@StDymphna Can you please share something more about your reactions to food. What exactly happen?

I'm asking you, because for me the interesting thing in your case is mentioning that you can tolerate - specific brand of chicken.

I mean, firstly when these reactions started , I was thinking if this is histamine or sugar, but latter realized that reactions were related to "organic-or-non-organic" aspect.

By the way, the thing in your throat, mucus could be present there because of silent acid reflux...

Edited June 8Jun 8 by The Dust

2 minutes ago, The Dust said:

@StDymphna Can you please share something more about your reactions to food. What exactly happen?

I'm asking you, because for me the interesting thing in your case is mentioning that you can tolerate - specific brand of chicken.

I mean, firstly when these reactions started , I was thinking if this is histamine or sugar, but latter realized that reactions were related to "organic-or-non-organic" aspect.

By the way, the thing in your throat, mucus could be present there because of silent acid reflux...

Hey @The Dust thanks for your post. If you are going to post on the forum we request you introduce yourself in the intro section of the site first. :)

7 hours ago, The Dust said:

@StDymphna Can you please share something more about your reactions to food. What exactly happen?

I'm asking you, because for me the interesting thing in your case is mentioning that you can tolerate - specific brand of chicken.

I mean, firstly when these reactions started , I was thinking if this is histamine or sugar, but latter realized that reactions were related to "organic-or-non-organic" aspect.

By the way, the thing in your throat, mucus could be present there because of silent acid reflux...

I might feel instant bloating, tingling in my arm, difficulty swallowing, mucus in back of my throat, etc

I don't think it matters if the food is organic. I have bought frozen chicken in the exact same brand but merely in a different form (diced instead of whole pieces) and that bothered me.

9 minutes ago, StDymphna said:

I might feel instant bloating, tingling in my arm, difficulty swallowing, mucus in back of my throat, etc

Thanks for your reply.

Yes, you are right, according to these symthoms organic doesn't really matter. That's why I asked, what exactly happens. (I asked you because I have "neurological" reactions to different chemicals. Not just from food, but from anything.) Your symptoms are probably more consistent with gastritis, GERD, or SIBO. I mean, it's very unlikely that bloating could be anything else.

Edited June 8Jun 8 by The Dust

Do we know of any cases of successful reinstatement? I probably wouldn't but it has been over two years and many of my symptoms have remained consistent and have had 0 improvement? When will the improvement happen will it happen at all?

1 minute ago, StDymphna said:

Do we know of any cases of successful reinstatement?

There have been for sure. I’m not sure of 2 year+ examples off the top of my head but they exist. It doesn’t really matter as one persons experience isn’t yours. Everyone is different.

3 minutes ago, StDymphna said:

I probably wouldn't but it has been over two years and many of my symptoms have remained consistent and have had 0 improvement?

This happens sometimes. I’m 2.25 years off and have some quite bad symptoms still. They fluctuate but I don’t have days of zero symptoms. Time is our friend.

3 minutes ago, StDymphna said:

When will the improvement happen will it happen at all?

We don’t know. We do know the body is working hard for balance.

14 hours ago, StDymphna said:

Do we know of any cases of successful reinstatement? I probably wouldn't but it has been over two years and many of my symptoms have remained consistent and have had 0 improvement? When will the improvement happen will it happen at all?

If you are asking, i will say that years ago I stared taking SSRI. After one year, I quitted and after being off for a few months I started taking another SSRI. It helped (mood, motivation, energy). What happened next? The thing is that after being poly-drugged for a decade my digestion and cognitive function became damaged more and, at some point, nothing really helped anymore. I'm saying that it's hard to talk about feeling better if the digestion is damaged. And now I am almost 8 years off everything and (new) symthoms are coming and going away. If I look backwards, the damage after quitting after (just) one year was childish play...

My point is that reinstating could help, but the question is for how long and secondly what side effects will mean in terms of your well-being in general.

2 minutes ago, The Dust said:

My point is that reinstating could help, but the question is for how long and secondly what side effects will mean in terms of your well-being in general.

To be clear RI is not about having an SSRI or AD back into your system to treat anything. A low dose RI of the original drug only is all we suggest mostly, and it can ease anti depressant WD, the symptoms caused by stopping an AD too quickly and your brain missing the drug, it won't cure PWD Injury.

RI is not about treating 'relapse' nor is it suggesting that ADs are actually that effective, we are simply addressing AD WD.

