Hello everyone, I go by as JLR96 on SA and this is my original thread which was posted there which details my current journey through recovering and healing from a severe protracted withdrawal from Sertraline and

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/30745-jlr96-please-help-me/

 

Any further updates will be made here since SurvivingAntidepressants is closing. 

 

A massive thank you to our fellow brother Luke for creating this site and hopefully it prospers well!

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Hey Jack!

 

Welcome to the Forum mate! It's really great to have you here my friend! :)

 

How you're doing ok at the moment?

 

Chippy

Hey Jack!

 

Welcome to the Forum mate! It's really great to have you here my friend! :)

 

How you're doing ok at the moment?

 

Chippy

 

Chip! It’s so good to see you! Massive effort on Luke’s behalf for taking on this role and creating this site. It’s so good to see everyone familiar here, I can’t wait to see what the future brings for the site, it’ll be a lifesaver for many. Good to see you as a Moderator as well mate, you’ll do great I know. 

 

I’m doing good, better than I’ve been in the past. It’s still up and down much like all of us but I’m managing fine. Most of my physical pain comes in minor waves now, nothing like it used to be which is a HUGE sign of improvement and healing. But I am struggling with more GI issues as of late. 

 

Much like most through protracted withdrawal the symptoms change over time, some improve, some vanish, others go for some time and then pop back up and usually when a symptom completely goes away for me - a new one takes it’s place unfortunately. It’s to be expected though, the more I learn about how the nervous system works and the more I understand this is perfectly normal and a natural part of returning to homeostasis. The calibration and “reset” so-to-speak takes an incredibly delicate amount of time but all will be well in due time. 

 

I’ve been able to hold jobs down for lengthy amounts of time and if it wasn’t for me being laid off recently I’d still be working full time right now, despite of my symptoms. That right there is game changer for me. Never did I expect to be able to return to working rigorous jobs and actually make a living again, a year and a half ago I was adamant I was permanently disabled and stuck to live my life in incredible amounts of pain. 

 

So yeah man, I still have symptoms and I’m very much still in the fight but I’m doing good. I am transitioning into a new chapter of my life very shortly and it’ll be a massive test but that’s life and it the show must go on. 

 

How are you my friend?

Hey Jack!

 

Welcome to the Forum mate! It's really great to have you here my friend! :)

 

How you're doing ok at the moment?

 

Chippy

 

Chip! It’s so good to see you! Massive effort on Luke’s behalf for taking on this role and creating this site. It’s so good to see everyone familiar here, I can’t wait to see what the future brings for the site, it’ll be a lifesaver for many. Good to see you as a Moderator as well mate, you’ll do great I know. 

 

I’m doing good, better than I’ve been in the past. It’s still up and down much like all of us but I’m managing fine. Most of my physical pain comes in minor waves now, nothing like it used to be which is a HUGE sign of improvement and healing. But I am struggling with more GI issues as of late. 

 

Much like most through protracted withdrawal the symptoms change over time, some improve, some vanish, others go for some time and then pop back up and usually when a symptom completely goes away for me - a new one takes it’s place unfortunately. It’s to be expected though, the more I learn about how the nervous system works and the more I understand this is perfectly normal and a natural part of returning to homeostasis. The calibration and “reset” so-to-speak takes an incredibly delicate amount of time but all will be well in due time. 

 

I’ve been able to hold jobs down for lengthy amounts of time and if it wasn’t for me being laid off recently I’d still be working full time right now, despite of my symptoms. That right there is game changer for me. Never did I expect to be able to return to working rigorous jobs and actually make a living again, a year and a half ago I was adamant I was permanently disabled and stuck to live my life in incredible amounts of pain. 

 

So yeah man, I still have symptoms and I’m very much still in the fight but I’m doing good. I am transitioning into a new chapter of my life very shortly and it’ll be a massive test but that’s life and it the show must go on. 

 

How are you my friend?

 

It's great to be involved tbh, just want to give back and be part of the solution!

 

This is amazing mate. Great progress!

