Willfinish: Escitalopram Withdrawal - My story...on the path of healing ?

[Willfinish]

Hi, 

 

I’m trying some strategy to eliminate PSSD. 
i studied a lot and in last two months i have improved Quickly. I think i have found some theorical and pratical combinations to solve it. They concern:

 

1) eating

2) supplements

3) tips 

 

anyone interested in sharing this protocol?

[Willfinish]

Hi, 

 

I’m trying some strategy to eliminate PSSD. 
i studied a lot and in last two months i have improved Quickly. I think i have found some theorical and pratical combinations to solve it. They concern:

 

1) eating

2) supplements

3) tips 

 

anyone interested in sharing this protocol?

[Yesyes123]

7 minutes ago, Willfinish said:

 

Hi, 

 

I’m trying some strategy to eliminate PSSD. 
i studied a lot and in last two months i have improved Quickly. I think i have found some theorical and pratical combinations to solve it. They concern:

 

1) eating

2) supplements

3) tips 

 

anyone interested in sharing this protocol?

 

I have taken escitalopram for 6 years and it has never affected my sexual performance in any way.

When I was in peak withdrawal, during my worst moments, that was the only moment I had some trouble with sexual activity.

But barely existing was difficult during that time - even breathing and thinking was hard, so...

 

I understand this is a very personal thing, but I think it's also important not to let the thoughts that the drug is doing that take over.

You can fight back

[Willfinish]

I also experienced PSSD when got off the drug. I think it’s a process that happens when you’re over. That’s the same you were experiencing. If anyone is interested in, send me a PM! 
Tchus !

[Willfinish]

I’m doing better . I think i’m 85% of recovery now. Wave and windows are still present but more manageable. Hope to reach the finish Line. I don’t know how i did to go through this. It’s really impossible. Two years and more long, i was becoming mad. It’s really difficult trying to heal while life is going on . What a struggle

[getofflex]

@Willfinish, I can very much relate - I've had a similar experience.  Hang in there.  It slowly gets better, in fits and starts (windows and waves).  It's wonderful that you are getting better. 

[Willfinish]

Some improvements. Created a great protocol with food, supplements and tips corroborated by scientific studies and references. My hard study to recover reached something. Hope it will be better

[getofflex]

@Willfinishthis is great news!  I'm very happy to hear this.  Thank you for letting us know.  Keep up the good work! ☀️

[Yesyes123]

2 hours ago, Willfinish said:

Some improvements. Created a great protocol with food, supplements and tips corroborated by scientific studies and references. My hard study to recover reached something. Hope it will be better

 

Awesome. I'm curious about the details of your protocol. If you want to share it that'd be awesome 🌻

[Willfinish]

Send me a PM

[Fallensoul]

If your protocol is also  for global healing I gladly would like to see it too.

I have no pssd.

[Willfinish]

Some good news: another week of huge improvements. Near there. Keep healing, it can happen at the end !

[Erell]

Hello @Willfinish

 

I'm very glad to read that you are seeing progress and feel better.

 

If you feel like you've found helpful non-drug coping skills and tips on your path, no need for unnecessary mystery : please share them on your thread or in the Symptoms and selfcare forum.

 

Take care. 

[Willfinish]

@Erell in what sense ? I wrote on it! 
 

[Erell]

On 5/13/2021 at 2:36 PM, Willfinish said:

Created a great protocol with food, supplements and tips corroborated by scientific studies and references.

 

On 5/8/2021 at 12:52 PM, Willfinish said:

 I think i have found some theorical and pratical combinations to solve it. They concern:

 

1) eating

2) supplements

3) tips 

 

anyone interested in sharing this protocol?

 

Perhaps you could share the nondrug coping tips you personally found helpful on your path ?

 

Take care ☀️

[Willfinish]

Send me a PM i’ll explain you 😊

[Altostrata]

@Willfinish please share your tips openly here with all our members. Is there a reason you don't want everyone to know?

 

No one is allowed to sell anything on this site, by the way.

[Willfinish]

Hi Altostrata, nice to meet you. Thank you for your work and this site. I am not selling anything, just I published a scientific article which is under copyright and for which i spent work to research. I am a doctoral researcher (phd). In respect of the review i can’t send it here in open conversation. 

[Aliaok1]

On 4/17/2021 at 1:34 AM, Willfinish said:

Hi everyone, 

 

I come from Italy and this is my first post here.

