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☼ cathyfrench: suffering from PGAD since sertraline withdrawal


cathyfrench

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hi cathyfrench

how are you doing

best wishes to you..

i just wanted to give you my update i am having severe bladder issues,frequent urination this all mess is casuing pain in bladder...

i used to have severe arousals but that is not my problem now because it is mild...

what you say on frequent urination

baladder pain ...

how is you symptoms related to bladder

it will be very helpful for me

best wishes to you 

 

Mask

i took different antidepressants medications for depression and anciety 

from 2013 to 2017 with no benefit i kept on changing the ads but of no use and i gave up...and then the pgad started..

 

prozac for 2 weeks

lexapro for 3 weeks

seroxat for 10 days

Now i am antidepressants free 

2017 december was the last time i took ads since then i havent taken any ads medication

My main symptom is pgad 

i get stabbing pain in genital area which is interfering in my daily life..

and very mild arousals which dosent bother me.

 

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  • 3 months later...

@cathyfrench

Like Mark, I would love to hear an update from you. 

How are you?

 

 

 

1999:  Paroxetine (20mg). Age 16. 2007-2008: Fluoxetine (Prozac) for 1.5 years (age 25) Citalopram 20mg 2002-2005, 2009: Escitalopram (20mg), 2 weeks, (age 26) (adverse  reaction)/*Valium 5mg/Temazepam 10mg 2010: Mirtazipine (Remeron)( do not remember dosage) 2010, 5 months.                     2010-2017: Citalopram (20mg) (age 27 to 34) 2016: i.1st Sept- 31st Oct Citalopram 10mg , ii.1st November 2017-30th November 2017, Citalopram 5mg iii.1st December 2017- 4th February 2018, Citalopram 0mg, iv.5th February 2018- March 2018 Citalopram 5mg (10mg every other day) 28th February- tried titration of 5mg ( some adverse effects)

2018: 1st March 2018- 1st June Citalopram 10 mg (tablet form) /started titration 8mg , then 7 mg.2018: June 15th- 10th July Citalopram 10 mg pill every other day 2018: 10th July - 13th Sept Citalopram- 0mg  (CBD oil first month of 0mg, passiflora on and off) 2018 13th Sept Citalopram  2mg ,  approx 16th Sept 4mg , approx 25th Sept 6mg held.  2019: 11 Feb 19: 7mg (instant bad rxn) 12 Feb 19 6mg held 1 May 19 5.4mg held 5 Oct 19 5.36mg 22 Oct 19 5.29mg 30 Oct 19 5.23mg 4/NOV/19 5.18mg 12 Nov 19 5.08mg 20 Nov 19 4.77mg 7 May 22 2.31mg 17/09/2023 0.8mg

(Herbal/Supplements since 1st September: Omega Fish Oil 1200mg, 663mg of EPA- 2 tablets a day, magnesium and magnesium bath salts)

I did not die, and yet I lost life’s breath
- Dante
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  • 1 month later...

Dear friends,

 

 Just a little thank you message to all of you on SA  for welcoming  me 3 years ago on your site.

 

3 years ago I was in a psychiatric clinic because I complained that Sertraline gave me tinnitus and PGAD (persistent genital arousal disorder) I had just started Sertraline 50 mg (you know my story, I was put in a psychiatrist hospital against my will and I was obliged to take sertraline 50 mg). I had been 2 weeks on Sertraline 50 mg and I wanted to stop it and I brought my dose down to 25 mg  when I got out of the psychiatric hospital l and got extremelly violent side effects and on the fourth Week  on Sertraline (2 weeks on 50 mg and 2 weeks on 25 mg) I was left with PGAD and constant tinnitus. I was told by several psychiatrists that I had psychosis  and  I was advised to go in a psychiatric clinic to treat my so called psychosis , in this clinic they made me tapper sertraline, a day on it and a day off, then after a week a day on it and 2 days off and of course it was too fast and I kept PGAD and tinnitus and it is in this clinic that I discovered Surviving Antidepressant (while surfing on my smartphone when the nurses couldn't see me) and I understood what I had , I understood what was PGAD and I understood that my PGAD and tinnitus were or side effects or withdrawal symptoms of Sertraline.  I would like to thank all of you to come to my rescue, it is thank to you that I survived. Thank you so much to all of you who came to my rescue and thank you some much to Hopefull, Johnson, Broken and all the PGAD sufferers to have written their PGAD stories on this site and to all of you who wrote about PGAD and tinnitus.

 

Now 3 years after stopping sertraline, my PGAD is almost gone, unfortunatly the constant tinnitus is still there. My PGAD is 95 percent gone.

