Hello forum... 

 

A have copy pasted my storry from a facebook gruop.... Hope it makes senes... 

 

UPDATE

I think it’s a couple of months since I made the post below. Over the course of those months, things have ONLY continued to go downhill.

I am now lying in bed about 22 hours a day, and every single symptom is still getting worse.

I have still NOT had a single window or break — 24/7 TORTURE!!!!
I lie in the fetal position, writhing and crying!
SCREAMING in desperation over being trapped inside myself and being able to do NOTHING to get relief or a break… NOTHING!!!

Long-term effects CANNOT possibly destroy a human being THIS extremely!??

I would rather D.. a thousand times than live like this!!!! 

I need a fucking miracle, prayers 🙏🙏🙏

Claus 
---------------------------------------

How the hell can you know whether it’s the medication that has caused / is causing your condition!?
Can it be documented in any way at all!?(Apart from the fact that they started at the same time I took them)

Now, about a 14 months after tapering off (everything was removed in 14 days), my condition is still declining, and I have not experienced any “windows” or breaks at any point…
Which is not normal for tapering, or for post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS)  from psychiatric medication!??? 

It feels more like brain damage… But the MRI scan is fine!??? 

----------

This is not only my account of psychiatric medication, but also of an insane course in psychiatry:

It all startet In November 2023 with an admission to a psychiatric ward due to fairly ordinary stress… ( I was fully functional, unemployed at the time, but otherwise active in the labor market – I exercised every day, was active in community associations, had friends and family… living a completely "normal" life.  Had NONE off these symptoms, NONE!).

They believed it was depression at first… And afterwards, it was diagnosed as ADHD… 
I became worse almost from day one, my sleep deteriorated, and then they said they needed to help with that as well — sleeping pills, benzodiazepines, antipsychotics (for sleep!?)… and it had the complete opposite effect!!! 
They kept increasing the doses and combining the different medications, even though I kept saying that I was getting worse and worse…But no one fucking listened, it was almost turned against me, as if I didn’t want help or wasn’t willing to cooperate… Even though it was obvious to anyone with eyes in their head just by looking at my behavior…
Overall, I became worse and worse and ended up being hospitalized for almost one and a half year!!!
(I was only home for 3 months in the summer of 2024, but I was already so messed up that my family had me hospitalized again!) 
-I only remember that it gets worse and worse the more medication I am given—so bad that I eventually beg them to stop the medication. They do stop it, BUT then the message suddenly becomes that I don’t actually suffer from anything at all, and that the reason I am still hospitalized is “because of the setting/structure.” WTF… I am lying in bed 24/7, practically crying in agony!! This happens at the beginning of 2024… and I am then transferred to a rehabilitation ward. The problem is that I am so unbelievably unwell that I am absolutely unable to participate in any form of rehabilitation at all. I cannot tolerate existing, and every single day I beg for medical help… but it is completely ignored. (After all, I “don’t suffer from anything,” which was the message from where I came from.) I end up being there for 5 months… almost entirely confined to my room, being tortured. I do NOT get better in any way during this time… All the symptoms I had developed from/on psychiatric medication… persisted and persisted…
-What is even more insane is that they tell my family that I am fine, and that it is ONLY when they visit me that I feel this way… A complete outright lie.
(To this day, my family still believes that it is ONLY when they are here that I feel this bad, and that it is because of them… Which is completely, completely wrong. It is 24/7!) 
-After 5 months, I am sent home with the message that I am finished with treatment… without having received any form of treatment at all!??
-I am being referred to the local Psychiatry after being sent home… I go there about 5 times, I don’t know if it’s therapy or what it is, but I can barely manage or participate in dialogue, I am FAR too bad at it, which is also their conclusion… So I am being discharged!!!
I have now become too sick and too unwell to be in psychiatry…

During hospitalization, I attempted suicide twice.
One of the attempts was extremely severe (it is a miracle that I survived). Both attempts were 1000% certainly a reaction to psychiatric medication / antipsychotics (prescribed for sleep). I became completely psychotic and deranged, totally detached from reality, and had no idea what I was doing.
(Which I CLEARLY stated again and again afterwards, but it was NEVER taken seriously, and the same medication was still offered to me as PRN!!!)
I had NEVER had a single suicidal thought before I came into contact with psychiatry / psychiatric medication!!

