SpasticSurgeon Lexapro and Seroquel withdrawal and still taking Wellbutrin

[SpasticSurgeon]

I was quite anhedonic during a large amount of 2020 because I was stressed about finding a job and entering the workforce. I have had struggles with depression in the past and I think maybe this time I had trouble recognizing how and it was getting. I spent a lot of time in my room trying to find enjoyment from games, porn, etc.

 

I finally got a job and the stress and anxiety I experienced was so much that I quit. I felt bad about myself but I also didn’t see how I could continue. This worsened my depression for sure.

 

I had a bad weed trip, where I felt dread and anxiety shortly after this. I slept it off and felt a bit better but I still wonder if that did anything.

 

Then I got covid. Physical symptoms were mild but I was very anxious about my symptoms. I had a panic attack and the worst anxiety of my life. I couldn’t fully calm down for three days and went to the ER and finally inpatient because of suicidal thoughts.

 

This is where the medications began.

 

I don’t remember exactly, but I tried a several different medications for just 1-3 days. Trazodone, Hydroxizine, Doxepin, Remeron, Prozac

 

i remember my 2nd day on the Prozac I immediately recognized the numbing feeling and hated it. It was intolerable and took me off. I believe that was when I tried Remeron which seemed to increase suicidal thoughts somehow. Finally I was put on Lexapro and Seroquel, which I would take when I left the facility. 
 

When I got out I was doing a bit better, but still dealing with rough anxiety at times. But eventually I felt depersonalization and derealization and I think some emotional numbing. I also read bad stories about long term effects of these medication and panicked and got off both quickly with no taper. At the time of stopping I had been taking lexapro ~2 weeks (5mg) and Seroquel ~1 week (50-100mg). I also too hydroxizine as needed for anxiety

 

I remember feeling better the next two weeks after I stopped, probably in part just because I was so happy to be off the medications I felt were causing the issues with me. Still dealing with anxiety but I thought ok I can handle this naturally and get through this. And then one day when I was experiencing rough anxiety I was in the bathroom just trying to calm down and my anxiety vanished, but I soon realized I felt quite emotionally numb. I remember being convinced at the time that seroquel had messed up my brain, because a comment I read on quora of someone who believed they were damaged from only 200mg. 
 

Those 3 days of numbness were terrible. I longed for even a smidgen of emotion. Even though I wanted to be off medication, I was desperate so I went on Wellbutrin/Bupropion after convincing my psychiatrist (150 mgXL). I remember the first night I took it I got a rush of emotion and felt more like my normal self. It definitely wasn’t completely normal but I think I was just so excited not to be completely numb. 
 

It’s been 6 weeks since I started and my experience with anhedonia/numbness has been up and down. I don’t really know how much it’s helping. Sometimes I can feel some kind of positive emotion in me and it helps me cope but it doesn’t really feel like the real deal, or maybe it’s only part of it. One thing that makes me hesitant to stop the bupropion is that I think it helps with suicidal ideation not being intense.

 

That’s where I’m at now. Bupropion was very up and down and weeks 4-5 were actually quite good, and I had even gotten into playing one of my favorite competitive games and doing well, even though I still didn’t have all my emotions back. However one day I was driving home from work and the need to cry just hit me. All my worries and the hopelessness took the front seat again. I break down crying at work regularly.
 

I kind of want to go off bupropion/Wellbutrin just to go the full healing naturally route but wouldn’t do it without a proper taper and it may or may not be helping with suicidal thoughts. Every second isn’t agony but when I think about what I’ve lost it sucks and sometimes I start crying about it. Anxiety can be felt sometimes (especially when I’m in bed between sleep for some reason) but it’s not really the same. Laughter has stuck around. 
 

I question a lot what caused my current state. There are a lot of things. I was somewhat depressed/anhedonic in 2020 anyway, I smoked weed on and off and had that very bad trip, maybe lingering covid stuff, maybe lexapro/seroquel, or maybe the anxiety was so bad I’m semi-shutoff as a defense mechanism.

 

It just sucks and I’m looking for hope. 
 

Rock Bottom Timeline:

Summer 2020: Very hedonic lifestyle of going to my friend’s, getting high, staying up all night and drinking caffeine a lot. Getting paid by government to “babysit” so no worries

Fall 2020: Started feeling quite anhedonic at this point but still fully experienced anxiety and everything like that. Still could get some pleasure out of things. Just very worried about irl stuff like job that probably didn’t help and maybe SAD.

