r/ADprotractedwithdrawl

Hello,
I’m not big on posting on social media but my withdrawal has made me so desperate.

No one thinks it’s withdrawal but from everything I’m reading, it seems like the symptoms of withdrawal and timing of it are not well understood. I’m normally a functional human being, but the past few days have been awful. I can’t work or take care of my family. I vomit and have debilitating nausea. My whole body feels like it’s on fire. And there’s nothing I can do. I changed my dose from 10mg to 7.5mg six weeks ago which is why people don’t think it’s withdrawal. Any similar stories out there?

Is it dangerous or is it helpful, what is your opinion?

I feel so intens scared, agressieve, frustrated and super dumd every day. It could be my ADD but my memory is so declined, i am afraid to do anything because of mistakes and not have the cognitive function to solve it. I even forget to lock my bicycle, i dont know how i survive any of this. My sleep is so bad every day, i have tinnitus that drives me crazy. I regret going off the meds so much and there is no going back. The world is to much for me, everything goes so fast. I need a miracle so much🙏🏻

“Could you share any articles or personal accounts describing other people’s experiences with antidepressant withdrawal

I went back on lexapro 10mg 26 days ago after having some anxiety after 6-7 months of a self taper off.. since reinstatement, I’ve been to ER 5 times thinking I was dying.. I feel wired in my chest 24/7, I feel off/weak, I havent been eating/drinking much; dropped 15 lbs, I cant go anywhere because I’ve developed agoraphobia, it’s a chore to do anything and ive only gotten worse

what do I do now? is my nervous system absolutely ruined for good if I stay on this med because I’m only getting worse… do I taper off or abruptly stop.. Idk what to do I just want to feel better right now

I'm beyond frustrated. I quit for the sole purpose of removing that zombie feeling and i'm like 5x number than when I was on SSRIs.

In total now ive been emotionally numb for 3 years. During my early 20s too so im wasting my "best" years to this disgusting medication/withdrawal. Life feels like it has zero meaning, im even more anhedonic. Only good thing is that my fatigue has cleared up, took about 9 months though.

I havent had a single window of emotions. It just gets number. Im hoping by the next year I can have ONE emotional window, just one so I can remember what its like.

My emotions are fluctuating between extremely numb (alongside mild pssd symptoms) to having a bit more emotions (still not pre-ssri). Like things are bothering me but not to a hardcore extent as they use to yet. Includes high anxiety.

Ive dealt with emotional numbing on medication for a few years so its probably ingrained like crazy. I havent had a pre-ssri emotion in 10 months off medication.

What did emotions returning look like??

I was on lexapro for a year or two and got off about 7 months ago because I was tired of the emotional blunting.. well I tapered off myself by cutting in half and then cutting in half again over the course of maybe a week.. well slowly over those 7 months my anxiety started to creep back up and intensify slowly over the course of time.. well recently it just got too bad so I was thinking about going back on my meds which I did.. it’s been 25 days since going back on lexapro and since going back on I’ve had 5 ER visits thinking I was dying.. I’ve been bedridden, dealing with severe anxiety that was way worse than before the med, a never ending chest tightness, agoraphobia and health anxiety i didn’t have before the med, highly agitated, I can’t hardly shower because I freak out, I’ve lost 15 pounds because my eatings habits are bad, twitches when trying to rest, etc

I’ve done some research and I may have experienced what yall call it here as protracted withdrawal injury and by going back on the med I had a kindling experience… so if this is the situation I’m in, do I slowly taper off the med, stay on the med and hope I stabilize, switch meds like the doctor wants me to do… I have no clue what to do because I’m stuck between will I get worse if i change something, or will get worse if I stay on a med that potentially is further damaging me.. any direction or advice is helpful

I’m just terrified of any decision because right now I’m in complete desperation

A question to anyone who experiences gastrointestinal issues in withdrawals. What do you take or eat that helps? Does anything work for you? I feel as though anytime I get a flare up that I can’t really eat or drink anything without have issues.

Thank you.

