Shury: Muscle weakness in legs and arms that lingers after stopping Fluvoxamine

[Shury]

Hello forum. In March of this year, due to fear of covid, I started using fluvoxamine. I also had a bit of depression, so I thought why not take it. I started with 50 mg a day, the standard dose for fluvoxamine. I took it from March until June, and I did taper. Fluvoxamine did help with anxiety and depression and the only symptom I felt while tapering was brain zaps. It felt like having an electrical shock every time I would try to move my eyes, sometimes it would hit me in my arm, other times in my head. Generally, just an annoying symptom, that went away completely after tapering until 12.5 mg of fluvoxamine. At one point I thought that if my brain zaps don't go away with just fluvoxamine, I might discontinue it and move on to fluoxetine, which has a long half life, preventing or minimizing any withdrawal. But I pulled through without anything else but only fluvoxamine. I would go 1-2 days without fluvoxamine and when the zaps would hit, I would either take the same dose or lower it a little bit to see how I handle it. Anyway, I made it back to pre ssri 100%.

 

But in August I finally got covid and I wasn't on any medication whatsoever. I caught covid on 22 of August and my symptoms started on 24 of August with a little bit of a sore throat. Then, on the 26 of August I couldn't sleep due to inflammation, so I immediately followed the FLCCC protocol for covid, and I took 50 mg that night, however I still couldn't fall asleep. The next day I started taking 50 mg x2 a day as they suggest on their protocol to lower the chance of something bad happening. Nonetheless, I regret taking fluvoxamine big time. Covid stopped on 28 of August, so in total it lasted only 5 days, however, once I started 50mg x2 a day of fluvoxamine, I continued for another week, until I thought I can stop taking it altogether. When I stopped taking it, I went through some unbearable withdrawal this time, that I didn't experience when i first tapered in May-june when I took fluvoxamine the first time ever. I had headaches, crying spells, irritability, lack of motivation, problems with concentration and memory, insomnia or bad sleep, and finally akathisia. 

 

I started taking fluvoxamine 50mg x2 a day on 26th of August and stopped taking it on the 10th of September. So 16 days, 5 days like 50mg x2 a day, and I tried to fast taper to 50 mg for 3-4 days and then taper to 25 mg for a few days. I was going through withdrawal and at one point my headaches were getting to me, so I thought I would reinstate on the 10th of September just 25 mg again to see if my headaches would go away. That was the final day I took flluvoxamine, because after that I experienced akathisia for like 2-3 minutes, which I immediately recognized, after reading about it being a cause for ssri use. Scared of progressing to more severe daily akathisia, I quit taking fluvoxamine once and for all. Now, 24th of October, it's been 44 days since the last 25 mg dose of fluvoxamine and the only remaining symptom that I have that bothers me is muscle weakness in my legs and arms. It feels like my arms are holding a gallon of water, instead of a cup of water, that's what it feels like. I have this increased weakness that was way worse in September and gradually got better, but still didn't go away completely yet. Some days I don't experience any weakness at all, like 1-2 days and then it comes back. 

 

 

As I understand, the mechanism of action of ssri is inhibition of reuptake of serotonin, so that more is available in the synapse, and at the same time too much serotonin inhibits dopamine as both of these neurotransmitters compete with each other. Why didn't I have crazy withdrawal when I was on only 50 mg the first time? Well, it has to do with the dosage. 50mg might be enough to raise the serotonin levels without affecting dopamine levels much. But at a higher dose, the dopamine gets inhibited and that is when someone might experience akathisia, loss of motivation tied to dopamine and memory and concentration problems. Only when I started taking 100 mg day one and then quit a few days later, did I experience withdrawal that was unbearable enough that I thought about reinstating again. And reinstating it gave me the pleasure of experiencing akathisia.

 

 

Anyway, insomnia, crying spells, headaches all went away in about 3-4 weeks, and the only remaining symptom is muscle weakness that I experience on some days and some days not. I want to know for how long can this go? Did anyone experience anything like this? I don't want to reinstate again, I down want to feel akathisia ever again, it was brutal. Why is it taking the brain such a long time to rebalance? I'm 24 y/o male.

[Kiasofia]

Welcome to the forum @Shury

It's unfortunate that anyone is recommending taking a psychiatric drug to treat a viral disease. There are a endless reasons why this is a bad idea and I can't think of any reason why someone might think it could help. I would suggest spending some time on the forum learning more about how these drugs actually work. The way you have been taking them can be damaging for the central nervous system (CNS). Taking SSRIs now and then, off and on, causes "kindling" which makes the brain more and more sensitive. You have experienced very common withdrawal symptoms. Thankfully your only remaining symptom is muscle weakness and it's not a constant symptom. How long it lasts is very individual, but in time, people heal.