 

So are you looking for more work?

 

Im so pleased for you I am. Won't be long youll be writing your success story!

 

How's the sleep?

 

Im doing ok, some GI bits, lots of head stuff (burning brain etc) and my sleep whilst improved is a long way from good. But Im in full belief I'll heal, just need to give it as long as it takes!

 

Chippy

Hi Jack,

 

Here is the copy over from SA to here of my recent message to you.

 

I think if you are not taking omega-3 and magnesium glycinate, and I were you, I would start. Don't go too high with either. I take 100mg of Mg-Zyme (Mg glycinate and a couple other Mg strains) with dinner to ease me down for sleep and I tend toward anxiety. I also take Cod Liver Oil as it is viral season here, and the omega-3 comes with A and D, which is also good for our brains.

There are other food-based supplements that can be taken depending on if Standard Process is available where you are located. I know Medi-Herb (a subsidiary of Standard Process in the U.S.) is from Australia, but herbs can come with issues unless you are very careful. We need food-based recovery for our brains because this sounds like brain to body inflammation. Most of us have it and it travels between the brain and the gut via the vagus nerve. I have nervous system exercises that I have posted here and am trying to figure out how to post them on the new site.

Take care my friend ❤️ Jennifer

Thank you for joining.

 

A massive thank you to our fellow brother Luke for creating this site and hopefully it prospers well!

 

I know you've seen that Chippy is a moderator further down, but just want to mention that he deserves thanks as well.

 

Hopefully this place is useful to you and others.

 

You've been improving, hopefully some day you will write a success story here.

Well… As to be expected I certainly haven’t been off to the greatest start of this fresh new year. Haven’t ventured to the site since I’ve joined, I’ve really not been on much social platforms at all since December. As per usual to my entire time on SA, I usually only ever post when I’m not in a particular great spot with symptoms. Been a rough start to the new year but I acknowledge that it’s still early days for me. 
 

Been swinging in and out of symptoms for about 90% of January. My sensitivities to histamine have become much more problematic on a daily basis now, I’m struggling to eat almost everything without some sort of reaction, flare in symptoms and it’s driving me nuts.

 

Psychological symptoms have been hit and miss, suicidal ideation is still relatively low which is a great sign *knock on wood* that I’m past most of that area of my recovery/healing process. Depression and anxiety are still fairly high most days, but at least I’m not having anxiety attacks that frequently anymore. Intrusive thoughts and rumination are still ongoing. 
 

Physical symptoms are all over the place, a lot of whack-a-mole most days, and it’s draining. Thankfully I’m not at a level that I used to be where I’m virtually disabled and in 10/10 pain but still getting the symptoms are always disheartening but I know it’s the healing process. Slow and steady wins the race unfortunately and I need to learn to be patient. 
 

It feels like I can have a decent period of feeling pretty good (although still symptomatic) and then a chunk of time where certain symptoms vanish, others lessen some get replaced with others and then I’ll be hit with a lengthy wave and then back to feeling decent again. It’s still early days for me in terms of total recovery time so I need to remind myself a lot that my general healing process is actually much better than most given how horrific and severe my overall withdrawal was. 
 

Yeah my sleep might be still terrible, yeah I might have persistent long term symptoms that still haven’t seen much improvement, yes I might have sexual dysfunction still lingering and plenty of daily symptoms but I almost gave up a 1.5 years ago. To think I’d be here where I’m at in my recovery is nothing short of amazing. I GENUINELY thought I was doomed, I was the worst case, that I was the unlucky one, that my pain and symptoms were permanent. 
 

Onwards and upwards, slow nonetheless but I know I’ll be healed eventually in time. 

4 hours ago, Jack said:

Well… As to be expected I certainly haven’t been off to the greatest start of this fresh new year. Haven’t ventured to the site since I’ve joined, I’ve really not been on much social platforms at all since December. As per usual to my entire time on SA, I usually only ever post when I’m not in a particular great spot with symptoms. Been a rough start to the new year but I acknowledge that it’s still early days for me. 
 

