Hello, I’m looking for opinions because I’m going through something very difficult and I’m not sure what is happening.
Im on SSRI from 10 years, tried to stop them many times, and its unberable,its TORTURE!!! then the doctors bring back the medications because they say its my "problem" getting back.I have been diagnosed in the past with mixed anxiety disorder / health anxiety and obsessive rumination. I have been on antidepressants for many years.
Recently I started reducing Sertraline.
I reduced my dose from 50 mg to 37.5 mg about 10–14 days ago.
Currently I take around 1–1.5 mg of Clonazepam per day.
Since reducing the medication I have developed very severe symptoms.
The main symptoms are:

Cant even stay in my skin, cant even think, cant even read a word
• severe cognitive dysfunction / brain fog
• feeling like my brain works at 1%
• feeling like I cannot access my memory or knowledge
• difficulty concentrating
• constant internal dialogue and rumination
• my brain starts analyzing things even before I wake up
I also experience physical symptoms:
• dizziness and “floating” feeling
• derealization (feeling like reality is distant or unreal)
• tingling in arms and legs
• ear pressure / muffled hearing
• internal tremor or agitation
• nausea and very low appetite
• episodes of shortness of breath despite normal oxygen saturation

The feeling sensations in my body is like "i want to get out", its constantly burning and i feel doom!
My sleep is also disrupted:
• fragmented sleep
• vivid dreams
• hypnic jerks when falling asleep
• feeling like my brain is active before I even open my eyes.
I had medical checks including ECG and neurological examination and they were normal.
The symptoms started after reducing sertraline, which makes me wonder if this could be related to withdrawal or nervous system dysregulation.
Has anyone experienced something similar when reducing SSRIs? I really need help. Every specialist thinks its a hypochondria PD, or "somatic disorder". I really need help really fast. Im also "on the edge". Im getting really suicidle, i dont want to go to a hospital because i know them all and they will say its my "condition" and has to up the dose!

Other than that i have really reallllyyyy bad activation when starting a SSRI its torture - docs think its normal!

Hi @freerunnerrr

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

This is a volunteer-run, community forum aimed at helping those who are tapering and/or experiencing difficulties with psychiatric medications and withdrawl syndrome. We are not medical professionals and cannot offer medical advice. We simply offer support and opinions which you could use as talking points with a medical provider knowledgeable in withdrawing off psychiatric medications.

 

Please familiarise yourself with the forum rules and the disclaimer located here: Guidelines

 

Please make sure your signature is kept up to date with your drug history. This will allow members to see some basic information about your drug history and situation so that they may help you best. Information on how to do this is located in the FAQs section above, but here is a direct link: Update Signature

Once this is done, future posts made by you will have this signature turned on by default. For this reason please keep it clear but condensed as possible.

I'm so sorry to read about the tough time you've had recently you will find plenty of support here for sure.

 

Firstly as (mentoned above) can you please create a signature with your drug history in it. Particulary the recent history. But all of it if possible. Don't worry how long it is.

 

Use this format please for each dose change so it is easy for us to read;

01 Jan 2025 Sertraline 50mg

01 Feb 2025 Sertraline 75mg

And so on

 

53 minutes ago, freerunnerrr said:

I reduced my dose from 50 mg to 37.5 mg about 10–14 days ago.

How long have you been on Sertraline for? Were you ok before your drop 10-14 days ago?

 

53 minutes ago, freerunnerrr said:

Currently I take around 1–1.5 mg of Clonazepam per day.

You shouldn't jump your doses around, you should take the same dose each day. Pick one and stay there. If you have been taking both doses (1 & 1.5mg) consistently I’d go for 1.25mg daily to split the difference. 
 

See here for how to cut your doses accurately. 

Preparing Doses for Tapering - Weighing & DIY Liquids

 

53 minutes ago, freerunnerrr said:

The symptoms started after reducing sertraline, which makes me wonder if this could be related to withdrawal or nervous system dysregulation.
Has anyone experienced something similar when reducing SSRIs?