The akhatisia, this need to jump out of my body  (constant agitation that I had after stopping Sertraline and when I was tappering Xanax and zopiclone) is gone, the an

ger bursts are also gone, the depression and dark thoughts and suicidal thoughts are gone (I had great help from my psychologist) .  Except for my constant tinnitus I can say that I have recovered but it took a long long time but I am getting there.

 

Take really good care,all of you :-)

 

 

- From January 4th 2017 to April 17th 2017:  1 Xanax 0.25 mg in January, replaced by 1 Lyxansia 10 mg in February, replaced by 1 Bromazepam 6 mg a day  in March then back to 1 Xanax 0.25 mg  in April. Every pill was stopped cold turkey.

- April 17th (Easter Monday) started  Sertraline 50.  Xanax 0.25 mg  stopped cold turkey. 

- April 17th to May 4th 1 Sertraline 50, a 25 dose in the morning, a 25 dose at night and half a Zopiclone 7.5 at night

- May 4th  Reduced to 1 Sertraline  25.

-June 1st to June 8th.Tappering off Sertraline every 2 days for a week and put on 1 Risperidone 1 mg a day.June 8th Sertraline 25 replaced by 1 Anafranil 25mg, 1 Risperidone 1 mg a day and 1 zoplicone 7.5 at night, a week later, the Anafranil 25mg and Risperidone 1g was stopped cold turkey and replaced by 1 Xanax 0.25 mg 3 times a day. Since  June 17th : 1 Xanax 0.25 mg 3 times a day and 1 zoplicone 7.5 at night. Other medications  from June 1st to June 15th : Augmentin antibiotics, Chorticoid tablets,  Lanzoprazole, Toviaz. Symptoms : tremors, shaking ,suicidal thoughts, smell and light sensitivity, hyperacusis, floaters, earworms, akathisia, high pitched tinnitus, PGAD.

 

 

 

 

 

-

 

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30 minutes ago, cathyfrench said:

Dear friends,

 

 Just a little thank you message to all of you on SA  for welcoming  me 3 years ago on your site.

 

3 years ago I was in a psychiatric clinic because I complained that Sertraline gave me tinnitus and PGAD (persistent genital arousal disorder) I had just started Sertraline 50 mg (you know my story, I was put in a psychiatrist hospital against my will and I was obliged to take sertraline 50 mg). I had been 2 weeks on Sertraline 50 mg and I wanted to stop it and I brought my dose down to 25 mg  when I got out of the psychiatric hospital l and got extremelly violent side effects and on the fourth Week  on Sertraline (2 weeks on 50 mg and 2 weeks on 25 mg) I was left with PGAD and constant tinnitus. I was told by several psychiatrists that I had psychosis  and  I was advised to go in a psychiatric clinic to treat my so called psychosis , in this clinic they made me tapper sertraline, a day on it and a day off, then after a week a day on it and 2 days off and of course it was too fast and I kept PGAD and tinnitus and it is in this clinic that I discovered Surviving Antidepressant (while surfing on my smartphone when the nurses couldn't see me) and I understood what I had , I understood what was PGAD and I understood that my PGAD and tinnitus were or side effects or withdrawal symptoms of Sertraline.  I would like to thank all of you to come to my rescue, it is thank to you that I survived. Thank you so much to all of you who came to my rescue and thank you some much to Hopefull, Johnson, Broken and all the PGAD sufferers to have written their PGAD stories on this site and to all of you who wrote about PGAD and tinnitus.

 

Now 3 years after stopping sertraline, my PGAD is almost gone, unfortunatly the constant tinnitus is still there. My PGAD is 95 percent gone.

The akhatisia, this need to jump out of my body  (constant agitation that I had after stopping Sertraline and when I was tappering Xanax and zopiclone) is gone, the an

ger bursts are also gone, the depression and dark thoughts and suicidal thoughts are gone (I had great help from my psychologist) .  Except for my constant tinnitus I can say that I have recovered but it took a long long time but I am getting there.

 

Take really good care,all of you 🙂

 

 

hi Cathy french

I hope you are good

it is very nice to hear that your pgad symptoms are almost over or lessened...thats great

 

we have same suffering story regarding pgad

for me its bees 2 and half years since i completely stopped ads...my unwanted arousals are ok now...i dont get get anymore unwanted arousals but pain around the groin area ,genetial area and hips is still there ....any suggestion please 

your suggestion will be much appreciated

i took different antidepressants medications for depression and anciety 

from 2013 to 2017 with no benefit i kept on changing the ads but of no use and i gave up...and then the pgad started..