Been swinging in and out of symptoms for about 90% of January. My sensitivities to histamine have become much more problematic on a daily basis now, I’m struggling to eat almost everything without some sort of reaction, flare in symptoms and it’s driving me nuts.

 

Psychological symptoms have been hit and miss, suicidal ideation is still relatively low which is a great sign *knock on wood* that I’m past most of that area of my recovery/healing process. Depression and anxiety are still fairly high most days, but at least I’m not having anxiety attacks that frequently anymore. Intrusive thoughts and rumination are still ongoing. 
 

Physical symptoms are all over the place, a lot of whack-a-mole most days, and it’s draining. Thankfully I’m not at a level that I used to be where I’m virtually disabled and in 10/10 pain but still getting the symptoms are always disheartening but I know it’s the healing process. Slow and steady wins the race unfortunately and I need to learn to be patient. 
 

It feels like I can have a decent period of feeling pretty good (although still symptomatic) and then a chunk of time where certain symptoms vanish, others lessen some get replaced with others and then I’ll be hit with a lengthy wave and then back to feeling decent again. It’s still early days for me in terms of total recovery time so I need to remind myself a lot that my general healing process is actually much better than most given how horrific and severe my overall withdrawal was. 
 

Yeah my sleep might be still terrible, yeah I might have persistent long term symptoms that still haven’t seen much improvement, yes I might have sexual dysfunction still lingering and plenty of daily symptoms but I almost gave up a 1.5 years ago. To think I’d be here where I’m at in my recovery is nothing short of amazing. I GENUINELY thought I was doomed, I was the worst case, that I was the unlucky one, that my pain and symptoms were permanent. 
 

Onwards and upwards, slow nonetheless but I know I’ll be healed eventually in time. 

Hey Jack, so sorry you're still experiencing waves even after so long, what a hell of a journey, so unexpected.. however, it seems you're in a better place now with the right perspective, lot of experience and strength, that's a big plus and encouraging.

Wishing you much success for the rest of your journey, I hope you see only improvements from here on.

Hi Jack,

thanks for your post on my page.

we have a very very similar story, Compazine is Prochloperazine I think 🤔 so we were injured by the same drug.

 

I had a surgery and they gave it to me after for nausea in 2023.i spiralled with intense agitation and they put me on Prozac…..

 

I came off it in February this year after a decent taper, but not low enough for my nervous system. I came off at 1.5mg an by March all hell had Broken loose….

so I’m about 6 months after you on the timeline???

 

im almost 12 months since I quit.

i had some good windows back in December and early January but have been in a very hard wave the past 2 weeks. I felt I turned a corner at 10 months but sadly this wave does not make me feel like that, I feel like I’m back at square one.

 

My main Symtoms from the Compazine injury were intense agitation which I guess was more like Akithasia and then very intense dark looping thoughts and SI. Crazy stuff, from an otherwise happy and healthy 38 year old woman with no history of anxiety or depression.  I am traumatised from it to be honest and worry that will never go away the fear of medical injury but whilst in a wave I’ll try not to let myself worry about that.

 

i see you feel you are slowly healing? I’m pleased to see that, it gives me some hope. I’m pretty hopeless in this wave.

but in a window I can perk up a bit and can feel 80% healed. I’ve been in a windows and waves pattern since month 4 really, they just got lighter and brighter from month 10.

 

hoping when this wave finally lifts I’ll be at a better baseline 🙏 but yes looping  dark thought plague me and a very insane feeling in my solar plexus/chest area that feels like intense agitation and sometimes verges on Akithasia but until this wave that had mostly gone for quite a few months.

 

do you get windows and waves or just a slow improvement?

I haven’t met anyone else who’s had a similar injury, I did message someone who seemed to on SA but they didn’t reply.

 

thanks for sharing it means a lot

Rosie x 

 

@Jack your journey has been considerably longer, however you seem to be well aware that at about 18 months off of everything, there is still a lot of scope for healing in more time. You've had some improvements, even though things are still rough- my hope would be that you continue to improve more steadily down the line.