December 2020: Really bad month. Felt like failure after quitting from extreme stress from job.

January 2020: •Bad weed trip. Weed had been causing anxiety in me before and I had even had panic attacks, but this one felt like doom. 
•Contracted covid. Mild case but once fever subsided I had a cough and got really anxious about that. Had a panic attack in my shower thinking it was a heart attack. Couldn’t fully calm down for days. 
•Inpatient, medications. Anxiety started to chill out some. Got out. Still dealt with rough anxiety. Used CBD. Went off my meds. Eventually felt emotionally numb after 2 weeks and started Wellbutrin. Has helped some maybe. Started working. Feeling really bad and crying about my situation daily which is where I’m at now. 

Is there hope?

 

[Altostrata]

Welcome, @SpasticSurgeon

 

It's not clear what you're asking. It sounds like you've been ill and had a lot of drugs bounced off you, with adverse reactions to some of them. Many people feel emotional anesthesia after numerous psychiatric drugs. This goes away very slowly after you go off the drugs.

 

To help us out, follow these instructions Please put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature You may need to use a computer to do this.

 

This is a site for tapering off psychiatric drugs, do you want to know how to taper Wellbutrin?

[SpasticSurgeon]

14 hours ago, Altostrata said:

Welcome, @SpasticSurgeon

 

It's not clear what you're asking. It sounds like you've been ill and had a lot of drugs bounced off you, with adverse reactions to some of them. Many people feel emotional anesthesia after numerous psychiatric drugs. This goes away very slowly after you go off the drugs.

 

To help us out, follow these instructions Please put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature You may need to use a computer to do this.

 

This is a site for tapering off psychiatric drugs, do you want to know how to taper Wellbutrin?

Sorry. I will put it in my signature when I get home.

 

I just feel overwhelmed by everything that’s happened these past few months and was wondering if anyone had any guidance.

 

Wellbutrin for now is good, but I would have given a very different answer just 3 days ago. My experience and mood seems to vary wildly and I’m not sure why. I’ve been on it for 7 weeks! I suspect I will eventually want to taper off, but I’m not sure how. Do they even offer 100, 50, xl? Also it’s one of those that many say it’s ok to cold turkey but I’m not sure I buy that.

[Altostrata]

See Tips for tapering off buproprion (Wellbutrin, SR, XR, XL)

[SpasticSurgeon]

On 4/5/2021 at 5:18 PM, Altostrata said:

See Tips for tapering off buproprion (Wellbutrin, SR, XR, XL)

Hi Alto. I’m still on the Wellbutrin and half-considering tapering off. It is really hard because I can’t pinpoint what started all of this and have no idea how long it will take to get back to normal. The longest time I was on a drug was lexapro for 2 weeks and seroquel for 1 week. Does that mean my brain might recover somewhat soon? (It’s been about 2.5 months)

 

The Wellbutrin gives me energy I think. Without it I’m not sure if I’d get through the day very well. But is it hindering my recovery from the other drugs? My main issue is the emotional numbness, and I started the Wellbutrin because I heard it could help with that. It definitely did at first, and at times I feel it’s helping and others I’m not sure. I’m going to switch to name brand soon (taking generic now) to see how that works out.

 

God forbid I have to go inpatient again, how can I avoid drugs that would cause numbing? Does this site look favorably upon MAOIs? The anhedonia group I am on upholds them as some of the best for not causing numbing.

 

I just want to feel fully again. Yesterday I was crying a lot because of thoughts that my life is over and that I’ll just be a sad story for my friends and family. So yes I can feel despair, and I can feel humor some, but those are about it honestly. I think I feel some mild social connection, and I think I love my family, but I’m not sure I can feel it like normal. Are there any stories like mine where they recovered to give me hope?

[SpasticSurgeon]

I wanted to give another post of good/bad news, since I have a lot on my mind. 

 

Good News 

 

One thing I've noticed is that through my intense anxiety, numbness, and anhedonia, I always had some kind of understanding and feeling for humor. Like a little bump of feeling in my chest and I can sometimes laugh. It's very nice when it happens because it gives me hope and relief. 

