Jump to content
SurvivingAntidepressants.org is temporarily closed to new registrations until 1 April ×

Brain fog: blank mind, comprehension, concentration, cognitive, and memory problems


Denstar51

Recommended Posts

I used to have a memory the size of an elephant. I could have remembered a full A-level Chemistry or Biology syllabus virtually word for word when I was 18/19. My memory decreased drastically in the first two years of my Pharmacy degree at University - I put this all down to binge drinking, partying and generally acting the bollox as we say in Ireland. The SSRI usage has only added to my woes, my long term memory recall is decent (I still quiz well for instance) but my short term memory, concentration and fluid intelligence is poor. I tend to get stressed easily as well in certain situations which only adds to the cognition problems. Maybe things will improve, maybe they won’t. I think the worst thing we can do is sit around worrying about it. 

May 2007 - October 2007 Citalopram 20 mg od. 1st Antidepressant ever taken. No problem with fast taper and no withdrawal effects. No antidepressants for over 5 years.

 

January 2013 started Citalopram 20mg.

March 2014 Switched to Sertraline 50 mg od.

23rd June 2016 started taper 45mg

23.07.16 40.5mg 23.08.16 36.45mg 27.09.16 34.65mg 24.10.16 32.90mg 28.11.16 31.26mg 04.01.17 32mg 25.02.17 31mg 22.03.17 30mg 14.04.17 29mg 09.05.17 28mg 07.06.17 27mg 08.06.17 26mg 13.07.17 25mg 07.08.17 24mg 24.08.17 23mg 13.09.17 22mg 12.10.17 21mg 10.11.17 20mg 04.12.17 19mg 01.01.18 17mg 25.01.18 15mg 22.02.18 13.5mg 25.03.18 12.15mg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I was wondering if anyone can give me some feedback on an issue that I've been having for the last week. I've had constant 24/7 brain fog since I first started into withdrawal, so bad to the point that I can't concentrate on anything, but the last week has been way worse than anything I've experienced thus far in withdrawal. I can't hold onto a thought for more than a couple of seconds before it's gone. Is this just part of withdrawal or should I be worried about this further cognitive decline this far into withdrawal?

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/30/2018 at 4:26 PM, Hellbutrin said:

last week has been way worse than anything I've experienced thus far in withdrawal

I finished a Zoloft taper in July 2017 and started having withdrawal in Sept/Oct. I've had some brain fog since October but it increased along with anxiety.

Brain fog greatly increased the first part of January  when I had the flu and it hasn't let up since. Have you been sick lately? Twice this week I had a tiny reprieve from the fog but it came right back. It is magnified when I go somewhere like a store. Luckily, I'm retired and can be at home when it's really bad. I was a teacher and can't imagine doing this while teaching!

Your list of symptoms looks like my November/December list! You're in my thoughts!

Dalalea's Introduction

Off All SSRI Medications: Effexor 2010 one month
Sertraline 50 mg. but only took 25 mg. daily because of dizziness. 2010 to July 2017

Tapered over 2 months beginning the 1st of June 2017 -- Off Sertraline by July 30, 2017

Current Medication: Losartan (blood pressure), Albuterol (for asthma- only as needed)
Current Symptoms: tinnitus, hearing loss in one ear, allergies

My Plan: Prayer, Scripture, Walk, Yoga, Encourage Others, Healthy Eating
Generic SSRI Withdrawal Symptom and Plan Checklists and Graph.xlsx

Current Supplements: Magnesium Threonate, Fish Oil, probiotic, B-12, C, D-3

Current Essential Oils: Frankincense, Bergamot, Orange, Lemon, Lavender, Peppermint, Clove
Current Essential Oil Blends: Brain Power, Clarity, Stress Away

Link to comment
Share on other sites

50 minutes ago, Dalalea said:

I finished a Zoloft taper in July 2017 and started having withdrawal in Sept/Oct. I've had some brain fog since October but it increased along with anxiety.

Brain fog greatly increased the first part of January  when I had the flu and it hasn't let up since. Have you been sick lately? Twice this week I had a tiny reprieve from the fog but it came right back. It is magnified when I go somewhere like a store. Luckily, I'm retired and can be at home when it's really bad. I was a teacher and can't imagine doing this while teaching!

Your list of symptoms looks like my November/December list! You're in my thoughts!

I've had the same symptoms for the entirety of the 6 months that I've been in withdrawal, and it is BRUTAL. Luckily I primarily work from home so I can get things done and take time off when the symptoms get really bad. My primary symptom that I struggle with is definitely the debilitating depression, I haven't seen any fluctuation in this since the beginning. I wish that someone could tell me that this gets better, but I'm starting to doubt that this will be the case. I hope that I'm not one of those people that gets stuck in this cycle for years. 