 

prozac for 2 weeks

lexapro for 3 weeks

seroxat for 10 days

Now i am antidepressants free 

2017 december was the last time i took ads since then i havent taken any ads medication

My main symptom is pgad 

i get stabbing pain in genital area which is interfering in my daily life..

and very mild arousals which dosent bother me.

 

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Dear Cathyfrench

 

I was so pleased to read your update and see your PGAD has almost gone and other symptoms too. That's wonderful news! 

 

I was very sorry to read about all your suffering at the hands of your doctors and I'm so glad you are much better. Hopefully the tinnitus will also fade with time. 

 

I hope you are now enjoying life again with your husband and son.

 

Best wishes

Ripley

▪︎2000 - Seroxat (25mg?) 6 months C/T

▪︎2015 - 7.5mg Zopiclone 1 month C/T

▪︎ 2016 - 2018 - Diazapam and Phenergan occasionally for sleep

▪︎2017 June to Oct - Mirtazapine 7.5mg C/T

▪︎2018 April - 2019 Oct Mirtazapine 7.5mg tapered to 1.5mg.

▪︎2019 October - Mirtazapine 1.5mg (Skipped alternate doses on doctor's advice then stopped - Insomnia.) Phenergan

▪︎2020 Jan 6th - Mirtazapine 1.5mg

▪︎2020 Jan 13th - Mirtazapine 7.5mg

▪︎2020 - Feb - May, holding 7.5mg

▪︎2020 1st June, 7.35mg. 27 June, 7.2mg. 7 July, 7.05mg. 18 July, 6.9mg. 28 July, 6.75mg. 27 Aug, 6.6mg. 7 Sep, 6.45mg. 17 Sep, 6.6mg. Crash/Hold

▪︎2022 - 4 Feb, 6.45mg. 24 Mar, 6.3mg. 13 May, 6.15mg. 13 July, 6mg. 10 Aug, 5.85mg.

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On 7/1/2020 at 9:30 PM, cathyfrench said:

Dear friends,

 

 Just a little thank you message to all of you on SA  for welcoming  me 3 years ago on your site.

 

3 years ago I was in a psychiatric clinic because I complained that Sertraline gave me tinnitus and PGAD (persistent genital arousal disorder) I had just started Sertraline 50 mg (you know my story, I was put in a psychiatrist hospital against my will and I was obliged to take sertraline 50 mg). I had been 2 weeks on Sertraline 50 mg and I wanted to stop it and I brought my dose down to 25 mg  when I got out of the psychiatric hospital l and got extremelly violent side effects and on the fourth Week  on Sertraline (2 weeks on 50 mg and 2 weeks on 25 mg) I was left with PGAD and constant tinnitus. I was told by several psychiatrists that I had psychosis  and  I was advised to go in a psychiatric clinic to treat my so called psychosis , in this clinic they made me tapper sertraline, a day on it and a day off, then after a week a day on it and 2 days off and of course it was too fast and I kept PGAD and tinnitus and it is in this clinic that I discovered Surviving Antidepressant (while surfing on my smartphone when the nurses couldn't see me) and I understood what I had , I understood what was PGAD and I understood that my PGAD and tinnitus were or side effects or withdrawal symptoms of Sertraline.  I would like to thank all of you to come to my rescue, it is thank to you that I survived. Thank you so much to all of you who came to my rescue and thank you some much to Hopefull, Johnson, Broken and all the PGAD sufferers to have written their PGAD stories on this site and to all of you who wrote about PGAD and tinnitus.

 

Now 3 years after stopping sertraline, my PGAD is almost gone, unfortunatly the constant tinnitus is still there. My PGAD is 95 percent gone.

The akhatisia, this need to jump out of my body  (constant agitation that I had after stopping Sertraline and when I was tappering Xanax and zopiclone) is gone, the an

ger bursts are also gone, the depression and dark thoughts and suicidal thoughts are gone (I had great help from my psychologist) .  Except for my constant tinnitus I can say that I have recovered but it took a long long time but I am getting there.

 

Take really good care,all of you 🙂

 

 

Hi cathyfrench

its so nice to hear that you are better then before

please advice me should i use lyrica for pudendal nerve issue or not ...because my condition is same as your condition...my arousals are very mild which dosent bother me but pudendal nerve pain is bothering me a lot should i go for lyrica please tell me something

 

thank you

i took different antidepressants medications for depression and anciety 

from 2013 to 2017 with no benefit i kept on changing the ads but of no use and i gave up...and then the pgad started..

 

prozac for 2 weeks

lexapro for 3 weeks

seroxat for 10 days

Now i am antidepressants free 

2017 december was the last time i took ads since then i havent taken any ads medication

My main symptom is pgad 

i get stabbing pain in genital area which is interfering in my daily life..

and very mild arousals which dosent bother me.

