New here - seeking support - SSRI withdrawal

[nayellie]

Hi there. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to write here, but I thought I'd introduce myself. I am 30 years old, have been suffering from anxiety, OCD and emetophobia for around 17 years. I am a mum of two beautiful children. I have recently been diagnosed with SSRI toxicity and need to come off the antidepressant which I have been on for 15 years on 200mg. I have been trying to search for a place to chat with others who may have been through SSRI withdrawal - I feel alone in all of this

[Guest_1055]

Hello nayellie

I am not going through any withdrawal from meds, so I can't relate to you there. But I wanted to say hello and give you a welcome hug anyway. So I hope that is OK....

Maybe there is others that you can relate to better and chat to about this here on the other forums. Is it OK for me to say, that maybe you should just take a look on the other forums you may find someone in a similar circumstances as yourself.

With many hugs

Shelley anne xx

[geoff]

dear Nayellie, thanks for posting your comment.

I'm sorry to know that you have high SSRI toxicity levels and one symptom could be vomiting or feeling nausea, which should have been picked up by having regular blood tests, and by saying this have you considered changing doctors, because it's a serious matter and should always be monitored.

Being on such a high dose could mean that you will need help with your withdrawals, because there's a possibility that your OCD which is anxiety could only become worse, so your doctor will need to help you through stopping this medication.

Can I ask you how long before you stopped taking them and what your doctor has done to help you. Geoff. x

[aingeal]

Hi nayellie,

Coming off a SSRI medication can be a tough ride and discontinuation symptoms can cause havoc on you physically and mentally at varying degrees.

I went through discontinuation a couple of times when trying to find what worked for me. The symptoms came on within a couple of days of not having a dose at the level I had previously been on. Some things that I experienced were anxiety and a sense of having the jitters, not being able to sit still, crankiness, head buzzies or the fuzzies (some call them brain zaps), feeling generally ill, crying or emotional- it may be different for you. Mine lasted up to a week at a time, hitting me badly around day 3 and 4, then easing off. The brain fuzzies are usually the last to go for me.

I hope that your situation allows for you to be able to wean instead of stopping abruptly as weaning is a better option, but due to your medical condition I'm not sure if that is an option for you.

Make sure the people you surround yourself with understand what is going and who can support you. Jump in here and let us know how you are doing. Talk to your Dr's on how you are doing and if they can provide anything to lesson the discontinuation symptoms.

Whether it be moment by moment or hour by hour or day by day, you'll get through it.

 livelife xx

ange

[MisterM]

Hi nayellie,
200mg dose seems so high, is this a typo that was meant to be 20mg?
I dread when I have to come off them next month, don't look forward to coming off side effects.
If I get accepted into a uni course I will start the same time as I withdraw, how will I cope I ask myself.

[KTOCD]

Hi nayellie,

im thinking 200mg may be a typo to? 20mg sounds better. I suffer withdrawal symptoms if I miss a dose or come off meds. The trick is to wean off them very slowly. I had much more success with this. I get brain zaps / flicks, nausea and vomiting fairly badly. The slower you can wean off meds, the better.

good luck for it. I know it feels bad but you will start to feel better eventually. 

KT

[geoff]

dear Nayellie, could you please google this 'can I change antidepressants straight away from one to another', because as I have said on a number of occasions that my doctor transferred me over from one AD to another one straight away, for 2 reasons, firstly because she didn

[Ladyhawke]

Hi nayellie, 

​I had a very bad withdrawal from an SSRI in 2000. I had been taking the maximum dose of 60mg (3 tablets) for about 18 months when my then psychiatrist decided I should try an SNRI. He took me off the 3 tablets over a period of 3 days.  I later found out I should have tapered them off over a period of 3 weeks.

I had the most awful withdrawal symptoms: dizziness, walking into walls, nausea, headaches, headshocks and tingling in my extremities.  I was unable to leave my house for just over 2 weeks. When I contacted my then psychiatrist, he kept telling me the withdrawal symptoms would gradually ease, which they did, but for more than 2 weeks I felt like hell.

I am under the care of a different psychiatrist and any drug withdrawals have been done very gradually and the symptoms have been quite tolerable.

I would urge you to withdraw under medical advise and don't go it alone. When I have withdrawn from meds my current psychiatrist always keeps a check on my progress/symptoms and there is the reassurance of having medical backup.

Best wishes,

lh