Wingsom: Not quitting for 4 months after a mild adverse SSRI reaction...?

[Wingsom]

Hello - thanks for reading about my experience. Hope this post can be at least a little helpful! 

 

The first psychiatric prescription drug I took was Fluoxetine/Prozac in November 2019 - for anxiety/OCD. Within days, I was light-headed, shivering, very restless, a bit feverish, sweating, feeling like everything was a dream and unable to think as if I were very sleep deprived. I'd come across Serotonin Syndrome online. Parents weren't so worried and didn't think that I needed to quit. Usually they make good judgments. I went to a local surgery about a separate health issue and also got the chance to mention the strange symptoms I was having. The Nurse Practitioner told me they were normal and would go. I had brief episodes of manic behaviour (I don't have a history of mania) in the first fortnight; hundreds of ideas flooding my brain, never felt so elated in my life and could not sit still. Effects did pass after the first 2-3 weeks, but the brain fog/sense of unreality persisted. I came off the drug (cold turkeyed) in March 2020 and switched to Citalopram after speaking to a psychiatrist. I had mood swings, suicidal thoughts and fatigue. This went after a month. But I didn't like how my cognition/emotions were going. I'd been an Art student then got a cleaning job when the course ended early because of Covid so there was never any real-time pressure to keep up. Since quitting Citalopram (1 month taper) in early Autumn, I feel not much has changed. 

 

Reading and having conversations is hard. Information passes through my head like it were quick sand. Sometimes I struggle to understand what someone is saying. I can't recall conversations or things that have happened in the past few months. I can't follow the news, books or films. Limited sense of a relational history with family, anyone else etc. I have to be told things several times. At 16 I was an A student... but got a bit lazy at A-Level. I've been acting quite strangely and people do notice. Inside, it's like I've forgotten how it all works. I don't seem able to rely on my intuition much. Apart from my internal monologue, I don't have many thoughts. It feels like I can't access my memories - visualising mentally is not easy atm. When I do, it is like they are not mine. I don't have much of a sense of who I am/my history. Mum worries about me a lot and feels my condition is primarily not organic in origin. Both of us can predate my 'not with it'ness to last November. Some of this could be the effects of social isolation and an expression of anxiety (brain freezing due to stress). I often don't feel much at all. Situations that would before have caused me to feel fear (being stalked at night/almost crashing while driving), have had no impact in the moment or after. I've felt a lot of anger in recent months. Never been hot-headed and am not quite sure where it is coming from. Explaining myself is hard and I'm not always all that fun to be around - perhaps coming off as self-absorbed and guarded? Over this year, I've spent a lot of time alone and have not worked harder to go out and see people (which I found hard before taking SSRIs). I feel pretty self-obsessed at times and completely disconnected from real life. I'm 19 and was hoping to start Uni in September but am not sure this year I'll be able to. Writing this has taken 2.5 hours.      

 

My main worry is that in not quitting until months after signs of a mild adverse reaction to Prozac, I've caused damage that will take a long time to heal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      

Edited January 9, 2021 by manymoretodays
name to title

[Altostrata]

Welcome, @Wingsom

 

You have a history of adverse effects from antidepressants. The drugs may have been affecting adversely all the time you were taking them. However, it's likely you'll see an improvement in your symptom pattern over time as long as you don't take anything that will further stress your nervous system, including alcohol.

 

We're very familiar with post-drug foggy brain and the other symptoms you describe. Be patient and take care of your general health, this will pass.

 

Many people find fish oil and magnesium supplements helpful, 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.

 

If I were you, I would not take an antidepressant again. Please let us know how you're doing.

 

 

[Wingsom]

Thank you for the comment and advice! 

 

Of the stories online I've read, it seems most people quit the drug immediately after adverse symptoms present. Is a prolonged adverse reaction known to correspond with a significantly longer recovery phase after quitting AD's? 

 

Will post again when symptoms change. Really stupid of me to have not taken action when I should have.          

[Altostrata]

Hard to say. Your nervous system may be relieved the drug isn't around any more.

 

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