That makes sense to me. People do surf out on the east coast where I am, but I can't handle the cold water. I do try to end my showers with a shock of cold water, which does seem to help a bit. And I agree about cardio -- I don't do a ton of it, but I use my bike to get around the city here and the endorphins are helpful.

 

I'm taking it day by day. The worst symptom for me right now is intense brain fog. It just makes it impossible for me to concentrate on anything or to use any coping skills. And I keep forgetting to do basic tasks and getting confused about simple things, which makes me feel like I've lost my mind. But I just keep telling myself every day that it's temporary and I'll get through it.

 

How are you? 

Fair enough! Hey i think (dont take this the wrong way) if brain fog is your worst enemy right now then count yourself among the lucky ones! It definitely will ease in time.

As for me i’m waiting for some stabilization. Have a lot of symptoms but right now they’re at a somewhat manageable level. I absolutely have to retain my ability to work, and its not something I can just coast through cause I own the business and its the sole source of income for my family and 18 month old daughter. So it’s a balance. Some days are very tough and others i can distract myself through completely.

Still not 100% sure what the prednisone/5htp messed up in my system, but just hoping it manages to heal up as i slowly taper

56 minutes ago, Talltreescoldseas said:

absolutely have to retain my ability to work, and its not something I can just coast through cause I own the business and its the sole source of income for my family and 18 month old daughter. So it’s a balance. Some days are very tough and others i can distract myself through completely.

I worked through WD and recovery as well since my job carried the health insurance for my family. Many days were stressful, (impostor syndrome, agitation, etc.) but in some ways it was therapeutic. For those 9 hours, I had to focus on something other than my negative thinking and anxiety symptoms. I think it helped me get through it a little easier.

Thanks. That’s kinda where i am right now. It does help having the focus and distraction. As well as keeping myself convinced that I CAN do this because I am.

3 hours ago, Talltreescoldseas said:

Hey i think (dont take this the wrong way) if brain fog is your worst enemy right now then count yourself among the lucky ones! It definitely will ease in time.

I totally understand -- though it's still brutal, and not the only thing I'm dealing with, having read through other people's stories I definitely know many are having a much worse time. But thanks for the positive words. I know things will get better for you too, and sounds like you're doing an amazing job supporting your family through all this.

Unfortunately work for me is one of my biggest stressors -- after my initial breakdown I tried to go back to work just part-time back in October, but it made my anxiety symptoms skyrocket to the point that I had to go back on leave. It's made me realize that the type of work I was doing probably isn't for me, so once I'm feeling better again I think I'll have to look for something different. But I'm trying not to think too far ahead, and I definitely know I'm lucky that I can take the time off to heal.

I totally get the work stress thing. For me, before i knew what had happened i was assuming that work had pushed me over the edge but it really didnt make much sense as i do love what i do. It’s super stressful, but in the past it’s what made me thrive. I chase that, and revel in it (which means good stress, like climbing) and it took a while to remember that and stabilize enough to be able to get back to it.

I think finding something where you can work and interact with people you like is the biggest thing. I happen to have a bunch of people i work with that are super positive and happy and really ready to help and support. Thats been a key for me. So i’d encourage you to start thinking hard about what you’d like to do! Dont go looking yet but do some deep searching. Use it as an opportunity to reset

Update:

Ugh jesus. Slipped into a rough wave yesterday. Went downhill for most of the day and ended with a debilitating migraine and loss of proper motor control of my legs and fingers. Weakness and twitching and inability to balance correctly. So i popped a melatonin and went to bed. We’ll see what today brings…

Hoping today is better, @Talltreescoldseas Recovery is hard because it isn't linear--the ups and downs can be very troubling but you can make it!

@Talltreescoldseas Fellow South Islander here...I hope that yesterday was just a blip on the screen and that you're doing better today. It's hard when this stuff comes seemingly out of the blue.

3 hours ago, Treefrog said:

@Talltreescoldseas Fellow South Islander here...I hope that yesterday was just a blip on the screen and that you're doing better today. It's hard when this stuff comes seemingly out of the blue.

Hey thanks for chiming in! I love living here apart from like, you know, cost of living. Ugh. But the weather is gorgeous especially today

Little blip. I’m still feeling like i got punched from yesterday but definitely not as bad. Dunno why these things come on. It’s really strange

14 hours ago, Talltreescoldseas said:

Update:

Ugh jesus. Slipped into a rough wave yesterday. Went downhill for most of the day and ended with a debilitating migraine and loss of proper motor control of my legs and fingers. Weakness and twitching and inability to balance correctly. So i popped a melatonin and went to bed. We’ll see what today brings…

Sorry you hit a wave mate. There is no reason often for this to happen. It’s just seen to be part of the process of healing and the brain adjusting. Betters days coming.

