1 hour ago, mars said:

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!

 

 

 

Hahaha, I appreciate the kind words @mars! I wouldn’t say it’s “GOAT” level wisdom but once you’ve seen enough, learnt a lot and lived through as much as I have you start seeing things between the lines. 
 

Most believe they hold no control over how they’re feeling or thinking through recovery. I disagree with that, and to some degree I challenge that statement. The brain is a powerful organ, and controls our emotions, our thought patterns, it’s the main control centre for most of what keeps us alive. It connects to the whole central nervous system and its ability to function. Our thoughts, our emotions, our way of thinking wires our neural pathways every single day. We have the ability to change how our brain functions simply but reinforcing belief systems and rewiring our mindset, in doing so we can actively rewire our neural pathways. This is known as neuralplasticity, and it means our brains ever changing. 
 

I thought I was brain damaged when I first entered withdrawal. By the time I had an MRI of my brain I was at my peak through my protracted state and NOBODY could convince me otherwise that something hadn’t happened to my brain. The symptoms were unexplainable, so severe, so disabling that you would think I’d had a stroke, I was disabled. I’ve mimic’d ever single neurological disorder, disease, condition there is… From MS, to strokes, to TBI, ABI you name it. 
 

I’ve had 3 MRI’s with my brain, with contrast, without. There’s nothing wrong with my brain… ZERO structural issues at all. 
 

It’s not brain damage, it’s not even nervous system damage. It’s dysregulation, a bad feedback loop. Heightened sensitivity, sensitisation. 
 

I have a long history of anxiety, and OCD. I developed health anxiety years ago. I have compulsions to Google, research and spiral down rabbit holes searching for answers about my health, a symptom. My brain will catastrophise simple things like a normal ache, a weird sensation, a lump or a symptom. In doing so, it starts firing alarm bells to my brain that something is wrong, and it starts a loop where my anxiety rises, my brain starts scanning for danger and in doing so symptoms amplify, perpetuate and stay present because I’ve taught my brain a perceived danger that doesn’t exist. 
 

If I read online horror stories, look for the worst case scenarios and see myself in these things, I create a false narrative, a story, a timeline before it’s even happened. “Oh no, I have this - which means it’s permanent” or “nobody recovers from this, this will kill me”. All of these little things will tell our brains in the peak of fear instills to our brains that we BELIEVE this, and that it’s going to happen. 
 

There’s a domino effect, a rippling effect that occurs when we start to have a keen ability to switch on a flight-or-fight mechanism in our nervous system and brain. Stress occurs, stress can lead to inflammation, an immune system which lowers, in turn leading to sickness, autoimmunity and more. Stress kills… 

 

In relation to antidepressant withdrawal, if we were already predisposed to sensitivity, stress, the inability to bounce back from dysregulation in a healthy manner, a protracted drawn out withdrawal is most likely to occur, especially if we FEED the idea that what we’re experiencing is DAMAGE. 
 

I don’t think there’s a single person who can come off these drugs which affect our receptors, chemical alteration, and alter our nervous systems to NOT have side effects, TEMPORARY dysregulation from stripping a drug away from a brain and nervous system that became well adjusted on them away? The key word being TEMPORARY. Because for 95% of people, it IS temporary. Why? Because those individuals aren’t creating a negative and false belief system through their withdrawals. They’re also most likely don’t have a history of drug sensitivity, a natural sensitive nervous system to begin with, past trauma, etc etc. 

 

The nervous system and brain can learn bad wiring habits, rewire in a negative direction and this is called “maladaptive brain rewiring”. It can happen organically, or it can happen in association with a bad mindset habits, thought patterns and a belief system. If you tell yourself you’ll be sick, you’ll probably end up being sick. Take a drug for the first time and you’re scared you’ll have side effects? Believe it hard enough and you most likely will. This is called nocebo, the opposite to a placebo effect. 
 

What if we told ourselves hard enough that we’re not sick, damaged and permanently ill? What if we kept reinforcing safety instead of a sense of danger with everything we do? “I can’t go outside because I get X symptom and I feel like Y” or “I cannot live normally and work and stay out of bed because of X symptom”? The brain learns that response, it learns that action process and what happens? Chances are you go to do it, and the exact reaction happens… Reinforcing belief that you’re right and that’s what is actually wrong with you. 
 

What if we started doing the opposite? What if despite the symptom appearing we continue telling our brains “the symptom is just a symptom, I’m not damaged, I’m not ill, I don’t have a condition” what happens then overtime? The brain learns safety, it learns that it doesn’t need to be on alert 24/7 and that we’re safe. In turn, the nervous system settles, you start regulating yourself again and the symptoms over time will fade or vanish. Fear keeps the cycle going, the brain learns based on the fear. Remove the fear? The brain no longer perceives danger…

 

 

4 hours ago, Jack said:

Why? Because those individuals aren’t creating a negative and false belief system through their withdrawals.

 

I have to say, I disagree with this.

