SomeoneIUsedToKnow: blank mind, no thoughts, anhedonia - antipsychotics withdrawal

[quinoline]

Yeap, thats a very good idea to get a brain scan

[Altostrata]

Brain scans will not reveal withdrawal syndrome.

[quinoline]

On 8/3/2021 at 11:45 PM, Altostrata said:

Brain scans will not reveal withdrawal syndrome.

Really? I figured it has to do with brainwaves for sure. I want my brainwaves backkkk... I had so much fun with themmm... ahhhh //////

[saeed]

On 2/8/2021 at 8:02 PM, SomeoneIUsedToKnow said:

Hi Amira,

 

Thank you for your kind words. I really hope that this anhedonia will completely go away one day, but as you said "one day at a time" is surely better. I was checking at success stories at the beginning all the time when I felt so down that I really didn't have any other choice but to look for some motivation and it surely did help to see people sharing their succes stories and how their quality of life improved so much after quitting that drugs. 
 

Thank you once again for your kind words and if you too are in that withdrawal thing I wish you a good recovery and overall well being. I really  appreciate it. 😊

Hi, 

hope you’re doing fine, looking forward to hear from you ?! How are you doing ?

[SomeoneIUsedToKnow]

Hello everyone,

 

I just came back here to say a little bit about how things have changed during my inactivity on this forum. 

 

So.. Some symptoms that I had have improved, I still get anhedonia from time to time and I still struggle a little bit when I talk to people because my brain is still sometimes in this "slow" mode but it's getting back on track I think. When I stopped writing here I started learning new things (or things that I forgot how to do because of this drugs) like cooking, trading, knifes sharpening, wood working, etc. I also started reading books a little bit, first Sci-Fi, then more serious books like I was studying something haha but anyways I think it helped me a lot because while reading you have to constantly use your brain and I believe that when you are in this horrible phase of withdrawal it's good that you "help" your brain to reconnect itself to comprehend everything.

 

So.. yes.. brain training is as helpful as good food, nutrients, etc. Oh, while I mention nutrients: I take Mutivitamin, B-Complex, Magnesium, Calcium and Zink on a daily basis for more than half a year right now and I think it also helps me, because when I take them I get this "uplifting" effect, maybe stimulating a little bit but it helps and has helped me great time through this. 

 

I still don't have a job, but I've managed to find a way to earn money from home so let's call this some sort of self employment, to be clear I don't make a fortune, but enough to buy essentials and not to be dependent on anyone which gives me this great feeling of achieving something that even before all of this I wasn't able to. 

 

Now back to my still "active" symptoms.. I still get heart palpitations  from time to time, then also anhedonia as I mentioned above but it's not that bad anymore, in fact it's became a lot better now. Then there's this reversed sleeping cycle, but I guess it's more my fault now because I'm simply enjoying night time because then I have a time for myself and I learn something new almost every day(or night) as I constantly watch youtube videos and since I don't have a job it's not really bothering me anymore. While I mentioned sleeping - I still have this sleep apnea, but it's not that I'm snoring but it's more like I stop breathing while I try to fall sleep so I think it's called "Central Sleep Apnea" and it happens because my brain doesn't send proper signals to my muscles that control my breathing and I believe it's definitely caused by some sort of brain damage during my antipsychotics therapy. This one is really tough btw, it's making me wake up right before I fall asleep and I get this "electric shock sensation" which makes my heart racing like crazy right after this happens, but then again I hope it will go away one day like everything else, maybe slowly but surely. 

 

So.. that's it for now, maybe I've forgot to say or mention something, but you get the idea - I was in a really bad shape during taking antipsychotics but things got better for me so I believe that they can get better for you reading this or anyone else that you know. 

 

If anyone wants to ask any specific questions or anything, please feel free to do so, I will try to respond as soon and as precise as I will be able to.

 

Have a nice day and a big THANK YOU to everyone on this forum - it really made my withdrawal a lot easier and since I believe I'm still in it it's still helping me a lot to be here and express myself the way I want to and I need to so yes, I will definitely donate or something when I will be able to to help this forum going, it really is life-saving so once again THANK YOU.  
 

 

[saeed]

15 minutes ago, SomeoneIUsedToKnow said:

Hello everyone,

 

I just came back here to say a little bit about how things have changed during my inactivity on this forum. 