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Hellbutrin said:

My primary symptom that I struggle with is definitely the debilitating depression, I haven't seen any fluctuation in this since the beginning. I wish that someone could tell me that this gets better, but I'm starting to doubt that this will be the case. I hope that I'm not one of those people that gets stuck in this cycle for years.

I'm praying that you aren't one of those people! I don't think you will be. It could be that the CT is just making it feel worse for now. I tapered over two months but now knowing what I know from here, that was way too fast!

When I was going through the neuro-depression in Nov/Dec, I was totally unprepared for the intensity! I was put on Zoloft for MUCH less! I had no idea at the time that it was WD. I sure didn't do much research ahead of time. As my depression got worse, my appetite dwindled to nothing. The depression has lifted quite a bit but was replaced by neuro-anxiety. Now I have spurts of both once in a while. The brain fog keeps me from noticing it as much! Ha!

Keep taking care of yourself. We will heal!

Dalalea's Introduction

Off All SSRI Medications: Effexor 2010 one month
Sertraline 50 mg. but only took 25 mg. daily because of dizziness. 2010 to July 2017

Tapered over 2 months beginning the 1st of June 2017 -- Off Sertraline by July 30, 2017

Current Medication: Losartan (blood pressure), Albuterol (for asthma- only as needed)
Current Symptoms: tinnitus, hearing loss in one ear, allergies

My Plan: Prayer, Scripture, Walk, Yoga, Encourage Others, Healthy Eating
Generic SSRI Withdrawal Symptom and Plan Checklists and Graph.xlsx

Current Supplements: Magnesium Threonate, Fish Oil, probiotic, B-12, C, D-3

Current Essential Oils: Frankincense, Bergamot, Orange, Lemon, Lavender, Peppermint, Clove
Current Essential Oil Blends: Brain Power, Clarity, Stress Away

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone has experienced short term memory loss and/or a reduced ability to generate words while speaking? I know this is a fairly common ssri withdrawal symptom but I want to know when/if it goes away. Ever since coming off (and probably beginning) zoloft, I have found it significantly more difficult to speak fluently and generate words while speaking. I also have found myself forgetting things that happened minutes ago and forgetting thoughts I had seconds ago. Does this issue ever go away or is this permanent damage done by SSRIs? My dad took zoloft over 20 years ago and I don't know if this is related, but he now stutters and has trouble finding words while speaking. I hope this isn't another case of permanent ssri damage. Thanks.

Zoloft 50 mg from April 23, 2015 to August 28th, 2016 (1 year, 4 months).

4 week taper. Last dose on August 28, 2016

 

Mianserin 30 mg in an attempt to reverse PSSD from September 6th, 2017–around mid November 2017 after a few week taper. Did not fix PSSD

 

Currently taking: Melatonin and magnesium every night.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is dead on exactly what I've been experiencing since adjusting/tapering Paxil.  You're not alone at all!  Before, it was almost like i had the right thing to say at all times.  It would be difficult for me not to be able to come up with words in any type of situation.  Now it seems like i can't even carry a conversation normally.  My memory has also been a very big issue.  Short term memory is very foggy and memories from a couple years ago feel very vague that were once so clear.  It almost feels like some never even happened but i know they did.  Hopefully we start to balace out and things start smoothing over.  I've been up and down for the last year and just been steady on my taper for the last few months.  Managed to get down to 5mg at the moment but what you've described couldn't have hit any closer to home.

  • 15 Years Paxil 40mg
  • Started taper 11/2016 with few reinstatements/other med trials
  • Reinstated Paxil to a max of 20mg
  • Started new taper 12/2017
  • Currently at 5mg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How long has everyone here been suffering from cognitive/memory problems due to SSRI use? Have those symptoms improved at all in the time you've been off/over the years? I'm almost 18 months off sertraline and can't say I've seen much notable improvement in those aspects (if any).

Zoloft 50 mg from April 23, 2015 to August 28th, 2016 (1 year, 4 months).

4 week taper. Last dose on August 28, 2016

 

Mianserin 30 mg in an attempt to reverse PSSD from September 6th, 2017–around mid November 2017 after a few week taper. Did not fix PSSD

 

Currently taking: Melatonin and magnesium every night.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I get a peculiar thing happen to me sometimes regarding speech/ Blank mind. Sometimes if I’m talking to a stranger or someone I dont know that well, and especially if l’m telling them a story or something reasonably long winded, I often get a short, sharp intense flash of self consciousness/embarrassment/ anxiety in the middle of it. It’s like a split second thought that says I’m talking gibberish and it’s  enough to throw me off my train of thought mid sentence. Anybody else experience this? 

May 2007 - October 2007 Citalopram 20 mg od. 1st Antidepressant ever taken. No problem with fast taper and no withdrawal effects. No antidepressants for over 5 years.