 

For further advice from us, please create a drug history in your signature by following these instructions:

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/24613-how-to-summarize-your-drug-history-in-your-signature/

 

Here are some links to get you started learning more:

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/603-what-is-withdrawal-syndrome/

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/4291-again-chemical-imbalance-is-a-myth-stop-the-lies-please/

 

This is your Introductory topic, where you can ask questions and connect with other members.  We're glad you found your way here.

 

[Shury]

Read the science on covid. Fluvoxamine reduces mortality by up to 30%, because it acts on the sigma 1 receptor, thus stopping or reducing too many cytokines the body produces in response to covid. 

 

Now that I think off, I'm probably not experiencing withdrawal, but rather a toxic effect of fluvoxamine on the body directly. It could be peripheral neuropathy. Hopefully it goes away, there's no way I or anyone taking these drugs would have known.

 

 

 

[Kiasofia]

Considering how dangerous these drugs are I would hope the dangers of using them would be taken into account before advising people to take them, for any reason.

 

I'm relieved you have not been too harmed and hope you take the time on this forum to learn more about these drugs and steer clear of them in the future.

 

Hope you feel better soon!

[Shury]

Ok, now that i continue to experience this muscle weakness along with muscle tremors that I didn't realise were there, I think what I'm going through is a milder type of akathisia. Yesterday, I had some disturbing tremors and muscle weakness and muscle pain. And it's been 51 days now at this point since my last dose of ssri. 

 

What I'm interested to know, how harmful to my nervous system is what I'm going through right now? I would have tapered if I didn't get akathisia and due to fear of aggravating it I stopped cold turkey. I initially took a higher than normal dose so my brain chemistry did change too fast and if I would have continued tapering I would just probably get worse and worse akathisia.

 

About kindling effect, Wikipedia relates it to benzo and alcohol only and it increases ones susceptibility to seizures, it's not applied to dopamine or serotonin drugs, where did you get that? If you can link an article that talks about kindling effect with an ssri I would appreciate it.

 

I've never done any other drugs besides ssri, but I'm curious to know is withdrawal from opioids damaging to nervous system the same way as ssri and stimulants used for ADHD? 

 

I know that alcohol and benzo withdrawal is damaging to CNS due to them increasing the risk of seizures and subsequently causing seizures, but other drugs which act on other neurotransmitters shouldn't cause any damage to CNS if they don't increase seizure susceptibility. 

 

Someone explain to me the whole situation, thank you. I regret a lot taking the ssri now.

[Kiasofia]

Hi @Shury

If you create a signature following these instructions we can get a better picture of your situation and offer advice.

 

Here are some links to the forum that might be of interest:

Post-withdrawal nervous system hypersensitivity or kindling

Body aches

Tension, pain, twitches, excruciating spasms in muscles and joints

Akathisia vs restlessness, anxiety, agitation

 

If what you are going through was caused by SSRI use then the good news is that in time the body will heal. 

[Shury]

3 minutes ago, Kiasofia said:

Hi @Shury

If you create a signature following these instructions we can get a better picture of your situation and offer advice.

 

Here are some links to the forum that might be of interest:

Post-withdrawal nervous system hypersensitivity or kindling

Body aches

Tension, pain, twitches, excruciating spasms in muscles and joints

Akathisia vs restlessness, anxiety, agitation

 

If what you are going through was caused by SSRI use then the good news is that in time the body will heal. 

I only took fluvoxamine, that's the only psych drug I ever took. I really have a hard time making a signature right now as I'm having muscle tremors and muscle aches. I'm just in anxiety mode from these neurochemical changes and I'm depressed and unmotivated to do any signature right now, if you understand me.

 

The body should heal, I hope so, I'm just curious what these withdrawals do to the cns long term? What withdrawal from amphetamines, opioids, antiseizure meds, ssri, antipsychotics do to the brain in the long term. Because what I'm going through feels too brutal, even though it's not like a stroke or TBI, it feels that my nervous system took a big hit from fluvoxamine, I have a hard time comprehending who in their right mind would use these for "medicinal" purposes. 

[Kiasofia]

The reason I ask for a signature is so that other moderators on the forum can get a quick overview of your situation, without reading all the posts. I don't know much about the symptoms you describe so it's hard for me to offer more advice and I hope that someone else can!

 

Please be hopeful. Whatever the drug did to your brain, it will be able to heal itself.