 

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  • Moderator

@Mask-- please do not ask members to recommend prescription drugs for your condition. This site is about getting off of drugs and dealing with our bodies without them.  Cathyfrench has no experience with the drug you mention, nor is she a doctor, so she is in no position to make these recommendations, nor is anyone else on this site.

20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013.

Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks.  The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better.

Final Dose 0.016mg.     Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017

 

"It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general."  Stephen Hawking

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1 hour ago, brassmonkey said:

@Mask-- please do not ask members to recommend prescription drugs for your condition. This site is about getting off of drugs and dealing with our bodies without them.  Cathyfrench has no experience with the drug you mention, nor is she a doctor, so she is in no position to make these recommendations, nor is anyone else on this site.

ok

i took different antidepressants medications for depression and anciety 

from 2013 to 2017 with no benefit i kept on changing the ads but of no use and i gave up...and then the pgad started..

 

prozac for 2 weeks

lexapro for 3 weeks

seroxat for 10 days

Now i am antidepressants free 

2017 december was the last time i took ads since then i havent taken any ads medication

My main symptom is pgad 

i get stabbing pain in genital area which is interfering in my daily life..

and very mild arousals which dosent bother me.

 

Link to comment
  • ChessieCat changed the title to cathyfrench: Suffering from PGAD since sertraline withdrawal
  • 2 months later...

Dear all,

 

It has been now 3 years and a half that I was put on Sertraline after being made to stop Xanax (that I had taken for only few months and at very low dose) cold turkey. I had been only 2 weeks on Sertaline 50 mg and felt suicidal and agitated on it so I brought my dose down to 25 mg to stop it and I got a lot of withdrawal symptoms and I was left with intense agitation, PGAD and constant tinnitus. When I was put on Sertraline, I was also put on zopiclone and then when I got PGAD and when I stopped Sertraline after being on it for only a month, I was put back on Xanax. I started then a very slow withdrawal of Xanax and zopiclone and it is now a year and a half that I am free from Xanax and zopiclone.

 

How do I feel at the moment :

 

  • Regarding PGAD, it is kind of gone. I got PGAD and tinnitus when I brought my sertraline dose down but also when I had just entered the menopause.  I suspect that the lack of libido caused by the menopause and the estrogens and testosterone collapse caused by the menopause is quieting down the PGAD feeling.

 

  • Psychologically I am really better, I don't have any mood swings anymore, the anger bursts are gone and I can manage my stress level now while until last year I had very bad mood swings and anger bursts.

 

  • Unfortunalty tinnitus is still there and constant. It stayed the same and never improved (again the menopause could explain why it never went away because some women get tinnitus at the menopause)

 

  • However I can feel my brain is still wounded.  When I withdrew from Sertraline, I had earworms (music stuck in my head constantly) and the earworms are back and I can't listen to music anymore or the song plays constantly in my head. I  also seem to be also more obsessive with minor problems (while I never suffer from OCD before taking sertraline). I can really feel that the brain neurons are damaged as if some parts of the brain seem to have been damaged by sertraline (I have bad migraines on the left side, my eyes are sore and my bones are very painful but it could be caused by the menopause).

 

This is my last update on my PGAD and tinnitus situation. I wish you all a lot of courage and to keep hope. I am really better than 3 years ago and finger crossed I seem to get better all the time.

 

 

- From January 4th 2017 to April 17th 2017:  1 Xanax 0.25 mg in January, replaced by 1 Lyxansia 10 mg in February, replaced by 1 Bromazepam 6 mg a day  in March then back to 1 Xanax 0.25 mg  in April. Every pill was stopped cold turkey.

- April 17th (Easter Monday) started  Sertraline 50.  Xanax 0.25 mg  stopped cold turkey. 

- April 17th to May 4th 1 Sertraline 50, a 25 dose in the morning, a 25 dose at night and half a Zopiclone 7.5 at night

- May 4th  Reduced to 1 Sertraline  25.

-June 1st to June 8th.Tappering off Sertraline every 2 days for a week and put on 1 Risperidone 1 mg a day.June 8th Sertraline 25 replaced by 1 Anafranil 25mg, 1 Risperidone 1 mg a day and 1 zoplicone 7.5 at night, a week later, the Anafranil 25mg and Risperidone 1g was stopped cold turkey and replaced by 1 Xanax 0.25 mg 3 times a day. Since  June 17th : 1 Xanax 0.25 mg 3 times a day and 1 zoplicone 7.5 at night. Other medications  from June 1st to June 15th : Augmentin antibiotics, Chorticoid tablets,  Lanzoprazole, Toviaz. Symptoms : tremors, shaking ,suicidal thoughts, smell and light sensitivity, hyperacusis, floaters, earworms, akathisia, high pitched tinnitus, PGAD.