 

January 2013 started Citalopram 20mg.

March 2014 Switched to Sertraline 50 mg od.

23rd June 2016 started taper 45mg

23.07.16 40.5mg 23.08.16 36.45mg 27.09.16 34.65mg 24.10.16 32.90mg 28.11.16 31.26mg 04.01.17 32mg 25.02.17 31mg 22.03.17 30mg 14.04.17 29mg 09.05.17 28mg 07.06.17 27mg 08.06.17 26mg 13.07.17 25mg 07.08.17 24mg 24.08.17 23mg 13.09.17 22mg 12.10.17 21mg 10.11.17 20mg 04.12.17 19mg 01.01.18 17mg 25.01.18 15mg 22.02.18 13.5mg 25.03.18 12.15mg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/20/2018 at 6:07 PM, Lakelander82 said:

I get a peculiar thing happen to me sometimes regarding speech/ Blank mind. Sometimes if I’m talking to a stranger or someone I dont know that well, and especially if l’m telling them a story or something reasonably long winded, I often get a short, sharp intense flash of self consciousness/embarrassment/ anxiety in the middle of it. It’s like a split second thought that says I’m talking gibberish and it’s  enough to throw me off my train of thought mid sentence. Anybody else experience this? 

I get this all day long.  Every conversation I'm hyper aware of all my actions.

Lexapro 1/17 - 3/17 10 mg.  Switched to Elavil 3/27/17 10 mg

Upped to 20 mg June 5, 2017 3 days, back down to 10mg June 8

Up again to 20 mg June 12, 2017 4 days, back down to 10 June 16

9/17 dropped to 9.5 mg

11/17 dropped to 9.3mg

2/18/17 dropped to 8.8 mg

February 14/2018 Adverse reaction to zofran pill at clinic

10/7/19 8.48 mg

12/22/19 7.3 mg, 2/7/20 6.5 mg, 5/23/20 5.84 mg,  5/7/23 .70 mg

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I’m almost at 9 months since my C/T and I’m getting really concerned about my memory. I can barely remember what I did yesterday and I’m doing terrible with memory recall, the past 9 months since my C/T withdrawal seem like a blur. Please someone reassure me that it goes away and we get our life back. I feel like a shell that’s just going through the motions. 

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had some pretty bad memory issues for the first year after getting off of Paxil.  Forgetting where I was driving to, forgetting where I was, or what street I was on.  I felt like I had Alzheimers coming on and was really scared.  This got better after a few months and now that doesn't happen much anymore. Definitely not to the extent it did. 

 

But yes, I experienced memory and confusion and it got better with time.   

Been on Paxil 14 years. 40mg for the bulk of those.

20mg in 2014

10mg March of 2015 - then tapered to 5mg

Then to 2.5 to 1.5 - to 1mg, from Mar-August.

As of August 23 2015, I am flying without a net.  Paxil free!

WD symptoms since tapering mid- 2015:

Short temper, hostile. Brain zaps. Bruxism. Wild vivid dreams  Hives Food intolerance Lump in throat, . Joint pain. Knees, elbows.  Pain in feet. Numbness in hands. Shaking, like I'm cold. Trembling. Tremors, muscle twitches all over. Facial tics. Eye, lips. Head.  Floaters in my eyes. Severe Insomnia (between months 4-5)  then returned from March-October 2016. I'm sleeping better now. Dreams have returned to normal (month 7) High levels of anxiety when around large crowds or in large rooms. Intestinal spasms, heartburn.  Dizzy spells.  Panic/Anxiety Attacks suddenly developed months 8 out.  4 years out, 98% feeling back to normal.  (October 9 2019)

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/9/2018 at 8:13 PM, Toulouse said:

I had some pretty bad memory issues for the first year after getting off of Paxil.  Forgetting where I was driving to, forgetting where I was, or what street I was on.  I felt like I had Alzheimers coming on and was really scared.  This got better after a few months and now that doesn't happen much anymore. Definitely not to the extent it did. 

 

But yes, I experienced memory and confusion and it got better with time.   

I've been totally off of Wellbutrin for 9 months now and I feel like my memory and ability to concentrate are getting worse

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/13/2018 at 11:21 AM, Hellbutrin said:

I've been totally off of Wellbutrin for 9 months now and I feel like my memory and ability to concentrate are getting worse

 Yeah, my memory issues were still happening at about a year off. They got better.  Stay positive, your brain will heal. Mine has got much better over the past year. 

Been on Paxil 14 years. 40mg for the bulk of those.

20mg in 2014

10mg March of 2015 - then tapered to 5mg

Then to 2.5 to 1.5 - to 1mg, from Mar-August.

As of August 23 2015, I am flying without a net.  Paxil free!

