SSRIs

[Ishraqiyun]

Has anyone here experience SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome? How strong did you find them to be?

Wikipedia:

"Symptoms described as "brain zaps", "brain shocks", "brain shivers", "head shocks", or "cranial zings" are a withdrawal symptom experienced during discontinuation (or reduction of dose) of antidepressant drugs.[3][4] The symptoms are widely variable in description and are of unknown etiology;[4] common descriptions include dizziness, electric shock-like sensations, sweating, nausea, insomnia, tremor, confusion, nightmares, and vertigo.[3][4] The MedDRA "preferred term" for coding these types of symptoms in adverse drug reaction reports (for use in pharmacovigilance databases such as under the Yellow Card Scheme) is paraesthesia.[5][6]"




Personally I've been shocked at how strong the withdrawals are. I've been taking SSRIs for about 10 years now so I guess it makes sense that it will take time to adjust to not taking them but this is pretty extreme. I wish doctors would have warned me up front when they first prescribed it though. Mood swings, rage, panic attacks, nightmares, hot flashes, brain zaps, all sorts of fun. I've been five days without them so far and I hope I have willpower to keep away. It would be so easy to just renew the prescription even though I'm in a better place in my life now and don't really need them. I also think they put a damper on my emotions in general which isn't that great.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSRI_discontinuation_syndrome#cite_note-5

 

[SplendidTree]

I would consult your doctor as soon as possible and go to the emergency room if you need to. I will pray for you.

 

[miss-a]

I weaned myself off and did it over a long period of time, reducing the dose over a couple of months. This way I had no bad reactions at all. It is too much of a shock for the body to go cold turkey. Please do consult your doc immediately. there is no need to go through these bad symptoms. Weaning works and is easy on the body.

Prayers,
a

 

[lindart]

I also get those nasty side effects. Just recently I thought that I was doing better so I weaned myself off of the SSRI's. Having gotten beyond the withdrawal symptoms I have gone into a depressive state again. It's difficult accepting that my depression is not just episodic anymore. I am grateful, however, that I have Jesus to help me. I can carry this little cross for there are so many who carry heavy, heavy crosses.

 

[Ishraqiyun]

I would consult your doctor as soon as possible and go to the emergency room if you need to. I will pray for you.

Actually another reason I choose last week to stop taking it is because the doctor made me mad . He wouldn't renew my prescription even though I was completely out until I made a an appointment with him. You need to keep the money flowing in to the doctors if you want a prescription I guess. I just said to heck with it. I've already gave them money for 10 years for a prescription I don't even need anymore.

 

[Ishraqiyun]

I also get those nasty side effects. Just recently I thought that I was doing better so I weaned myself off of the SSRI's. Having gotten beyond the withdrawal symptoms I have gone into a depressive state again.

I'm sorry to hear that. Was this shortly after you stopped taking them though? I'm willing to bear through at least a month or two in order to find out if I actually still need them. I'm wondering how long the withdrawals last though. I need to keep off them at least until the withdrawal effects are over to judge if they are still necessary or not. My depression wasn't incredibly severe even back in the days when I got put on them and I'm in an even better place in my life now. I really think long term use deadens your emotions and makes it hard to feel either the more extreme negative or positive feelings that make us who we are as people. I got really angry for the first time in a LONG time two days ago for example and it was kind of interesting. Strong emotions can might have a place.

 

[Saucy]

There was a time when I had to quit something because it was giving me suicidal thoughts and I had those brain zaps. It's part of the symptoms. I'm not going to say not to go to the doctor, but I don't know if there's anything a doctor will do about it. I will never, ever get on an SSRI again.

 

[lindart]

I'm sorry to hear that. Was this shortly after you stopped taking them though? I'm willing to bear through at least a month or two in order to find out if I actually still need them. I'm wondering how long the withdrawals last though. I need to keep off them at least until the withdrawal effects are over to judge if they are still necessary or not. My depression wasn't incredibly severe even back in the days when I got put on them and I'm in an even better place in my life now. I really think long term use deadens your emotions and makes it hard to feel either the more extreme negative or positive feelings that make us who we are as people. I got really angry for the first time in a LONG time two days ago for example and it was kind of interesting. Strong emotions can might have a place.

It's been almost 2 months. I am not even sure the meds helped with the depression but I know they helped the anxiety. I have an appointment today. I concede that I can't do this on my own as I have tried. As I mentioned in a previous post I do believe there is a definite biologic component so off to seek medical help!