I was discharged in a condition 1000 times worse than the one I was admitted in — completely tortured and unable to care for myself, barely able to walk…
-I can document this with photos/videos (before and after)

It is an insanely long and complicated process… And I have a really hard time remembering the exact timeline. 

I have been so severely affected that during the course of this process I have been granted disability retirement (I was working shortly before hospitalization) and have been assigned residential support 7 hours daily here at home!

But as mentioned, the condition is the same and continues to worsen…

Living hell… 24/7 with NO breaks…

-----------

I don’t know what the fuck I’ve been hit by, or whether there is a connection to all the psychiatric medication I’ve been given, but I know that none of these symptoms were present before I came into contact with psychiatry and was given psychotropic medication.
I just know that none of the examinations so far have shown anything (MRI of the brain, spinal tap, blood tests…). Whether that is enough to rule out everything else, I do not myself have the professional expertise to determine — do others know this!?

But no one in psychiatry can answer this, or knows anything about it… other than telling me that it’s “unthinkable”!

------------

My symptoms:

Extreme sleep problems: I don’t sleep at all, and haven’t for a very long time. (This has been going on since around mid‑2024… NOT a single night of real sleep since then, and not once have I felt sleepiness set in!!) 
-I pee into a container in my bed because I am saw disconnectet/blank. 
-I “sleep” at most 2 hours a night, and it doesn’t feel like sleep at all — NO REM sleep; it feels more like being unconscious for a few minutes at a time. It’s as if my brain is just ON 24/7, locked in a wakeful state that cannot be changed (EVERYTHING has been tried, EVERYTHING).
-I cant become normally sleepy or fall asleep.!!! Impossible!!! 
-The worst torture imaginable—one thing is not being able to sleep, but being awake 24/7 WITHOUT any breaks is indescribable torture!!”
-I’m just lying there with my eyes open, staring blankly into the air, COMPLETELY disconnected from the present and almost completely paralyzed… like being in a kind of living coma… I can lie like this for 12–16 hours… noticing nothing… phone ringing, podcasts, etc… ONLY when someone physically comes by am I able to come slightly out of it… and even then it takes several hours. It’s so fucking terrifying!!
-I don’t know how it is even physically and biologically possible that I am still alive, but MAYBE it can explain some of the other symptoms and the overall condition—I honestly don’t know myself.

A constant "pressure/feeling" in my head — especially in the front of the skull/forehead, which feels completely wrong in a way that’s hard to describe, but ill try - For a long time, the skull itself/the frontal area felt inflamed and sore, but now the entire front of the skull feels almost like stone and completely dead inside… It doesn’t feel at all like the back half, which feels ‘normal.
-It feels and is experienced as if the entire front of the brain is being ‘attacked/consumed’ and then quietly dies afterwards… (yes, I sound insane, BUT that’s how I would describe it).
-I constantly hold my head / forehead; my hand is there all the time.
-In no way like a classic throbbing headache, migraine, etc… And NOTHING painkillers have helped at all.

A VERY loud, high-pitched electrical tone in my head, 24/7 The sound comes from inside my head, so I can’t use earplugs — thats makes it worse! I don’t hear voices or anything inside my head.... NO silence ever... Cant describe what kind off tourture this is... 
-Extremely loud sensory input; I am completely unable to localize sounds when outdoors (cars, etc.), resulting in overwhelming confusion.
-At the same time, external sounds sound completely wrong, as if one has earplugs in after being at a swimming pool (but without any sensation of having something in the ears).
-I would equate it to being screamed into the head 24/7… SCREAMED!!!”
-It’s like being ‘trapped’ inside your own head... NONE STOP 24/7 since 2024!

Severe vision problems: extreme blurry, tunnel, delayed, hard to focus, “lagging” vision.
-I personally believe that I am affected by everything one can possibly be affected by when it comes to insane visual disturbances/phenomena… And new ones keep appearing all the time, and the visual image is constantly changing.
-I have NEVER used drugs, but my best guess is that this is how the world would be experienced visually on some insane substance, LSD, mushrooms, or the like… Fuck, it’s terrifying!!
-When it’s dark, the amount of ‘snow’ is completely insane… I think it’s called ‘visual snow.’... I can’t even see or perceive the darkness because of all the ‘snow’… EVERYTHING on the phone becomes completely blurred, I can’t see anything.
-I do not see things that aren’t there — no delusions or hallucinations.
-getting worse day by day… 