 

Here are some techniques to cope with symptoms: 

 

Acknowledge, Accept, Float

 

Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms

 

We don't suggest many supplements, but two that many of us find helpful are magnesium and omega-3 fish oil. Here are the links for info about those. It is suggested to add one at a time, and start with a low dose to see how it affects you. 

Magnesium

 

Omega 3 Fish Oil

[Shury]

This is so brutal. I regret taking the ssri so much.

[Kiasofia]

You took a medication that we are all told is safe. All of us here wish we could go back in time and not have taken these "medications" but we did. Try to be kind to yourself! You will get through this❤️

[DataGuy]

Hi @Shury,

 

Your only symptom is muscle weakness and tremors? Are you sure you are not experiencing any emotional symptoms like anxiety, depression etc? This can be a component of withdrawal. It can be a bit difficult to tell whether it is the result of wd, though. 

 

Most people have multiple wd symptoms, but they also usually have one that predominates. For me it is insomnia and gastro problems. For you it seems to be muscle weakness/tremors. You should rest assured that you will improve, but I would recommend staying away from these types of drugs now and in the future, as well as any psychotropics until long after you are healed. This includes caffeine, nicotine, sleepytime tea, alcohol, psychotropic supplements like "essential oils" and any other drug or supplement that has a psychotropic effect. Many drugs have psychotropic effects that aren't advertised as such, like many antibiotics. You can usually find information on this in the side effect profile of the drug under "Adverse CNS Effects". The best thing you can do for your nervous system is to leave it alone and allow your natural healing to take over. It is important to understand that as far as psychotropic drugs go, none have ever demonstrated a health benefit for any condition in a large, randomized clinical trial, although Fluvoxamine for COVID is probably the best candidate. You can read a bit about psychotropic trials here Psychiatric drugs: more harm than good? In short, none of these trials have a large enough sample to be powered to show a reduction in mortality risk, which is typically what is required to say a drug improves health for any medical condition. There is little reason to think any psych drug will do this if tested. Typically pharmaceutical companies will be eager to show life-saving qualities for drugs by testing them in high risk patients, but most psychotropic trials have been pretty averse to including suicidal patients or those in poor health. There is little reason to think any drug that hasn't been rigorously tested will improve your health for any condition. Most fail to do so when tested, for good reason. It's hard to improve on human biology. 

 

I think the best thing you can do for yourself is live a healthy lifestyle. There is no quick fix for lingering symptoms after withdrawal from psych drugs. Withdrawal from all the drug classes you listed can all cause damage to the nervous system. Antipsychotics have recently been demonstrated to reduce brain volume after only a few months use (see this trial). Anti-seizure drugs and indeed most sedatives seem to be neurotoxic (see this article, for example). Unfortunately the medical profession markets these drugs as safe and effective, as "medicinal", but the truth is the research on them is very flawed and bears more of a resemblance to marketing than science. Most people cannot evaluate the evidence and in any case, are inclined to trust their doctor rather than read the research themselves. Many doctors also don't seem terribly capable of understanding the evidence, but that is another story entirely. The research on the safety and effectiveness of supplements is even worse.

 

A healthy lifestyle would include: regular exercise if you can manage it, a healthy diet (natural food), making enough time for sleep and relaxation, socializing with friends and family, learning about things you are interested in, whether that is formally or informally, getting enough sun, engaging in productive activities (like work or school), and, as already mentioned, avoiding drugs, supplements, and other toxins (best to think of drugs as poisons, that is how they used to teach about them in medical school) like nicotine, mercury, lead, alcohol etc. There is no cure for withdrawal syndrome, so the best thing you can do is optimize your natural health and with time the body should take care of the rest. 

[Shury]

41 minutes ago, DataGuy said:

Hi @Shury,

 

Your only symptom is muscle weakness and tremors? Are you sure you are not experiencing any emotional symptoms like anxiety, depression etc? This can be a component of withdrawal. It can be a bit difficult to tell whether it is the result of wd, though. 