Alright little update just so it’s documented here

In before chippy tells me its a bad idea 😜

I have a good friend who’s been dealing with PFS (post finasteride syndrome) for a few years now and we delved into epigenetic changes and all that fun stuff (something i do know a little about). A little bit of background: there is a doctor named will powers who lives in the states that is making large strides in coming to a possible treatment for PFS based on metabolic pathways being messed up by that drug’s specific inhibition of 5-a-reductase.

I have always had near identical symptoms to my good friend and so I went down the rabbit hole on prednisone, which is what really kicked off the horror story with me. Turns out it can trigger similar gene expression shifts and behave the exact same way as SSRI withdrawal. Oh joy!

So anyways I’m gonna explore some diet and supplement options that are supposed to help support your body in methylation, which is the method your body uses to control gene expression.

I seem to have (differently from most here) almost no negative reaction to dietary supplements, drugs, etc so I’m a good candidate to experiment a little bit. I have also heard of many people seeing improvements due to inducing ketosis, which is proven to increase the plasticity of epigenetic changes. I think there is something here that can potentially benefit us all and i’m gonna try to be a bit of an astronaut about it and explore it.

Wish me luck (or tell me i’m an idiot) but it’s documented on here!

Please read some of these links that may help you in determining how to move forward safely:

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/5547-the-importance-of-mthfr-methylation-b-vitamins-eat-leafy-green-veggies/?do=findComment&comment=20891

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/606-important-topics-about-tests-supplements-treatments-diet/?do=findComment&comment=5753

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/32130-keto-medical-keto-low-carb-carnivore-diets-to-help-with-tapering-and-withdrawal/?do=findComment&comment=719282

1 hour ago, Talltreescoldseas said:

In before chippy tells me its a bad idea 😜

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Good luck my good man! 🧑‍🚀🫡 🚀

7 hours ago, LostinCanada said:

Please read some of these links that may help you in determining how to move forward safely:

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/5547-the-importance-of-mthfr-methylation-b-vitamins-eat-leafy-green-veggies/?do=findComment&comment=20891

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/606-important-topics-about-tests-supplements-treatments-diet/?do=findComment&comment=5753

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/32130-keto-medical-keto-low-carb-carnivore-diets-to-help-with-tapering-and-withdrawal/?do=findComment&comment=719282

Thanks for the links!

Alright little update. Decided to start slowly and with thing that were a little lower on the risk/reward scale.

Just finished up a few days taking PEA to see if anything happened with such a short time with it. I’d compare it to a low dose of gabapentin, i’d say. Definitely had some effect, i believe with allopregnalone/gaba modulation. However, it seems more like a cover and less like something that would support a recovery. On to the next…. 🧑‍🚀

On 4/21/2026 at 4:11 PM, Talltreescoldseas said:

Wish me luck (or tell me i’m an idiot) but it’s documented on here!

You can try it, and supplementation is hopefully low-risk if approached cautiously, but I'd point out that POST finasteride syndrome and experiencing adverse effects from still being on psychiatric medication are two quite distinct situations, especially given that you've had a number of recent drug changes.

You're not really "post" anything at the moment, so supposed methods to cure bodily changes that persist long after stopping finasteride may be entirely irrelevant when the drugs in question are not finasteride and you're not dealing with harms that persist long after stopping them either.

There are three psychiatric drugs involved, with dose changes, just this year. This is far more likely to be the issue.

Having said that, if supplementation can help your body deal with this, that might still be beneficial.

Fair enough

I’m kinda post prednisone though. That was the one that did me in fully. The clonazepam and the escitalopram really kinda saved my life after three months of abject hell. but now i gotta figure out if there’s something else going on that the prednisone did.

But also, the ssri and benzo are their own problem, definitely. Sigh. It’s like trying to finish a puzzle without the reference picture in the dark

But yeah. Probably a stability issue. I’m holding right now to see just how far down the road of feeling ok i can get before i go down again. But dipping toes a little to see if there is anything proactive i can do besides proper fish oil and magnesium (both of which are great)

.

Alright update, not so hot:

After i whacked my thumb off on the ol table saw, saw a plastic surgeon and they basically said “We’re gonna have to let it heal and wait and see how it goes” and sent me home with a bloody pulp of a thumb. I was told to take some painkillers if it hurt too bad (i was pretty frozen from the hospital visit) so i thought yeah no problem i’ll be aces.

Ended up in such extreme pain for the next week basically that i was up to 1000mg of naproxen every 24hrs (600mg every 12 hrs). First few days i actually felt the best I’ve felt in months, unreal progress but i went downhill after that and now i got whacked with a wave the likes of which i’ve not experienced since acute. Disassociation, brain fog, apathy, akathasia, shit…. Just wondering if that was something anyone else had experienced from OTC painkillers before. Granted, at higher than recommended levels but it was Either that or morphine or oxy and those seemed more risky but clearly so was the naproxen. I dunno. Feeling a bit down cause i feel really set back. 3 days since i stopped the naproxen and seems like nothing has improved

Edited May 10May 10 by Talltreescoldseas

I don’t know about naproxen being a trigger, but I’d guess you went into a bit of delayed shock from the accident, and it caught up with you. I’m betting it’ll subside over the next few days.