My memory and ability to think are almost gone. I struggle to find words and have conversations… it’s completely empty inside, and nothing comes out. Its really feels as if there is no activity at all — just emptiness. It’s so frightening!
And I can’t remember or find any coherence in things at all — it honestly feels most like a kind of dementia.
-It’s getting worse day by day

I feel like I’m about to pass out most of the time, like my consciousness is slipping. It’s SO unpleasant!!”
-It feels as though my normal capacity is 100, yet I am continuously operating at 1200. (Indescribable).
-Normal stress is incomparable to this experience. 
-I can’t tolerate any stimulation — talking, listening, watching TV, reading. My brain feels like meltdown instantly.
-I absolutely cannot tolerate being around people… It feels like torture just to hear them talk — that’s how much pressure my brain is under.

I am SO confused that it almost feels like having been knocked out in boxing and ‘floating around’ inside afterwards — TOTAL confusion, and I absolutely cannot figure out what is up or down, and not least… the PRESENT moment!!
-As if I’m walking around in some kind of trance/hypnosis.. SO terrifying!!
-It’s as if I’ve completely lost control over myself. (DP/DR, some kind)

GENERALLY, there is hardly a single part of my body that isn’t affected in some way... EVERYTHING feels and functions wrong!!
-My heart is beating strongly, and it can be both seen and felt in the upper abdominal area, completely unlike how it normally was... I can just sense that something is not as it should be... However, my pulse and blood pressure are relatively normal. 
-Extreme shallow breathing, and it feels completely wrong, hard to describe exactly how, Often, I also gasp for air in a peculiar way, definitely not a normal way (I also don’t sense the cold air in my nose/mouth/lungs, NOTHING!).
-My body feels wrong, like something is total wrong inside. 
-My body feels like lead, and my arms and legs shake uncontrollably just from standing up.
-And my entire inner self feels electric/wrong, in a very unpleasant way!
-At the same time, I am COMPLETELY drained of strength and energy, there are NO power!!! 
-My stomach also feels completely wrong (it’s not upset), it just feels like something is completely off in there. (Not like hunger or normal pain.)
-Tingling in the fingers/hands… pressure in the chest… very sore neck… arms that feel so weird/wrong, 
-The eyes feel pressure and are painful/sore.
-My back/lower back feels strange and sore/uncomfortable.

No appetite and strong aversion to food.
-I can’t even feel that I’m eating; I get NO effect or energy from it.
-Vomiting intermittently and in periods; rarely anything comes up — not even stomach acid. It honestly feels more like the body is trying to throw itself up.
-I can drink endless amounts, I can’t quench my thirst, I can keep going and going… (I don’t have diabetes and I’m not deficient in vitamins). I don’t drink coffee, tea, soda, alcohol, or energy drinks—primarily just water.
-I do NOT sense/feel the effects of coffee (caffeine), candy (sugar), cigarettes (nicotine), etc… NOTHING!
-The same goes for alcohol (tried once in 2 years… NO intoxication or anything like that)

Zero libido; can’t get an erection, and even forced ejaculation feels like nothing. Like NOTHING, no sensations in either body or mind, completely dead.
-Apart from that, the very desire itself is also completely gone.
-I feel NO connection with other people, barely sense their presence.

NO feelings at all, not a single one, completely detached and emotionless.
-Cant feel endorphines, adrenaline, fight or fligt, dopamin, serotonin. Etc. 
-Not even anxiety… panic or anything at all… NOTHING (I know what anxiety feels like, I have experienced both a fear of flying and a fear of heights before.) 

Cant feel my body temp. I can tell from my body that it is cold, but I can’t actually feel it. The same goes for heat (couldn’t feel warmth all summer, NOTHING!).
-My sense of smell is also completely gone; I can only faintly smell a deodorant—very faintly. I can’t smell cigarette smoke, for example.
-Food doesn’t taste like anything either.

At no point have I been normally ill with fever or anything like that… even though I have actually done everything I could to try to get it, in the desperate hope that it would be able to cleanse/reset everything

It feels and is experienced as total exhaustion, both physically and mentally, and I have no “pause button.” I can’t find any inner calm or real sleep… pure torture!
And COMPLETE offline and dead inside... In every possible way... 

I haven’t been outside for almost a month (Very few times, very short walks/drives, TRYING, but it’s total torture. (EVERYTHING is amplified outside — impressions, physical capability, etc.)