 

I was on the drug short term, and had 0 idea that withdrawal harms were possible. I felt better and better the entire time I was tapering it, and was very happy. Then, shortly after 0mg, I was disabled by a huge array of physical symptoms.

 

Nothing to do with a negative belief system.

On 2/12/2026 at 11:38 PM, Jack said:

challenge that statement. The

Amen, brother.  

On 2/13/2026 at 4:17 AM, Luke said:

Nothing to do with a negative belief system

Of course not, Luke. None of us are to blame for what our bodies do. 

 

Also , my prolonged suffering made me very negative.  It's like my brain said, " well it's been hard before,  So it's going to always be hard." 

 

Our minds, I believe,  follow a path of least resistance...when I hurt, my brain sort of flows with it.

 

I have had to really WORK for a positive expectation and not listen to the VERY PHYSIOLOGICAL symptoms of fear, doom, and anger, which I believe can be positively affected by my thoughts.  Neuroplasticity.  

 

Perhaps you don't believe in that, but I must. 

 

"It's not me, it's my phsysiolo-gee "  is a little rhyme I use when that sensation doesn't lift. NOT EASY.  

 

I have a tendency to catastrophize feeling bad. "It's just feeling bad." I now tell myself..healing HURTS, in my experience. 

 

We all have different things that "work" for us.  Mindset is one Jack and I, apparently,  really emphasize .

 

You have a different approach.  Good to know. Still,  you have helped me a great deal in other ways. Yay!!!

 

Thanks to both you and @Jack for a great discussion!

Hi @Jack,

 

Thanks for stepping up to be a mentor here. You have been through a lot. I didn't see you on SA but I wasn't that great at connecting with lots of people at that time. 

 

When I am in a bad wave (usually a few hours at a time of late) I feel so dreadful physically and emotionally,  I understand I am not damaged, however I can't get out of that all encompassing feeling at that very moment and it feels negative. But I don't get into the thoughts of never being well again, just want it to pass relatively quickly. 

 

Hope your rough start to the the year improves. I wrote on here that I thought this year would bring stability and peace, however it got off the worst every start for me! Someone told me the Chinese year of the snake is to finish on 17th February and that was all about shedding the old skins and transformation. Then we move the year of the horse. Sounds more hopeful. 

7 hours ago, Tracey said:

Hope your rough start to the the year improves.

 

I hope so too @Jack.

 

It all takes a huge amount of time, way longer than anyone could really comprehend, but you've seen improvements and it's a bit past the 1.5 years off mark- judging by the stories of others, there is huge precedent for further healing in time and a timescale like this is not abnormal.

 

I hope better days are coming.

On 2/13/2026 at 3:38 PM, Jack said:

Hahaha, I appreciate the kind words @mars! I wouldn’t say it’s “GOAT” level wisdom but once you’ve seen enough, learnt a lot and lived through as much as I have you start seeing things between the lines. 
 

Most believe they hold no control over how they’re feeling or thinking through recovery. I disagree with that, and to some degree I challenge that statement. The brain is a powerful organ, and controls our emotions, our thought patterns, it’s the main control centre for most of what keeps us alive. It connects to the whole central nervous system and its ability to function. Our thoughts, our emotions, our way of thinking wires our neural pathways every single day. We have the ability to change how our brain functions simply but reinforcing belief systems and rewiring our mindset, in doing so we can actively rewire our neural pathways. This is known as neuralplasticity, and it means our brains ever changing. 
 

I thought I was brain damaged when I first entered withdrawal. By the time I had an MRI of my brain I was at my peak through my protracted state and NOBODY could convince me otherwise that something hadn’t happened to my brain. The symptoms were unexplainable, so severe, so disabling that you would think I’d had a stroke, I was disabled. I’ve mimic’d ever single neurological disorder, disease, condition there is… From MS, to strokes, to TBI, ABI you name it. 
 

I’ve had 3 MRI’s with my brain, with contrast, without. There’s nothing wrong with my brain… ZERO structural issues at all. 
 

It’s not brain damage, it’s not even nervous system damage. It’s dysregulation, a bad feedback loop. Heightened sensitivity, sensitisation. 
 

I have a long history of anxiety, and OCD. I developed health anxiety years ago. I have compulsions to Google, research and spiral down rabbit holes searching for answers about my health, a symptom. My brain will catastrophise simple things like a normal ache, a weird sensation, a lump or a symptom. In doing so, it starts firing alarm bells to my brain that something is wrong, and it starts a loop where my anxiety rises, my brain starts scanning for danger and in doing so symptoms amplify, perpetuate and stay present because I’ve taught my brain a perceived danger that doesn’t exist. 
 

If I read online horror stories, look for the worst case scenarios and see myself in these things, I create a false narrative, a story, a timeline before it’s even happened. “Oh no, I have this - which means it’s permanent” or “nobody recovers from this, this will kill me”. All of these little things will tell our brains in the peak of fear instills to our brains that we BELIEVE this, and that it’s going to happen. 
 