 

 

 

 

 

-

 

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  • Administrator

Good to hear from you, CathyFrench. Now your system is more stable, this might be a good time to try fish oil and magnesium supplements again, see


https://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/
https://survivingantidepressants.org/topic/15483-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

 

You might try a little bit of one at a time to see how it affects you.

 

Because you're feeling better, I added our cheerful "here comes the sun" symbol ☼ to the title of your Intro topic, to show you're recovering.

 

Please continue to let us know how you're doing. I hope you will add your story to our Recovery Success Stories eventually!

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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  • ChessieCat changed the title to ☼ cathyfrench: suffering from PGAD since sertraline withdrawal

Hi Altostrata,

 

Thank you so much for your message. I am taking magnesium and I found it is a great help on PGAD. I am going to try again fish oïl but before when I had very bad PGAD, it seems to make it worse but I wil ltry again (I suspect that the menopause could explain why I don't react well to fish oïl,  I seem to react badly to any type of supplements except magnesium that really helped me). 

I know that taking iron and vitamine C really help quieting down PGAD. It was given to me by my pudendal nerve specialist because she considered that my PGAD was  very similar to restless leg syndrome and neurologists try vitamine C and iron on patients with RLS and it sometimes work on them. I think iron and vitamin C quieted down my PGAD (but iron and vitamin C has to be taken Under doctors supervision)

 

I suspect that withdrawing from zopiclone helped a lot to quiet down my PGAD as if zopiclone was sexually stimulating. Withdrawing from Xanax quieted down the anger burts and mood swings. Anyway once I had stopped Xanax and zopiclone, I was very better, less mood swings, less akhatisia and less PGAD.  Now I don't have agitation and anger burst anymore.

 

 

I also wonder what is the influence of hormones on PGAD and on tinnitus. Could it be that Sertraline increased one hormone (maybe  too much estrogen or testosterone) against another  and could have triggered PGAD and tinnitus. I know that now that I am entering my fourth year of menopause, my estrogens and testosterone level are lower and my PGAD is alsmos gone but tinnitus is the same and I think that less estrogen or less testosterone could have quieted down my PGAD.

 

Hpefully I would be able one day to write my success story. It has been a fight but I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel but I know that I have been badly wounded by Sertraline and the wound in my brain and nervous system is still there.

 

Thank you so much for your support and the support from all of you in SA. I couldnt have make it without all of you.

 

Take really good care .

 

 

 

 

 

- From January 4th 2017 to April 17th 2017:  1 Xanax 0.25 mg in January, replaced by 1 Lyxansia 10 mg in February, replaced by 1 Bromazepam 6 mg a day  in March then back to 1 Xanax 0.25 mg  in April. Every pill was stopped cold turkey.

- April 17th (Easter Monday) started  Sertraline 50.  Xanax 0.25 mg  stopped cold turkey. 

- April 17th to May 4th 1 Sertraline 50, a 25 dose in the morning, a 25 dose at night and half a Zopiclone 7.5 at night

- May 4th  Reduced to 1 Sertraline  25.

-June 1st to June 8th.Tappering off Sertraline every 2 days for a week and put on 1 Risperidone 1 mg a day.June 8th Sertraline 25 replaced by 1 Anafranil 25mg, 1 Risperidone 1 mg a day and 1 zoplicone 7.5 at night, a week later, the Anafranil 25mg and Risperidone 1g was stopped cold turkey and replaced by 1 Xanax 0.25 mg 3 times a day. Since  June 17th : 1 Xanax 0.25 mg 3 times a day and 1 zoplicone 7.5 at night. Other medications  from June 1st to June 15th : Augmentin antibiotics, Chorticoid tablets,  Lanzoprazole, Toviaz. Symptoms : tremors, shaking ,suicidal thoughts, smell and light sensitivity, hyperacusis, floaters, earworms, akathisia, high pitched tinnitus, PGAD.

 

 

 

 

 

-

 

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  • 11 months later...

Dear friends,

 

It is now more than 4 years that I took Sertraline and was left with terrible side effects and withdrawal side effects. I would like to give you some news and tell you how I feel.  I apologise, this post is very long but it was a long journey. 