Besides that, I’ve lost all faith and any desire to live. I can’t see any “gift” or meaning in life anymore; the things that used to give me purpose are now completely gone and meaningless.
-I can no longer define what joy is, and I absolutely cannot remember how it feels or is experienced, etc.

Psychologically speaking, I have the biggest trauma in the world from my course in psychiatry. It almost haunts me in my thoughts, and I react completely insanely physically when I get close to the area where it is located.

Constant suicidal thoughts and the desire to end it all. I absolutely cannot see any other way out. I see myself as FORCED to act in order to escape this torture hell.
-And I absolutely do not understand why society does not help people at this point (active assisted dying), when they CANNOT help them in any other way

Basically I’m lying here praying to God to have a cardiac arrest, so it happens in a ‘natural’ way. Sad, but unfortunately 100 percent true… my only wish!!

NO joy or positive experiences since 2024… Not a single minute. Every single second has been pure torture, which has ONLY gotten worse and worse day by day. 

------------

Medication reactions:

Every single time I take medication, something insane happens. It seriously feels as if a chemical reaction occurs in my body/brain, and it is experienced exactly like being poisoned—some reactions worse than others! But no matter what, there is NOT a single medication that works against what it is supposed to treat… Whether it’s :

-sleeping pills
-benzodiazepines
-painkillers,
-antidepressants,
-antihistamines,
-melatonin…
-(antipsychotics are COMPLETELY terrible).

I have not taken anything at all for several months now, but on a few occasions I have tried (with sleeping pills, benzodiazepines, melatonin) to get some sleep… Yet there is NO effect and the same insane reactions!

How the hell is this even possible!?? Do I have some kind of defect/deficiency in my system?? It absolutely cannot be random

-----------

Tests done:

MRI brain (June): normal

Lumbar puncture: normal

Blood tests: normal

Tested for sleep apnea, its NOT it...

.................... 

Natural medicine and treatment methods :

Over the past six months, I have tried numerous dietary supplements, including B12 tablets, iron, circumin, multivitamins, vitamins C and D, various forms of magnesium, fish oil, tyrosine, tryptophan, CoQ10, and ‘Clear Your Brain’ (not taken simultaneously, but in small combinations). There has been NO benefit; on the contrary, my condition has continued to worsen.
-And I am not apparently deficient in anything either, according to the doctor

I have undergone numerous interventions, including neurofeedback (20 sessions), acupuncture, oxygen therapy (Sana), body massage, Nada, reflexology, all therapeutic modalities, Countless paid online programs. Countless psychologists and psychotherapists (I am no longer able to participate), Healing with a psychic. Conversations with the priest / prayers, various forms of meditation, and spiritual healing.
-NONE of these have produced any effect.

The internet/YouTube has been scoured for sleep aid methods… EVERYTHING has been tried… NOTHING has helped at all… Nothing!

----------

I don’t touch alcohol, drugs, cannabis, or anything else at all.... 

----------

You are welcome to send a PM.

Welcome to the forum!

 

This is a volunteer-run, community forum aimed at helping those who are tapering and/or experiencing difficulties with psychiatric medications and withdrawl syndrome. We are not medical professionals and cannot offer medical advice. We simply offer support and opinions which you could use as talking points with a medical provider knowledgeable in withdrawing off psychiatric medications.

 

Please familiarise yourself with the forum rules and the disclaimer located here: Guidelines

 

Please make sure your signature is kept up to date with your drug history. This will allow members to see some basic information about your drug history and situation so that they may help you best. Information on how to do this is located in the FAQs section above, but here is a direct link: Update Signature

Once this is done, future posts made by you will have this signature turned on by default. For this reason please keep it clear but condensed as possible.

I'm so sorry to read about the tough time you've had recently you will find plenty of support here for sure.

 

In the mean time this is what I would do if I were you:

 

-Stay Hydrated 

 

-Eat a good clean whole food diet, avoiding processed foods and sugars.

 

-Stay away from caffeine, alcohol and antihistamines and any other psychoactive substances.

 

Supplements are to be avoided initially, as they often irritate our nervous systems. Try to get your nutrition through food.

 

Down the line, you may wish to introduce Fish Oil and Magnesium. Those who can tolerate them have found them calming to the nervous system. Be careful try one at a time and start low and see how you get on should you choose to try them.

