# SSRI Withdrawal



## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

Has anybody ever experienced SSRI withdrawal? What kind of symptoms did you have?


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

Thanks for replying. What about nausea? I took myself off of my meds (unbeknownst to my GP...I know, stupid but I want to see how I'll do) and I've been experiencing fatigue, nausea, headaches and a mild increase in DP/DR. Also very increased libido.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

I have never been on a ssri but i have been on effexor which is a snri. It has very similar withdrawal symptom's as the worst of the ssri's like paxil but effexor is usually regarded as the worst of the worst when it comes to withdrawing from psychiatric med's.

I was only on the stuff for a very short time less then 2 month's i think but the withdrawal's where goddamn awful. And i was only on a relatively low dose of the stuff either 75mg's or 150mg's im not quite sure which i made it up to before i got sick of the side effect's. I cant even begin to imagine how horrible it would be coming off a 300mg + dose after being on it for years.

The withdrawal symptom's i had where those godawful brain zap's that felt like mini seizures, dizziness, nausea and on a few occcasion's vomiting. I only threw up the first few day's though i think. I also had insomnia and i was very irritable.

I went cold turkey off this med so that's maybe why my withdrawal's where so bad. It was supposedly non addictive so i didnt think anything of it until i was almost incapacitated due to withdrawal's. I felt like ripping that doctor's head off for telling me it's not addictive.


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

I quit cold turkey after 6 weeks of use.
My doctor also told me that my Lexapro wouldn't be addicting, numb. HA! Not only physically addicting but psychologically. I'm working really hard to keep myself from taking it. I got it refilled just in case I get depressed again (you never know) but I feel like I need it. I'm scared I will get depressed again but so far I feel fine emotionally.


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## ?real?ity? (Feb 18, 2007)

is it common to get anxiety/depression during withdrawal?


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

Definitely. I had some anxiety the first couple days of withdrawal but I feel emotionally fine (aside from the DP/DR) now.
That's not to say that everyone will feel emotionally okay. If you start to get severely anxious or depressed I'd recommend either going back on your meds or speaking to a doctor.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Anxiety and depression are major symptom's of withdrawal especially if your coming off a ssri that has really nasty withdrawal symptom's such as paxil. Effexor a snri is even worse for that because the withdrawal is a horror show.

I think there have been a few documented cases of people killing themselves while going through anti-depressant withdrawal. This could be due to the withdrawal symptom's or it could be just the depression returning again. It's hard to tell in cases like that because if someone was already depressed they have a higher suicide risk anyway.


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## Guest (Mar 6, 2007)

Yes, the worst are the brain zaps, its like going to the electric chair every minute or so.


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

Jgard10 said:


> Yes, the worst are the brain zaps, its like going to the electric chair every minute or so.


Yes! That is horrible. I hate trying to describe that one to people...they look at me like I'm a loon.


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## Guest (Mar 7, 2007)

I only talk to my doctor about it, cuz he's the only one besides people that have gone through it, that actually knows about it, everyone else is like, huh?


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

Jgard10 said:


> I only talk to my doctor about it, cuz he's the only one besides people that have gone through it, that actually knows about it, everyone else is like, huh?


It is a hard experience to describe. In fact, I was trying to describe it to my parents today. It's almost like your mind goes completely blank and all of your senses shut down for a nanosecond.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

The brain zaps are by far the worst withdrawal symptom ive ever experienced coming off any drug. It's like your getting electro shock treatment every few seconds. Id never go through effexor withdrawal again not for a million bucks.

Ive been through alcohol withdrawal, opiate withdrawal twice and effexor withdrawal. Effexor was by far the worst. Alcohol withdrawal is second with the delirium, hallucination's, body aches and the just general extreme discomfort of it. Fortunatly with alcohol benzos and opiates makes the withdrawal much easier.

I imagine if you tried the prozac taper coming off ssri's it would make things abit easier anyway. They say it works pretty good because prozac has a very long half life so you dont get the sudden drop off of serotonin. It's kinda the methadone of ssri's.


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## Guest (Mar 7, 2007)

yea i'm on prozac right now and it erased my withdrawel from clomipramine.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Jgard10 said:


> yea i'm on prozac right now and it erased my withdrawel from clomipramine.


 Ya that makes since because clomipramine is mainly a serotonin reuptake inhibitor. So prozac would get the job done.

It's odd but i quit amitriptyline cold turkey which is another tricyclic that inhibit's both serotonin and norepinephrine and i never experienced any withdrawal symptom's at all. I was on a dose of 100mg's a night which is a fairly standard dose.

Some people go as high as 300mg's a day but i think that's pretty rare. You wouldnt have any saliva left in your mouth at all on that high of a dose. The highest i ever went was 150mg's and i dropped back to 100 because i wasent getting any better effect's from it and my mouth was bone dry.


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