 

[Ishraqiyun]

I'm not going to say not to go to the doctor, but I don't know if there's anything a doctor will do about it.

I kind of figured that. Just something you have to deal with for a while.

 

[edwardfsmith]

It was bad for about 1 week
And then slowly got better and was gone by 1 month

But I was only on them for a year
Not 10 years


going off slowly is a good idea unless you have bad side effect the whole time you are reducing dosage. LOL

The sideeffects do suck. But i could mostly still function.
For for headaches I would rest and relax or take something for them.

 

[Saucy]

Yeah I had to stop my meds and they shocks went away. They weren't harmful that I'm aware of. Just part of withdraw.

 

[Everlasting33]

Nutrition > meds

 

[this is a user name]

I went off my SSRIs after being on them for a few years. I went through the "zaps" and feelings of rage. When I had worked my way through that, I found myself severely depressed again. My depression is deep and thick. It does not relent to anything except the meds. It might be that you need the meds. Maybe not. But they are for a real medical condition. The word "depression" is very misleading. True depression feels like your brain is malfunctioning. Like something is completely amiss with your perception of reality. It does not feel like sadness. You might feel sad because you have "depression" but depression is not that.
If you are going off your meds then try to understand if you are truly depressed or if you were misdiagnosed. BTW, if your doc made you mad about the appointment for meds thing you could probably find another solution. 90 day supplies, Canada RX, etc.

 

[Ishraqiyun]

I want to find out one way or another and ceasing to take them is the only way I can think to do it. I may or may not need them now but I refuse to take something for the rest of my life under the assumption that I "might" need it especially when it seems to deaden my ability to perceive emotions in general. So many variables have changed since I was put on them as a crazy young party animal kid. Even time itself can be a cure. It's possible for some individuals to even "grow out of " (for lack of a better term) even clinical depression. I've seen it happen to others.

 

[Ishraqiyun]

Might sound strange or even be completely unrelated but food seems to taste a lot better now that I'm not on them. Like I'm tasting things for the first time. Very odd.

 

[Ishraqiyun]

Just to update. I'm past most of the negative withdraw effects and I feel wonderful. I feel like my brain is supercharged now. Like a heavy weight was lifted off my shoulders. I still occasionally feel like crying over the darndest things (everything is "awww how touching") but that's a rather minor effect that will probably go away eventually. I can't believe I put up with reduced feelings for so long when it wasn't necessary. It's nice being happy rather than "blah". I tend to think my original problem was more with anxiety than depression anyway. It was probably aggravated by my party lifestyle when I was younger.

 

[Noxot]

well that is good, I was getting really mad at how reality was there for a second. when a cure like that leads to more pain, it is not a cure at all imo.

the word cure is funny. if you add an "s" to it, it makes the word "curse"

anyways I still don't think that medicine is a help to me at all, how will i ever see who i am if I have to keep on altering the physical condition of who I am when the greater part of me, which is soul and spirit, is more important to me. I know the flesh can shape the soul and spirit in this world but I prefer to not have human hands touch me when i can, even if that means falling into the abyss. i'm probably from there anyways.

there is just too many annoying things you have to deal with when you have to rely on the weakness of human cures imo. and I prefer to not be shaped by those things.

I think the human understanding for what depression is is not correct. I do not believe that most humans understand how reality works. I guess the common belief is based on a purely physical existence, so I just watch it all fall apart from there.

 

[Ishraqiyun]

anyways I still don't think that medicine is a help to me at all, how will i ever see who i am if I have to keep on altering the physical condition of who I am when the greater part of me, which is soul and spirit, is more important to me. I know the flesh can shape the soul and spirit in this world but I prefer to not have human hands touch me when i can, even if that means falling into the abyss. i'm probably from there anyways.

I can see your point there. Suffering can be a learning experience but it's always easier to numb it if you can. Might not be the best move though. If someone is suicidal it make become a lesser of two evils though.

 

[Noxot]

I can see your point there. Suffering can be a learning experience but it's always easier to numb it if you can. Might not be the best move though. If someone is suicidal it make become a lesser of two evils though.

O yes I would not want someone to kill themselves. I don't know how much change can be made for a person that dies. I see suicide as no solution at all. I guess there is evil and good in human cures. besides most of the time no one is going to find any better help than human solutions.