I was on lexapro 10mg once a day and buspar 10mg twice a day for about a year and came off because of emotional blunting.. I came off on my own and I cant remember how fast I tapered off but I did.. fast forward about 6-7 months later I was having anxiety and panic attacks, so I tried going back on and ever since going back on I have became completely bedridden.. I was on both medications again and then stopped buspar because I was only getting worse and now it’s day 24 of lexapro and I’m having constant anxiety, constant chest tightness, 4 ER visits, a severe health anxiety i didnt have before, agoraphobia, feeling completely wired 24/7, body zaps when I try to go to sleep and it feels like my heart stopping, orgasms feel like a stroke, dropped 15 lbs in 3-4 weeks, I can’t take a shower because the warmth makes me panic and I used to love hot showers (i also think my heart races way too fast in hot shower), I feel weak and exhausted… the only relief I get is sleep and I know that sounds horrible but it’s true… I need help recovering from this.. my doctor is wanting to cross taper me to paxil starting today but I’m worried I’ll just make myself worse.. what do i do guys please help I feel like I’m going to die

Olá,

Alguém teve problemas cognitivos severos e contínuos, sem janelas de melhora, por meses ou anos e melhorou?

Processamento lento, confusão mental, névoa mental severa, não conseguir pensar e raciocinar, etc.

Preciso disso pra manter minha esperança de que isso melhora e que não serei esse resto de ser humano pra sempre.

Tudo isso já tem dois anos pra mim infelizmente.

I'm month 18 still in withdrawal I could get kindled badly by a glp1...but withdrawal has given me intense sugar and hunger cravings i gained 20 pounds i hate looking at myself in the mirror looking at my body...i see other people so happy on glp1's changing their life why can't that be me

I should have never stopped. I was so stupid to stop cold Turkey, i wish i was warned by anyone. I am autistic and have ADD plus anxiety disorder and just should accepted that i would be on meds my hole live and accept the lightheadness every day as a side effect. I now am off 1 year and 2 months from 16 years of different antidepressants use, dexamfetamine and antipsychotics for sleep. It was hell to get off, but is feel much wurse now than ever before. I can't do anything, forget everything, i have nights of no sleep or if i sleep it is 2,3 of 4 hours. I can hardly breath, feel "on" every day but so, so tired. Yes the lightheaded had stopped a bit but it was not worth the hell i am living right now.

I have lost my 4,5 years gf, i live with my parents. I can't accept sounds, if i calmed down it does not help if i do things it does not help. I have tinnitus and the stuck song syndrome and i dont feel there is any progress in healing i want my symptoms to go away. I want to live a bit again.

It's a natural L-DOPA type supplement. I started taking it a few days ago and am feeling better.

But considering how variable Protracted withdrawal is it might be in my head, I was wondering if anyone else here has some experience with it.

Ive always kinda delt with excess hunger and cravings but man this is crazy whats been happening to me past couple of months in this wave.

I have auch intense sugar and hunger and cravings I don't know how to cope with this

Things have been very difficult. I'm two days from hitting the five month mark since getting off my pills, and to say things have been difficult would be an infernal understatement. I've been working a new job pushing carts at Target. It's a lot of work, I essentially do all the stuff that nobody else wants to do. Constantly push carts, clean the bathrooms, change all the trash, changing the bottle return, sorting through all the damaged/salvage/CRC items, and whatever else they decide they want me to do. Even beyond feeling like a failure at the ripe age of 24, it does a number on my body. I'm constantly sore, tired, and blisters litter my feet.

I was thinking to myself, even when this Protracted Withdrawal shit is over, whenever the hell that finally happens, what's the point of all this? Nothing truly changes once I'm healed. I'll still have to spend most my time at work, I'll still be scratching and clawing to barely get by, and it's a whole fucking lifetime of this. The only real thing that keeps me from just giving up and suck-starting a 12 gauge is the people in my life. My girlfriend who I wish to marry, my brothers, my friends, etc. However, that also means perpetuation of this intense suffering until my body finally gives out on me.

I wake up, panic, eat, work during horrible physical and mental symptoms, shower, and sleep so that I can start it up all over again the next day. And, I ask again, for what? Just to keep doing it over and over for the rest of my miserable existence? I just don't get it. How are people so satisfied with their lives? How do they figure it out? I understand that, in my current state, my only goal is survival rather than trajectory. But, fuck man, what am I supposed to do? I just want this circus of suffering to finally stop. I didn't ask for this. I didn't want any of this.

I apologize for the doom-posting, but I have nobody else to offload this negativity onto that can understand. I just don't know what to do. I feel so defeated.

I want to make videos to spread awareness to this issues. I had no idea about paws until it happened to me. I def want to talk about proper tapering. And honestly let others know other ways to deal with anxiety and depression other than a pill that will harm them. Any recommendations to add to the video?