Your drop was 25% which was too large. You are experiencing WD symptoms as a result.

 

Assuming you have been on sertraline some time and you felt ok before your drop, If it were me I would increase your dose back to 50mg and stay there and wait for it to settle down. It can take some time to settle. So stick to that dose for 14 days and let us know how you are.

 

How long does it take to stabilize after reinstating or updosing?

 

Once you have settled we can talk about how to get off these drugs safely.

 

Here is our tapering document for you to have read of.

 

Tapering Information

 

53 minutes ago, freerunnerrr said:

My sleep is also disrupted:

Have a read:

 

Sleep in WD

 

In the mean time this is what I would do if I were you:

 

-Stay Hydrated 

 

-Eat a good clean whole food diet, avoiding processed foods and sugars.

 

-Stay away from caffeine, alcohol and antihistamines and any other psychoactive substances.

 

Supplements are to be avoided initially, as they often irritate our nervous systems. Try to get your nutrition through food.

 

Down the line, you may wish to introduce Fish Oil and Magnesium. Those who can tolerate them have found them calming to the nervous system. Be careful try one at a time and start low and see how you get on should you choose to try them.

 

A daily walk is very important as much as you can manage, if you can manage it. Gets you your fresh air and Vitamin D does wonders for your mind!

 

You are very welcome here and I hope you find the site supportive.

 

Chippy

So i have been on Ssri for over 10 years! Tried to stop them a few times, but it feels impossible. I really need someone to help me understand the method of tapering or help me find a doctor who can couch me ! I have severe withdraw symptoms that make me disfunctional!

Hi @freerunnerrr

 

I’ve moved this back to your intro topic. We keep all this in one place. 
 

We are so sorry you have had problems getting off antidepressants in the past. This is very common. 
 

Could you update your signature with your drug history please as requested above. 

 

Write it in this format?

 

01 Jan 2025 Zoloft 50mg

01 Feb 2025 Zoloft 25mg

And so on

 

I can see I suggested to updose back to 50mg of sertraline. Did you do this?

 

Please read my original reply and come back to us so we can help. 

 

Once you have done this we will take a look and see what we can do to assist. 

 

Chippy

21 hours ago, freerunnerrr said:

I really need someone to help me understand the method of tapering or help me find a doctor who can couch me ! I have severe withdraw symptoms that make me disfunctional!

 

I suggest reading this topic as a starting point:

Tapering Information - Tapering - The Antidepressant Harm and Recovery Forum

 

The dose drop you made was large and you likely are not tolerating it very well. You might want to consider increasing your dose to somewhere between your current dose (37.5) and the one you dropped from (50), and then giving it a couple more weeks to see if this stabilises you. This would be a dose somewhere in the low/mid 40s.

 

As @Chippy said, inconsistently taking clonazepam is also not good. You need to take a consistent dose.

Down Titration of Brintellix/Trintellix Help

Hello everyone,

I’d like to ask if anyone here has had a similar experience, as I’ve recently started tapering Brintellix. I switched from Zoloft to Brintellix because the side effects seem more manageable, and I’m hoping it will allow me to eventually stop serotonergic antidepressants altogether while on it.

I wanted to ask if someone could help me with tapering off Brintellix and give me some guidance on how to do it more easily. At the moment, I’m weighing the tablet of 5 mg active substance (which is 0.152 mg total weight) on a precision scale, cutting off 20% of it, and taking the remaining 80%. That comes out to about 0.121 mg of the tablet, which I believe corresponds to roughly 4 mg of the active substance, assuming it’s evenly distributed throughout the pill.

Could you share your perspective on this? If this method isn’t correct, how should it ideally be done? Unfortunately, in my country, liquid formulations of this medication are not available.

6 minutes ago, freerunnerrr said:

Down Titration of Brintellix/Trintellix Help

Hello everyone,

I’d like to ask if anyone here has had a similar experience, as I’ve recently started tapering Brintellix. I switched from Zoloft to Brintellix because the side effects seem more manageable, and I’m hoping it will allow me to eventually stop serotonergic antidepressants altogether while on it.