 

I got persistant genital arousal disorder and constant tinnitus 4 years ago agter trying Sertraline 50 mg (when I tried Sertraline I was made to coldturkey xanax that I had taken for 4 months being switched from several benzos)). I had jst started the menopause when I was put on Sertraline, I was also put on zopiclone (hypnotic to make me sleep).  I felt so bad (I was suicidal anf totally agitated) on sertraline 50 mg that after 2 weeks on it I brought my dose down to 25 mg and on the third week I was hit by various withdrawal side effects including pgad, constant tinnitus  (and constant music stuck in the brain )and an overactive bladder and violent agitation and anger burts (akhatisia maybe). I continued my withdrawal one day on and one day off and was put back on xanax. Then when I stopped sertraline, I was still suffering from PGAD and constant tinnitus (the overactive bladder got better).

This was 4 years ago , now I must say that i am really better, my pgad is gone (however istill feel the pressure on my genitals in the late afternoon and when I am stressed and when I lie down on my back), the tinnitus stayed the same unfortunatly and the music stuck in the head (earworms) came back last year. 

 

Pgad was atrocious : engorgement on the genitals, lubrication, spntaneous Orgasms. Now I can say it is most of the time gone (I dont want to jinx myself)

 

What worked for me regarding PGAD :

 

_ I refused to take any medications. when my pgad started I was made to stop sertraline very fast and was put on risperidone (it seems to quiet down the pgad but trasformed me into a sad zombie so I refused to take it, my urologist told me also that it could be that risperidone worked because it increases prolactin but he was against me taking it because risperidone can cause priapism so I am glad I didnt stay on it. then I was put on the tricyclic antidepressant anafranil because it is used for neuropathic pain, it seems to quiet down the overactive bladder but gave me heart problems and really worse tinnitus so I stopped it also. 

Then I started a long withdrawal following the methods advised on this site  of xanax then zopiclone. I got pgad when I started sertraline but I had also started zopiclone on the same day so I always wonder if it could also be one of the cause of my PGAD. I dont know but I know that the more I withdrew from xanax and zopiclone, the better I got. MAybe because xanax and zopiclone makes your brain sleepy when you need to retrain your nervous system to fight pgad and I think it is better that your brain stays alert to rebuid new neurones pathway

 

_I saw a pudendal nerve specialist when my pgad started and she diagnosed me with a neuropathy similar to restless legs syndrome so I got a pudendal nerve block that didnt work (she then considered that I didnt have pudendal neuralgia because I didnt get relief from the pudendal nerve bock) and she gave me a ganglion impar block. This was a year after starting pgad and I know that after getting this block I went from having constant arousal to having pgad flares in the evening which was already a relief. Then slowly over the years, I started having flares less intense then after 2 years they became less frequent and now I still have agitation in the evening but not as bad as before and I dont feel the arousal anymore (I guess the agitation and the pgad flares were linked) .

 

_I took iron and vitamine c at high doses (always under the control of my pudendal nerve specialist because too much iron can be very dangerous). Neurologists give iron and vitamine C to people with restless leg syndrome and in my case it helped.

 

_I took magnesium at high dose and it seemed to help with the agitation. I also took valerian roots.

 

_Working on rebalancing my autonomic nervous system with my pelvic pain physiotherapist really helped me. Through breathing exercices and massage of the bladder and the diaphragm, I learnt to trigger my vagus nerve to quiet down my overactive sympathetic nervous system. She also relaxed my PSOAS muscle. I also swam a lot and I got a bit of relief.  Ialso used tens to quiet down the overactive sympathetic nervous system (2tens at the bottom of the spine and 2 TENS on the ankle. I dont think TENS cured my pgad but it taught me to manage the pain. 

 

-Rebalancing the hormones. I got pgad when my menopause had just started. the year before, I had taken a medication that decreases progesterone because I had a very large uterus fibroid and this medication was supposed to reduce my fibroid. So when I got pgad my hormones were very imbalanced. Maybe sertraline had an influence on the hormones also, increasing one hormones against the others (I truly dont know). I got my hormones tasted when my pgad started and my testosterone was a little high comparing to estrogen (but it is usually normal at the menopause, first progesterone reduces, then estrogen and women are left with androgens, then testosterone starts decreasing). Could it be that less estrogen or less testosterone quieted down my pgad. I know that the more I got into menopause the better the pgad got (less engorgement etc) but I dont have any answer on this. 

 

-I had a very large uterine fibroid when my pgad started so less estrogens reduces uterine fibroid so could it be that the fibroid reduction stopped the pressure on the uterus and quieted down the engorgement and the blood flow on the lower part of the body.

 

_And of course time might have helped. PGAD being a withdrawal side effects of SSRIs (however it seems that it can also be a side effect of sertraline)with time and a lot of work on rebalancing the autonomic nervous system, it could explain why it went away. 