WD symptoms since tapering mid- 2015:

Short temper, hostile. Brain zaps. Bruxism. Wild vivid dreams  Hives Food intolerance Lump in throat, . Joint pain. Knees, elbows.  Pain in feet. Numbness in hands. Shaking, like I'm cold. Trembling. Tremors, muscle twitches all over. Facial tics. Eye, lips. Head.  Floaters in my eyes. Severe Insomnia (between months 4-5)  then returned from March-October 2016. I'm sleeping better now. Dreams have returned to normal (month 7) High levels of anxiety when around large crowds or in large rooms. Intestinal spasms, heartburn.  Dizzy spells.  Panic/Anxiety Attacks suddenly developed months 8 out.  4 years out, 98% feeling back to normal.  (October 9 2019)

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/18/2018 at 12:32 AM, Toulouse said:

 Yeah, my memory issues were still happening at about a year off. They got better.  Stay positive, your brain will heal. Mine has got much better over the past year. 

Yeah, I think that the main symptom that i would love to see go besides the memory issues is the debilitating depression. It sucks BIG time. It fuels my self doubt and makes me have intrusive thoughts that lead me to believe that I'll be stuck like this forever.

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went cold turkey off of Lexapro (stupid idea). It was a low dose but still not something I’d recommend.  I suddenly couldn’t remember the names of people or famous figures I’d known all my life.  Went back on the same dose and it all came back to me.

 

It’ll be interesting to see once I start slowly tapering if the same issues occur.

On and off various medicines since 1989

2009:  Prescribed Lexapro 5mg and Abilify 5mg
2015:  discovered MTHFR snp, went on Walsh protocol, felt better

2016:  down to 2.5mg each of Lexapro and Abilify

2017:  down to .7mg of Abilify, obtained liquid form.

Currently at .4mg of Abilify

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrator

merged similar topics

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Have you guys heard of any good supplements for helping speed up recovery of cognitive functions? 

 

I'm currently on:

- 1000 mg high quality fish oil (300 mg EPA & 200 mg DHA) (can't handle more without getting agitated/anxious) 

- 400 i.u of vitamin E (to help assist fish oil metabolism)

- 500 mg magnesium citrate

- 250 mg acetyl l-carnitine. 

 

I started each supplement with a one week window from each other to better gauge their effects. So far I'd argue that the magnesium is helpful at the very least. Not sure about the fish oil, I'm hesitant to increase the dosage as it took me some days to recover from the anxiety from what I assume was caused by an excessive dose (2000mg). Just started the acetyl l-carnitine at my shrinks recommendation two days ago, too early to tell. 

 

If anyone has any advice regarding my current regime or any other supplements, I'd be very grateful! Other than that any tips on how to kickstart the grey mess between my ears would be much appreciated as well. 

 

Thanks! Please see my signature for more details about my history if you're interested. 

 

/Lexauxa

- Registered to the site at end of April, been a lurker since February. If I should correct my signature in some way please correct me! 

- Started Prozac (20mg all the way) in 2010 at the age of 17 for OCD/Anxiety

- Half-hearted attempts at quitting previously, psychiatrist response each time "return of original symptoms". 

- Kept on trucking on medication until beginning 2016 as my belief was that I need it (i.e. natural chemical imbalance)

- Started getting more anxious / experience a cognitive decline but refused to raise dosage

- Tried to quit but experienced a lot of stress from studies and work

- Tried to switch to Wellbutrin (150mg dose) in 2017 but experienced quite a lot of irritability, stopped the medication without problem. 

- Did independent research at end of 2017, became a "believer" in WD symptoms/other side effects outside official guidance

- Reinstated to 10 mg Prozac in December 2017, currently (December 2018) on 1.25 mg

- My main concern/problems are cognitive ones (word finding, short-term memory, mathematics, logic) and looking for guidance on these issues from anyone who is kind and resourceful enough to assist.

 

Thank you! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/20/2018 at 3:07 PM, Lakelander82 said:

I get a peculiar thing happen to me sometimes regarding speech/ Blank mind. Sometimes if I’m talking to a stranger or someone I dont know that well, and especially if l’m telling them a story or something reasonably long winded, I often get a short, sharp intense flash of self consciousness/embarrassment/ anxiety in the middle of it. It’s like a split second thought that says I’m talking gibberish and it’s  enough to throw me off my train of thought mid sentence. Anybody else experience this? 

Yes, frequently! And it's so hard to reconnect after that happens. I know exactly what you mean!