 

A daily walk is very important as much as you can manage, if you can manage it. Gets you your fresh air and Vitamin D does wonders for your mind! If you cannot manage this, it might be beneficial to try to get outdoors for a small amount of time each day, if possible.

 

Your signature simply says "almost everything". It is very difficult to establish what you are currently taking (if anything?), or whether you have since ceased intake of psychiatric medications and what date that was.

 

Please could you provide us with this information? You can comment it rather than updating your signature at this stage if that is easier:

• Are you currently taking any psychiatric medications? If so, which ones and at what doses?
• If you are not, which ones did you stop taking and when was that?

 

As far as I can work out from your post, you "have not taken anything for several months". Is this accurate? If so, being a few months off of psychiatric medications is very early, and there is plenty of scope for recovery in time whilst being drug free.

 

Thank you, I hope that you find this forum helpful and supportive.

Hi @Claus

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

Im so sorry to read your story above. Its awful what you are going through.

 

Are you at home now?

 

Sounds like you are not taking anything now? Just occasional use benzos for sleep which aren't helping?

 

I hate what has happened to you and yes 100% this is all the meds that have done this IMO.

 

Unfortunately there isnt much you can do at this point apart from hold and let your system slowly heal. Which it will my friend. Take such a long but slowly slowly you'll start to improve.

 

Main thing is to not take anything else and let your system recover. 

 

Supplements should be avoided as Luke said and anything psychoactive just dont touch it. Good food and lots and lots of time.

 

Your story has really touched me. Im so sorry.

 

You have found friends here.

 

I hope you find this site supportive.

 

Chippy

8 hours ago, Chippy said:

Hi @Claus

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

Im so sorry to read your story above. Its awful what you are going through.

 

Are you at home now?

 

Sounds like you are not taking anything now? Just occasional use benzos for sleep which aren't helping?

 

I hate what has happened to you and yes 100% this is all the meds that have done this IMO.

 

Unfortunately there isnt much you can do at this point apart from hold and let your system slowly heal. Which it will my friend. Take such a long but slowly slowly you'll start to improve.

 

Main thing is to not take anything else and let your system recover. 

 

Supplements should be avoided as Luke said and anything psychoactive just dont touch it. Good food and lots and lots of time.

 

Your story has really touched me. Im so sorry.

 

You have found friends here.

 

I hope you find this site supportive.

 

Chippy

 

Thx 🙏 

 

I am home yes... 

 

I don’t know for certain what I was given and in which doses… But in late 2023 and throughout all of 2024 I was more or less a guinea pig in a psychiatric ward.
Every single medication has ONLY made my condition worse.
As far as I remember:
Venlafaxine 260 mg (for depression).
Three different kinds of medication for ADHD (a diagnosis that has since been removed… WTF!?).
For sleep:
Oxazepam, lorazepam, olanzapine, quetiapine, mirtazapine, Truxal, zopiclone, zolpidem — in various combinations.
I was not tapered off a single medication during that entire year.
And in late 2024, EVERYTHING was removed within 14 days!!!
In 2025 I have desperately tried quetiapine a few times (maybe 10 times in total) to help with sleep. It did nothing — instead I had insane side effects.
My doctor chose to try sertraline in November. I was on 25 mg for 14 days and 50 mg for 10 days. I ONLY got worse!!!
I was not tapered off that either — it was just stopped abruptly.
 

 

 

10 hours ago, Luke said:

Welcome to the forum!

 

This is a volunteer-run, community forum aimed at helping those who are tapering and/or experiencing difficulties with psychiatric medications and withdrawl syndrome. We are not medical professionals and cannot offer medical advice. We simply offer support and opinions which you could use as talking points with a medical provider knowledgeable in withdrawing off psychiatric medications.

 

Please familiarise yourself with the forum rules and the disclaimer located here: Guidelines

 

Please make sure your signature is kept up to date with your drug history. This will allow members to see some basic information about your drug history and situation so that they may help you best. Information on how to do this is located in the FAQs section above, but here is a direct link: Update Signature

Once this is done, future posts made by you will have this signature turned on by default. For this reason please keep it clear but condensed as possible.

I'm so sorry to read about the tough time you've had recently you will find plenty of support here for sure.

 

In the mean time this is what I would do if I were you:

 

-Stay Hydrated 

 

-Eat a good clean whole food diet, avoiding processed foods and sugars.

 

-Stay away from caffeine, alcohol and antihistamines and any other psychoactive substances.

