Hello @Catbird ! How are you? Sorry for only replying now.

So, I reduce the dose every 30 days, very slowly this time. My new doctor has a perspective more aligned with the website’s guidelines and is helping me a lot through this process. I hope I can continue progressing well this way.

4 minutes ago, Bizorro said:

Olá@Catbird Como vai você? Desculpe por só responder agora.

Então, estou reduzindo a dose a cada 30 dias, bem devagar desta vez. Meu novo médico tem uma perspectiva mais alinhada com as orientações do site e está me ajudando bastante nesse processo. Espero continuar

Hi @Chippy . I just replied to @Catbird in the thread where she asked a question, but I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you that things haven’t been going very well for me.

Actually, as far as tapering is concerned, things are going well. I’m reducing my dose very slowly, every 30 days, and my new doctor has an approach that is very much aligned with the guidelines discussed on this site. He has been helping me a lot with this process.

The problem is that I’m now going through a new health issue. I worked as a rideshare driver for about eight months, spending many hours sitting, and I eventually developed severe pain and a burning sensation in my pelvic floor. After doing a lot of research, I’m starting to suspect that I may have some irritation or injury involving the pudendal nerve. I don’t know if you are familiar with it or have heard of it. It is a nerve that runs through the pelvic area and is connected to the genital region.

The burning and pain when I sit have been extremely difficult to deal with. The only thing that really gives me relief is lying down and sleeping, probably because my pelvic floor gets a chance to rest during that time.

I wanted to ask you whether you think this could have anything to do with my gradual tapering of nortriptyline, since I’ve heard that it also acts on peripheral nerves.

I’m also worried because, if I see a specialist for this problem, from what I’ve been reading, some of the medications commonly used for neuropathic pain include gabapentin, pregabalin, and even some antidepressants, including medications from the same class as nortriptyline.

My question is: if I see a specialist and they want to prescribe one of these medications, what should I do? I feel very lost and, at the same time, quite scared, especially because of the tapering process I’m currently going through.

If you have any advice or experience with something like this, I would be very grateful to hear it.

Thank you, my friend, and thank you as well to everyone on the site who is always willing to help and share their experiences.

1 hour ago, Bizorro said:

if I see a specialist and they want to prescribe one of these medications, what should I do?

This forum opinion is mostly more against psych drugs, I wouldn't advice going on any psych drug for pain, you will be asking for problems in my view.

Pergablin/gabapentin really depends as im less familiar with usage of those for physical issues, all I know is they can cause problems like psych drugs to some (mess up with the nervous system), and you could have withdrawal issues with them as well, that require tapering/hyperbolical tapering.

Withdrawal can cause burning sensations, so it might as well be withdrawal if you had burning sensations issues after starting to taper and mess with your drugs regimes.

Edited October 3Oct 3 by Lighty

So, actually, based on the research I’ve been doing about my symptoms, I’m starting to suspect that the problem could be related to the pudendal nerve. The burning sensation in the perineum, between the anus and the testicle, which gets significantly worse when I sit and improves when I lie down, seems to have some characteristics that could be consistent with this.

I don’t have a diagnosis yet; it’s just a possibility I’m trying to understand better.

I’d like to know if anyone here has experienced anything similar, or has seen any reports of these symptoms either in a post here or on the Surviving Antidepressants forum. If anyone has had a similar experience or has any information about this, I would really appreciate you sharing it.

5 hours ago, Bizorro said:

Hello @Catbird ! How are you? Sorry for only replying now.

So, I reduce the dose every 30 days, very slowly this time. My new doctor has a perspective more aligned with the website’s guidelines and is helping me a lot through this process. I hope I can continue progressing well this way.

Thanks for the reply @Bizorro 🙏

Hey @Bizorro I am very pleased to read your taper is going well and that you have a doctor who understands and can help you taper safely.

In WD we often suspect symptoms we get are related to our taper or the WD injury we have sustained, and for good reason IMO. These drugs can effect every part of the brain and body. However that does not mean everything that happens to us is WD.

The issue is that when we go to a doctor for advise in WD, if they don't take into account our WD/tapering state they only see the symptoms and then align them to a condition.

A lot of what doctors offer is pills and potions and lotions and these can cause their own issues.

Gabapentin, Pregabalin are both drugs I would 100% not be taking if I were you along with anything that is Psycho Active.

My advice would be to try to find ways to treat what you are suffering with non drug techniques. If you think sitting for long periods of time has caused this, could you change some of your approach? Is there another work you could do that is better in that regard? Could you reduce the sitting? Could you try exercises and other things like walking to mean you are less sedentary assuming you might be?

I do believe back problems can be caused by these drugs. So you may wish to consider holding whilst you get to the bottom of your issue. Who knows holding may even help things.

Chippy

On 10/3/2026 at 1:15 PM, Bizorro said:

So, actually, based on the research I’ve been doing about my symptoms, I’m starting to suspect that the problem could be related to the pudendal nerve. The burning sensation in the perineum, between the anus and the testicle, which gets significantly worse when I sit and improves when I lie down, seems to have some characteristics that could be consistent with this.

I don’t have a diagnosis yet; it’s just a possibility I’m trying to understand better.

I’d like to know if anyone here has experienced anything similar, or has seen any reports of these symptoms either in a post here or on the Surviving Antidepressants forum. If anyone has had a similar experience or has any information about this, I would really appreciate you sharing it.

I think you are expericing a withdrawal related condition. Nortripyline helps modualte pain reception and things of that sort and can influence the brains perception of pain. I think you may have something called neuroplastic pain. It is when the brain mistakes normal sensations as if they are dangerous and sends pain and other signals, which is something that brain is more likely to do during withdrawal espc with a drug like nortriptyline.

On 10/4/2026 at 5:15 AM, Bizorro said:

So, actually, based on the research I’ve been doing about my symptoms, I’m starting to suspect that the problem could be related to the pudendal nerve. The burning sensation in the perineum, between the anus and the testicle, which gets significantly worse when I sit and improves when I lie down, seems to have some characteristics that could be consistent with this.

I don’t have a diagnosis yet; it’s just a possibility I’m trying to understand better.

I’d like to know if anyone here has experienced anything similar, or has seen any reports of these symptoms either in a post here or on the Surviving Antidepressants forum. If anyone has had a similar experience or has any information about this, I would really appreciate you sharing it.

@Bizorro I've been through months of burning parasthesia in my left breast for months at a time and i think many people resport similar symptoms. However yours seems to be in a particularly sensitive area and I really feel for you 😩