u/Acrobatic-Good-3287

"how do you pick up the threads of an old life?"

"How do you go on.... When in your heart you begin to understand..... There is no going back"

"There are some things that time cannot mend.... Some hurts that go too deep.... That have taken hold".

Frodo Baggins. The Return of the King.

After 31.5 years of drugs and now 45 months of PAWS, lost my job of 26.5 years, lost my sole companion, my dog, lost many friends and family in the last 4 years and still no end to the suffering, I ask myself that question every single day.

Will I get to board the boat and sail off to a new life like Frodo leaving everything behind? To find peace and healing from the deep psychological and physical traumas created by carrying the heavy load of protracted withdrawal and years of drug dependency.

What should patients know before starting to take antidepressant drugs?

* "The brain might get used to the medicine, making it hard to stop taking it later".

* "Stopping can cause withdrawal problems that can be serious, last a long time, and sometimes be confused with relapse (return of the problems they were prescribed for)" .

* "Prescribers should make sure that patients fully understand the risks and agree to the treatment before starting the medicine".

Background : " antidepressants can cause tolerance, dependence, and withdrawal syndromes, often understated by the term 'antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.' While they do not induce craving or compulsive use, brain adaptations to these drugs can make them hard to stop, especially after long-term use. Despite growing evidence of withdrawal risks, antidepressant prescriptions and long-term use continue to increase globally. The potential duration and severity of debilitating withdrawal symptoms including akathesia, suicidality and protracted withdrawal, have been minimized. This is partly due to commercially sponsored guidelines that rely on short term clinical trial data".

https://www.ti.ubc.ca/2025/06/18/156-antidepressant-withdrawal-syndrome-update/