@Chippy I know this principle. i just wanted to express that you can try to RI to avoid the thing named PWD injury, but at the same time you take a risk of (additional) injury just by by being on the drug for longer period. The decision is up to the individual... I think we all can agree...

Edited June 9Jun 9 by The Dust

10 minutes ago, The Dust said:

The decision is up to the individual... I think we all can agree...

We can indeed.

I wanted to make sure the point of a ri was made clear. It wasn’t obvious to me you understood the concept.

Ri doesn’t avoid pwd. It can help cushion the symptoms to make them more bearable. It can also worsen people so it’s a risk.

I’d like to point out that low dose ri is low risk for side effects as they tend to be dose related.

I always keep in mind guests and so on reading these threads, so when I comment like this it’s more for them than anything, I want to make sure the content here is concise, consistent and clear.

Wondering if anyone shares my food sensitivities. Anytime I do not have something that isn't one of my three foods, I instantly feel brainfogged/sedated/headachey and slower breathing among with some other symptoms like itchy skin. I have been diagnosed w/ MCAS a few months into this protracted withdrawal. Even if u don't know if u have MCAS but have some sensitivities caused by w/d I woul dlike to know if you have any similar symptoms, just b/c the brainfogginess seems to me like a withdrawal sensitivity idk..

symptoms I still deal with:

-extreme hypersensitivity to anything that isn't my three safe foods

-symptoms while driving or flying

-symptoms when I close my eyes to sleep, tingling, head pressure, mucus/phlegm constantly in back of throat

-brain fog/head pressure

-itchy, tingly skin

-all these symptoms are heightened when i am concentrating in some way- reading, sleeping, praying. it is so bizarre

-can't use blankets???? whenever I do I experience a crawling pressure all over my body, brain fog, muscle spasms. this also happens for certain types of clothing. some types of cotton does this. polyester/cotton pants blend always does this. haven't been able to wear 100% cotton sweatpants comfortably so i have to settle for polyester, it is so sad.

there are no windows of me getting better. i believe my body is stuck like this. it is fundamentally different than before withdrawal. even my skin gets red and is more sensitive. i have been diagnosed with MCAS. can't eat anything.

15 hours ago, StDymphna said:

symptoms I still deal with:

-extreme hypersensitivity to anything that isn't my three safe foods

-symptoms while driving or flying

-symptoms when I close my eyes to sleep, tingling, head pressure, mucus/phlegm constantly in back of throat

-brain fog/head pressure

-itchy, tingly skin

-all these symptoms are heightened when i am concentrating in some way- reading, sleeping, praying. it is so bizarre

-can't use blankets???? whenever I do I experience a crawling pressure all over my body, brain fog, muscle spasms. this also happens for certain types of clothing. some types of cotton does this. polyester/cotton pants blend always does this. haven't been able to wear 100% cotton sweatpants comfortably so i have to settle for polyester, it is so sad.

there are no windows of me getting better. i believe my body is stuck like this. it is fundamentally different than before withdrawal. even my skin gets red and is more sensitive. i have been diagnosed with MCAS. can't eat anything.

I am so sorry to read things are hard for you still. I really don't believe this is permanent, although I can understand when you have little to no progress it can feel this way. Healing the nervous system can take a really long time for some, and I know some have little progress for an awfully long period of time. Hang in there, given enough time I hope things get significantly better for you. I think they will.

thanks. it's been over two years of exactly the same

On 7/8/2026 at 8:54 PM, StDymphna said:

Wondering if anyone shares my food sensitivities. Anytime I do not have something that isn't one of my three foods, I instantly feel brainfogged/sedated/headachey and slower breathing among with some other symptoms like itchy skin. I have been diagnosed w/ MCAS a few months into this protracted withdrawal. Even if u don't know if u have MCAS but have some sensitivities caused by w/d I woul dlike to know if you have any similar symptoms, just b/c the brainfogginess seems to me like a withdrawal sensitivity idk..

Sorry for replying to this late, but yes, I share your food sensitivities. But I have to add that what has been described by you are, at least in my case, chemical sensitivities, which can be, of course manifested by eating, because regular food is not clean. And it doesn't matter if I eat them or smell them. Maybe I can say "shortness ob breath" instead of "slow breathing", however sometimes even something "hard to breath". When this started happening I didn't have a clue, and I was thinking if it somehow related to blood sugar spikes or anything like that. I was not.

I have not being diagnosed with MCAS, however according to my allergist my sensitivity can be exacerbated by enhanced mast cell activity due to my duodenitis.