2007-2014: Clonazepam (started at 0.5mg, I think, and then sat at .25mg for several years before weaning myself off); 
2007-2015: Sertraline (100mg; tapered off very quickly in Jan. / Feb. 2015);
2015: withdrawal for most of the year, beginning with the sertraline taper (apathy, brain fog, brain zaps, depression);
January- April 2016: Felt great; these were some of the happiest months of my life;
April/May 2016: Began to feel anxious again; felt myself unraveling / losing my resolve. Continued to unravel to the point where I could barely function (very dense brain fog & severe anxiety). Was so desperate that I reluctantly agreed to try Wellbutrin.
Oct. 2016: started taking Wellbutrin 100 mg SR; Nov. 2016: went up to 150 mg SR;
Jan. 2017: back down to 100 mg SR; then back up to 150 mg a few days later due to severe withdrawal symptoms;
May/June 2017: began a slow taper; August 2017: down to 75 mg (switched to IR for easier tapering);
Jan. 2018: 18.75 mg. Withdrawal again (dizziness, weak, disoriented, depressed, more anxious than usual) after I tried to speed up the taper;
Feb. 2018: up to ~25/30 mg. I've been tapering steadily (and very cautiously) since then; right now I'm back at around 18.75mg.  
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I’m not sure this falls under brain fog, because it feels much more severe than that but I don’t know how to describe it.

I have severe cognitive dysfunction.  I am incapable of completing a simple task (loading the dishwasher), organizing (sorting laundry), or completing a simple task (writing a grocery list).  It is so profound and feels like i’ve had a lobotomy.  It physically makes my brain hurt (intense burning) to think.  Does anyone else relate?  I would lose my job if I had one and i’ve had to hire help to me take care of the kids.  

 

At 8 months off I thought my cognitive abilities were improving.  Now at 15 months off I feel like a bomb went off in my head and eradicated any improvement.  Is this typical?  

Mid 2014 - June 2016 (~ 2.5 yrs): sertraline 75mg. Under advice of my Pysch NP, weaned off in 1 month

Sept 2017 - Feb 2017 (6 months): Latuda (dose 20mg up to 80mg). Under advice of Psych NP, weaned off in 6 weeks (Jan - mid Feb). Tirtated down 20mg every 2 weeks.

Nov 2017 - Feb 2017 (3 months): lamictal 100mg. Abruptly taken off. This was the "wean": 100mg, 50mg, then off

Feb 2017: sertraline 150mg for 1 week to bring me out of a severe suicidal depression. Abruptly stopped due to serotonin syndrome. Tried to reinstate 50mg a week later, but the serotonin syndrome symptoms came back. Not possible to reinstate sertraline.

March 2017: remeron 7.5mg. Took one dose that knocked me out for two days. Refused to take it again

February 2017 - March 2017: Ativan 1mg. Took 5 pills total spread out over the course of 3 weeks. No longer taking it.

6/16/18 - 6/26: celexa 1.25mg

6/27/18 - 6/29: celexa 2.5mg, 6/29 had burning and agitation within 30min of dose

6/30/18 - present: celexa 1.25mg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Hi Everyone,

 I'm sure that this post could be merged with another one...but I'm not sure exactly where it would go. I've noticed that as I am in week 4 of my taper...I've seemed to not really get much done...I'm human and I have my own amount of laziness but the lack of focus seems unusual. Is this something others have experienced especially with an SSRI? Tips? 

 

 

Tapering from 20 mg beginning 7/16/18 

7/16 - 7/22 18 mg

7/23 - 7/27 16 mg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Moderator Emeritus
On 8/10/2018 at 3:14 PM, mariposa84 said:

Hi Everyone,

 I'm sure that this post could be merged with another one...but I'm not sure exactly where it would go. I've noticed that as I am in week 4 of my taper...I've seemed to not really get much done...I'm human and I have my own amount of laziness but the lack of focus seems unusual. Is this something others have experienced especially with an SSRI? Tips? 

 

Hi Mariposa, I've merged your topic into an existing one.  As you can see from this topic, lack of focus and similar issues are very common in withdrawal.  As for "laziness", lack of motivation is also common in withdrawal - see these topics:

 

Anhedonia, apathy, demotivation, emotional numbness

 

Disconnect between interest and action/motivation

 

2001–2002 paroxetine

2003  citalopram

2004-2008  paroxetine (various failed tapers) 
2008  paroxetine slow taper down to

2016  Aug off paroxetine
2016  citalopram May 20mg  Oct 15mg … slow taper down
2018  citalopram 13 Feb 4.6mg 15 Mar 4.4mg 29 Apr 4.2mg 6 Jul 4.1mg 17 Aug 4.0mg  18 Nov 3.8mg
2019  15 Mar 3.6mg  21 May 3.4mg  26 Dec 3.2mg 

2020  19 Feb 3.0mg 19 Jul 2.9mg 16 Sep 2.8mg 25 Oct 2.7mg 23 Oct 2.6mg 24 Dec 2.5mg

2021   29 Aug 2.4mg   15 Nov 2.3mg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Is there anyone who can provide me with a personal story where you've regained the intelligence SSRIs stole from you?