 

_For tinnitus : Tinnitus was part of a series of withdrawal side effects that I got from bringing my sertraline dose, I got first sensitivity to smells, tastes, light then noise, then hyperacusis then a very high pitched metalic sound in the left ear. The sound never changed so I had to learn to live with it and I went through a Tinnitus retraining Therapy to teach the brain to habituate using hearing aids that produces white sound. I also sleep with a machine that produces white noise. Strangely the constant music stuck in the head (earworms) came back 2 years ago and it is still there, I usd my hearing aids to get rid of these songs. 

 

_Anger and agitation, with time, it got better. Was it akhatisia ? Seeing a behavioural psychologist helped. but I still get anger burts (but not as strong) in the eveniing. My agitation is really better. However I still dont sleep well at night and I need to move my legs a lot when I am lying down. The menopause could explain also why I got bad anger burts . Isuppose the menopause made the xanax and zopiclone withdrawal worse. I also wonder if taking sertraline just when I was entering the menopause could explain why I had so violent side effects and withdrawal side effects.

 

_How I am now ? well I am good. still suffering from tinnitus and I feel as if I have a kind of brain injury that is still there, I sometimes have a kind of chemical OCD, while I never suffered from OCD before. I know that sertraline did damaged my brain (I feel a kind of pressure on the left side of the brain) . I am now in nealy my 5th years of menopause, I suffer from  bad high blood pressure and I am very tired. I think it is more the menopause that causes this but who knows, it is like taking sertraline had been for me like being hit by something. I was wounded for sure. 

 

-I dont know why I got better. I dont have any answers, I just wanted to share with you my journey. I often wondered if I had been better off stopping straight away sertraline before reaching the third week, or would it have been better if I had done a very slow withdrawal even if I had only been 2 weeks on sertraline, or would it had been better to go back on sertraline 50 mg when all the withdrawal side effects started when I went on sertraline 25mg, or would it have been better to switch to another antidepressant then do a very slow withdrawal. I dont have the answers on this but I am sure the administrators can adivse us on this.

 

So Sorry about this long post but I wanted to share with you how I am at the moment. keep hope ! the brain and the nervous system can repair. I remember when these pgad and tinnitus started I went to see a neurologist who works with disabled people and he is the only doctor who told me sertraline had caused the pgad (but of course didnt write it on the report he wrote on me)  and he told me "keep hope, the brain is very plastic but it will take time for your brain and nervous system to use new neurones and creates new brain connections but your brain will recreate the connections that got damaged" He was right. Keep hope ! 

 

 

 

_

- From January 4th 2017 to April 17th 2017:  1 Xanax 0.25 mg in January, replaced by 1 Lyxansia 10 mg in February, replaced by 1 Bromazepam 6 mg a day  in March then back to 1 Xanax 0.25 mg  in April. Every pill was stopped cold turkey.

- April 17th (Easter Monday) started  Sertraline 50.  Xanax 0.25 mg  stopped cold turkey. 

- April 17th to May 4th 1 Sertraline 50, a 25 dose in the morning, a 25 dose at night and half a Zopiclone 7.5 at night

- May 4th  Reduced to 1 Sertraline  25.

-June 1st to June 8th.Tappering off Sertraline every 2 days for a week and put on 1 Risperidone 1 mg a day.June 8th Sertraline 25 replaced by 1 Anafranil 25mg, 1 Risperidone 1 mg a day and 1 zoplicone 7.5 at night, a week later, the Anafranil 25mg and Risperidone 1g was stopped cold turkey and replaced by 1 Xanax 0.25 mg 3 times a day. Since  June 17th : 1 Xanax 0.25 mg 3 times a day and 1 zoplicone 7.5 at night. Other medications  from June 1st to June 15th : Augmentin antibiotics, Chorticoid tablets,  Lanzoprazole, Toviaz. Symptoms : tremors, shaking ,suicidal thoughts, smell and light sensitivity, hyperacusis, floaters, earworms, akathisia, high pitched tinnitus, PGAD.

 

 

 

 

 

-

 

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It's wonderful to see updates. It gives us nobodies hope 😊

~Lexapro 5mg 2009;  ~increased to 10mg; 2013ish.  ~increased to 20mg; 2017
~January 2021 had an episode of Serotonin Syndrome (from one single 50mg dose of trazodone) reduced from 20mg to 10mg. 
~Mid April 2021- Followed doctors taper schedule to get off lex. Within 6ish weeks I went from 10mg to 5mg and then 5mg every other day and then every 3 days and then quit. 
~Early June 2021 stopped Lexapro 

~July 5th; reinstated 2.5 mg Lexapro 

~July 6th; started atenolol 12.5 2x day for heart palpitations (resting bpm 110). 
~July 19th; upped to 3.75

~Sept 12; Updose 5mg (want WD to go AWAY-no longer trying to get off Lexapro. Want my life back!)

