Report of withdrawal problems of SSRIs

[Guest guest]

[i've posted this with permission from one of our members.  Anyone is welcome to post.  It could be helpful for new members.  If you prefer anonymity, I can post for you if you send it to me.  Thanks.  -- ]

:

Dear Dr Belaise,I hope it's not too late to write to you regarding my own issues of withdrawal from SSRIs.I'll try to make this as brief as possible.Using your format guidelines:I may be known simply as       (redacted)         . 

06-13-2011I am a 37 year old pre-menopausal female.At 16 years old, I was prescribed Prozac, 20mg daily, for " depression " . This medication made the " depression " even worse, so I decided to discontinue. I did so abruptly, after having taken Prozac for approx. 1 year. In 1991-2, nothing was known (or admitted) about withdrawal symptoms.

I experienced my first ever panic attack, general anxiety, sudden fear of germs, various OCD-like compulsive behaviors (constant hand-washing, re-reading sentences/paragraphs in case I forgot what was just read, avoiding certain numbers, etc.), sudden onset of insomnia, social phobia and the beginnings of agoraphobia, " brain zaps " . I suffered with each of these symptoms, thinking they were caused by other things. The " brain zaps " must have been some kind of weird sinus/ear infection. The anxiety must have started because I didn't properly deal with " depression " . Insomnia and everything else must have been from the anxiety.

Eventually the " brain zaps " went away. I started to gradually sleep better. The fear of germs later disappeared. But the anxiety and social/agoraphobia remained and intensified between the ages of 16 - 22. At that point I'd had enough and was started on another medication - Zoloft 25 mg daily. It seemed to work by blocking the sensation of panic. Only that didn't last very long. My body created other ways to express anxiety and panic attacks, (very disturbing sensations: cold chills or burning on extremities, sudden surge of panic, instead of the gradual climb I'd experienced before Zoloft).

At 26 I abruptly stopped Zoloft late in 2000 and had more severe symptoms than from Prozac - trembling that would not be calmed no matter what I tried, vomiting, diarrhea, increase in panic attacks and non-stop nervousness and new mental symptoms I would later learn were called depersonalization and derealization. I ended up on Celexa after that. Then Effexor. Then Doxepin. Each drug bringing more side effects and each withdrawal more severe than the last. I discontinued each of those abruptly. I waited out the last withdrawal (2004), having discontinued Doxepin by 10 mg at a time (usually spaced out 1 or 2 weeks between reductions). That was the only drug I'd ever tapered, and it was still too abrupt for my body's liking. I had withdrawal symptoms for nearly 16 months after Doxepin, but decided to stay drug-free. After the use of Prozac (the first drug I took), the so-called " depression " I had had vanished. Only anxiety remained through the years, persisting despite being on medication and no one drug I tried ever helped.

What was not known when I was 16, but was found 3 years ago, was that I have had Hashimoto's hypothyroiditis. That would certainly cause depressive symptoms if not treated. I could have been spared years of suffering and damage had that been known back then. And by damage, I mean to say that even though withdrawal (as lengthy as that last one was) is now over, I still suffer from hypoglycemia (drug-induced), hormone imbalances (drug-induced) and now neurological issues that leave me sensitive to loud noises, bright lights, stressful situations, unable to work or even travel further than a couple of miles from my home.

So to reiterate, the initial withdrawal symptoms of brain zaps, insomnia, vomiting/diarrhea, trembling, any strange new fears (such as that of germs, or at one point, my own body and internal organs), even fevers (forgot to mention that as being one of the withdrawal symptoms from Effexor and Doxepin), etc. have gone. The anxiety/phobias and sensory sensitivities have remained and intensified beyond withdrawal.

Regarding what treatments have helped, high-potency vitamins/minerals and other supplements, Traditional Chinese herbs, homeopathy, meditation, etc. have made it possible for me to recover enough to be functional in my home and as a parent. And of course, being on thyroid medication has helped.

It is my belief that, had I been properly diagnosed and treated for Hashi/hypothyroidism and never started taking Prozac (or any other SSRI), I would not have problems with panic/anxiety/phobias today. I would still be working full time and able to travel anywhere I wished to go. I would not have blood sugar issues or hormone imbalances. And I certainly wouldn't have neurological problems.

I hope I haven't written too much and that this information would be useful to you in your endeavors.Thank you for your time,

-- Regards,

[Guest guest]

All done.