 

Histamine plays a significant role in sleep. I have no experience of food triggering histamine type reactions, however it might be worth exploring various low histamine diets or elimination diets and seeing if you can eat in a way that means you're not having regular flare ups as this may also have a knock on effect on other things such as sleep.

 

You might not need to do this even for a long period of time, it may be that if you can get to a point where you're not regularly reacting, you can slowly introduce stuff after a period of calm for your body.

 

What I would say, is that although I didn't react to any specific foods, I have had all sorts of histamine type symptoms that have fluctuated themselves, so it's also worth considering whether there truly is a food-related pattern or if it is simply the kaleidoscope of withdrawal symptoms churning around again. Possibly, it could be both.

 

Although you're still symptomatic on these days, what do the periods of time when you feel pretty good look like?

3 hours ago, Its-me-Rosie said:

Hi Jack,

thanks for your post on my page.

we have a very very similar story, Compazine is Prochloperazine I think 🤔 so we were injured by the same drug.

 

I had a surgery and they gave it to me after for nausea in 2023.i spiralled with intense agitation and they put me on Prozac…..

 

I came off it in February this year after a decent taper, but not low enough for my nervous system. I came off at 1.5mg an by March all hell had Broken loose….

so I’m about 6 months after you on the timeline???

 

im almost 12 months since I quit.

i had some good windows back in December and early January but have been in a very hard wave the past 2 weeks. I felt I turned a corner at 10 months but sadly this wave does not make me feel like that, I feel like I’m back at square one.

 

My main Symtoms from the Compazine injury were intense agitation which I guess was more like Akithasia and then very intense dark looping thoughts and SI. Crazy stuff, from an otherwise happy and healthy 38 year old woman with no history of anxiety or depression.  I am traumatised from it to be honest and worry that will never go away the fear of medical injury but whilst in a wave I’ll try not to let myself worry about that.

 

i see you feel you are slowly healing? I’m pleased to see that, it gives me some hope. I’m pretty hopeless in this wave.

but in a window I can perk up a bit and can feel 80% healed. I’ve been in a windows and waves pattern since month 4 really, they just got lighter and brighter from month 10.

 

hoping when this wave finally lifts I’ll be at a better baseline 🙏 but yes looping  dark thought plague me and a very insane feeling in my solar plexus/chest area that feels like intense agitation and sometimes verges on Akithasia but until this wave that had mostly gone for quite a few months.

 

do you get windows and waves or just a slow improvement?

I haven’t met anyone else who’s had a similar injury, I did message someone who seemed to on SA but they didn’t reply.

 

thanks for sharing it means a lot

Rosie x 

 

Hey, yeah we’ve definitely had the same sort of injury from the same drug. It’s not that uncommon unfortunately and I think the drug itself has been banned in some places due to the side effects from it. 
 

I had no idea what happened to me, had some mild vertigo issues back in 2017 but overall I was fine. Went to the hospital for a check up and to see what was causing my dizziness as it was my first time experiencing vertigo in my life. I was 20 at the time, almost 21. Perfectly fine young adult with some mild depression and anxiety, that’s all. 
 

Was given an IV supply of whatever they gave me to ‘replenish’ me because I was apparently ‘dehydrated’ and alongside that they thought it best to give me something for the nausea. I had no idea I was being given a first generation anti-psychotic via IV. The drug alone can cause side effects but put through intravenously it hits the brain quick and hard, and within 20 minutes I instantly had side effects. Something happened to my brain and nervous system and I had a panic attack, developed severe akathisia, and what felt like psychosis. I’ve not been the same person since that moment. I recovered somewhat within a few days but my anxiety was at a new level, I developed OCD, daily panic attacks and chronic anxiety, looping thoughts, rumination and my dizziness went from a 3 to a 10/10 which became chronic 8 years on. 
 