There’s a domino effect, a rippling effect that occurs when we start to have a keen ability to switch on a flight-or-fight mechanism in our nervous system and brain. Stress occurs, stress can lead to inflammation, an immune system which lowers, in turn leading to sickness, autoimmunity and more. Stress kills… 

 

In relation to antidepressant withdrawal, if we were already predisposed to sensitivity, stress, the inability to bounce back from dysregulation in a healthy manner, a protracted drawn out withdrawal is most likely to occur, especially if we FEED the idea that what we’re experiencing is DAMAGE. 
 

I don’t think there’s a single person who can come off these drugs which affect our receptors, chemical alteration, and alter our nervous systems to NOT have side effects, TEMPORARY dysregulation from stripping a drug away from a brain and nervous system that became well adjusted on them away? The key word being TEMPORARY. Because for 95% of people, it IS temporary. Why? Because those individuals aren’t creating a negative and false belief system through their withdrawals. They’re also most likely don’t have a history of drug sensitivity, a natural sensitive nervous system to begin with, past trauma, etc etc. 

 

The nervous system and brain can learn bad wiring habits, rewire in a negative direction and this is called “maladaptive brain rewiring”. It can happen organically, or it can happen in association with a bad mindset habits, thought patterns and a belief system. If you tell yourself you’ll be sick, you’ll probably end up being sick. Take a drug for the first time and you’re scared you’ll have side effects? Believe it hard enough and you most likely will. This is called nocebo, the opposite to a placebo effect. 
 

What if we told ourselves hard enough that we’re not sick, damaged and permanently ill? What if we kept reinforcing safety instead of a sense of danger with everything we do? “I can’t go outside because I get X symptom and I feel like Y” or “I cannot live normally and work and stay out of bed because of X symptom”? The brain learns that response, it learns that action process and what happens? Chances are you go to do it, and the exact reaction happens… Reinforcing belief that you’re right and that’s what is actually wrong with you. 
 

What if we started doing the opposite? What if despite the symptom appearing we continue telling our brains “the symptom is just a symptom, I’m not damaged, I’m not ill, I don’t have a condition” what happens then overtime? The brain learns safety, it learns that it doesn’t need to be on alert 24/7 and that we’re safe. In turn, the nervous system settles, you start regulating yourself again and the symptoms over time will fade or vanish. Fear keeps the cycle going, the brain learns based on the fear. Remove the fear? The brain no longer perceives danger…

 

 

Thanks for sharing that @Jack, I've copy and pasted it in my notes . 

On 2/13/2026 at 8:17 PM, Luke said:

 

I have to say, I disagree with this.

 

I was on the drug short term, and had 0 idea that withdrawal harms were possible. I felt better and better the entire time I was tapering it, and was very happy. Then, shortly after 0mg, I was disabled by a huge array of physical symptoms.

 

Nothing to do with a negative belief system.

 

I fully agree with you Luke, withdrawal symptoms are real and can be severe. I just don’t think “damage” is the only or necessarily the most helpful framework. I don’t agree with professionals like Josef Witt-Doering constantly preaching to a very easily influenced and traumatised audience that the reason why they’re the way they are is because the drug they took “damaged” and “injured” their brains and nervous systems. He prays on desperate people searching for proper treatment and guidance. There’s no evidence so far that shows antidepressants structurally damage or injure our nervous systems or brains. It’s simply dysregulation, nothing more. Dysregulation which goes into a chronic like state that most likely has a multitude of complex reasons as to why, one of them strongly points to maladaptive brain and nervous system recalibrations after a traumatic experience. The symptoms ARE real, but they don’t originate from a structural abnormality, their root place belongs to hyper-arousal of the brain and nervous system entirely. 

 

A sensitised, dysregulated nervous system can get stuck in protection mode. Fear, hyper-vigilance, and avoiding things we think will flare symptoms can unintentionally keep that alarm switched on. 

 

Recognising this isn’t blaming anyone or saying symptoms are imagined. It’s acknowledging that there may be additional levers for recovery, like retraining our responses, reducing catastrophic interpretations, and helping the body relearn safety. Some heal and recover without doing anything, without believing they’ll get better. Others need different approaches and methods to achieving homeostasis. 

 

There is a lot of anecdotal evidence online, as well as a huge amount of personal testimonies of people significantly reducing or even completely curing symptoms from long-term conditions like chronic pain, fibromyalgia, POTS, CRPS, long COVID, ME/CFS and of course, medication withdrawal simply by learning, and practising nervous system regulation. By changing their relationship to symptoms, rewiring bad neural pathways many have completely recovered from health issues that have been deemed incurable. That doesn’t mean it’s easy or that it’s completely guaranteed for all, but it the evidence clearly shows that significant improvement is possible and that the brain and body can change and heal.