 

First of all, I would thank Altostrata ad all the members of this site for your incredibile work. You are saving lives from all over the world, giving a glimpse of hope against the hellish world of drug companies and psychiatry. I'm very grateful for it, your stories and experiences helped me  a lot to understand and trying to face this journey. 

 

Here my story. 

 

In my '20s, I started  Escitalopram - Lexapro - Cipralex on January 2017, after a period of anxiety and insomnia. I took 10 mg per day (with good results) until July 2017 (for 6 months). 

 

Then, following my doctor advice, I started tapering to 5 mg, holding it until january 2018.

 

After that, I tapered dropping 1 mg every month just to be off the medication on august 2018.  

 

In that period I had severe withdrawal symptoms (with the wisdom of hindsight) like intrusive thoughts, big anxiety, permanent rage and mood swings . My doctor said It was a relapse so in September 2018 I gave up and reinstated 5 mg of escitalopram until December 2018.

 

Being tired of the medication and of the emotional numbness, I Started tapering again using the same reduction scheme (I didn't know It was so fast) and I was again off on March 2019.  

 

To sum up, I took the medication for about 2 years (January 2017 - March 2019, with a brief interruption).  

 

By surprise I hadn't many symptoms until January 2020. I was having a lot of water retention but this was the only effect lasting and I thought I was over the withdrawal process. How you can imagine, I was wrong.

 

Since January 2020 and until now,  I have been crashing. I had many heavy and sufferings symptoms and it was really a Hellish period. I had to face intense intrusive thoughts, big depression, several mood swings, Depersonalization and Derealization, inability to focus, severe brain fog and different sexual dysfunctions. I had big pain and strong headaches, periods of Lethargy, water retention, sensibility to water and foods, crying spells, mania, anhedonia and so on.

 

During Quarantine I was almost not able to function and living was impossibile but thanks to the Lockdown I was able to wait and fight without losing too much. In May my doctor wanted to put me on Vortioxetine, but I refused and tried to resist. I don't know how I went through.

 

Today, after 15 months  off (from the beginning of the withdrawal, 24 months about from the last medication) I am still struggling. Most of the symptoms I mentioned passed but I am always struck with a bit of anhedonia, lack of emotions, brain fog and sexual dysfunctions. It seems like I am still struck in a sort of Serotinergic Homeostatis (no production of Noradrenaline, Adrenaline and Dopamine), although  I have beated the water retention and have gone down a lot.

 

I have had only brief windows in which I felt normal-ish but they lasted only some hours. I'm still suffering from this and it is really frustrating.  

 

Thanks to this forum and reading some experiences I have hope this could be healing (with the wisdom of hindsight there have been many improvements) but I'm exhausted and I can't lost time anymore. Omega 3 and Pro-biotics helped a bit but it's a very hellish journey.

 

I am always in my twenties and I think this could help with improvements, I say to myself to resist cause i have a lot of time ahead but it's very difficult to accept. I've already lost 4 years of my life for this medication. What I can do ?  What do you think about ? Could anyone tell his story and how much time he took to fully recover ? 

 

Thank you guys for all your attention and for your sharing, 

 

Hope there will be a reward for all our suffering and a punishment for psychiatry and drug companies for all the harms they do. 

God and history will save all of us

 

A big Hug, 

 WF.

 

 

  

 

Hey man . I've been through same experience I'm now 9 months free of prozac but i feel the same like my hormones are not working cuz i barely enjoy things and having episodes of anxiety and depression coming and go takes hours sometimes ...but i feel a little bit better than the drug i was put on cuz my general anxiety is kinda decreased but sometimes my social anxiety increase ....now I'm having issues like increased sensitivity . Ringing in ears cuz of prozac depression and anxiety come and go .having few times of relief . Sometimes thoughts of hate or thinking negative i dunno i guess we sould wait .....but this is not my first quitting meds this is my 3rd try ....first one was hell...second one was actually good and i was returning and being better but i returned to meds cuz i thought that i was so over sensitivity to my wife and lost alot because of this decision!

[Willfinish]

An incredible wave today.  This drug ruin your brain forever

[Hanna72]

@Willfinish

1 hour ago, Willfinish said:

This drug ruin your brain forever

NO it does not ruin our brain. I know where you are coming from I have felt the same way. 
You have made some enormous improvements, focus on that, this is just another wave that you will get through like all the others.

Hang in there, this will pass.
 

[Willfinish]

Thank you @Hanna72how are you ?