It’s the very thing that led me to taking more medication in late 2017. I went from a young guy who hasn’t ever taken psych meds, to regularly taking benzodiazepines and then getting on an antidepressant by the end of 2017 because I was so suicidal. 

1 minute ago, Jack said:

Hey, yeah we’ve definitely had the same sort of injury from the same drug. It’s not that uncommon unfortunately and I think the drug itself has been banned in some places due to the side effects from it. 
 

I had no idea what happened to me, had some mild vertigo issues back in 2017 but overall I was fine. Went to the hospital for a check up and to see what was causing my dizziness as it was my first time experiencing vertigo in my life. I was 20 at the time, almost 21. Perfectly fine young adult with some mild depression and anxiety, that’s all. 
 

Was given an IV supply of whatever they gave me to ‘replenish’ me because I was apparently ‘dehydrated’ and alongside that they thought it best to give me something for the nausea. I had no idea I was being given a first generation anti-psychotic via IV. The drug alone can cause side effects but put through intravenously it hits the brain quick and hard, and within 20 minutes I instantly had side effects. Something happened to my brain and nervous system and I had a panic attack, developed severe akathisia, and what felt like psychosis. I’ve not been the same person since that moment. I recovered somewhat within a few days but my anxiety was at a new level, I developed OCD, daily panic attacks and chronic anxiety, looping thoughts, rumination and my dizziness went from a 3 to a 10/10 which became chronic 8 years on. 
 

It’s the very thing that led me to taking more medication in late 2017. I went from a young guy who hasn’t ever taken psych meds, to regularly taking benzodiazepines and then getting on an antidepressant by the end of 2017 because I was so suicidal. 

Mate it's shocking what these drugs can do to us. Im really sorry for both you and Rosie and what you've been through.

 

Glad youre both here but wish you didnt need to be. 

25 minutes ago, Jack said:

Hey, yeah we’ve definitely had the same sort of injury from the same drug. It’s not that uncommon unfortunately and I think the drug itself has been banned in some places due to the side effects from it. 
 

I had no idea what happened to me, had some mild vertigo issues back in 2017 but overall I was fine. Went to the hospital for a check up and to see what was causing my dizziness as it was my first time experiencing vertigo in my life. I was 20 at the time, almost 21. Perfectly fine young adult with some mild depression and anxiety, that’s all. 
 

Was given an IV supply of whatever they gave me to ‘replenish’ me because I was apparently ‘dehydrated’ and alongside that they thought it best to give me something for the nausea. I had no idea I was being given a first generation anti-psychotic via IV. The drug alone can cause side effects but put through intravenously it hits the brain quick and hard, and within 20 minutes I instantly had side effects. Something happened to my brain and nervous system and I had a panic attack, developed severe akathisia, and what felt like psychosis. I’ve not been the same person since that moment. I recovered somewhat within a few days but my anxiety was at a new level, I developed OCD, daily panic attacks and chronic anxiety, looping thoughts, rumination and my dizziness went from a 3 to a 10/10 which became chronic 8 years on. 
 

It’s the very thing that led me to taking more medication in late 2017. I went from a young guy who hasn’t ever taken psych meds, to regularly taking benzodiazepines and then getting on an antidepressant by the end of 2017 because I was so suicidal. 

Truly unbelievable what they put you through, legal crime! tho I'm trying not to be conspiratorial (not good for my nerves) it's often crossed my mind that it's all intentional, the more sicker we are the more 💰 into the wrong pockets.

Hopefully in the end we'll be able to reach an even better version of ourselves, strength and resilience we have in tons, that's for sure.

Edited February 6Feb 6 by Fullhealing

2 hours ago, Fullhealing said:

Truly unbelievable what they put you through, legal crime! tho I'm trying not to be conspiratorial (not good for my nerves) it's often crossed my mind that it's all intentional, the more sicker we are the more 💰 into the wrong pockets.

Hopefully in the end we'll be able to reach an even better version of ourselves, strength and resilience we have in tons, that's for sure.