 

Support forums like SA, BenzoBuddies and this one incredibly valuable, they’re a light in the darkness for many, a beacon of hope and for some (including myself at one point) a literal lifeline. But they are more often than not unintentionally reinforcing the idea that we’re permanently injured, damaged. This can create a negative belief system, instil fear, and keep people stuck in a mindset that the medication they took actually damaged them. That sort of ideology can make it harder for a sensitised system to calm down. For some of us, reframing our mindset and changing behaviours might be an important part of how steady and rapid healing process happens.

 

On 2/15/2026 at 5:08 AM, mars said:

Of course not, Luke. None of us are to blame for what our bodies do. 

 

Also , my prolonged suffering made me very negative.  It's like my brain said, " well it's been hard before,  So it's going to always be hard." 

 

Our minds, I believe,  follow a path of least resistance...when I hurt, my brain sort of flows with it.

 

I have had to really WORK for a positive expectation and not listen to the VERY PHYSIOLOGICAL symptoms of fear, doom, and anger, which I believe can be positively affected by my thoughts.  Neuroplasticity.  

 

Perhaps you don't believe in that, but I must. 

 

"It's not me, it's my phsysiolo-gee "  is a little rhyme I use when that sensation doesn't lift. NOT EASY.  

 

I have a tendency to catastrophize feeling bad. "It's just feeling bad." I now tell myself..healing HURTS, in my experience. 

 

We all have different things that "work" for us.  Mindset is one Jack and I, apparently,  really emphasize .

 

You have a different approach.  Good to know. Still,  you have helped me a great deal in other ways. Yay!!!

 

Thanks to both you and @Jack for a great discussion!

 

I love your outlook @mars. This is exactly what I’m talking about. Challenge the norm and think outside of the box and I truly believe you’ll prosper at finding different ways to better yourself and promote healing. Staying stuck in a negative mindset and feeding your brain ideas and beliefs that simply aren’t guaranteed and even strongly point to not being true is key. 
 

Most people walk this earth not realising that the brain its self can literally manifest and create real physical symptoms based off emotions, trauma and thought processes. Mind body symptoms and disorders are a real thing. Western medicine has known about this for a long time but it’s not widely accepted because it doesn’t fall in line with the framework of how our medical healthcare system runs. 
 

And again, I will ALWAYS reiterate that these symptoms are very much REAL, they’re not psychological, they’re real symptoms that disable us but they don’t belong to a diseased, injured, damaged body. Most of us can go run a number of tests, scans which will all show nothing wrong, because nothing is wrong, the symptom is being created, and perpetuated by the brain. 
 

If you look hard enough over a long enough period of time you will find patterns to your symptoms, and they will change depending on environments, stress, emotions, and lifestyle. Find a pattern, change it, reinforce safety to your thoughts which in turn forces your brain to rethink, in time that safety promotes regulation to your nervous system, and in doing so gets us out of flight-or-fight mode, and in doing so symptoms will reduce or even vanish in time. 
 

11 hours ago, cheeky said:

Thanks for sharing that @Jack, I've copy and pasted it in my notes . 

 

No worries!

57 minutes ago, Jack said:

A sensitised, dysregulated nervous system can get stuck in protection mode. Fear, hyper-vigilance, and avoiding things we think will flare symptoms can unintentionally keep that alarm switched on. 

 

Very true, and very important to remember. 
 

57 minutes ago, Jack said:

But they are more often than not unintentionally reinforcing the idea that we’re permanently injured, damaged.

I absolutely agree with what you said about mindset and attitude . What you say about the forum I do not agree. I see her all the time how people are encouraging one another that they will heal. 
 

Anyway, thank you for your great post!

On 2/16/2026 at 7:35 PM, Jack said:

I fully agree with you Luke, withdrawal symptoms are real and can be severe. I just don’t think “damage” is the only or necessarily the most helpful framework.

 

Which is a valid opinion, definitely. Whatever it is called, people can and do recover.

  

On 2/16/2026 at 7:35 PM, Jack said:

There’s no evidence so far that shows antidepressants structurally damage or injure our nervous systems or brains. It’s simply dysregulation, nothing more.

On 2/16/2026 at 7:35 PM, Jack said:

The symptoms ARE real, but they don’t originate from a structural abnormality, their root place belongs to hyper-arousal of the brain and nervous system entirely.

 

 

For many people, that's likely true. It's also likely true for withdrawal syndrome generally.

 

However, neurotoxicity from all kinds of sources can cause brain injury, and there are people who think this has happened to them from psychiatric medications:

My Brain after Long Term Lexapro: Chemically Induced TBI - Hormones Matter

 

I also had abnormalities show on an MRI that clinicians simply insisted could not and was not relevant. I'll likely never know.

 

The real answer is that we simply do not know the pathology of withdrawal and we do not have measuring tools that can accurately or conclusively measure it.

