading through your story 🌼

Fair 🙁 I haven't had stability in a long time. Actually can't remember the last time I was truly stable, if ever (definitely part of the story of why I ended up on SSRIs in the first place). I've already cut down on my dose to this point - would it be best to remain here for a while in your opinion rather than go back to full reinstatement?

@LukeUK I know I am quoting you on this story, but I noticed you stopped mirt in 2023 and have been in severe WD since then. I too came off mirt in July 2023 and have been in severe WD since then as well. I came off a benzo previously and tapered both of them slower than the Ashton Manuel recommends using compounded liquid. I’m interested to hear your story…maybe chat? My email is rhernandez17@att.net, if you would like to connect. If not, no worries!

Thanks Kai, you too 💪

Thank you, @Dahlia50. Yes, we're not alone. I'm scared, too. Praying and hoping we get relief very soon. ❤️

@BenD7123 thanks for the reply! I am kind of in the same boat. Been holding at this dose for almost 4 weeks. Seemingly getting better and better as the weeks go on. Tinnitus, although annoying, is harmless and don’t let it bother you. Mine comes and goes. Sometimes I barely hear it.. like whisper quiet and then especially in a wave, it seems very loud at times. If you want some tips on how to deal with it if it becomes annoying to you, please reach out! I am counting today as wave because I had a mole biopsied. My original reason for going in meds was health anxiety..so as you can imagine, I’m struggling today as I wait for results. Adding you to my prayers, my friend! This life is hard sometimes. Thankful that Jesus has overcome it.

I have a question about Zofran. I also take it when the nausea becomes unbearable but it sedates me even more and it is very constipating. How do you handle it? I have messed around with this drug over the past couple of years and caused kindling. Now I am stuck at 2 mg. I had gotten down to around 1.5 mg. but symptoms got really bad and I jumped up to 2 to try and hold. It's been almost a week and nothing has changed.

@Bailey Hi, I can relate to how inhumane this is. It’s survival and akathisia for me too. Scared. That I won't heal. It helps a little to know you're not alone thanks to this forum. Wish and hope with all my heart that we all can get some relief soon 🙏🌻

Wow. I can't actually believe it! GRIN1 is SO RARE.... nobody know about it. Yet, here we are, on a forum about tapering and dealing with anti depressant withdrawal, I meet someone who know about it! I don't know why but this is crazy to me, haha! To put things into perspective, I live not that far from one of the biggest children hospital in my province. Of all the specialist, GP, nurses, etc. we met since the diagnostic, I never encountered anyone who knew about GRIN1. Even for the pediatric neurologist (over 25 years experience in that role) who found the mutation throught genetic testing, it was a first. Thank you for sharing this. I don't know exactly why, but it made my day a little better. Raising a kid while dealing while dealing with withdrawal AND working in the health system (that alone is... something!!)! This is quite a feat. Mad respect. 💪

Hello @ClaireM. If you'd like to start an introduction topic about yourself, thanks. Click here.

We had another member join recently who had bladder symptoms. They noted very gradual improvement over the months following the reaction. See:

I would put the beads back into capsules before taking them.

You need stability in other areas of your life before you try tapering. Obviously none of us are free from stress but you have to scale back your life in order to manage withdrawal.