 

Another thing is that reading positive messages of hope seems to help and actually make me feel good for a moment. It's strange. I wonder why sometimes I'm reading a positive story and then I feel a little spurt of "yay!", but almost nothing else can do it. I guess because it's the most important thing to me right now. Eg. someone telling me they think I've made progress or seeing a success story

 

Another thing that I notice is that I do seem to be able to anticipate good things even if I can't fully enjoy them in the moment. Especially food. Food is still enjoyable and I get cravings for certain foods at times, which I've seen some people have issues with.

 

I guess the last positive thing is that my family plays a big role in my recovery and survival. If I am having suicidal ideation, which I deal with at a mild level often, I remember my family and remind myself it's not gonna happen. I think any other tiny windows besides laughter and hope stories probably come from their messages/thoughts about them. 

So there is the good news, but here is some of the bad.

 

 

Bad News (besides anhedonia/numbness)

 

I struggle on and off with DPDR. I think it has gotten better slightly, and I suspect it may be in part caused by the wellbutrin. I struggled a lot at first with everything "looking different" on wellbutrin but I think I've gotten used to it. 

 

I sometimes feel like my mind is blank. And then I realize it can't be because I'm thinking and writing, but it's difficult to "see" my own thoughts if that makes any sense - it's like they are covered in a veil and I can just barely make them out. Like I can see the final product but not the gears of the machine. I suspect this is from seroquel or maybe the wellbutrin.

 

I struggle with hopelessness a lot as well. I don't know if I'll ever truly get better, but I'm not going to give up on myself. Besides that, simply getting through each day is difficult because of the constant thoughts about the anhedonia along with the anhedonia itself and having mild OCD can make it worse. My best windows these past few months have been when I can get lost in a conversation, typing something like this out, or playing a video game. Just some kind of focused distraction. Also sleeping and burning time away helps. Talking to people and letting the waterworks flow can often make me feel a tad better afterward as well. Thankfully I've regained my ability to cry, which was only a problem while I was on lexapro/seroquel. I'm quite sure Wellbutrin has made sadness more intense at times as well, but I almost welcome that. 

 

The last negatives is the idea that I'm still on Wellbutrin. It's sort of a mixed thing because I suspect it's contributed at least in part to the good news section, but I also don't want to be on medication in the long-run anyway. However, if it helps me cope through the worst of it I think it may be worth it. I will probably start tapering down soon, though. 

[SpasticSurgeon]

On 4/5/2021 at 5:18 PM, Altostrata said:

See Tips for tapering off buproprion (Wellbutrin, SR, XR, XL)

Also Alto don’t worry about my questions about MAOIs. I realize after reading more on the site that you guys are more or less against all medications which is totally understandable. I am the same way with the caveat that if a medication will probably not do much harm and help me stay alive for my family and future self then I will take it temporarily. At the time my delayed numbness from withdrawal came on I felt I needed something to cope with the day to day and people suggested me wellbutrin as a relatively safe drug.

 

I know now and going in that EVERY drug has some risk, and bupropion even has risk of causing numbing in some people, such as Hellbutrin. For me it seems to have not done that so far and be helping me, but I also realize withdrawal from this could be ugly as well. I’m just not sure I’m ready to face the emptiness that might await me if I go off the drug, and I’m unsure I’ll be able to cope. What if Wellbutrin is what is allowing me to laugh, for example? It’s a tough spot.

[SpasticSurgeon]

Finally, I wanted to say, sorry for being so long winded! I’m just very committed to my recovery. I eat very healthy most of the time. I take Vitamin D, Magnesium, and a Multivitamin along with my Wellbutrin everyday. My sleep is something I struggle separately with (mild sleep apnea) but I am working on that with the sleep Dr and I know I can still improve my sleep hygiene. I also exercise about once a week and go for walks when I can. 

[Altostrata]

On 4/17/2021 at 1:23 PM, SpasticSurgeon said:

God forbid I have to go inpatient again, how can I avoid drugs that would cause numbing? Does this site look favorably upon MAOIs? The anhedonia group I am on upholds them as some of the best for not causing numbing.

 

Sorry, we don't treat so-called psychiatric problems here. All we do is help people taper.

 

Emotional anesthesia is a common adverse effect of psychiatric drugs. If Prozac, etc., Lexapro and Seroquel caused this numbing, you may still be recovering from this drug-induced effect. As a general principle, we don't recommend additional drugs to treat symptoms caused by other drugs.