Interesting, what can you eat? Any new food or medication for me triggers the most awful headache and irritability, mucus in my throat and also a feeling of emotional bluntness sometimes

The strictest organic food.

What about you? What kind of medication did you tried? And food?

Update- a few days ago I burned my leg with boiling water, and this may be a coincidence but a few days later red splotched started appearing on my leg and there is a section that is very tender to touch. I have been paranoid about a blood clot, but I am not so sure. I am really confused because ever since this developed a few days ago, a lot of my old withdrawal symptom patterns came back and I am talking like symptoms I haven't experienced in two years- chest pain, waking up with a racing heart, more brain fog and head pressure than usual, more muscle spasms, loud stomach noises, etc. idk how these two things are connected and I am very anxious and frustrated that I am experiencing these symptoms again I thought I was past them for a long time.

It could be not be related to your burned leg. Symptoms can come back and a new one can appear.

17 hours ago, StDymphna said:

Update- a few days ago I burned my leg with boiling water, and this may be a coincidence but a few days later red splotched started appearing on my leg and there is a section that is very tender to touch. I have been paranoid about a blood clot, but I am not so sure. I am really confused because ever since this developed a few days ago, a lot of my old withdrawal symptom patterns came back and I am talking like symptoms I haven't experienced in two years- chest pain, waking up with a racing heart, more brain fog and head pressure than usual, more muscle spasms, loud stomach noises, etc. idk how these two things are connected and I am very anxious and frustrated that I am experiencing these symptoms again I thought I was past them for a long time.

Sorry to read, maybe the stress of burning your leg triggered things for you. It could be unrelated. Unfortunately symptoms can come and go and generally wax and wane for some time whilst you are recovering. I hope this settles for you soon.

Thanks. Yeah I know it's so bizarre- can't tell if the burn triggered some more withdrawal symptoms or what.. I went to urgent care and they don't think it is a blood clot but ordering ultrasound for peace of mind. It gets more painful and burning at night, which reminds me of how my withdrawal symptoms early on were very cyclical, different symptoms morning and night. I just feel more similarly two years ago and I thought I was past a lot of stuff. Just concerning it feels like it is all back went I went nearly two years without these cycles and symptoms. Have you heard of other cases such as this? It has been over two years and still not better..

On 9/11/2026 at 4:33 PM, StDymphna said:

I just feel more similarly two years ago and I thought I was past a lot of stuff.

Unfortunately it is common for things to resolve and flare back up again.

Hi @StDymphna

So sorry you are going through this. Just wondering, are you taking any meds for the pain? Sometimes painkillers, even topical creams can flare us up!

I do not know why my symptoms are so consistent. That is one of the aspects of this I struggle with the most. I thought that by two years out things would gradually start to be better for me but especially with this MCAS stuff it does not seem like my body will go back to normal. Since my MCAS flare up and flare up of WD symptoms last month, I became sensitive to showering, deodorant, toothpaste, etc. everything I had gotten used to and now these things bother me again. One of my weirdest symptom patterns I have noticed is that if I use something that triggers me in the day time, my symptoms at night will be much worse. When I close my eyes to try and concentrating on sleeping, my skin will buzz, muscles will twitch, I will get itchy, mucus will make it hard to swallow, something my breathing changes, weird nerve sensations, body aches, all of it. I don't know what to do because it isn't healthy to only be eating chicken, sweet potatoes, and butter for 2+ years of my life I need to see someone but the problem is how badly I react to every single thing I put in my body. this is so hard and I do not see a way out

Hi @StDymphna

I’m so sorry you are going through this. Do you know what resensitized you?

Again, I can absolutely relate to all of your symptoms. I still am scared to use a deodorant that is an aerosol and I still don’t clean the bathrooms in my house because of the chemicals and the effects they have one me - I have avoided them so long I don’t even know if I am still sensitive or not ( I do have clean bathrooms, my other half cleans them and I don’t use them until later in the day). What do you mean by sensitive to showering?

Have you already looked into brain retraining? I’m so sorry, it’s such a rock and a hard place. The only thing that worked for me was to literally stay away from anything I was sensitive to. I’m still terrified of all meds, but I recently went under GA and did fine!! I didn’t take anything afterwards though, at all. I do see that for me the sensnitivies have reduced hugely over time, perhaps your body just needs a lot more time? Is there anything that could be regularly sensitizing it? Are you taking any supplements or meds?