A lot of it mate is simply doctors and nurses not completely understanding the medications that they’re giving to their patients. Big pharmaceutical knows all about the dangers of these drugs but it’s often labeled as “rare” or “uncommon” for the majority, but to them the data shows the medication is much more beneficial than what the negative side effects pertain to. 
 

That’s fine for certain drugs, but when it’s a drug that directly affects the brain, there’s no telling what can happen when you give someone who might have some sort of allergy, predisposition to sensitivities to the drug in question. If a drug has the ability to affect the brain on a neuronal level, that can cause longstanding side effects and dysfunction than why aren’t we utilising protocols in place that these medications aren’t just given off a whim without prior medical history or drug history from the patient? 
 

They also need to thoroughly tell patients EXACTLY what it is they’re giving them. Because had I of known I was about to receive a first generational anti-psychotic drug that’s used “off label” for nausea then I wouldn’t have ever agreed to it and I’d be most likely fine today. 
 

Is what it is, I trusted the “professionals” and this is the consequence for that. 90% of doctors and even psychiatrists have no idea the drugs they’re prescribing. 

Jack I couldn’t be sorrier for you and what you’ve been through. Serious empathy coming at you from the UK…are you in Australia? Or  did I make that up! 

I had a tablet dose so no immediate reaction, but when I went home I didn’t feel right. I kept feeling jittery and weird and remember saying to my husband something was wrong and the surgery had gone wrong. For a very VERY long time I didn’t know what they’d given me, my anxiety just got worse and I got more and more agitated over the course of about 5 days and then my Mood just plummeted and my thoughts started to get weird and loop on death and I started having SI.  I had NO and I mean NO history. I went from being a happy person having a routine surgery to being suicidal 5 days later….

 

The doctors had NO answer for me. I tried to find out if the anaesthetic could have harmed me but no one seemed to know. I only know about what Compazine was about 8 months later when I demanded my medical records and pieced it together… and I couldn’t believe it. Finally, a reason why I’d lost my mind and soul (that’s how it felt!!)

And it gave me some hope that I at least knew what caused it.
And then they threw Prozac on top. I was desperate. I was scared. I have two young kids (aged 7 and 4 at the time) I just needed to function. It amazes me that the doctors didn’t know what happened to me, that they all denied knowing, that they were all oblivious 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️ it’s as you say a well known side effect. Why is this med even used!?!! 

 

the good news is that we both found the right support and we both know we will heal one day. Our NS’s have been damaged from all the meds, we needed to rest and heal them not go on more psych meds. But we didn’t know that at the time! And the feeling is so bad and desperate you want to try anything.

 

thank you for connecting with me.

sending love and light and peace and hope! 
our systems will heal, mine in my windows feels like it’s healing. We aren’t alone and we know why our brains do what they do, it’s not the real us when we are in a wave.

for dizziness when I had a bad bout in September with visual snow I watched all the videos online of ‘the steady coach’ she was amazing! You’ve probably seen her but thought I’d share…

 

we will get back to the lives that we dream of 🕊️ it does sound like you’ve made some progress so keep going 🙏 

x 

15 hours ago, Its-me-Rosie said:

Jack I couldn’t be sorrier for you and what you’ve been through. Serious empathy coming at you from the UK…are you in Australia? Or  did I make that up! 

I had a tablet dose so no immediate reaction, but when I went home I didn’t feel right. I kept feeling jittery and weird and remember saying to my husband something was wrong and the surgery had gone wrong. For a very VERY long time I didn’t know what they’d given me, my anxiety just got worse and I got more and more agitated over the course of about 5 days and then my Mood just plummeted and my thoughts started to get weird and loop on death and I started having SI.  I had NO and I mean NO history. I went from being a happy person having a routine surgery to being suicidal 5 days later….

 

The doctors had NO answer for me. I tried to find out if the anaesthetic could have harmed me but no one seemed to know. I only know about what Compazine was about 8 months later when I demanded my medical records and pieced it together… and I couldn’t believe it. Finally, a reason why I’d lost my mind and soul (that’s how it felt!!)