 

So.. Some symptoms that I had have improved, I still get anhedonia from time to time and I still struggle a little bit when I talk to people because my brain is still sometimes in this "slow" mode but it's getting back on track I think. When I stopped writing here I started learning new things (or things that I forgot how to do because of this drugs) like cooking, trading, knifes sharpening, wood working, etc. I also started reading books a little bit, first Sci-Fi, then more serious books like I was studying something haha but anyways I think it helped me a lot because while reading you have to constantly use your brain and I believe that when you are in this horrible phase of withdrawal it's good that you "help" your brain to reconnect itself to comprehend everything.

 

So.. yes.. brain training is as helpful as good food, nutrients, etc. Oh, while I mention nutrients: I take Mutivitamin, B-Complex, Magnesium, Calcium and Zink on a daily basis for more than half a year right now and I think it also helps me, because when I take them I get this "uplifting" effect, maybe stimulating a little bit but it helps and has helped me great time through this. 

 

I still don't have a job, but I've managed to find a way to earn money from home so let's call this some sort of self employment, to be clear I don't make a fortune, but enough to buy essentials and not to be dependent on anyone which gives me this great feeling of achieving something that even before all of this I wasn't able to. 

 

Now back to my still "active" symptoms.. I still get heart palpitations  from time to time, then also anhedonia as I mentioned above but it's not that bad anymore, in fact it's became a lot better now. Then there's this reversed sleeping cycle, but I guess it's more my fault now because I'm simply enjoying night time because then I have a time for myself and I learn something new almost every day(or night) as I constantly watch youtube videos and since I don't have a job it's not really bothering me anymore. While I mentioned sleeping - I still have this sleep apnea, but it's not that I'm snoring but it's more like I stop breathing while I try to fall sleep so I think it's called "Central Sleep Apnea" and it happens because my brain doesn't send proper signals to my muscles that control my breathing and I believe it's definitely caused by some sort of brain damage during my antipsychotics therapy. This one is really tough btw, it's making me wake up right before I fall asleep and I get this "electric shock sensation" which makes my heart racing like crazy right after this happens, but then again I hope it will go away one day like everything else, maybe slowly but surely. 

 

So.. that's it for now, maybe I've forgot to say or mention something, but you get the idea - I was in a really bad shape during taking antipsychotics but things got better for me so I believe that they can get better for you reading this or anyone else that you know. 

 

If anyone wants to ask any specific questions or anything, please feel free to do so, I will try to respond as soon and as precise as I will be able to.

 

Have a nice day and a big THANK YOU to everyone on this forum - it really made my withdrawal a lot easier and since I believe I'm still in it it's still helping me a lot to be here and express myself the way I want to and I need to so yes, I will definitely donate or something when I will be able to to help this forum going, it really is life-saving so once again THANK YOU.  
 

 

Congratulations,Thank you for sharing your positive experience. 

[Nic123]

HI mate, Did you ever get your thoughts and your brain "back"? the blank mind has been the most devastating thing that has every happened to me in my life and would like to know if its even recoverable or not as its in no shape or form possible to live with in my case.

[SomeoneIUsedToKnow]

4 hours ago, Nic123 said:

HI mate, Did you ever get your thoughts and your brain "back"? the blank mind has been the most devastating thing that has every happened to me in my life and would like to know if its even recoverable or not as its in no shape or form possible to live with in my case.

Hey there,

 

as I said above - I did get my thoughts and my "brain" back, but there are still moments when my mind goes blank, it's like gradually improving if that's the right word to describe it - better said it's improving in waves as your brain tries to find equilibrium and kind of like fixing one thing(actually many more things at a time, I just said one) at a time then testing it and this way you'll get this glimpses of regaining yourself/your mind, then again it will find something that needs to be fixed and you'll feel bad again for some moment while your brain will fix itself and then the opposite and so on, but each time the good waves will get longer, bad waves will also get shorter, at least that's how it was in my case, it's called neuroplasticity if you want try googling about it, it's interesting stuff especially when you need it. I don't know for how long are you in your withdrawal, but it took me a long time to even start moving and doing things again - I wasn't even able or had any will to listen to music or maybe tying my shoe laces or anything but it all comes back slowly with time so don't give up. In the meantime try to educate or maybe "re-educate" yourself because your brain at the moment is reconnecting itself and you have to help it the best way you can. I know it will sound rough or maybe impossible for you right now but try to exercise - your mind and your body, go out for a walks (no need for long walks at the beginning, just go step by step, day by day), read as many books/articles as you can (this was actually advice given to me at the hospital from a nurse), it will feel like torture at first but you have to force yourself to do it, give your mind something to think about. Then there's another factor, as I said above - I don't know how long have you been in your withdrawal BUT you have to give your body time to eliminate all of that bad stuff that's in those pills or injections - it can take weeks, months or even years, but eventually all of that bad stuff will be eliminated. Then there's another thing I read somewhere on the internet - it takes around 7 years for your body to replace/renew most of it's cells and that's actually what has given me a big motivation. If at the moment you don't know what to do - well then don't do anything, just wait it out, that's probably the best way to go through this because you don't feel bad or without thoughts because your brain is dead - you actually feel this way, because your brain at the moment is busy with fixing much more important things than with just thoughts so yes, guve your brain and your body time to fix itself but also try to help it if you can, just don't try to force anything, just remember - empires weren't built in one day but they were destroyed in one day. It took time to rebuild them again, that's how it's with your body and brain, it can become destroyed/damaged quickly but it takes time to make it work/rebuild it again. 