 

 

On 2/16/2026 at 7:35 PM, Jack said:

There is a lot of anecdotal evidence online, as well as a huge amount of personal testimonies of people significantly reducing or even completely curing symptoms from long-term conditions like chronic pain, fibromyalgia, POTS, CRPS, long COVID, ME/CFS and of course, medication withdrawal simply by learning, and practising nervous system regulation. By changing their relationship to symptoms, rewiring bad neural pathways many have completely recovered from health issues that have been deemed incurable. That doesn’t mean it’s easy or that it’s completely guaranteed for all, but it the evidence clearly shows that significant improvement is possible and that the brain and body can change and heal.

 

Sure, and having watched my sister try these things for years and fight extremely hard to recover from severe ME/CFS and POTS, with far worse symptoms than most would experience from withdrawal, she feels these methods helped her somewhat but she's years into a multi-year battle and they have also not cured her.

 

Working on nervous system regulation, and challenging negative thoughts is good. Reducing stress as much as possible is good, even for a healthy person.

 

 

On 2/16/2026 at 7:35 PM, Jack said:

And again, I will ALWAYS reiterate that these symptoms are very much REAL, they’re not psychological, they’re real symptoms that disable us but they don’t belong to a diseased, injured, damaged body. Most of us can go run a number of tests, scans which will all show nothing wrong, because nothing is wrong, the symptom is being created, and perpetuated by the brain. 

 

I have scans with unusual results, blood tests with unusual results and so on, all triggered by one psychiatric drug.

 

I am recovering regardless of this, but still.

 

 

On 2/13/2026 at 4:38 AM, Jack said:

What if we started doing the opposite? What if despite the symptom appearing we continue telling our brains “the symptom is just a symptom, I’m not damaged, I’m not ill, I don’t have a condition” what happens then overtime? The brain learns safety, it learns that it doesn’t need to be on alert 24/7 and that we’re safe. In turn, the nervous system settles, you start regulating yourself again and the symptoms over time will fade or vanish. Fear keeps the cycle going, the brain learns based on the fear. Remove the fear? The brain no longer perceives danger…

 

I'll also add that for a long time I could not feel fear at all, and it's only really in recent months that I've had shortlived bouts of anxiety popping up, even though I'm at my best since ever taking that drug.

 

 

I appreciate that what you're saying may well be true for some, but I don't think it's universal, and I would also point out that we don't have conclusive evidence that fear causes or prolongs withdrawal symptoms. However, doing everything we can to regulate our nervous systems, thinking and promoting wellbeing and reducing stress is very likely to be a positive thing for recovery. It has been demonstrated to be good for recovery from all sorts of things, like physical injuries, surgery outcomes etc.

27 minutes ago, Luke said:

However, neurotoxicity from all kinds of sources can cause brain injury, and there are people who think this has happened to them from psychiatric medications:

My Brain after Long Term Lexapro: Chemically Induced TBI - Hormones Matter

I read this link @Luke and as a doctor I understand the scans that were undertaken and what they mean. The EEG and SPECT scan this person had showed changes in brain wave activity and blood perfusion of various areas in the brain. That is still not the same as neuronal cell death and structural damage. The language this person uses is dramatic, but none of their investigations prove permanent injury or structural damage. I'm with @Jack that these drugs cause dysfunction and dysregulation. 

 

Where I disagree with Jack is that healing is a matter of learning better nervous system regulation skills. Such a suggestion is never made to someone with a broken leg. At some point, on a cellular level, the body needs to do what it is going to do. I also vehemently disagree with another man I saw on YouTube (linked) who promoted the idea that protracted withdrawal is a learned state and associated with unprocessed unconscious emotions. 

 

https://youtu.be/YQulZWZe0yU?si=ByOn3076pKaGlyn1

7 hours ago, Sminismoni said:

I read this link @Luke and as a doctor I understand the scans that were undertaken and what they mean. The EEG and SPECT scan this person had showed changes in brain wave activity and blood perfusion of various areas in the brain. That is still not the same as neuronal cell death and structural damage. The language this person uses is dramatic, but none of their investigations prove permanent injury or structural damage. I'm with @Jack that these drugs cause dysfunction and dysregulation. 

I agree dysfunction or dysregulation is a good description of what has happened to us all. However I disagree that injury is an unsuitable title. Maybe technically as there are no signs of structural damage. But for me it’s more a software injury. I for one definitely feel injured. 

I’ve never been a very anxious person. I have zero neuro emotional symptoms right now and my mindset and mental health is in a good place. I’m still suffering all the same.

I think healing happens without us, all we can do is get out of the way and let it happen.
What does this look like? Good diet no more drugs sure and I also agree mindset is important too. It’s always good to work on your mental/well being and it can almost certainly aid healing if your mind isn’t under stress. So avoiding high stress situations and working on your ‘head game’ is definitely a good idea.

I think injury is an appropriate title. Withdrawal only covers the temporary symptoms that a person is experiencing from dependance. After some time these pass yet symptoms linger. Additional drug or RI doesn’t ease things and only makes things worse. Pointing to the problem not being dependance. 
I think recognising this as an injury  gives validation to my the individuals experience rather than feeding anxiety that they have caused it in anyway. 
 

Good debate guys. Nice and healthy. 