And it gave me some hope that I at least knew what caused it.
And then they threw Prozac on top. I was desperate. I was scared. I have two young kids (aged 7 and 4 at the time) I just needed to function. It amazes me that the doctors didn’t know what happened to me, that they all denied knowing, that they were all oblivious 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️ it’s as you say a well known side effect. Why is this med even used!?!! 

 

the good news is that we both found the right support and we both know we will heal one day. Our NS’s have been damaged from all the meds, we needed to rest and heal them not go on more psych meds. But we didn’t know that at the time! And the feeling is so bad and desperate you want to try anything.

 

thank you for connecting with me.

sending love and light and peace and hope! 
our systems will heal, mine in my windows feels like it’s healing. We aren’t alone and we know why our brains do what they do, it’s not the real us when we are in a wave.

for dizziness when I had a bad bout in September with visual snow I watched all the videos online of ‘the steady coach’ she was amazing! You’ve probably seen her but thought I’d share…

 

we will get back to the lives that we dream of 🕊️ it does sound like you’ve made some progress so keep going 🙏 

x 

Sorry to hear your story about the compazine, just know you’re not alone in that, those medications should never be prescribed. 
 

We will heal, all of us. Will just some time but I can live with that! 

On 2/6/2026 at 1:12 PM, Jack said:

Is what it is, I trusted the “professionals” and this is the consequence for that. 90% of doctors and even psychiatrists have no idea the drugs they’re prescribing. 

 

Sadly this is something that many of us realise at some point in our journeys.

Hi jack 

 

I remember you on SA I read your story a few times, glad to see you are doing better these days. Hoping you see more improvements going forward. How are your windows and waves? Also have you ever had to deal with anhedonia? 
 

kind regards 

7 hours ago, Richie said:

Hi jack 

 

I remember you on SA I read your story a few times, glad to see you are doing better these days. Hoping you see more improvements going forward. How are your windows and waves? Also have you ever had to deal with anhedonia? 
 

kind regards 

Hi @Richiemy windows and wave are consistent but at times can be unpredictable in length. A wave typically for me, at this point in my protracted state will usually on average last about a week, maybe longer. Then a window is usually anywhere between a week to a month. But since January I’ve been slipping in and out of consistent waves and windows almost weekly. If I’m lucky, I may get a fairly nasty wave followed by a few weeks of a decent window, but this pattern is rare at best. 
 

Yes, I’ve had anhedonia for most of my withdrawal period. I’d say I don’t have it anymore, but if I did, it’d be so mild that it’s barely noticeable. I experienced it also for many years whilst medicated. 

@Jack

good to hear it’s gone bud it’s such a nasty symptom. Not feeling pleasure or love is criminal with just being left with the negative feelings it shouldn’t be possible. Im glad you’re doing better though. Will be following your thread 👊

On 2/10/2026 at 10:02 AM, Richie said:

@Jack

good to hear it’s gone bud it’s such a nasty symptom. Not feeling pleasure or love is criminal with just being left with the negative feelings it shouldn’t be possible. Im glad you’re doing better though. Will be following your thread 👊

You’re not wrong at all. It gets easier as time goes on, don’t worry. 

On 2/5/2026 at 12:34 PM, Jack said:

I GENUINELY thought I was doomed, I was the worst case, that I was the unlucky one, that my pain and symptoms were permanent. 

Thank you, Jack, for sharing this. I felt this way today, and many times in the past. My brain is telling me..."Ooooooooooooh, You're DIFFERENT. You can't heal like these others."

 

Sigh. I don't believe everything I think. But sometimes, it takes me coming here and seeing someone else say it...then I realize the icky thoughts I'm carrying around.

 

Thanks for mentoring.

On 2/11/2026 at 12:47 PM, mars said:

Thank you, Jack, for sharing this. I felt this way today, and many times in the past. My brain is telling me..."Ooooooooooooh, You're DIFFERENT. You can't heal like these others."

 

Sigh. I don't believe everything I think. But sometimes, it takes me coming here and seeing someone else say it...then I realize the icky thoughts I'm carrying around.