 

Despite widespread belief that somewhere among psychiatric drugs there is a miracle drug for everyone, that isn't true. Suggest you let your nervous system recover from all the psychiatric drug experiments and maybe antibiotics and other drugs with which you might have been treated.

 

By the way, if emotional anesthesia is your worst post-drug problem, you're in pretty good shape.

 

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.

 

Let us know when you want to taper something.

[SpasticSurgeon]

Hey thanks for the response. If I were to be inpatient again, it would almost certainly be because of SI/Emotional Numbing. I don’t want to be there at all... but I also know it’s a possibility. 
 

Yah emotional numbing is definitely the biggest problem, but why does that mean I’m in good shape exactly? Yah it’s true I don’t suffer from too much else but it’s an awful symptom. 
 

Worth mentioning I did actually have bad insomnia and muscle twitching after discontinuing seroquel, so it’s good that’s gone now. 

[SpasticSurgeon]

I have started tapering Wellbutrin. I’m currently taking 140mg by cutting a 200 SR in half, taking 100 mg in the morning and ~40mg (by cutting the other half a little more than in half) in the late afternoon

[Altostrata]

On 4/18/2021 at 7:11 PM, SpasticSurgeon said:

Yah emotional numbing is definitely the biggest problem, but why does that mean I’m in good shape exactly? Yah it’s true I don’t suffer from too much else but it’s an awful symptom. 

 

This is a drug-induced symptom. If you look around in the Introductions forum, you will see many people are extremely distressed by it. As it's an effect of psychotropic drugs taken daily, if you take more drugs to fix it, they'll probably make it worse.

 

You seem very oriented to finding a drug to treat your symptoms. We don't recommend that kind of treatment here. That's what doctors get paid to do.

 

On 4/19/2021 at 10:50 AM, SpasticSurgeon said:

I have started tapering Wellbutrin. I’m currently taking 140mg by cutting a 200 SR in half, taking 100 mg in the morning and ~40mg (by cutting the other half a little more than in half) in the late afternoon

 

You may or may not get away with this. If you get withdrawal symptoms, keep in mind Tips for tapering off buproprion (Wellbutrin, SR, XR, XL)

[SpasticSurgeon]

Wanted to update. Been off Wellbutrin for 3 weeks after a very fast taper. I knew it was risky but after lowering and skipping a dose to see how I'd react I figured I'd be fine. Shortly after coming off I remember feeling quite good and feeling like I was in quite a big window. However, this could be just the satisfaction from being off drugs and possibly I was still benefitting from the Wellbutrin? Honestly, I can't really say. All I know is that on the 3rd week of discontinuation I felt bad and ate a bunch of bad food to try and comfort myself, and then I remember just feeling fluish and strange. Then I felt VERY depressed quite recently, and was having constant intrusive thoughts suicide. This was just a couple days ago, but I'm doing significantly better now and hoping I'm going to keep doing better as I come out of that wave. 

 

I read recovery stories on here for hope and they definitely help, but it's a little more difficult in my case because I don't know for sure what the main cause of my anhedonia is. It could be Lexapro/Seroquel - I also got Covid around the time my anxiety spiked like crazy. So I wonder if it could be stress induced or even induced by covid. It just sucks a bit because when I read success stories on here I think "well what if it was x,y, or z that caused my issues?". If anyone has any good questions to ask myself for to determine what caused mine or has experience with emotional numbness caused by any of these let me know. 

 

Positives are that I feel more mentally clear, which is possibly why intrusive thoughts are stronger. My DP/DR has decreased a significant amount as well, although seems to increase when I am feeling despair or a lot of bad thoughts. I suspect Wellbutrin was having a bit of a mental clouding effect which increased the mental difficulty and DP/DR. However, I have noticed a decrease in energy I think. 

 

Lately I have been having this experience where there is a ball of feeling usually in my stomach, but sometimes in my chest/head, and it's subtle, but it's mostly anxiety and sometimes a little bit of good feeling. However, they often seem to be for no reason. Some kind of affect is nice, but when it's not in reaction to anything in the real world I still feel it may as well not be there. Do those who are recovering people find that their emotions come in at more appropriate times as time goes on? 

 

I know my situation is kind of complicated as meds, covid, and intense anxiety as well as just depression before all of that came in around the same time, but any guidance would be appreciated.