 

Currently I'm feeling quite a bit down and could use a little bit of hope.


Thanks!

- Registered to the site at end of April, been a lurker since February. If I should correct my signature in some way please correct me! 

- Started Prozac (20mg all the way) in 2010 at the age of 17 for OCD/Anxiety

- Half-hearted attempts at quitting previously, psychiatrist response each time "return of original symptoms". 

- Kept on trucking on medication until beginning 2016 as my belief was that I need it (i.e. natural chemical imbalance)

- Started getting more anxious / experience a cognitive decline but refused to raise dosage

- Tried to quit but experienced a lot of stress from studies and work

- Tried to switch to Wellbutrin (150mg dose) in 2017 but experienced quite a lot of irritability, stopped the medication without problem. 

- Did independent research at end of 2017, became a "believer" in WD symptoms/other side effects outside official guidance

- Reinstated to 10 mg Prozac in December 2017, currently (December 2018) on 1.25 mg

- My main concern/problems are cognitive ones (word finding, short-term memory, mathematics, logic) and looking for guidance on these issues from anyone who is kind and resourceful enough to assist.

 

Thank you! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, lexauxa said:

Is there anyone who can provide me with a personal story where you've regained the intelligence SSRIs stole from you?

 

Currently I'm feeling quite a bit down and could use a little bit of hope.


Thanks!

HI Lexauxa, our symptom are exactly the same, especially the word finding and mathematics, I'm a programmer and doing my job isn't as breeze as it used to last year before taking prozac. Still, don't give up! Focus on doing something you love and have your family support. I understand it's stuff tough (edit: here my mind having poor concentration again) thinking when will all this nightmare ends but trust me you are definitely not alone. I'm still having cognitive symptoms (my last prozac 20 mg was April2018) recently gets nausea easily, have night time left ear tinnitus in the last 4 days (not anymore since ytd thank god). I believe our brain need adjustment time. Just live healthy and don't waste your youth time! Focus on doing what you love and socialising with family member or friends that matter to you, so you won't get stressed out :)

 

Edit: just read your profile, does these cognitive problem happened to you overnight? Because that is exactly what I had, 6 March 2018 the day I woke up my cognitive problem start. Never have any of these problem before, during, and after taking prozac (by after meaning period oct17 to feb18)

Prozac 10 mg December 2016

Prozac 20 mg January 2017 - October 2017

Prozac 20 mg March 2018 - April 2018

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the compassionate reply. It's both sad and perversely uplifting that I'm not alone with this: sad that there are others who go through this (and it's not all in my head - which would intuitively be easier to fix) and uplifting as I can converse with people like you.


I'm also in a white-collar, cognition-intensive line of work and it's extremely disheartening to notice you can't keep up with your peers. The worst part is the inconsistency: I'm pretty sure I would have the same score in a raw cognitive test if I took it now when compared to taking a similar test before this whole ordeal began. Somehow the application of the raw ability shifts from task-to-task, day-to-day. My working memory is also quite bad i.e. I usually get lost when reading a lot of text (which is bad because it's an integral part of my job).

 

Seeing as you've been "clean" for half a year, have you noticed any changes to the better? Take care!

- Registered to the site at end of April, been a lurker since February. If I should correct my signature in some way please correct me! 

- Started Prozac (20mg all the way) in 2010 at the age of 17 for OCD/Anxiety

- Half-hearted attempts at quitting previously, psychiatrist response each time "return of original symptoms". 

- Kept on trucking on medication until beginning 2016 as my belief was that I need it (i.e. natural chemical imbalance)

- Started getting more anxious / experience a cognitive decline but refused to raise dosage

- Tried to quit but experienced a lot of stress from studies and work

- Tried to switch to Wellbutrin (150mg dose) in 2017 but experienced quite a lot of irritability, stopped the medication without problem. 

- Did independent research at end of 2017, became a "believer" in WD symptoms/other side effects outside official guidance

- Reinstated to 10 mg Prozac in December 2017, currently (December 2018) on 1.25 mg

- My main concern/problems are cognitive ones (word finding, short-term memory, mathematics, logic) and looking for guidance on these issues from anyone who is kind and resourceful enough to assist.

 

Thank you! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/26/2018 at 10:58 PM, lexauxa said:

Thanks for the compassionate reply. It's both sad and perversely uplifting that I'm not alone with this: sad that there are others who go through this (and it's not all in my head - which would intuitively be easier to fix) and uplifting as I can converse with people like you.


I'm also in a white-collar, cognition-intensive line of work and it's extremely disheartening to notice you can't keep up with your peers. The worst part is the inconsistency: I'm pretty sure I would have the same score in a raw cognitive test if I took it now when compared to taking a similar test before this whole ordeal began. Somehow the application of the raw ability shifts from task-to-task, day-to-day. My working memory is also quite bad i.e. I usually get lost when reading a lot of text (which is bad because it's an integral part of my job).

