7 replies to this topic

[Haydos]

Hi guys

I'll try keep this short.
Its been 5 years since I stopped taking SSRIs (paxil followed by Prozac)
I was starting and stopping the drugs trying to find a way off without withdrawal until I couldn't take the drugs anymore due to reactions.

Im 5 years off now and still experience protracted withdrawal. Ive contacted professors overseas, been apart of support groups on the net...most have said time will see me right. Ive had a MRI to see if anything shows up.
Time hasn't seen me right yet


My symptoms since stopping are head pains, dizzy spells, paranoia, impending doom feeling, emotional blunting, depersonalisation/derealisation, head pressure, ringing ears, anger, light sensitivity, cognitive problems, My symptoms fluctuate...but I don't get the windows where symptoms ease a lot, that others sometimes speak of

Most people recover from this in 2-3 years but here I am 5 years out and don't know why I havnt recovered.
And yes all these symptoms are from stopping the drug.

Ive only come across theories as to whats happened. downregulation of serotonin receptors, reversal of receptors, hypersensitive CNS etc.. Some people compare it to tardive dyskinesia where the D2 receptor is sensitive which is scary as it seems a permanent condition

Can anyone give me knowledge on whats happened or advice on what I can do? I see people recovering in 3 years yet Im still suffering at 5

Thanks

Edited by Haydos, 16 September 2013 - 02:51 AM.

[Tom_]

Most people who get the syndrome don't experience it (and that's only a small portion) for more than a few months, let alone years.

http://apt.rcpsych.o...t/13/6/447.full

This is a very interesting paper on the area.

[nupi]

I find it highly unlikely that this is SSRI discontinuation related after 5 years. In particular, "paranoia, impending doom feeling, emotional blunting" sounds more like recurring depression more than anything else. Did you try to treat depression somehow?

[Haydos]

http://www.madinamer...n-acknowledged/

[mrd1]

The body and brain are super interconnected. Your body has amazing plasticity so that it is nearly impossible for it to cause such long lasting issues. However, if you depression came back and on top of that you feel anxious about "withdrawal" and frustration feeling like you have to stop your medication than your "mental" can have physical manifestations freud knew this and advances in neuroscience confirm this.

Starting and stopping medication partically a SSRI is not only dangerous because, your not being supervised by a doctor can actually cause withdrawal not because your addicted but because you have to slowly taper off to not freak your brain out. If you go off under the supervision of a doctor most people get no withdrawal.

And when you go on and off like that your brain starts going back to its predrug state which is BAD. Because, one way ssris work is by agonism of the 5-ht2c and 5-ht2a receptors this agonism causes downregulation but also "side effects". However, these go away! But only, if you take it consistently.

Be extremely careful about where you get your information from generally if it has no citations disregard it because a lot of scary things are on the web not founded on any science.

[abelard lindsay]

Almost sounds like high acetylcholine, especially the doom feeling and the headaches.

See: http://mindrenewal.us/page13.html

Subdued or depressed mood
Anhedonia (inability to experience pleasure)
Difficulty concentrating
Difficulty with higher-order or complex thought processes
Mental fatigue
Mental confusion
Memory problems
Decreased motivation
Feeling overly sleepy or tired (particularly in the evening), despite adequate sleep and rest
Difficulty understanding or performing tasks
Pessimistic, negative ideation or rumination
Feelings of helplessnes and hopelessness
Fretfulness
Irritability or anger
Emotional heightening and lability
Sadness, tearfulness
Blurred vision
Headache
Dry mouth
Altered sense of smell; heighted sensitivity to odors; olfactory delusions
Stomach pain or discomfort
Intestinal gas or bloating
Diarrhea or constipation
Nausea, dizziness, and vomiting
Muscle pain or discomfort
Joint pain, discomfort, or swelling
Tooth or jaw pain or discomfort
Tingling or numbness in arms or legs
Muscle weakness
Increased urinary frequency or problems with bladder control
Flu or cold-like symptoms
Weakening of immune system and increased susceptibility to illness
Cough
Nasal discharge
Chills or sensation of cold
Cold feet, hands
Sleep disturbance
Introversion
Anxiety
More and vivid dreaming, and higher incidence of nightmares
Decreased levels in the brain of the neurotransmitters, serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine
Interference with the release of the above brain transmitters, because of higher inhibition

[Steve-22]

Almost sounds like high acetylcholine, especially the doom feeling and the headaches.

See: http://mindrenewal.us/page13.html

Subdued or depressed mood
Anhedonia (inability to experience pleasure)
Difficulty concentrating
Difficulty with higher-order or complex thought processes
Mental fatigue
Mental confusion
Memory problems
Decreased motivation
Feeling overly sleepy or tired (particularly in the evening), despite adequate sleep and rest
Difficulty understanding or performing tasks
Pessimistic, negative ideation or rumination
Feelings of helplessnes and hopelessness
Fretfulness
Irritability or anger
Emotional heightening and lability
Sadness, tearfulness
Blurred vision
Headache
Dry mouth
Altered sense of smell; heighted sensitivity to odors; olfactory delusions
Stomach pain or discomfort
Intestinal gas or bloating
Diarrhea or constipation
Nausea, dizziness, and vomiting
Muscle pain or discomfort
Joint pain, discomfort, or swelling
Tooth or jaw pain or discomfort
Tingling or numbness in arms or legs
Muscle weakness
Increased urinary frequency or problems with bladder control
Flu or cold-like symptoms
Weakening of immune system and increased susceptibility to illness
Cough
Nasal discharge
Chills or sensation of cold
Cold feet, hands
Sleep disturbance
Introversion
Anxiety
More and vivid dreaming, and higher incidence of nightmares
Decreased levels in the brain of the neurotransmitters, serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine
Interference with the release of the above brain transmitters, because of higher inhibition

 

 

Any updates on OP? I'm approaching year 5 of quitting cold turkey and my symptoms are persistent. My body can only take so much. The adrenals are shot. Hunger pangs are beyond uncomfortable and feel like I should get checked for diabetes.
Like most people with protracted withdrawal I started off as having anxiety then put on pills and developed a hundred other. After cessation the symptoms did not improve, but others popped up. Unless you wake up each day being depressed for several years you will not understand the seriousness of this. Unless you're losing muscle tone and cannot feel anything down there when you try hump your GF because of anhedonia, you will not understand.

I think the following is a great theory (I'm not a medical professional): Let's say you are predisposed to diabetes or hypothyroidism or Parkinson's disease -and your genetic makeup puts you  at risk of prolonged, permanent SSRI side effects-  then either ON or OFF the drug all the mentioned conditions you are predisposed to will be triggered by genetic expression and basically you are ****ed.

Research hasn't been done for "protracted SSRI withdrawal" and my idea is that people like us are the LAST ONES to undergo drug trial and would rather save what can be saved. Online research of the topic hasn't been too successful because it can literally be a cause of 100 different things plus short and longterm memory of people with SSRI withdrawal are shot.

I will try L-Carnitine and ALCAR + ALA combo in hope to get rid of depression and anhedonia, but don't have any high hopes due to experimenting with diets & supplements from A-Z with no success...

Edited by Steve-22, 24 August 2014 - 01:01 AM.

[stillwater]

I went through all this exactly 20 years ago, I wrote about it, went to various Dr.'s, but everyone back then said no it's not possible, etc.. I tried a million solutions to try and pull out of it, including being one of the first to govt. trial rTMS, but nothing worked including celebrolysin and now nsi-189.



In that 20 year span, I'd say I've had about a 20 % gradual improvement, but that's it.