 

Most people have multiple wd symptoms, but they also usually have one that predominates. For me it is insomnia and gastro problems. For you it seems to be muscle weakness/tremors. You should rest assured that you will improve, but I would recommend staying away from these types of drugs now and in the future, as well as any psychotropics until long after you are healed. This includes caffeine, nicotine, sleepytime tea, alcohol, psychotropic supplements like "essential oils" and any other drug or supplement that has a psychotropic effect. Many drugs have psychotropic effects that aren't advertised as such, like many antibiotics. You can usually find information on this in the side effect profile of the drug under "Adverse CNS Effects". The best thing you can do for your nervous system is to leave it alone and allow your natural healing to take over. It is important to understand that as far as psychotropic drugs go, none have ever demonstrated a health benefit for any condition in a large, randomized clinical trial, although Fluvoxamine for COVID is probably the best candidate. You can read a bit about psychotropic trials here Psychiatric drugs: more harm than good? In short, none of these trials have a large enough sample to be powered to show a reduction in mortality risk, which is typically what is required to say a drug improves health for any medical condition. There is little reason to think any psych drug will do this if tested. Typically pharmaceutical companies will be eager to show life-saving qualities for drugs by testing them in high risk patients, but most psychotropic trials have been pretty averse to including suicidal patients or those in poor health. There is little reason to think any drug that hasn't been rigorously tested will improve your health for any condition. Most fail to do so when tested, for good reason. It's hard to improve on human biology. 

 

I think the best thing you can do for yourself is live a healthy lifestyle. There is no quick fix for lingering symptoms after withdrawal from psych drugs. Withdrawal from all the drug classes you listed can all cause damage to the nervous system. Antipsychotics have recently been demonstrated to reduce brain volume after only a few months use (see this trial). Anti-seizure drugs and indeed most sedatives seem to be neurotoxic (see this article, for example). Unfortunately the medical profession markets these drugs as safe and effective, as "medicinal", but the truth is the research on them is very flawed and bears more of a resemblance to marketing than science. Most people cannot evaluate the evidence and in any case, are inclined to trust their doctor rather than read the research themselves. Many doctors also don't seem terribly capable of understanding the evidence, but that is another story entirely. The research on the safety and effectiveness of supplements is even worse.

 

A healthy lifestyle would include: regular exercise if you can manage it, a healthy diet (natural food), making enough time for sleep and relaxation, socializing with friends and family, learning about things you are interested in, whether that is formally or informally, getting enough sun, engaging in productive activities (like work or school), and, as already mentioned, avoiding drugs, supplements, and other toxins (best to think of drugs as poisons, that is how they used to teach about them in medical school) like nicotine, mercury, lead, alcohol etc. There is no cure for withdrawal syndrome, so the best thing you can do is optimize your natural health and with time the body should take care of the rest. 

Thank you. I'll never take a psych med ever again, that's for sure. I also don't drink alcohol or smoke. I lead a healthy lifestyle and I'm worried especially about my brain, since my work requires a lot of brain power. Had I known the possible withdrawal associated with ssris, I'd never had taken them. 

 

I've read that cocaine withdrawal produces muscle pain and tremors, however the withdrawal lasts like 2 weeks. The ssri withdrawal is lasting for me almost 2 months. Yeah, you have a higher chance of death from cocaine, but it's odd to know that the withdrawal is much shorter compared to ssri. I've never done cocaine, so maybe those 2 weeks are some of the most brutal and inhumane withdrawal that can probably kill you, I don't know and wouldn't want to find out myself. But it's odd that a safer drug like antidepressants, which are even being given to kids, can change the brain so much that it takes months to recover from completely. 

[Altostrata]

Welcome, @Shury

 

On 10/24/2021 at 4:36 AM, Shury said:

Anyway, insomnia, crying spells, headaches all went away in about 3-4 weeks, and the only remaining symptom is muscle weakness that I experience on some days and some days not.

 

The insomnia, crying spells, and headaches sound like they were withdrawal symptoms from fluvoxamine. Were you also treated with other drugs for covid-19?

 

Can you give more detail about the muscle weakness? How often does this happen? When you get it, do you have any other symptoms at the same time, or just before? How's your sleep?

[Shury]

6 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

Welcome, @Shury

 

 

The insomnia, crying spells, and headaches sound like they were withdrawal symptoms from fluvoxamine. Were you also treated with other drugs for covid-19?

 

Can you give more detail about the muscle weakness? How often does this happen? When you get it, do you have any other symptoms at the same time, or just before? How's your sleep?

No other drugs besides quercetin, omega 3, zinc etc.

 

It's muscle weakness along with muscle pain along with tremors. It is gradually getting better. The weakness/pain/tremors are in my arms and legs. The symptoms appear everyday, although some days more pronounced. My sleep is good, 8-9 hours of deep refreshing sleep. I might be having some depression related to low dopamine (music being less enjoyable), but it's hard to tell. Muscle weakness or tremors is more obvious. 

[Altostrata]

It's good that it's getting better. Because you had covid-19, hard to tell if this is due to fluvoxamine withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms gradually go away in a fitful, frustrating pattern over many months.