I wanted to ask if someone could help me with tapering off Brintellix and give me some guidance on how to do it more easily. At the moment, I’m weighing the tablet of 5 mg active substance (which is 0.152 mg total weight) on a precision scale, cutting off 20% of it, and taking the remaining 80%. That comes out to about 0.121 mg of the tablet, which I believe corresponds to roughly 4 mg of the active substance, assuming it’s evenly distributed throughout the pill.

Could you share your perspective on this? If this method isn’t correct, how should it ideally be done? Unfortunately, in my country, liquid formulations of this medication are not available.

@freerunnerrr Ive moved this back to your intro topic, please keep all posts about your journey here 😀 Thanks!

We have asked you to update you signature a few times now, so we have a full picture of where you are at. Can I ask again for you to do this?

It is very hard for us to help you, if you don't respond to our requests.

Couple of things:

1. You need to average your pill weight. So weigh 10 pills, divide that weight by 10 that will be your new pill weight that you use for the taper.

2. Your maths is correct, however 20% is too much. You must remove no more than 10% of your previous dose, not the orginal dose.

3. You mention above you are not doing very well at the moment. We have had so little response from you it is hard to advice. If you are not doing well, it may be you should not be tapering at this stage, and holding and waiting for your body to settle down. If you were able to provide us with more information, in your signature and a short post about how things have gone in the last year, then we could help a little more.

See our Taper Guide for more information. Tapering Information

We are here to help. 😀

I dont understand how this site work sorry, it was reccomended to me, i see it like type of reddit. Tell me what info you need to i will provide it. I havemt provided because its toooo much of an AD different doses different short time combinations and etc.

8 minutes ago, freerunnerrr said:

I dont understand how this site work sorry, it was reccomended to me, i see it like type of reddit. Tell me what info you need to i will provide it. I havemt provided because its toooo much of an AD different doses different short time combinations and etc.

You need to fill in your signature as requested above, use the format suggested.

Then tell us how you have been this last year at different points that have lead up to here.

@freerunnerrr Welcome sorry to see you here as it means you are suffering. Can I just say what you are going through is not your fault its the tablets . Unfortunately you are experiencing the wonderful world of antidepressant withdrawal. First thing is don't panic and don't make any more changes ,the main thing now is to get stability. Everything you are experiencing is withdrawal. Hold steady and you will be guided through what to do best on here . You are not alone buy you are suffering from the drop in your medication. We have all at one time or another experienced all the symptoms you quoted .

I want to share my medication journey because for years I thought my condition was getting worse, when in reality a huge part of what I was experiencing seems to have been medication effects, activation, withdrawal, and constant switching.

I was first put on treatment as a teenager for anxiety/OCD. I started on escitalopram 10 mg plus Abilify (aripiprazole) 10 mg. What followed was one of the worst experiences of my life at that time: extreme activation, inner agitation, restlessness, feeling like my whole system was overstimulated. Back then I had no idea this could be medication-induced. I thought it was just “my illness.” I pushed through about a month because I didn’t know what else to do.

After that, I spent years being treated as if my worsening symptoms were proof that my original condition was progressing, when looking back, a lot of it was actually happening after starting, stopping, reducing, or switching medications.

After escitalopram, I was on fluvoxamine 100 mg for around 2–3 years, together with tiapride 100 mg. During those years I felt emotionally flattened, cognitively slowed, dulled, and just not like myself. My first real encounter with withdrawal happened when I reduced fluvoxamine from 100 mg to 50 mg. The world started to feel gray, my breathing felt wrong, my nose would suddenly feel blocked, and I got this anxiety and inner unease that seemed to come out of nowhere. At the time, no one explained that this could be withdrawal. It was treated like a relapse.