[SpasticSurgeon]

On 4/24/2021 at 6:29 PM, Altostrata said:

 

This is a drug-induced symptom. If you look around in the Introductions forum, you will see many people are extremely distressed by it. As it's an effect of psychotropic drugs taken daily, if you take more drugs to fix it, they'll probably make it worse.

 

You seem very oriented to finding a drug to treat your symptoms. We don't recommend that kind of treatment here. That's what doctors get paid to do.

 

 

I understand more drugs could make it worse and that's why I got off the Wellbutrin. I'm completely drug free for 3 weeks! Kind of a nice thing but 2 weeks after discontinuation of WB I started having a wave that I'm not completely out of. I'm feeling a bit better and hoping I start to feel better like I have more normal emotions again (like I was kind of feeling shortly after discontinuation). My priority is this.

 

1. Stay ALIVE

2. Stay out of mental hospital

3. Drug Free

4. Keep a job, adult responsibilities etc.

 

So being drug free is high priority for me, but if I start to feel like I would actually hurt myself I may consider a drug if I felt like it could help. And the reason I don't want to go the mental hospital is because I think they may try and push drugs on me I don't want, but again if I have to be there to be safe for some reason I of course would go. Finally, if I am stable enough I can keep a job and other similar things. Right now I am working but it can be really difficult when I'm overwhelmed by thoughts of getting better or staying down forever. I often read the success stories here to help me through, but like I said in my other post I don't know for sure my issues are completely based on pharmaceuticals or not. 

 

I hope to one day write my success story. Not on all days, but today I feel like it is likely I will be able to.

 

[Altostrata]

Aside from this emotional dulling, do you have any symptoms that might be withdrawal symptoms?

[SpasticSurgeon]

57 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

Aside from this emotional dulling, do you have any symptoms that might be withdrawal symptoms?

I get some twitches at night, especially again since my last wave started. DPDR/Brain Fog/Blank Mind although that seems to have gotten better since I stopped wellbutrin. Besides that it's hard to say. 

[Altostrata]

Many people find these to be helpful:

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

Magnesium in particular can be good for leg twitches. You might try a low dose of one at a time to see what it does for you.

[SpasticSurgeon]

On 5/13/2021 at 12:50 AM, Altostrata said:

Many people find these to be helpful:

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

Magnesium in particular can be good for leg twitches. You might try a low dose of one at a time to see what it does for you.

Thanks Alto I was already taking magnesium but recently added in Omega 3 as well per your suggestion.

 

 

[SpasticSurgeon]

Right now I struggle a lot with uncertainty and the acceptance that requires of me. The fact I don’t know what caused my current state. Whether it’s covid, anti depressants, anxiety, depression or some combination. The fact I can’t tell if I’m improving or not on the numbness. How long will recovery take? I can’t know. Am I even on the right path?

 

For that final question I just tell myself that regardless of the problem, taking care of myself and acting as if it’s depression and AD discontinuation aren’t mutually exclusive. I’ve been eating well and prioritizing my sleep. I’m getting my sleep disorder treated. There are lots of reasons to be hopeful.

 

The day to day is difficult for sure. The bad thoughts that stem from hopelessness intrude on the peace sometimes and keep it from happening. Sometimes though, they disappear, or like now, they’re still in the background but aren’t running me.

[SpasticSurgeon]

As for emotions I can’t really tell. Anxiety, or at least stress, is definitely back in business. I don’t know if that’s good or not though. Luckily I am more experienced in coping with it than ever before due to earlier this year.

 

Sometimes, I can laugh, and while I think I feel something, I question if it’s just my anatomy or a real emotion (would we say humor is an emotion?).

 

When I am with others is when it can be quite challenging. I still have empathy and theory of mind, but I wonder if I’m missing some kind of social connection there. When I look at someone, sometimes I think it’s there and sometimes not, I can’t tell.

 

The hardest is love for my family. When I think about this it can make me sad and cry, which I guess is definitely something I can feel. I know I love my family, but I don’t know if I can feel it. Sometimes I try to “summon” the feeling by imagining how it used to feel and it can kind of work, but I don’t know if it’s just a mind trick.

[Altostrata]

What is your sleep disorder and how it is being treated?