BTW, I’m a woodworker too. I once drove a chisel into my thumb. It didn’t look great but I still have it. I hope your injury heals soon!

14 minutes ago, Talltreescoldseas said:

Alright update, not so hot:

After i whacked my thumb off on the ol table saw, saw a plastic surgeon and they basically said “We’re gonna have to let it heal and wait and see how it goes” and sent me home with a bloody pulp of a thumb. I was told to take some painkillers if it hurt too bad (i was pretty frozen from the hospital visit) so i thought yeah no problem i’ll be aces.

Ended up in such extreme pain for the next week basically that i was up to 1000mg of naproxen every 24hrs (600mg every 12 hrs). First few days i actually felt the best I’ve felt in months, unreal progress but i went downhill after that and now i got whacked with a wave the likes of which i’ve not experienced since acute. Disassociation, brain fog, apathy, akathasia, shit…. Just wondering if that was something anyone else had experienced from OTC painkillers before. Granted, at higher than recommended levels but it was Either that or morphine or oxy and those seemed more risky but clearly so was the naproxen. I dunno. Feeling a bit down cause i feel really set back. 3 days since i stopped the naproxen and seems like nothing has improved

Sorry mate. I empathise. I half cut my thumb off on a table saw a few years ago, went through the pad, and half through the bone. Was Dam painful, not at the time oddly but the healing process. I had minor surgery and they stitched the nub back together. Still gives me shit now but not pain, just tight pulsing feeling particularly in the cold. I’m finally getting feeling back in it. I did think I might loose it. It went black, but underneath it was growing and after a few weeks the nasty black fell off, like a caterpillar turning into an ugly butterfly! I took quite a bit of pain killers at the time. This was pre drug injury though.

Sorry youve had this to deal with. Did you have any anaesthetic at the hospital? I’m assuming so?

Either way adding drugs to your nervous system , however necessary, and oh how it will have been necessary!, definitely can cause some worsening and set backs. I wish there was a known timeframe for stabilising. It’s the same old, how long is a piece of string.

Main thing is to avoid all the obvious additional drugs and psychoactive agents, rest as much as you can, keep your stress levels as low as you can (not easy running a building firm) and wait to things to settle.

Thinking of you dude. This is a rough one for sure. Not what you needed.

Thanks both of ya

Yeah woodworking will get ya forsure.

Definitely just waiting out the stability forsure. And mstim you might be right about the delayed shock from the injury. I definitely fought off the shock when it happened, the old “okay just breathe and try not to puke or pass out” for about an hour.

Chippy that sounds rough, snd you‘Re right. The healing definitely hurts way worse than the initial injury. Crazy how nerves regrowing is such a horrible feeling ay

Thanks for the encouragement. Cheers as always

56 minutes ago, Talltreescoldseas said:

Thanks both of ya

Yeah woodworking will get ya forsure.

Definitely just waiting out the stability forsure. And mstim you might be right about the delayed shock from the injury. I definitely fought off the shock when it happened, the old “okay just breathe and try not to puke or pass out” for about an hour.

Chippy that sounds rough, snd you‘Re right. The healing definitely hurts way worse than the initial injury. Crazy how nerves regrowing is such a horrible feeling ay

Thanks for the encouragement. Cheers as always

Maybe we should start a new forum for folks in WD and who have almost cut off their thumbs! :)

11 hours ago, Talltreescoldseas said:

Alright update, not so hot:

After i whacked my thumb off on the ol table saw, saw a plastic surgeon and they basically said “We’re gonna have to let it heal and wait and see how it goes” and sent me home with a bloody pulp of a thumb. I was told to take some painkillers if it hurt too bad (i was pretty frozen from the hospital visit) so i thought yeah no problem i’ll be aces.

Ended up in such extreme pain for the next week basically that i was up to 1000mg of naproxen every 24hrs (600mg every 12 hrs). First few days i actually felt the best I’ve felt in months, unreal progress but i went downhill after that and now i got whacked with a wave the likes of which i’ve not experienced since acute. Disassociation, brain fog, apathy, akathasia, shit…. Just wondering if that was something anyone else had experienced from OTC painkillers before. Granted, at higher than recommended levels but it was Either that or morphine or oxy and those seemed more risky but clearly so was the naproxen. I dunno. Feeling a bit down cause i feel really set back. 3 days since i stopped the naproxen and seems like nothing has improved

Oh my goodness...my son-in-law took off 3 tips doing wood working....geez it sucks.

Your body would have naturally given you so much adrenaline to cope. I would think this may be contributing to some of the symptoms as well. Give yourself lots of kindness, no expectations...just take it easy.

❤️🙏

A couple of days off the naproxen, after what your body has been through with the injury and aftermath, isn't too many. Hopefully this will begin to settle down soon, and your body just needs a bit more time for that.