Lansoprazole 2000-2021

~July 27th 2021 breaking capsules and removing 40 tiny beads 

~Sept 2021- worked up to removing 300 of the 500 beads

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  • 2 weeks later...

As someone who has struggled with tinnitus for 7 months now after trying 50mg of Pristiq for 24 days, this is some of the worst news I could possibly read. After 4 years you still have tinnitus? I am dead tired, and can not fall asleep even with white noise because when my head is on the pillow I hear the extremely high pitch ringing sound and it almost makes me think I am going deaf. I feel so much more depressed than ever before from taking Pristq and now I have to live with tinnitus forever? I feel like my nervous system is still over stimulated and my anxiety is through the roof, I am desperate for relief from tinnitus. I hate it and it has made me hate my life so much more than before. Taking that antidepressant was the worst mistake of my life.

November 11th 2020 - Pristiq 50mg

November 25th 2020- Cold Turkey 

February 28th 2021- Pristiq 50mg 

March 25 2021 Cold Turkey 

Pristiq Caused Permanent tinnitus from brain damage. 

Constant severe tinnitus for 9 months straight.

All from taking pristiq for 24 days. 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • 1 year later...

@cathyfrench Hi Cathy,

I am so happy for you that you have healed. Unfortunately I am only recently in this situation. I see you haven’t posted anything since 2021, so I hope you are still here.

 

I have a similar story coming of Sertraline to fast and now suffering from PGAD and tinnitus. It’s just been a couple of weeks but I’m losing all hope and don’t want to live anymore. I have so much anxiety. I want to be able to handle this, but I’m afraid I can’t.

 

My question is; do you think you would have healed eventually even without all the treatment you got? Was it not getting any better than it was before all the treatment? 
And, you say that the Facebook group count about 40 procent of PGAD victims due to ssri withdrawal. Are they getting any better? 
 

Everybody on this forum is saying to give it time. But that’s the hardest thing in this situation. All I can do is cry and shiver from anxiety. 
 

I hope you still read this and are able to respond. Thank you so much in advance.

 

2012-2020: Cipramil 15 mg (tappering during 1 year, no wd)
2023 February: Sertraline 50mg and Fluanxol 1mg


Stop Sertralin July 2023. Since Pgad, painful bladder, tinnitus among other symptoms

Stop Fluanxol August 2023. Symptoms got worse. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I purchased organic"chaste berry" after googling it from Frontier coop. 1 pound of it was $20. It helped my arousal (took it away) after chewing the berries. It had no side effects for me (the first time i chewed the berries it made me dance around my apartment in glee and also really really enjoy my music but after the first time it didnt cause any reaction). Priests used to chew it in the middle ages to stop sexual arousal according to google. 

 

Im a man it stops testosterone by raising estrogen supposidly so i advise being careful with it if youre trying it as a woman. 

https://friendsforpeers.angelfire.com/Index.html - my website and discord server

Zyprexa (not sure what mg) But got off after a month of being put on in hospital. early 2007 Respirodol (experienced ackathesia so got off in 4 - 6 months from a 6mg dose) Later 2007 tried Seroquel but got offbecause didn't like it.  Later 2007 tried Abilify but had ackathesia, got off2008 - 2015 Unmedicated but on Serequel 800mg when hospitalized   Later 2015 - Unmedicated but put on Prolixyn when hospitalized (Had very uncomfortable stiffness so got off immediately when out of hospital)2016 Unmedicated but put on Haldol when hospitalized (caused Seizures and stiffness couldn't lay down for 3 days until taken off) Later 2016Tried Zyprexa irregular dosesEarly 2017 Put on Zyprexa 15mg stayed on 15 mg until 2020 January 2020 Zyprexa 15mg didn't seem to be working so increased to Zyprexa 20mgOctober - December 2020 Reduced Zyprexa from 20 mg to 15mg to 10mg to 7.5mg to 5mg to 2.5mg. Hospitalized January 1st 2021March 2021 15mg Zyprexa April 12.5mg Zyprexa  May, June and July 10mg Zyprexa, August 7.5mg Zyprexa, September 1st toOctober 23th 2021 5mg Zyprexa.  October 23rd - December 13th 3.75mg Zyprexa December 13th - January 12th 3.1mg Zyprexa HOSPITALIZED FOR 4.5 MONTHS put on 10mg then 15mg then 20mg of Zyprexa (Givenlong acting injection of Thorazine as well).  May 23rd 2022 Reduced from 20mg to 17.5mg Zyprexa, June 9th 15mg started nighttime. April 2023 taken off Zyprexa cold turkey and put on two monthly injections of Invega Sustena.

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