1 hour ago, Sminismoni said:

YouTube (linked) who promoted the idea that protracted withdrawal is a learned state and associated with unprocessed unconscious emotions. 

 

https://youtu.be/YQulZWZe0yU?si=ByOn3076pKaGlyn1

I have also seen this before and disagree strongly also @Sminismoni

7 hours ago, Sminismoni said:

I read this link @Luke and as a doctor I understand the scans that were undertaken and what they mean. The EEG and SPECT scan this person had showed changes in brain wave activity and blood perfusion of various areas in the brain. That is still not the same as neuronal cell death and structural damage. The language this person uses is dramatic, but none of their investigations prove permanent injury or structural damage. I'm with @Jack that these drugs cause dysfunction and dysregulation.

 

From the various posts by that person on that website:

"The possibility of a stroke was supported by a CT scan but then later overruled by an MRI."

 

"Shortly after the  CFS diagnosis, an MRI revealed white matter lesions and demyelination. The neurologist dismissed a Lexapro connection"

 

They had visible abnormalities on both a CT scan and on multiple MRI scans.

 

An adverse reaction to a large range of drugs can cause neurotoxicity and damage. I don't see why drugs that specifically interact with brain function would be exempt from that- quite the opposite.

 

For most people, "classic" withdrawal syndrome likely is dysregulation. Ruling out the possibility that these drugs can do other harms entirely, without hard evidence, I don't agree with.

Hi just catching up here! 

 

firstly; I struggle big time with Dr Josef, he did a video that was about Compazine injury, one of the very few I could find online, and the terminology is all stuff like ‘it destroyed this women’s life forever’ and ‘her life is over.’ 
 

The day I saw that video I was doing OK and watching it sent me in to a wave that lasted a week! 
I didn’t ask for these Symtoms and I don’t think it’s all mind body stuff, I think my brain has some levelling off to do and stuff that is just beyond anything I can control. A good example of this for me is when I had a 3 week window and felt I was almost healed…then bam 💥 back in to a wave.  BUT that sort of video made me feel unsafe and gave me second fear. 
i know when i come on the groups too much my Symtoms get worse, I know I nearly had a panic attack on the plane today as I remembered a women I had read about who got worse due to going on a plane…. ✈️….that’s all just me making myself worse and giving myself second fear….

so I get very confused where the WD ends and the second fear begins.

 

all I know is my NS is fried and I’ll take all the help I can get to calm it.

 ⭐️ 🕊️ ☀️ 

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

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.

Hi Jack. I am also having a terrible time with histamine and eating almost anything. I feel such relief when I see others struggling with this as it's such a bizarre and lonely withdrawal symptom. What have you found you're able to eat?

 

I know we don't know each other but I'm glad to hear you've had so much progress in your journey, it's always encouraging to see.

On 2/16/2026 at 2:35 PM, Jack said:

I fully agree with you Luke, withdrawal symptoms are real and can be severe. I just don’t think “damage” is the only or necessarily the most helpful framework. I don’t agree with professionals like Josef Witt-Doering constantly preaching to a very easily influenced and traumatised audience that the reason why they’re the way they are is because the drug they took “damaged” and “injured” their brains and nervous systems. He prays on desperate people searching for proper treatment and guidance. There’s no evidence so far that shows antidepressants structurally damage or injure our nervous systems or brains. It’s simply dysregulation, nothing more. Dysregulation which goes into a chronic like state that most likely has a multitude of complex reasons as to why, one of them strongly points to maladaptive brain and nervous system recalibrations after a traumatic experience. The symptoms ARE real, but they don’t originate from a structural abnormality, their root place belongs to hyper-arousal of the brain and nervous system entirely. 

 

A sensitised, dysregulated nervous system can get stuck in protection mode. Fear, hyper-vigilance, and avoiding things we think will flare symptoms can unintentionally keep that alarm switched on. 

 

Recognising this isn’t blaming anyone or saying symptoms are imagined. It’s acknowledging that there may be additional levers for recovery, like retraining our responses, reducing catastrophic interpretations, and helping the body relearn safety. Some heal and recover without doing anything, without believing they’ll get better. Others need different approaches and methods to achieving homeostasis. 

 

There is a lot of anecdotal evidence online, as well as a huge amount of personal testimonies of people significantly reducing or even completely curing symptoms from long-term conditions like chronic pain, fibromyalgia, POTS, CRPS, long COVID, ME/CFS and of course, medication withdrawal simply by learning, and practising nervous system regulation. By changing their relationship to symptoms, rewiring bad neural pathways many have completely recovered from health issues that have been deemed incurable. That doesn’t mean it’s easy or that it’s completely guaranteed for all, but it the evidence clearly shows that significant improvement is possible and that the brain and body can change and heal.

