r/SSRIs

Hi everyone
I have been off and on Escitalopram “Lexapro” 10mg 3 times now in the last 3.5 years (currently off it) but I am thinking to go back on as I have developed a chronic pain condition and am having a real hard time sleeping as well as having a very negative mindset most days.

My question is, am I doing long term damage to my brain/seratonin receptors by coming on and eventually back off this drug for a 4th time?? just to help me get through this chronic pain, since I have come off and back on it 3 times in just a few short years, I worry that I’ll do irreversible damage to my brain when I want to come off again when this is all over

Thank you

Hey there, I have been on Zoloft for a little over two months started on 25 then stepped up to 50 but found it was too much and I was very emotionally blunted so we have been on 25 for the last month. I want to get off of it because of the side effects that I’m having and she said I could just stop. I don’t have to taper at all. I even asked again to make sure that I’m just supposed to go cold turkey.
What been your experiences with this? I’m a little bit concerned about having symptoms of withdrawal.
I have enough pills left that I could go down to 12 1/2 for a couple weeks and then drop down to nothing, obviously I wanna listen to my doctor, but I’ve heard some horror stories of stopping medication too quickly. I’m not sure if she feels better because I’ve only been on it for two months.

I've been on Trintellix (vortioxetine) for six days, 5mg. Since the second day, I think, I've been having trouble breathing well, and last night I could barely sleep having what I can only describe as an allergic reaction (dizzy, itchy face and throat, worse breathing). I texted my psychiatrist and she said to take 2.5mg for a few days to see if it gets better, that the body needs to get used to the med. Anyone here with a similar experience? What happened after?

I started Lexapro shortly after my brother died in Iraq. After that, I finished high school, went to college, moved for work, and then moved across the country for another job. The whole time, I was constantly stressed and eventually burned out. I realized my mental health was destroying me, so I moved back and got an apartment at my dad’s house.

I stayed on Lexapro for about three more years, but eventually noticed I was more anxious than ever, so I switched to Zoloft. I was on that for about two years. During that time, I changed careers because I was constantly overwhelmed and stressed. I took a much lower paying job with significantly less stress, and I felt like I no longer needed Zoloft. I did a proper taper over about four months and stayed off SSRIs completely for around six months.

At first, being off them felt incredible. I’m not exaggerating, it felt almost magical. I felt sharper, quicker with my thoughts, and more present. I could hold real conversations and engage in meaningful debates. I’m a musician, and I wrote the best music I’ve made in the last ten years during that time.

But eventually, things went downhill. I became extremely agitated over basic tasks, constantly uncomfortable in my own skin (like a full body itch I couldn’t escape), and dealt with severe insomnia. The worst part was hitting stage 2 hypertension levels. I went to the ER and clinics multiple times, and they told me my heart was fine and it was anxiety. Also during those six months, I didn’t have a single dream. It felt like I never hit REM sleep.

At that point, I had no choice but to take FMLA from work and go back on Zoloft. I was previously on 150 mg and am now on 75 mg. Getting back on it stabilized me enough to return to work, but I’ve already noticed cognitive downsides again.. I'm losing my train of thought mid-conversation, struggling to find words, etc. I feel calmer but at what cost?

On top of that, I have basically no libido or sex drive at all. It’s just gone. That’s been a consistent issue for me on SSRIs and has affected my relationships my entire adult life.

So now I feel stuck. I’ve experienced both sides pretty clearly - the benefits and the downsides of being on SSRIs and off them and honestly that alone creates more anxiety. I hate feeling like my partners are unsatisfied or feel unattractive... But I also hate the physical anxiety, tremors, and instability I have without medication..

At this point, I genuinely feel like my brain chemistry has adapted to the medication to the extent that I can’t function normally without it.. If you’re really struggling and feel like you need SSRIs, I get it but if I could give any advice, it would be to be cautious about long term dependence.

I’m not a doctor and this is just my personal experience but it took nearly 20 years and coming off the medication to fully realize how much it was affecting my body and mind.

One last thing, the first two weeks of going back on Zoloft were terrible. I had constant tremors and intense fight or flight responses.. My teeth were literally chattering. That was when I realized how much these meds effect your nervous system..

I’ve read it can take up to two years for SSRIs to fully leave your system. Maybe that’s true, maybe not but at six months off, I felt like I had no other option if I wanted to keep my job and stay functional.

Anyway, rant over. Sorry.

This is my first SSRI I’m taking. I know nausea is a common side effect of Lexapro. Any tips to help with nausea? I'm so scared to start because of it 😔 taking 5mg for
First two weeks

Anyone had success with this to treat jaw tension and bruxism associated with ssri?

I currently struggle with fairly debilitating anxiety and depression (who doesn’t these days) My doctor recommended Lexapro. For me personally, I want this to be my last resort but I’m more than open to trying it, of course. Currently I only have 5 Ativan per year for my worst panic attacks (as addition runs in my family) and no other medications.

I’m open to medication but I’m also open to lifestyle changes and natural supplements as well.

I have heard a lot about people comparing Saffron to SSRI’s for moderate anxiety and depression.

Has anyone here tried this? What did you find? Also what saffron specifically is the correct one? I’d like to give this a try before finally trying the Lexapro.

Hopefully it’s okay to ask this here, I’m unsure where else to post?

Thank you in advance :)

So this might sound weird as it’s not something I have heard many people say.