 

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 disregard theories having to do with dopamine or serotonin imbalance, they are not valid. Many neurotransmitters are involved in all body functions. You had so many things that affected your health, it's impossible to attribute one symptom to one cause.

 

However, your nervous system may be sensitized by going on and off fluvoxamine, having withdrawal symptoms, and covid-19 as well. You may wish to minimize taking any kind of drug for a long while. We see withdrawal symptoms being revived when people drink small amounts of alcohol or take antibiotics, or take psychiatric drugs again.

 

Please let us know how you’re doing.

[Shury]

Ok, so I have no doubt at this point that what I'm going through is akathisia that is very slowly getting better. But yesterday I had a cup of coffee, I normally don't drink coffee, but the stressful situation in my life right now made me take one drink. I didn't notice a worsening of my condition, I felt fine, maybe a little bit jittery, but that's how coffee works. But today I felt a little bit more restless and uncomfortable. And don't know if it is related to caffeine cause there wasn't a worsening right away or 5 hours later, but I sure regret taking the ssri fluvoxamine, and the fact that it can cause akathisia is terrifying. Right now I'm more restless than usual and I'm almost 2 months from my last fluvoxamine dose. 

 

Just reporting on my progression. I'm feeling better than what I was on 10th September on the day that I took my last dose. I'm now maybe 90% back to normal. The brain changes done by the antidepressant are so long lasting, that's crazy when you think about it.

[Kiasofia]

Thanks for the update Shury! I can't drink coffee anymore. I get very anxious and it just isn't worth it. It usually happens a few hours after I drink it. It might not be the coffee that affected you, but reacting to caffeine is very common. I don't drink decaffeinated coffee either, since it does have some caffeine in it.

 

Try not to waste time on regret. (I know its hard.) But think of all you have learned and perhaps you will be able to educate others so they will stay away from psychiatric drugs.

 

Glad you are 90% back to normal. That is worth being grateful for!

[Colonial]

I'm sorry you were tricked into taking a dangerous med as a preventative as a 24 year old at such a low over all risk compared to the known dangers of 100 mgs of a psych med for over 2 weeks. It's very hard to get true "informed consent" on many treatments offered. Many of us remarked early on how much "Long Covid" mimicked WD in many ways.

 

What specialty of doctor agreed to put you on a psych med as a preventative and what was your medical thinking in stopping the med in June if the reason you started was you were relying on it as a prophylactic anti-inflammatory for whenever you were eventually exposed to the dangers of the spike protein which can cause inflammation?

 

Did someone put you under the impression you were at serious risk for complications? You seem to imply you are in otherwise good health. Was there some medical reason presented in your country or was this a case of allowing fear of a possible future event guiding the decision?  Famotidine shows just as much if not more promise, but there is no monetary profit in getting someone taking it who then can't come off it and have to reinstate at some dose due to the wd issues.

 

On 10/25/2021 at 10:52 AM, Shury said:

Read the science on covid. Fluvoxamine reduces mortality by up to 30%,

 

I have read some of the "science". In actuality, the actual reduction in risk was a more modest 5%, not 32, and the issue was, it was tested in high risk patients, not people in your category with less actual risk.  There simply was not enough of a control group, taking into account a host of other independent variables of the people involved (including faulty test results) to assume the supposed positive results were valid. The added problem was so many taking it stopped due to adverse events, whereas the placebo group did not. 

 

It's hard to know if you had not taken itas a prophylactic out of fear earlier in the year if you may have been ok taking it at high dosages for a few weeks and then basically cold turkey-ing.  The kindling issue with any "on again-off again" med is always a real possibility and already being on it once may have played into the issue. With any med, it may be better to stay on them that risk kindling going on and off.

 

I'm sorry you were "tricked" into taking something that was worse than your risk for the actual illness, both prophylactically and as an active treatment.

Hopefully you will start feeling better soon.

 

ALSO: Did you take any of the offered vaccines this year before "getting" Covid?

Many ppl are "diagnosed" with "covid" shortly after vaccination due to the nature of the immune response-reaction to the shots.

 

 

Edited November 7, 2021 by Colonial

[Shury]

On 11/8/2021 at 12:27 AM, Colonial said:

I'm sorry you were tricked into taking a dangerous med as a preventative as a 24 year old at such a low over all risk compared to the known dangers of 100 mgs of a psych med for over 2 weeks. It's very hard to get true "informed consent" on many treatments offered. Many of us remarked early on how much "Long Covid" mimicked WD in many ways.