Over the years I was put on multiple serotonergic medications. The ones I have been on include escitalopram, fluvoxamine, sertraline, vortioxetine, and also SNRIs like venlafaxine and duloxetine. Some of them I was only on briefly, not even long enough for a real therapeutic effect, but long enough to trigger activation, side effects, or withdrawal when they were changed too fast. A lot of the time I was told what I was feeling was my disorder returning, instead of being told it could be medication-related.

At one point I was on Brintellix (vortioxetine), and when I began slowly reducing it, I had moments where my brain felt clearer, my cognition improved, and I felt more like myself. That was actually one of the first times I seriously started thinking that these medications might be blunting me more than helping me. But doctors told me the dose I was on was “so small it was basically nothing,” so it was stopped abruptly. That turned into a full withdrawal crisis. Instead of recognizing that as withdrawal, another medication was introduced while I was still destabilized from coming off the first one. Then I had activation from the new medication on top of withdrawal from the old one. It became a cycle: stop one thing, react badly, get put on something else, react again, then be told it was my illness.

In the last year, especially in the last 6 months, things became even more chaotic. I was put on Zoloft (sertraline) again because I trusted the doctors and hoped it would finally stabilize things. It ended up going up to 100 mg, but I felt awful. At that point I realized I had to start understanding this myself because nobody was explaining why I felt the way I did. I basically had to sit down and teach myself the pharmacology and withdrawal side of psychiatry just to make sense of my own experience.

A big part of this journey has been the physical symptoms, not just the mental ones. I’ve had:

• internal agitation / activation

• episodes of tachycardia and feeling overstimulated

• chest/sternum tightness or burning

• strange breathing sensations, like I can’t get a satisfying breath

• blocked-nose feeling during withdrawal

• dizziness

• sweating / hot waves through the body

• GI problems, abdominal tightness, bloating, nausea, and stomach discomfort

• paresthesias / “electric” sensations / tingling

• intense fatigue and feeling physically heavy

• vivid dreams, fragmented sleep, oversleeping, then feeling unrested

Cognitively and emotionally I’ve experienced:

• derealization / depersonalization

• brain fog

• feeling mentally slowed or “stupid”

• reduced visualization / inner imagery

• emotional blunting at times

• intense rumination

• intrusive fear-based thoughts

• difficulty thinking clearly under medication changes

• feeling disconnected from my instincts, emotions, and sense of self

The hardest part is that for years these reactions were interpreted as proof that I was sicker and needed more medication changes, when in reality I think a lot of the damage came from repeated activation, repeated withdrawal, and too many rapid switches. Every time I destabilized, it was framed as relapse. Very few people around me seemed to understand that withdrawal can be physical, cognitive, emotional, and severe even when doctors dismiss it.

I’m writing this because I know I can’t be the only person who got trapped in this cycle of “side effects/withdrawal = relapse = more medication = more destabilization.”

Right now I’m trying to approach things much more carefully, much more slowly, and with much more awareness of activation vs withdrawal vs my baseline condition.

If anyone has had a similar journey with SSRI/SNRI switching, activation, emotional blunting, cognitive changes, or protracted withdrawal-like symptoms,

I have many more thing to say but it will ge tooooo long

Thanks for posting, Ill take a read, its perfect on first inspection.

Could you put all your drug history in your signature like this please?

01 Jan 2014 Ecitalopram @ 10mg

01 Jan 2014 Abilify @ 10mg

And so on.....

Link to the edit your signature Edit Signature

Good work so far!

I really need help with the method of down titrating the brintellix,because i dont know if its good to cut and scale. Thats what im doing now. I decreased 25 mg sertraline to 12.5 before 8 days and im on 4 mg of brintellix. I was thinking to stop just the sertraline but it was unbarable. I dont tolerate it good so im cross titrating to the only thing i tolerate -brintellix so i can stay on it and down titrate it. If i was on zoloft it makes everything hell and when i withdraw its 10x so decided to switch to brintellix because i can stay on it atleast

9 minutes ago, freerunnerrr said:

I want to share my medication journey because for years I thought my condition was getting worse, when in reality a huge part of what I was experiencing seems to have been medication effects, activation, withdrawal, and constant switching.