 

If you will need any help or talk or anything just come here and say/ask and I will try my best to help.

 

Have a good day

[Sofa]

@SomeoneIUsedToKnow

How are you feeling today?

After coming on and off too many drugs too fast, i have been unlucky enougt to lose all my emotions and suffer dp/dr, blank mind, anhedonia and akathisia. Lokking for some support i guess that things will work out. 
 

Symptoms did not start until after i quit Remeron, and are getting worse sadly. 

[Dano]

On 10/22/2021 at 12:37 PM, SomeoneIUsedToKnow said:

Hey there,

 

as I said above - I did get my thoughts and my "brain" back, but there are still moments when my mind goes blank, it's like gradually improving if that's the right word to describe it - better said it's improving in waves as your brain tries to find equilibrium and kind of like fixing one thing(actually many more things at a time, I just said one) at a time then testing it and this way you'll get this glimpses of regaining yourself/your mind, then again it will find something that needs to be fixed and you'll feel bad again for some moment while your brain will fix itself and then the opposite and so on, but each time the good waves will get longer, bad waves will also get shorter, at least that's how it was in my case, it's called neuroplasticity if you want try googling about it, it's interesting stuff especially when you need it. I don't know for how long are you in your withdrawal, but it took me a long time to even start moving and doing things again - I wasn't even able or had any will to listen to music or maybe tying my shoe laces or anything but it all comes back slowly with time so don't give up. In the meantime try to educate or maybe "re-educate" yourself because your brain at the moment is reconnecting itself and you have to help it the best way you can. I know it will sound rough or maybe impossible for you right now but try to exercise - your mind and your body, go out for a walks (no need for long walks at the beginning, just go step by step, day by day), read as many books/articles as you can (this was actually advice given to me at the hospital from a nurse), it will feel like torture at first but you have to force yourself to do it, give your mind something to think about. Then there's another factor, as I said above - I don't know how long have you been in your withdrawal BUT you have to give your body time to eliminate all of that bad stuff that's in those pills or injections - it can take weeks, months or even years, but eventually all of that bad stuff will be eliminated. Then there's another thing I read somewhere on the internet - it takes around 7 years for your body to replace/renew most of it's cells and that's actually what has given me a big motivation. If at the moment you don't know what to do - well then don't do anything, just wait it out, that's probably the best way to go through this because you don't feel bad or without thoughts because your brain is dead - you actually feel this way, because your brain at the moment is busy with fixing much more important things than with just thoughts so yes, guve your brain and your body time to fix itself but also try to help it if you can, just don't try to force anything, just remember - empires weren't built in one day but they were destroyed in one day. It took time to rebuild them again, that's how it's with your body and brain, it can become destroyed/damaged quickly but it takes time to make it work/rebuild it again. 

 

If you will need any help or talk or anything just come here and say/ask and I will try my best to help.

 

Have a good day

Just read your entire story! Your willpower to keep going is awesome! 
I’m going through something similar and it’s giving me courage to keep at it, even though everyday is hell.  
 

how are things with you now? 
 

 

[ChessieCat]

@Dano

Please answer the question/s which have been asked in your Introduction topic.  Also create your drug signature as requested.

 

dano-head-pins-and-needles-and-anhedonia

 

[believer1]

hello, im in same boat as you, how is your recovery? 

[Muckymind]

@believer1 have you improved at all ? I’m in hell from 14 ap injections , it’s been 8 months since my last injection and I haven’t improved at all … are you feeling better ? What symptoms did you get ? Also @SomeoneIUsedToKnowdo you continue to improve ?