[Hanna72]

@Willfinish

I am doing ok thank you for asking. Still having all kinds of symptoms but nothing too debilitating, so fingers crossed 🤞 

[Willfinish]

Something in my head is blocked, i can't feel noradrenaline, emotions, and have PSSD. It's how i have a part that is anesthetized (amygdala?) Anyone ? How is it possible ? 

[Altostrata]

On 5/15/2021 at 4:22 PM, Willfinish said:

I published a scientific article which is under copyright and for which i spent work to research. I am a doctoral researcher (phd). In respect of the review i can’t send it here in open conversation. 

 

Post the citation and link to the abstract, then. People who see your post can decide if they want to buy your paper to read it.

 

3 hours ago, Willfinish said:

Something in my head is blocked, i can't feel noradrenaline, emotions, and have PSSD. It's how i have a part that is anesthetized (amygdala?) Anyone ? How is it possible ? 

 

Please read 

 

Overwhelmed, demotivated, apathetic? Cannot get going on interest or action

 

Apathy, anhedonia, emotional numbness, emotional anesthesia 

 

Derealization or Depersonalization

[Yesyes123]

On 5/5/2021 at 1:39 AM, Yesyes123 said:

I have a few people close to me who have done lots of MDMA and they are and have always been totally happy and normal (they have never taken psych drugs). 

 

What they tell is that you feel terrible the next day and then it goes away, similar to alcohol. 

 

I've never done MDMA though.

 

Does anyone have more info on MDMA?

[DaBro]

On 5/16/2021 at 12:26 PM, Willfinish said:

An incredible wave today.  This drug ruin your brain forever

 

See my success story. I also didn’t get WD until 12 months after stopping my SSRI. I then had WD for 18 months. Waves got shorter and less intense with time. I tracked my feelings every day to see my progress. 

 

PSSD was only 2 weeks and quite early in the process for me. I think all our journeys are different. 

 

Hang in there. I still get bad days but they are manageable and waves are short. Good enough to call it ‘success’ though I expect bad days to happen for some time yet. 

[Willfinish]

I have flashes of memory of the past..how is it possible ? Anyone ?

[Go2zero]

1 hour ago, Willfinish said:

I have flashes of memory of the past..how is it possible ? Anyone ?

 

Could you be more specific about these flashes of memory? Do they come with specific feelings? If so, could you say which feelings?

 

Depending on your answers, I might be able to say something about it.

[Willfinish]

No without specific feelings. They are just memory of the past that come back with flashes. I read this also in other topics 

[Go2zero]

44 minutes ago, Willfinish said:

No without specific feelings. They are just memory of the past that come back with flashes. I read this also in other topics 

 

What I can say about it, is that memory flashes happen more often during WD. I notice it myself for several months already and I found here on SA that it can be an WD effect.

 

For me, these memory flashes often come/came with feelings of guilt and/or regret. I got these feelings because of things which happened to me, (or things I did in history), went the way they went.

 

After several months experiencing these memory flashes, I found that I was blaming myself for things I was not to blame for. Either because I was a child and I had to take too many responsibilities for a child, because I got not the support and love a child needs to get (so how can I be blamed?). Or as a grownup I made decisions with the knowledge I had by then.

 

But I found that I was looking back with my current knowledge and life experience. And from that point of view (in the NOW) I was creating these feelings of guilt and regret about things that happened in history.

 

When I had that clear, I could look at my memory flashes in another way. More with compassion, love and understanding. The memory flashes still come now and then, but when I look at them in a mindful way, they just come and go. Without much emotions or thoughts.

 

I hope this helps you with your questions about your memory flashes.

 

 

[Willfinish]

Thank you. It’s incredible how this drugs change the whole body and need years to resettle

[Go2zero]

1 hour ago, Willfinish said:

Thank you. It’s incredible how this drugs change the whole body and need years to resettle

 

Not only the body. Also our thoughts and feelings can be influenced extremely... 

 

The only positive I can see from it, is that I am able to make steps in spiritual en personal development, that I probably never would have made without having to go through this WD hell. In a way I feel my soul learns much more because of the WD process. 

 

But if I could choose again, I'd rather have chosen another way to learn....

[Willfinish]

Thank you for your reply. I think i have understood what’s happening to me. Most symptoms have gone, but my brain is struck in the same balance if i was still medicated. My adrenergic and noradrenaline system doesn’t work cause is struck in this homeostasis. How is it possibile ? Epigenical changes ?

[Willfinish]

A bit better ..

[Willfinish]

I start to understand what happened to me. I still feel medicated ...how is it possible ?