 

Thanks for mentoring.

Sorry for my late reply to this. 
 

Trust me, it’s so easy to fall into the trap of believing what your brain keeps trying to get you to believe. It’s nonsense, all of it… 

 

People do heal and recover from this stuff. Nothing points to permanent damage or dysfunction. It’s simply long term dysregulation, that’s it. Your brain isn’t damaged, you’re not broken, you’re just misfiring. 
 

Intrusive thoughts and rumination is among one of the most reported symptoms of withdrawal so it’s almost acceptable to believe that pretty much all people here on this site in some form has OCD-like intrusive thoughts telling them that they’re permanently broken and damaged. 
 

All of this is simply a software glitch, not a hardware problem. Everything works fine, it’s just misfiring. Healing occurs when the nervous system learns to slowly recalibrate and return to homeostasis. Most of us fall into the trap of taking somebody else’s story and running with the idea that “well, they’re like this which means I’ll be like that as well” which isn’t true. I don’t believe in the whole “injury” or “damage” theories that are thrown around. It perpetuates a belief that the drugs caused some sort of damage which isn’t true. They simply caused dysregulation. And dysregulation is reversible. Misfiring of pathways can be reversed. If a symptom can change from bad to slightly good, then it can change from slightly good to great. If a symptom can go away for X amount of time  and then come back? It can go away and stay gone. 
 

Our belief matters a lot as well. If we continually reinforce to our brain that we’re broken and damaged, then it’ll believe it as well. It can perpetuate symptoms to stay, to keep a nervous system in flight-or-fight mode, to keep it locked in scanning for symptoms, keep sensitivity heightened and reinforcing bad loop patterns with symptoms. 

 

 

40 minutes ago, Jack said:

Sorry for my late reply to this. 
 

Trust me, it’s so easy to fall into the trap of believing what your brain keeps trying to get you to believe. It’s nonsense, all of it… 

 

People do heal and recover from this stuff. Nothing points to permanent damage or dysfunction. It’s simply long term dysregulation, that’s it. Your brain isn’t damaged, you’re not broken, you’re just misfiring. 
 

Intrusive thoughts and rumination is among one of the most reported symptoms of withdrawal so it’s almost acceptable to believe that pretty much all people here on this site in some form has OCD-like intrusive thoughts telling them that they’re permanently broken and damaged. 
 

All of this is simply a software glitch, not a hardware problem. Everything works fine, it’s just misfiring. Healing occurs when the nervous system learns to slowly recalibrate and return to homeostasis. Most of us fall into the trap of taking somebody else’s story and running with the idea that “well, they’re like this which means I’ll be like that as well” which isn’t true. I don’t believe in the whole “injury” or “damage” theories that are thrown around. It perpetuates a belief that the drugs caused some sort of damage which isn’t true. They simply caused dysregulation. And dysregulation is reversible. Misfiring of pathways can be reversed. If a symptom can change from bad to slightly good, then it can change from slightly good to great. If a symptom can go away for X amount of time  and then come back? It can go away and stay gone. 
 

Our belief matters a lot as well. If we continually reinforce to our brain that we’re broken and damaged, then it’ll believe it as well. It can perpetuate symptoms to stay, to keep a nervous system in flight-or-fight mode, to keep it locked in scanning for symptoms, keep sensitivity heightened and reinforcing bad loop patterns with symptoms. 

 

 

Gonna pin this one. GOAT level stuff, here. Thank you again for being a mentor. My "mindset mentor." 

It's the most important part. I can get very lost and discouraged by the medical terminology and formulas. I've decided,  after reading this, that I'm going to steer clear of that focus. I don't have a scientific background or mathematical mind. I don't want to analyze my history to the extent that it takes away my focus from today...and hope for a better tomorrow.  After all THIS IS MY LIFE...RIGHT NOW. How can I make it as pleasant as possible,  despite suffering?

Hey..I think I'm figuring out my place around here. Thanks for helping Jack!