 

Supplements are to be avoided initially, as they often irritate our nervous systems. Try to get your nutrition through food.

 

Down the line, you may wish to introduce Fish Oil and Magnesium. Those who can tolerate them have found them calming to the nervous system. Be careful try one at a time and start low and see how you get on should you choose to try them.

 

A daily walk is very important as much as you can manage, if you can manage it. Gets you your fresh air and Vitamin D does wonders for your mind! If you cannot manage this, it might be beneficial to try to get outdoors for a small amount of time each day, if possible.

 

Your signature simply says "almost everything". It is very difficult to establish what you are currently taking (if anything?), or whether you have since ceased intake of psychiatric medications and what date that was.

 

Please could you provide us with this information? You can comment it rather than updating your signature at this stage if that is easier:

• Are you currently taking any psychiatric medications? If so, which ones and at what doses?
• If you are not, which ones did you stop taking and when was that?

 

As far as I can work out from your post, you "have not taken anything for several months". Is this accurate? If so, being a few months off of psychiatric medications is very early, and there is plenty of scope for recovery in time whilst being drug free.

 

Thank you, I hope that you find this forum helpful and supportive.

Thx for the reply 

 

 

I don’t know for certain what I was given and in which doses… But in late 2023 and throughout all of 2024 I was more or less a guinea pig in a psychiatric ward.
Every single medication has ONLY made my condition worse.
As far as I remember:
Venlafaxine 260 mg (for depression).
Three different kinds of medication for ADHD (a diagnosis that has since been removed… WTF!?).
For sleep:
Oxazepam, lorazepam, olanzapine, quetiapine, mirtazapine, Truxal, zopiclone, zolpidem — in various combinations.
I was not tapered off a single medication during that entire year.
And in late 2024, EVERYTHING was removed within 14 days!!!
In 2025 I have desperately tried quetiapine a few times (maybe 10 times in total) to help with sleep. It did nothing — instead I had insane side effects.
My doctor chose to try sertraline in November. I was on 25 mg for 14 days and 50 mg for 10 days. I ONLY got worse!!!
I was not tapered off that either — it was just stopped abruptly.
 

At the moment I am taking nothing. As mentioned, I have been more or less off everything since late 2024.
I have tried a lot of dietary supplements, including fish oil and magnesium. Nothing has ever helped — my condition has ONLY gotten worse day by day.
I know that this is not a medical clinic, etc., and that you cannot diagnose anything. But one full year WITHOUT medication and still a worsening, downward condition, without a single window along the way, no longer seems plausible!??

Hello @Claus, I am so sorry to hear what happened to you and about your present suffering. I have no advice for you, just want to tell you that I have heard you. 
 

Hello!

 

I just wanted to reach out to say how sorry I am that you’re going through this, and to offer my support.

 

While I don’t have experience with those specific medications or symptoms, I did want to share one suggestion. I know many people (myself included) who have dealt with a cascade of random, on-and-off symptoms with no clear trigger—sometimes environmental, sometimes bodily, sometimes medication induced, sometimes seemingly for no reason at all. For example, I struggled with severe fatigue and joint pain that just wouldn’t go away.

 

One thing that helped me was DNRS (Dynamic Neural Retraining System). It’s somewhat similar to some of the approaches you mentioned trying, and while I can’t say whether it would be helpful for you, I wanted to share it as something that genuinely helped me with unexplained symptoms as a non-drug option.

 

Sending you my thoughts and support.

@Claus. Welcome...not to hell. But to hope! I have been in the hell-like places you describe.  Medical malpractice is what it is. I hurt for you. You are not the problem. It's the meds. Your body is trying to fix what was done to you. It's at war. That's why it feels like hell. 

 

I wish I knew what to do to reduce the suffering..I mostly just lie around...can't get enough clarity of thought to accomplish anything.  Writing on here helps. Thanks for being here.

13 hours ago, Claus said:

 

Thx 🙏 

 

I am home yes... 

 

I don’t know for certain what I was given and in which doses… But in late 2023 and throughout all of 2024 I was more or less a guinea pig in a psychiatric ward.
Every single medication has ONLY made my condition worse.
As far as I remember:
Venlafaxine 260 mg (for depression).
Three different kinds of medication for ADHD (a diagnosis that has since been removed… WTF!?).
For sleep:
Oxazepam, lorazepam, olanzapine, quetiapine, mirtazapine, Truxal, zopiclone, zolpidem — in various combinations.
I was not tapered off a single medication during that entire year.
And in late 2024, EVERYTHING was removed within 14 days!!!
In 2025 I have desperately tried quetiapine a few times (maybe 10 times in total) to help with sleep. It did nothing — instead I had insane side effects.
My doctor chose to try sertraline in November. I was on 25 mg for 14 days and 50 mg for 10 days. I ONLY got worse!!!
I was not tapered off that either — it was just stopped abruptly.
 