Sheila

To: withdrawal_and_recovery <Withdrawal_and_Recovery >Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 8:26 AMSubject: Report of withdrawal problems of SSRIs

[i've posted this with permission from one of our members. Anyone is welcome to post. It could be helpful for new members. If you prefer anonymity, I can post for you if you send it to me. Thanks. -- ]

:

Dear Dr Belaise,I hope it's not too late to write to you regarding my own issues of withdrawal from SSRIs.I'll try to make this as brief as possible.Using your format guidelines:I may be known simply as (redacted) . 06-13-2011I am a 37 year old pre-menopausal female.At 16 years old, I was prescribed Prozac, 20mg daily, for "depression". This medication made the "depression" even worse, so I decided to discontinue. I did so abruptly, after having taken Prozac for approx. 1 year. In 1991-2, nothing was known (or admitted) about withdrawal symptoms.I experienced my first ever panic attack, general anxiety, sudden fear of germs, various OCD-like compulsive behaviors (constant hand-washing, re-reading sentences/paragraphs in case I forgot what was just read,

avoiding certain numbers, etc.), sudden onset of insomnia, social phobia and the beginnings of agoraphobia, "brain zaps". I suffered with each of these symptoms, thinking they were caused by other things. The "brain zaps" must have been some kind of weird sinus/ear infection. The anxiety must have started because I didn't properly deal with "depression". Insomnia and everything else must have been from the anxiety.Eventually the "brain zaps" went away. I started to gradually sleep better. The fear of germs later disappeared. But the anxiety and social/agoraphobia remained and intensified between the ages of 16 - 22. At that point I'd had enough and was started on another medication - Zoloft 25 mg daily. It seemed to work by blocking the sensation of panic. Only that didn't last very long. My body created other ways to express anxiety and panic attacks, (very disturbing sensations: cold chills or burning on extremities, sudden surge of panic,

instead of the gradual climb I'd experienced before Zoloft).At 26 I abruptly stopped Zoloft late in 2000 and had more severe symptoms than from Prozac - trembling that would not be calmed no matter what I tried, vomiting, diarrhea, increase in panic attacks and non-stop nervousness and new mental symptoms I would later learn were called depersonalization and derealization. I ended up on Celexa after that. Then Effexor. Then Doxepin. Each drug bringing more side effects and each withdrawal more severe than the last. I discontinued each of those abruptly. I waited out the last withdrawal (2004), having discontinued Doxepin by 10 mg at a time (usually spaced out 1 or 2 weeks between reductions). That was the only drug I'd ever tapered, and it was still too abrupt for my body's liking. I had withdrawal symptoms for nearly 16 months after Doxepin, but decided to stay drug-free. After the use of Prozac (the first drug I took), the so-called

"depression" I had had vanished. Only anxiety remained through the years, persisting despite being on medication and no one drug I tried ever helped. What was not known when I was 16, but was found 3 years ago, was that I have had Hashimoto's hypothyroiditis. That would certainly cause depressive symptoms if not treated. I could have been spared years of suffering and damage had that been known back then. And by damage, I mean to say that even though withdrawal (as lengthy as that last one was) is now over, I still suffer from hypoglycemia (drug-induced), hormone imbalances (drug-induced) and now neurological issues that leave me sensitive to loud noises, bright lights, stressful situations, unable to work or even travel further than a couple of miles from my home.So to reiterate, the initial withdrawal symptoms of brain zaps, insomnia, vomiting/diarrhea, trembling, any strange new fears (such as that of germs, or at one point, my own

body and internal organs), even fevers (forgot to mention that as being one of the withdrawal symptoms from Effexor and Doxepin), etc. have gone. The anxiety/phobias and sensory sensitivities have remained and intensified beyond withdrawal.Regarding what treatments have helped, high-potency vitamins/minerals and other supplements, Traditional Chinese herbs, homeopathy, meditation, etc. have made it possible for me to recover enough to be functional in my home and as a parent. And of course, being on thyroid medication has helped.It is my belief that, had I been properly diagnosed and treated for Hashi/hypothyroidism and never started taking Prozac (or any other SSRI), I would not have problems with panic/anxiety/phobias today. I would still be working full time and able to travel anywhere I wished to go. I would not have blood sugar issues or hormone imbalances. And I certainly wouldn't have neurological problems.I hope I haven't

written too much and that this information would be useful to you in your endeavors.Thank you for your time,

-- Regards,