 

What specialty of doctor agreed to put you on a psych med as a preventative and what was your medical thinking in stopping the med in June if the reason you started was you were relying on it as a prophylactic anti-inflammatory for whenever you were eventually exposed to the dangers of the spike protein which can cause inflammation?

 

Did someone put you under the impression you were at serious risk for complications? You seem to imply you are in otherwise good health. Was there some medical reason presented in your country or was this a case of allowing fear of a possible future event guiding the decision?  Famotidine shows just as much if not more promise, but there is no monetary profit in getting someone taking it who then can't come off it and have to reinstate at some dose due to the wd issues.

 

 

I have read some of the "science". In actuality, the actual reduction in risk was a more modest 5%, not 32, and the issue was, it was tested in high risk patients, not people in your category with less actual risk.  There simply was not enough of a control group, taking into account a host of other independent variables of the people involved (including faulty test results) to assume the supposed positive results were valid. The added problem was so many taking it stopped due to adverse events, whereas the placebo group did not. 

 

It's hard to know if you had not taken itas a prophylactic out of fear earlier in the year if you may have been ok taking it at high dosages for a few weeks and then basically cold turkey-ing.  The kindling issue with any "on again-off again" med is always a real possibility and already being on it once may have played into the issue. With any med, it may be better to stay on them that risk kindling going on and off.

 

I'm sorry you were "tricked" into taking something that was worse than your risk for the actual illness, both prophylactically and as an active treatment.

Hopefully you will start feeling better soon.

 

ALSO: Did you take any of the offered vaccines this year before "getting" Covid?

Many ppl are "diagnosed" with "covid" shortly after vaccination due to the nature of the immune response-reaction to the shots.

 

 

The reason I got fluvoxamine doesn't matter. What matters is getting myself back to the previous state. Right now I'm still struggling. I have some days where I feel almost normal, and have days where I slip back into muscle pain/weakness, like today. And it's already 2 months now. How long is this going to go? Nobody can say. 

[Kiasofia]

5 hours ago, Shury said:

The reason I got fluvoxamine doesn't matter. What matters is getting myself back to the previous state.

I agree Shury. I'm sorry today is not good. When you feel good, be grateful. And when you feel bad, know that you will fell good again.

[Colonial]

9 hours ago, Shury said:

On 11/7/2021 at 5:27 PM, Colonial said:

Expand  

The reason I got fluvoxamine doesn't matter.  What matters is getting myself back to the previous state. 

 

It most certainly matters! How can we provide assistance in getting back to that "previous state" if we don't have the answers to certain questions that would affect why you are having the symptoms you are?

 

It is also relevant in knowing how things are being marketed and why, in order to help-provide better advice for everyone going forward. If this is a known protocol of the particular group you were working with, the FLCCC or someone even before that, it helps provide a reason for looking more closely at a group to see why they are giving advice that they are, as we all continue to learn together.

 

The reason members are asked for a comprehensive drug signature of all items taken is that many times there is a synergistic effect when multiple treatments or products are added together.  As was said,  Covid 19, if you were confirmed to have had it had it, can give long term neurological symptoms such as what You are reporting.. So why any particular member may not see why something is relevant, it can be, and advice is only as reliable as the full picture of details that led up to where we are now.   

 

I do not know what country you are in or how well you are used to communicating in English, so I do not want to assume your responses are meant to be as "stand of-ish or rude as they could be interpreted or as some may see them are coming across:

 

1. Read the science on covid. Fluvoxamine reduces mortality by up to 30%, 

2. The reason I got fluvoxamine doesn't matter.

 

I realize Your suffering, and being new to this You may not understand the bigger picture as to why questions are asked, and if You feel as if you were "tricked" into something because a system played on Your fears, I can understand why you would feel upset and the questions may seem embarrassing. 

 

That being said, if you do not wish to provide the other information that may be affecting your situation, (when your were diagnosed with Covid, if You had received vaccines that can complicate symptoms and progress, and other items or meds you may have recently taken), that is certainly up to You, but it may  limit how valuable the return advice is we can give you. We also don't speculate concerning questions about opioids or the other drugs you have some interest in understanding how they would interact. There are some very good website that help with other drugs as those.

 

The good news is that you seem to feel your back to 90% better! 

Hopefully over the new year to come in 2022 you will continue to progress.

"Long Covid" is affecting many people, unfortunately, hopefully You will continue to make progress going forward.

Best of luck to You in Your journey

 

 

 

 

 

[Shury]

11 hours ago, Colonial said:

 

It most certainly matters! How can we provide assistance in getting back to that "previous state" if we don't have the answers to certain questions that would affect why you are having the symptoms you are?