 

Support forums like SA, BenzoBuddies and this one incredibly valuable, they’re a light in the darkness for many, a beacon of hope and for some (including myself at one point) a literal lifeline. But they are more often than not unintentionally reinforcing the idea that we’re permanently injured, damaged. This can create a negative belief system, instil fear, and keep people stuck in a mindset that the medication they took actually damaged them. That sort of ideology can make it harder for a sensitised system to calm down. For some of us, reframing our mindset and changing behaviours might be an important part of how steady and rapid healing process happens.

Thank you so much for saying this and for calling out Dr. Josef as well as as the negative belief systems that sometimes proliferate on these peer support sites. The idea of damage v dysregulation feels very salient. On the bad days it's very easy to get sucked into feeling those perspectives are fact. I also take heart seeing people recover from conditions like ME/CFS and long covid, they do seem like our cousins in nervous system dysregulation. We are all capable of healing over time.

11 hours ago, pluto said:

I also take heart seeing people recover from conditions like ME/CFS and long covid, they do seem like our cousins in nervous system dysregulation. We are all capable of healing over time.

 

Not everybody does fully recover from ME/CFS, especially when it is severe. Some recover, some recover partially and life an ok life always cautiously managing symptoms, and others worsen and stay bad for life.

 

It is good to take heart that recovery from it is possible, but it's a totally different condition from antidepressant withdrawal, is very misunderstood by those who have no experience of it and crucially, is very often used as a throwaway term for being ill but needing to buck your ideas up/regulate your own nervous system/reduce your stress.

 

I have direct experience of a family member being severe and partially recovering in many years, with a significant impact on quality of life still.

 

Comparing severe ME/CFS and antidepressant withdrawal and saying "it's all just dysregulation and your thoughts are holding you back" is unfounded.

 

Here is the reality of ME/CFS:

 

Severe and very severe ME - MEpedia

 

"Severe and very severe ME affects about 25% of people with myalgic encephalo­myelitis (ME), with patients being housebound or bedbound at some point in their illness, typically needing to use a wheelchair, unable to do any kind of work or study, and often unable to do basic self-care activities unaided. Some people have died of severe ME..."

 

"A study of 19 bedbound patients with severe ME and orthostatic intolerance by van Campen et al (2020) found an average 27% decrease in blood flow to the brain during a 20 degree tilt table test that lasted just 15 minutes. Some patients could not tolerate the orthostatic symptoms for 15 mins and had to finish the test early. The patients average 35 years of age and had been ill on average 14 years. All the severely ill patients had abnormal drops in blood flow to the brain."

 

"Merryn Crofts was bedbound and unable to eat before she died of very severe ME."

 

"A pilot study of patients with severe CFS/ME in North East England found that even when visiting patients at home, some were unable to complete a questionnaire or to even attempt to stand."

 

 

I realise this seems negative but ME/CFS sufferers face gigantic stigma and constant denial and dismissal from doctors and society. There is a huge amount of misinformation written about this condition by people with 0 direct experience of it, parroting other misinformation they've read on the internet.

 

Yes, nervous system regulation can be beneficial, but it's both unfair and inaccurate to suggest that ME/CFS is purely based on the sufferer's fear of symptoms, and that therefore psychiatric drug harms must be the same.

5 hours ago, Luke said:

 

Not everybody does fully recover from ME/CFS, especially when it is severe. Some recover, some recover partially and life an ok life always cautiously managing symptoms, and others worsen and stay bad for life.

 

It is good to take heart that recovery from it is possible, but it's a totally different condition from antidepressant withdrawal, is very misunderstood by those who have no experience of it and crucially, is very often used as a throwaway term for being ill but needing to buck your ideas up/regulate your own nervous system/reduce your stress.

 

I have direct experience of a family member being severe and partially recovering in many years, with a significant impact on quality of life still.

 

Comparing severe ME/CFS and antidepressant withdrawal and saying "it's all just dysregulation and your thoughts are holding you back" is unfounded.

 

Here is the reality of ME/CFS:

 

Severe and very severe ME - MEpedia

 

"Severe and very severe ME affects about 25% of people with myalgic encephalo­myelitis (ME), with patients being housebound or bedbound at some point in their illness, typically needing to use a wheelchair, unable to do any kind of work or study, and often unable to do basic self-care activities unaided. Some people have died of severe ME..."

 

"A study of 19 bedbound patients with severe ME and orthostatic intolerance by van Campen et al (2020) found an average 27% decrease in blood flow to the brain during a 20 degree tilt table test that lasted just 15 minutes. Some patients could not tolerate the orthostatic symptoms for 15 mins and had to finish the test early. The patients average 35 years of age and had been ill on average 14 years. All the severely ill patients had abnormal drops in blood flow to the brain."

 

"Merryn Crofts was bedbound and unable to eat before she died of very severe ME."

 

"A pilot study of patients with severe CFS/ME in North East England found that even when visiting patients at home, some were unable to complete a questionnaire or to even attempt to stand."

 

 

I realise this seems negative but ME/CFS sufferers face gigantic stigma and constant denial and dismissal from doctors and society. There is a huge amount of misinformation written about this condition by people with 0 direct experience of it, parroting other misinformation they've read on the internet.