 

Seeing as you've been "clean" for half a year, have you noticed any changes to the better? Take care!

I get lost when reading a lot of/long text as well. After 6 months, my main problem which is the cognitive decline is still there. I make misunderstandings with my coworkers a lot of time as well during this ordeal. My brain can't do good brainstorming as well because often times what I just discussed few seconds ago will go puff and I need to ask again. I really have to exert my focus to be able to retain these information for continuing discussion. This is tough and demoralizing but after 6 month I have learnt to try to toughen up and just focus on work and family. I'm 26 this year and if I keep worrying about my cognitive decline my youth will be gone and 100% I won't be able to get it back. For my original cognitive ability, the chance of it coming back is not 0%, so I just try to take it positively and cherish my youth. :) hope this helps

Prozac 10 mg December 2016

Prozac 20 mg January 2017 - October 2017

Prozac 20 mg March 2018 - April 2018

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's a nice attitude - I'll surely try to adopt it to a certain extent. Like you said, worrying cannot result in any changes to the better, only worse.

 

Have you experienced any changes to the better during your half year recuperation, any gut-feeling? Additionally, any supplements or lifestyle approaches (e.g. physical activity) which you've found helpful? Many thanks!

- Registered to the site at end of April, been a lurker since February. If I should correct my signature in some way please correct me! 

- Started Prozac (20mg all the way) in 2010 at the age of 17 for OCD/Anxiety

- Half-hearted attempts at quitting previously, psychiatrist response each time "return of original symptoms". 

- Kept on trucking on medication until beginning 2016 as my belief was that I need it (i.e. natural chemical imbalance)

- Started getting more anxious / experience a cognitive decline but refused to raise dosage

- Tried to quit but experienced a lot of stress from studies and work

- Tried to switch to Wellbutrin (150mg dose) in 2017 but experienced quite a lot of irritability, stopped the medication without problem. 

- Did independent research at end of 2017, became a "believer" in WD symptoms/other side effects outside official guidance

- Reinstated to 10 mg Prozac in December 2017, currently (December 2018) on 1.25 mg

- My main concern/problems are cognitive ones (word finding, short-term memory, mathematics, logic) and looking for guidance on these issues from anyone who is kind and resourceful enough to assist.

 

Thank you! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Is there a general consensus that 'brainfog' is solely about memory issues? 

 

 

I constantly have a foggy head, like i dont know my own mind. It includes memory recall and how quickly I can make decisions /solve problems and feels much broader than just memory. 

Citalopram. Briefly early twenties, no ill effects seemingly. Don't remember dose.

 

Sertraline on and off for ten years.  I was ignorant and started and stopped frequently. Doses of 50, 75 and 100. I can not recall/did not record dates prior to 2018.

 

JANUARY 2018: Last period of use was was 150mg of sertraline on 14/01/18  (which triggered extreme depression and anxiety that never settled, amongst other symptoms). I then tapered to 100mg in March (15/03/18), then down to 75mg in April(01/04/18) , 50mg later (11/04/18) 25mg in May  (16/05/18),  and was at 0mg in June (02/06/18).

 

Mirtazapine 15mg 01/08/18- 02/10/18, 15mg (6 weeks at 15mg the two week taper). - caused deeply unpleasant waves of extreme anxiety, depression, zombie state and mania.

 

Still on 40mg of Propranolol twice a day since April 2018. Supplements: Fish oil, Magnesium, Vit B6

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I can attest to what you all are going through ... my waves now seem to be 1 day good, 2 days bad.

 

It goes beyond memory in my case, like my brain just does not work correctly. I failed my oral exam and completely embarrassed myself and insulted the censor because I couldn't even write down basic definitions correctly. Nearly every single detail I wrote down, I got wrong.

 

It's like this: when a bad period hits me, I cannot recollect from memory, even something I know by heart.

I also feel nauseous and out of it...

- March 2017: 50mg Sertraline starts

- August 2017: up to 100mg

- February 2018: down to 50mg

- November 2018: one-week taper down to 0mg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/23/2014 at 1:26 PM, mammaP said:

Effexor  badly affected my memory and the psychiatrist had me for a brain scan

because I had the symptoms of alzheimers but it came back clear.  It started to

get better after I started to taper, still a long way to go and I don't think I'll ever have 

my photographic memory back but am happy with just remembering my kids names

for now! 

Wonderful. My memory is slowly improving but I have waves. It was truly terrifying to not even be able to remember what items I might need for a holiday. Or string a sentence together.

This will give hope to a lot of people.