 

It is also relevant in knowing how things are being marketed and why, in order to help-provide better advice for everyone going forward. If this is a known protocol of the particular group you were working with, the FLCCC or someone even before that, it helps provide a reason for looking more closely at a group to see why they are giving advice that they are, as we all continue to learn together.

 

The reason members are asked for a comprehensive drug signature of all items taken is that many times there is a synergistic effect when multiple treatments or products are added together.  As was said,  Covid 19, if you were confirmed to have had it had it, can give long term neurological symptoms such as what You are reporting.. So why any particular member may not see why something is relevant, it can be, and advice is only as reliable as the full picture of details that led up to where we are now.   

 

I do not know what country you are in or how well you are used to communicating in English, so I do not want to assume your responses are meant to be as "stand of-ish or rude as they could be interpreted or as some may see them are coming across:

 

1. Read the science on covid. Fluvoxamine reduces mortality by up to 30%, 

2. The reason I got fluvoxamine doesn't matter.

 

I realize Your suffering, and being new to this You may not understand the bigger picture as to why questions are asked, and if You feel as if you were "tricked" into something because a system played on Your fears, I can understand why you would feel upset and the questions may seem embarrassing. 

 

That being said, if you do not wish to provide the other information that may be affecting your situation, (when your were diagnosed with Covid, if You had received vaccines that can complicate symptoms and progress, and other items or meds you may have recently taken), that is certainly up to You, but it may  limit how valuable the return advice is we can give you. We also don't speculate concerning questions about opioids or the other drugs you have some interest in understanding how they would interact. There are some very good website that help with other drugs as those.

 

The good news is that you seem to feel your back to 90% better! 

Hopefully over the new year to come in 2022 you will continue to progress.

"Long Covid" is affecting many people, unfortunately, hopefully You will continue to make progress going forward.

Best of luck to You in Your journey

 

 

 

 

 

 

I prefer valuable talk about what could help, if someone could say what protocol or med could help with ssri induced akathisia that would be valuable. Invaluable talk about the reason I got here doesn't interest me at all. It just so happens that there's no valuable way to overcome akathisia besides time.

 

 

The only med I took while having covid is fluvoxamine and a bunch of supplements like quercetin, omega 3, vitamin D etc. as I stated above.

 

Long covid is mainly a bs diagnosis. If there is no lung scarring done by covid or stroke done by covid and all MRI scans and other blood work are fine and someone complains that he has symptoms that are due to covid, then that someone has something but it most probably isn't long covid. In my case, how can I have long covid if the pattern of windows and waves is what I'm experiencing right now and it's a known way of how the body recovers after psych drugs. 

 

I wasn't given fluvoxamine because the doctors thought that I should get it, I insisted to be given it due to anxiety over this whole crazy situation  with this horrible pandemic. I stated that in my original post. I took it because I wanted, however I had no clue that I could experience some symptoms that would linger after stopping the drug and I didn't know I would regret the decision later. I found out through YouTube videos and Google that fluvoxamine helps with inflammation done by covid and me being an anxious person and seeing a lot of death from covid, I thought I should get on this drug, thinking the benefits outweigh the risks. 

 

I hope this post of mine clarifies some of the questions you had. I also said when I was diagnosed with covid, 24 August and the illness itself ended on 28 August, however I coughed for another whole month after that. 

[Altostrata]

On 11/7/2021 at 11:13 AM, Shury said:

Ok, so I have no doubt at this point that what I'm going through is akathisia that is very slowly getting better. But yesterday I had a cup of coffee, I normally don't drink coffee....And don't know if it is related to caffeine cause there wasn't a worsening right away or 5 hours later, but I sure regret taking the ssri fluvoxamine, and the fact that it can cause akathisia is terrifying. Right now I'm more restless than usual and I'm almost 2 months from my last fluvoxamine dose. 

 

Just reporting on my progression. I'm feeling better than what I was on 10th September on the day that I took my last dose. I'm now maybe 90% back to normal. The brain changes done by the antidepressant are so long lasting, that's crazy when you think about it.

 

Caffeine has a very long half-life and can affect you the next day. It probably would be a good idea for you not to drink caffeine for a good long while.

 

Yes, we know that antidepressant withdrawal syndrome can be terrible and long-lasting. If I were you, I'd continue to be careful, protect your nervous system for at least 6 months after you're feeling better.

 

Please let us know how you're doing, we'd like to know about your recovery.