 

If emotional numbness and brain fog are the only symptoms you have from going off drugs, that would be a very good sign. You must be patient and do your best to enjoy what you can enjoy. Fake it until you make it. These symptoms will very slowly dissipate.

 

You are in control over whether you think these symptoms require hospitalization.

 

Please update your signature with your latest drug changes.

[SpasticSurgeon]

On 5/15/2021 at 5:13 PM, Altostrata said:

What is your sleep disorder and how it is being treated?

 

If emotional numbness and brain fog are the only symptoms you have from going off drugs, that would be a very good sign. You must be patient and do your best to enjoy what you can enjoy. Fake it until you make it. These symptoms will very slowly dissipate.

 

You are in control over whether you think these symptoms require hospitalization.

 

Please update your signature with your latest drug changes.

Hi Alto. My sleep disorder is UARS and I’m currently using BiPAP to treat it, but it may take more.

 

I kind of felt like I was getting a little dumber and not motivated even before antidepressants, and was always tired, so it’s safe to say this disorder could be a root cause of these issues.

 

It’s hard to wonder though whether these medications affected me or not. I suspect they probably did and it’s a mix of the sleep disorder and medication withdrawal that has me feeling like I’ve lost emotion and creativity.

 

Is it all gone? No I don’t think so. I notice I can laugh at things and sometimes feel a little bit of excitement. I used to have such a lively mind though and it just feels a muted these days. 

 

been off all meds for a while now. Lexapro and seroquel for 4 months and Wellbutrin for almost 2. I’m doing alright I guess, but honestly everyday is a struggle. I just worry about how many things my brain is jumbled by... meds, covid, sleep problems. 

 

Here’s some info on my disorder: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_airway_resistance_syndrome

[Altostrata]

Whatever it is, it's up to you to cope with it as best you're able. Please remember

 

On 5/15/2021 at 3:13 PM, Altostrata said:

If emotional numbness and brain fog are the only symptoms you have from going off drugs, that would be a very good sign. You must be patient and do your best to enjoy what you can enjoy. Fake it until you make it. These symptoms will very slowly dissipate.

 

Yes, of course you find Wellbutrin stimulating, it's chemically related to amphetamine.

 

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.

 

Please let us know if you want tapering assistance.

[SpasticSurgeon]

On 6/9/2021 at 8:28 PM, Altostrata said:

Whatever it is, it's up to you to cope with it as best you're able. Please remember

 

 

Yes, of course you find Wellbutrin stimulating, it's chemically related to amphetamine.

 

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.

 

Please let us know if you want tapering assistance.

Hi Alto. I’ve been taking both of the supplements for a while now.

 

I am just worried about SSRI having induced permanent damage. Is it possible? Anyone on this site that knows how it works in the brain? 
 

I don’t know that I’ll ever be the same. In some ways I feel like I’ve gotten marginally better, but it’s hard for me to even say. 
 

Again been off everything for a bit and the main offenders (lexapro/seroquel) for 4 months now. 
 

Perhaps I was depressed beforehand and that’s why my windows aren’t as good. I know I was anhedonic but was it this bad? Did the meds even do it? I can’t even say. Bleh

[Altostrata]

We see people recovering, so we do not believe the "damage" is permanent.

 

As explained several times before, the emotional anesthesia is a common effect seen when people go off psychiatric drugs. It takes a good while before normal functioning comes back. Many people find it very distressing, though there are symptoms that are far more painful and dangerous. Quite often, they call it "depression", but it is not depression, it is a consequence of the effect of the drugs.

 

You might read others' Introductions topics to see how they're coping with it.

[LavenderFlowers]

On 6/9/2021 at 12:36 AM, SpasticSurgeon said:

Hi Alto. My sleep disorder is UARS and I’m currently using BiPAP to treat it, but it may take more.

 

I kind of felt like I was getting a little dumber and not motivated even before antidepressants, and was always tired, so it’s safe to say this disorder could be a root cause of these issues.

Hello, SS.

We are CPAP users in my house. I am not a dr. but being tired can be a sign of undertreatment of your UARS. It may be worth your effort to improve that area. I know I am more stable when I am well rested along with thinking more clearly, which means less susceptible to spiraling thoughts.

Best wishes.

LF

[Hms123]

Hi there, how's the treatment for UARS going? I've tried the BiPAP every night for a month now and just can't fall asleep with it. Hope you've had more luck!