 

 

Hey Claus

 

So Glad you are home. Best place for you. 🙂 

 

Im so sorry for all this. Your system has been through so much. 

 

No it wasnt good to try anything else, as you found out it only made things worse. Im sorry. Stopping them abruptly in my opinion here wasn't a bad thing. I NEVER say that ever. But in this case I think they were only harming you can by stopping sertraline quickly you hopefully escaped more dependance and then having to taper it after.....

 

13 hours ago, Claus said:

At the moment I am taking nothing. As mentioned, I have been more or less off everything since late 2024.
I have tried a lot of dietary supplements, including fish oil and magnesium. Nothing has ever helped — my condition has ONLY gotten worse day by day.
I know that this is not a medical clinic, etc., and that you cannot diagnose anything. But one full year WITHOUT medication and still a worsening, downward condition, without a single window along the way, no longer seems plausible!??

Good to hear you are free from any drugs. Stay off the supplements. Coffee alcohol antihistamines any thing psychoactive. 

 

What you are going through is more than plausible. We see it all the time. It can take a long long time to recover from this kind of harm. You are doing incredibly well and we are all in awe of your strength. You will improve over time it is what is seen in the community. 

 

You've found family here and we understand. Have a good read of a few links which might help.....

 

Chippy

 

Immediate adverse reactions to ADs after only a few doses

 

Acceptance is key

 

Sleep in WD

 

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

Important topics about symptoms, including sleep problems

 

Important topics about tests, supplements, treatments, diet

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

Symptoms and self-care

 

Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms

 

Easing your way into meditation for a stressed-out nervous system

 

Music for self-care: calms hyperalertness, anxiety, aids relaxation and sleep

 

"Is it always going to be like this?"

13 hours ago, Claus said:

I know that this is not a medical clinic, etc., and that you cannot diagnose anything. But one full year WITHOUT medication and still a worsening, downward condition, without a single window along the way, no longer seems plausible!??

 

We see it all the time, unfortunately. It is very plausible.

 

I was struggling to walk and talk at various points at 1.5 years off of taking just one psychiatric drug for a few months. I'm nearly 3 years off and although I'm not longer disabled and doing significantly better, I am struggling a lot.

 

Recovery from these drugs can take a significant amount of time, and introducing a new one at a full dose for a few weeks at around a year off is very risky.

 

There is significant precedent for healing from these medications whilst staying off of them, but it often does take a long time, and making seemingly no progress in the first year seems fairly common as well, which as above, has been complicated by adding in a new drug for a few weeks.

Hi @Claus

 

Im so sorry to hear about your suffering. As everybody has told you, things really do get better, time is the answer. Unfortunately none of us can tell you how long that will take. You’ve been given some solid advice about avoiding medications, supplements, alcohol, caffeine etc.

I know it may not feel it but your body is fighting its way back, day by day. You just need to step forward each day, do whatever it takes to get through these days and eventually things should start to improve. 
Even on the hardest days, try to get out for a walk in nature if possible. I know you say that walking outside is overstimulating, could you walk in the evenings when things are a little quieter maybe? 
 

@Claus so sorry to hear that youre going through such a rough time, i could definitely relate to some of the symptoms you have and theyre awful. just try to hang in there because im sure that things will get better eventually. im over 1 year into withdrawal and have also been back on medication for most of that period. ive found relief to some of my symptoms but the most severe ones still remain, it might take a while but im sure that youll get better over time just dont give up even if it feels like hell. we're all here for you!

Hi @Claus

 

Just stopping by to see how you are?

 

Thinking of you Chippy. 

42 minutes ago, Chippy said:

Hi @Claus

 

Just stopping by to see how you are?

 

Thinking of you Chippy. 

Joining in @Claus it would be great to hear how things are going for you? ❣️

 

Edited April 1Apr 1 by Fullhealing

I want to know too how Claus is doing. Hopefully better!

Yes, @Claus , we are thinking of you!