[Shury]

I have a question. We know that humans can get akathisia from antidepressants, antipsychotics, antiemetics etc. What about illicit drugs like cocaine, amphetamines, or dopamine enhancing drugs? Are there documented cases from those?

[Shury]

Yesterday and today I've been having a lot more akathisia and the only thing that changed is that I started eating cinnamon, garlic and ginger. I guess neither garlic, nor ginger is to be blamed, but cinnamon appears to have neurological effects. Wow, how could I had known. I also have worse sleep. Could cinnamon really be messing with my brain? I'm disturbed by the fact that I couldn't understand the sudden worsening of my akathisia. 

[ChessieCat]

20 minutes ago, Shury said:

but cinnamon appears to have neurological effects. Wow, how could I had known.

 

I recently heard something about this too and was very surprised.

[Shury]

6 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

 

I recently heard something about this too and was very surprised.

I'm telling you, yesterday I was quite stimulated and had heart palpitations and couldn't understand why, plus my akathisia all of a sudden worsened to almost unbearable level. I kept thinking that I'm worsening and entering a brutal wave with akathisia, and then I figured it could be due to cinnamon, as it seems to be a similar spice to nutmeg, and nutmeg definitely has neuropsych effects.

[ChessieCat]

The only way to know for sure would be to wait a while and then try it again.  However, if it was me I would not be doing that!  And I doubt that you are willing to try it. 😉

 

Yes, there is information about nutmeg on the internet, but there doesn't seem any definitive studies of cinnamon done.

 

If you have had garlic and ginger previously with no issues and the only difference was the cinnamon then it makes it seem more likely.  Unless there was something that you came into contact with that you aren't aware of.

 

About 40 years ago (I'm 64 now) when I was working in an office and I smoked but my colleague didn't (we were in the same small room) I used to spray the office with an air freshener called Glen-20.  I started getting hives where my dress rubbed against my legs but I had no idea what was causing them.  Then one morning when I woke up my face was swollen and my eyes were nearly closed.  And I somehow made the connection that it was the spray I had been using.

[Alice1]

I believe its from covid . Covid doesn't cause alathisia but if you have akathsia the stress that covid put the body through will rev up the akathisia just like any other stress .. This effect can be delayed . I'm going through the same thing. I had covid last month  After covid I felt like my wd setback was improving , then the floor fell out from underneath me , I could be wrong ,

 

[ChessieCat]

5 hours ago, Alice1 said:

I believe its from covid . Covid doesn't cause alathisia but if you have akathsia the stress that covid put the body through will rev up the akathisia just like any other stress .. This effect can be delayed . I'm going through the same thing. I had covid last month  After covid I felt like my wd setback was improving , then the floor fell out from underneath me , I could be wrong ,

 

 

Alice certainly makes a good point.  It is a possibility.  Especially if you have had others stressors since then.

[DataGuy]

On 11/21/2021 at 7:32 AM, Shury said:

I have a question. We know that humans can get akathisia from antidepressants, antipsychotics, antiemetics etc. What about illicit drugs like cocaine, amphetamines, or dopamine enhancing drugs? Are there documented cases from those?

 

Hi @Shury,

 

Here is a list of drugs and drug classes that may possibly cause akathisia. There isn't really good research on this. Pharmaceutical companies don't tend to want to talk about it and no one is lining up to fund studies on this type of thing. There is little awareness by most people of what akathisia is, so even case reports of it can be sparse, and that is essentially all we have for determining what drugs may cause this problem. I would strongly bet illicit drugs can cause akathisia, since most legally prescribed psychotropics have at one time or another been reported to cause it. 

[Shury]

I'm here to report i still have akathisia. I'm approaching 3 months of this and it doesn't seem to go away yet. Having read on what psych drugs do to the brain, it is related to the way they perturb the neurotransmitter accumulation in the synaptic cleft. Ssri change brain cells or neurons, and akathisia has to do with lack of dopamine receptors which are either blocked or unavailable while on an ssri treatment. But it's insanely long how much time it takes for receptors to restore themselves. When the receptors recover, then the dopamine availability should restore, allowing the system to rebalance and akathisia to go away. This isn't something you would read about before taking psych drugs. 

[Shury]

What is the opinion of people here regarding neurorecover IV amino acids? They are supposedly helping people with addictions and other neurological recovery with supplying the brain with the required building blocks so that the brain can start rebuilding its receptors. 

 

Here is the link. 

https://www.morrisonhealth.com/neurorecover/

[ChessieCat]

There are many existing topics on SA.  Use the site search function or an internet search engine and add site:survivingantidepressants.org to the search term.

 

There is a topic about amino acids.