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
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, herod said:

I can attest to what you all are going through ... my waves now seem to be 1 day good, 2 days bad.

 

It goes beyond memory in my case, like my brain just does not work correctly. I failed my oral exam and completely embarrassed myself and insulted the censor because I couldn't even write down basic definitions correctly. Nearly every single detail I wrote down, I got wrong.

 

It's like this: when a bad period hits me, I cannot recollect from memory, even something I know by heart.

I also feel nauseous and out of it...

 

We're pretty much in the same boat: I'm a 26 year-old male from the Nordics, recently graduated. Last couple of years of university were tough. As a result I know exactly what you're feeling: it's not only extremely demoralizing to see your intelligence evaporate, it's embarrassing as well, knowing that the people around you (who don't know of your condition) just think you're a little "on the slow side".

 

If you're interested in knowing more, I recommend you check out r/antidepressants. You can find people with similar issues posting from time to time on that subreddit. It's also easier to navigate than this website, although the people here are very compassionate and supportive. Also, if you ever wanna talk privately, you can send me a PM. Best of luck to you. 

- Registered to the site at end of April, been a lurker since February. If I should correct my signature in some way please correct me! 

- Started Prozac (20mg all the way) in 2010 at the age of 17 for OCD/Anxiety

- Half-hearted attempts at quitting previously, psychiatrist response each time "return of original symptoms". 

- Kept on trucking on medication until beginning 2016 as my belief was that I need it (i.e. natural chemical imbalance)

- Started getting more anxious / experience a cognitive decline but refused to raise dosage

- Tried to quit but experienced a lot of stress from studies and work

- Tried to switch to Wellbutrin (150mg dose) in 2017 but experienced quite a lot of irritability, stopped the medication without problem. 

- Did independent research at end of 2017, became a "believer" in WD symptoms/other side effects outside official guidance

- Reinstated to 10 mg Prozac in December 2017, currently (December 2018) on 1.25 mg

- My main concern/problems are cognitive ones (word finding, short-term memory, mathematics, logic) and looking for guidance on these issues from anyone who is kind and resourceful enough to assist.

 

Thank you! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Hi all,

I am currently tapering Lexapro, a type of SSRI, and have been stable overall.

One big change is my memory decline, especially short term memory. It is difficult for me to remember/ recall things, and it makes me frustrated sometimes.

I wonder if anyone who has experience memory decline notice any improvement after recovery.

Please share your story, thank you.

Bella C

Lexapro 20mg: 2010-2017 (I was doing fine for those years)

PCP recommended tapering in June 2017

2017

Tapering instructed by PCP:

  • 20mg -15mg, 6/2017-7/12/2018

Self Tapering:

---------digital scale weighing method below--------------

2018

  • 15mg - 9.2mg: 7/13/2018- 12/10/2018

2019

  • 8.4mg-1.17mg: 12/11/18-12/16/2019

2020 

  • 0.92mg-0.23mg: 12/17/2019-10/4/2020

--------- started homemade liquid solution ------------------

  • 0.15mg-0.13mg :10/5/2020-12/7/20

2021 

  • 0.11mg-0.051mg: 12/8/20-1/9/22

2022 

  • 0.032mg-0 mg: 1/8/22-3/11/22 (jumped off at 0.016mg!)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Bella C,

 

You aren't alone, I'm having problem with word recall and manipulating working memory to analyze a thought, which should be trivial for a normal person. I have been off AD for almost 1 year and the cognitive and memory problem is still bothering me. Last Sunday night, I had my second ever depersonalization and my long term memory/ short term memory is worsen again, like when I eat apple and look at it, in my mind I cant just think 'apple' but it rotate through some fruits like 'orange apple tomato guava' then it can pick up and think 'apple'. It feels weird. My memory and cognitive problem started and happened overnight last year Feb after I cold turkey for 4 months. And that happened the morning I had midnight depersonalization while I was asleep. Exactly same pattern, mid sleep depersonalisation-> next day cognitive and memory problem start. Since that first occurance, my thinking and memory ability hasnt recover 100%, I would say it recover 50% at most and now the cycle start from beginning again where typing these long sentence, I have to reread the earlier part of each sentence because I kinda forget halfway what I try to type. It seems SSRI can make a huge blow to recalling ability to our brain. There is this paper https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5002481/ where 20% of SSRI user reported having memory loss. No info. in the study if the problem can resolved fully.

Prozac 10 mg December 2016

Prozac 20 mg January 2017 - October 2017

Prozac 20 mg March 2018 - April 2018

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi cymbalta and welcome to SA,

 

Before we can respond to your question we need the information about your drug history.

 

As requested please create an Introduction topic for yourself here: 

 

Introductions and updates

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i cant understand first time when someone tell me something.. im thinking and after i can understand.. anyone else have this problem?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use Privacy Policy