One thing I notice when I stop SSRIs is that I start reaching out to people around me because I feel the need for actual human connection and support. When Im on SSRIs I prefer to shut myself out and process both good and bad experiences by myself because I don’t feel the need for that support.

I think it’s both a good thing and a bad thing - good because Im able to survive on my own even when others may not be available. Bad because it weakens my relationship and bonding with those in my life. Maybe the solution is to consciously reach out to people and get over this overwhelming need to shut myself in a room? Anyone else feel this?

I was just prescribed today 10mg of Prozac to take with 25mg of Luvox. I have been taking Luvox at a low dose 25mg for the last month or so after having side effects from taking 50mg or Luvox. My psychiatrist has told me to take Prozac at 10mg alongside what I'm already taking 25mg of Luvox. Is this safe to do? Should I only take the Prozac? I am deathly afraid of SS, but because it was prescribed by my psychiatrist, is it safe to take both?

First time being on an ssri and i’m usually heat sensitive anyways but now i just feel like anything over 70 degrees is too hot for me. Like going out in the heat is so miserable. How do i deal with this?

Had been on lexapro for 1 year (15mg 6 months and 10,5 remaining 6 months) from July 2024 till July 2025. Felt amazing in that 1 year and post it too.

But, since March, my anxiety has returned again with digestive issues along with it.

I did have good normal days as well in between for weeks but it somehow the feeling returned again. If I plan on going back on lexapro again, I am scared of creating a dependency on it.

I am just 25M, what if I need to take it/depend on it for life? How do I cure myself permanently without meds?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Also, how do you deal with anxiety related nausea and loss of appetite?

Thanks!

Hi, I recently started taking Prozac again for my anxiety/stress, 20mg, so far 4 days in and ive been feeling extremely wired and more anxious.

Almost like a feeling of being high where the best way i can describe is like im zoomed out. Has anyone else experienced this? And what are some recommendations for ways to help with the anxiety during the adjustment period.

Anyone on this dosage for ocd? I am dealing with health anxiety and ocd.

I'm currently on 50 mg

Hi male 32 from India with history of cocaine and alcohol abuse
I have had severe anxiety issue for like last 5 years. I was earlier on clonaazepam and valparin chrono
Now I’m on valporate and sertraline 100 from last one year
What I have observed in last one month is that my anxiety had reduced to an great extent, almost 90% gone, but ever since I am feeling emotionally flat, numb, no excitement no stress , like emotionally dead
My doctor said when dose is not right, you may feel it, so he has reduced the dose to 50mg
Does it mean that 100mg worked so well on me that it is no longer needed?
Please help

I was diagnosed with anxiety 5 years ago. I started taking 10 mg of Escitalopram in periods of 3, 6, or 9 months, then stopped for a while, usually around 3 months, until the anxiety reappeared again.

The last time the anxiety came back, I also started having insomnia. My psychiatrist prescribed 100 mg of Trazodone in addition to the Escitalopram. So now I take 10 mg of Escitalopram in the morning and 100 mg of Trazodone before sleep.

Now I can sleep, and I feel much better during the day too.

Before starting Trazodone, I used to go to the gym regularly, 4–5 times a week. The problem is that Trazodone lowers my blood pressure so much that I can’t do as much physical effort as before, like hiking or going to the gym.

I’ve been taking Trazodone for one month. Do you think my blood pressure will stabilize over time and that I’ll be able to lift weights again? Has anybody else been in a similar situation while taking Trazodone?

Hi everyone.

I take 7.5mg Lexapro, 25mg buspar and 40mg liquid gabapentin (tapering off this) for anxiety and OCD. I started these meds about 1.5 years ago.

My anxiety and OCD is basically completely controlled with this combination.

The problem is I have sexual side effects from Lexapro and I have fatigue and brain fog from Lexapro and potentially buspar (dr said unlikely buspar can cause this but not 100% sure).

My options are bupropion or taper down slowly on Lexapro and buspar. My thoughts are to slowly taper down Lexapro to 5mg (I have liquid version so I can go down 10-15% a month) and then taper buspar down to 15mg and see.

Second option is bupropion, I tried bupropion for a week actually and it actually helped massively with brain fog energy and sexual side effects but I do not want to become dependent on yet another med.

Thoughts on what to do? My psychiatrist said it’s up to me, so that’s why I’m asking.

I think I already know the answer to this ("it depends") but figured I'd pose the question anyway. I saw in a Dr. Tracey Marks video on treatment resistant anxiety that while 20 mg Prozac is often good enough to treat depression, 30 mg or 40 mg is recommended for anxiety. Meanwhile, many users on r/trintellix report that 10 mg helped their depression, but their anxiety remained untouched until they went up to 20 mg.

This is just a case of differing anecdotal reports, right? I thought SSRIs were usually more effective at treating anxiety than depression, so if that's the case why would you need a higher dose for anxiety than depression?

Resperidone was having bad effects on my body and it aucks because it worked. I couldn't lose weight no matter how hard I tried and I would disassociate alot.

It took awhile.to weird down but going from 0.5 to nothing has been a nightmare. I literally have nightmares im extremy dysregulated with very big ups and disgusting lows and im consga tly ruminating its driving me insane.

How long until these symptoms go away? Im painting a healthy diet with the gym but its so hard to just grind through.

Does anyone have any experience switching from one ssri to another after the first stopped working?

I’m switching from sertraline to lexapro and feeling very worried about being treatment resistant since the first one pooped out.

I have generalized anxiety and panic attacks. Hoping the lexapro helps. Any advice would be great 🙏