 

Yes, nervous system regulation can be beneficial, but it's both unfair and inaccurate to suggest that ME/CFS is purely based on the sufferer's fear of symptoms, and that therefore psychiatric drug harms must be the same.

I apologize and I completely understand the point you're making. I know many people do not recover fully or do not recover at all from ME/CFS and that there is tremendous stigma. I also not think psychiatric medication withdrawal is all in our heads either. I think the connection I was making is that these are complex poorly misunderstood conditions that seem to have a mind of their own, but I realize it sounded like I was implying that ME/CFS is primarily psychological. I'm sorry for the impact it's had on your family member as well.

2 hours ago, pluto said:

I apologize and I completely understand the point you're making. I know many people do not recover fully or do not recover at all from ME/CFS and that there is tremendous stigma. I also not think psychiatric medication withdrawal is all in our heads either. I think the connection I was making is that these are complex poorly misunderstood conditions that seem to have a mind of their own, but I realize it sounded like I was implying that ME/CFS is primarily psychological. I'm sorry for the impact it's had on your family member as well.

 

No need to apologise, I meant it more as a general statement- a lot of discussion in prescribed harm communities uses ME/CFS to make a point without really knowing what it is.

 

Yes, it's certainly true that it's one of many poorly understood conditions. It is also true that for some people with it (but not all), that nervous system regulation exercises can help to a degree.

Been having some incredibly strange, but promising changes in my sexual function as of late. Seems my libido has sky rocketed to astronomical levels for me out of nowhere as of late. Noticed this trend occurring probably around New Years very briefly and then it fell again but it’s been back with a vengeance as of late. I feel like I’m 17 again, like a horny jackrabbit and my partner can’t handle me. 😂

 

Feels like I’m on steroids or something, I’m sexually wired almost all day and I’ve even been experiencing “blue ball” phenomena occurring. My erections seem fairly mild to medium still, still some mild numbness sensation in my genitals, sex sort of feels okay, not incredibly great. I’m able to reach climax with ease, but the sensation feels like a 6/10. 
 

I’m fortunate enough that I still get “morning wood” often, so that shows promising signs that my system IS trying to come back online. And this sudden, explosive increase in my sexual drive is another aspect to that. I’m hoping as time goes on my overall sensation in my genitals will come back, but we’ll see… It’s definitely been a form of PSSD, maybe on the milder side that I’ve been experiencing for at least a year and a half now, but it’s good to see improvements happening. Possibly my dopamine receptors are trying to regulate better? 
 

Aside from that, my overall state is very much the same. I’m in and out of lengthy waves and windows like usual. Seems my waves are about 6-7 days long, then a window occurs which is about the same amount of time. Much better overall than my old phase from December of 2023 till about early 2025 it was fairly rapid waves and almost non existent windows. If I had them, they were so short that I barely had time to understand I was having one. 
 

No more suicidal ideation is such a big thing for me right now. It’s been a good while since it’s been there, it was a daily occurrence for a good two years almost. I also had it for about a year prior to med use which I think was induced by my adverse reaction back in 2017 to Stemetil. 

Well congrats, woody!!! Lol

I have none of your enthusiasm but the good news gives me hope! My regards to your partner!!!

 

It sounds like you're experiencing a range of improvements, even though it's non linear.

 

At 1.5 years (roughly) off of medication, this seems to be fairly in line with a lot of others' experiences. Hopefully the improvements become more consistent in time.

 

Thank you for the update.

On 2/28/2026 at 5:51 AM, mars said:

Well congrats, woody!!! Lol

I have none of your enthusiasm but the good news gives me hope! My regards to your partner!!!

 

I appreciate your words! 
 

3 hours ago, Luke said:

It sounds like you're experiencing a range of improvements, even though it's non linear.

 

At 1.5 years (roughly) off of medication, this seems to be fairly in line with a lot of others' experiences. Hopefully the improvements become more consistent in time.

 

Thank you for the update.

 

Slow and steady wins the race. Up and down fluctuations but it’s showing good signs of improvement and healing nonetheless! 

Jack your partner must be exhausted 🥴🤣

I’m pleased about the SI.

i have looping thoughts about life having no meaning and some SI but I don’t know if it’s true SI as I 100% don’t want to do it, so I get confused what to call it: intrusive thoughts I guess.

 

100% came from the Prochloperazine injury for me and the the Prozac made it worse. In a window those thoughts totally go.

for me they seem to be linked to this intense burn/anxiety I get on my solar plexus. When that’s bad the thoughts go through the roof, when it’s better they ease off….

 

i guess that feeling  is so unbearable it triggers the thoughts now like a well worn pathway. I’m not even sure. 
 

it’s really hopeful for me to see you are making improvements at this stage, I’m 12 months off now so a little behind you. I’ve had some good windows but still in this very none linear windows and waves pattern.  
 

fingers crossed you will make lots more progress over the coming months 🙏