Thank you for taking the time to write this. Very detailed it helps loads 😀

10 minutes ago, freerunnerrr said:

was first put on treatment as a teenager for anxiety/OCD. I started on escitalopram 10 mg plus Abilify (aripiprazole) 10 mg. What followed was one of the worst experiences of my life at that time: extreme activation, inner agitation, restlessness, feeling like my whole system was overstimulated. Back then I had no idea this could be medication-induced. I thought it was just “my illness.” I pushed through about a month because I didn’t know what else to do.

After that, I spent years being treated as if my worsening symptoms were proof that my original condition was progressing, when looking back, a lot of it was actually happening after starting, stopping, reducing, or switching medications.

This is very common. These drugs often don't play well with us from the start. We then just assume our 'mental health' condition is worsening but really it is side effects/adverse reactions to the drugs. Im sorry you had to deal with this at a young age.

11 minutes ago, freerunnerrr said:

After escitalopram, I was on fluvoxamine 100 mg for around 2–3 years, together with tiapride 100 mg. During those years I felt emotionally flattened, cognitively slowed, dulled, and just not like myself. My first real encounter with withdrawal happened when I reduced fluvoxamine from 100 mg to 50 mg. The world started to feel gray, my breathing felt wrong, my nose would suddenly feel blocked, and I got this anxiety and inner unease that seemed to come out of nowhere. At the time, no one explained that this could be withdrawal. It was treated like a relapse.

It is common for doctors to switch drugs around. They know escitalopram is very strong so they often reach for it. That is a lot fo drug to be on a once too. Emotional numbing is a common side effect.

Dropping your fluvoxamine to 50mg was a big shock to your already likley sensitive nervous system, you are right, what you were going through here is clearly WD. More often than not it is misread as relapse.

15 minutes ago, freerunnerrr said:

At one point I was on Brintellix (vortioxetine), and when I began slowly reducing it, I had moments where my brain felt clearer, my cognition improved, and I felt more like myself. That was actually one of the first times I seriously started thinking that these medications might be blunting me more than helping me. But doctors told me the dose I was on was “so small it was basically nothing,” so it was stopped abruptly. That turned into a full withdrawal crisis. Instead of recognizing that as withdrawal, another medication was introduced while I was still destabilized from coming off the first one. Then I had activation from the new medication on top of withdrawal from the old one. It became a cycle: stop one thing, react badly, get put on something else, react again, then be told it was my illness.

You can clearly see the side effects reducing with your dose. Doctors don't understand how powerful these drugs are at lower doses, they just think the lowest available tablet is a 'low dose'. Then tell you to stop abruptly or if you are lucky they get you to half your pill for a couple weeks and half it again and stop it.

As awful as your experience is, it is very common. The pattern is repeated over and over again, causing more and more harm each time. Im so sorry.

18 minutes ago, freerunnerrr said:

In the last year, especially in the last 6 months, things became even more chaotic. I was put on Zoloft (sertraline) again because I trusted the doctors and hoped it would finally stabilize things. It ended up going up to 100 mg, but I felt awful. At that point I realized I had to start understanding this myself because nobody was explaining why I felt the way I did. I basically had to sit down and teach myself the pharmacology and withdrawal side of psychiatry just to make sense of my own experience.

Im glad you have finally realised what has happened. And you are right, you have to take responsibility now for your own care, the doctors don't understand this. Things are slowly changing in the UK, but still not enough, other countries not so much. Where are you from? I couldn't tell based on your registration information....

20 minutes ago, freerunnerrr said:

A big part of this journey has been the physical symptoms, not just the mental ones. I’ve had:

• internal agitation / activation

• episodes of tachycardia and feeling overstimulated

• chest/sternum tightness or burning

• strange breathing sensations, like I can’t get a satisfying breath

• blocked-nose feeling during withdrawal

• dizziness

• sweating / hot waves through the body

• GI problems, abdominal tightness, bloating, nausea, and stomach discomfort

• paresthesias / “electric” sensations / tingling

• intense fatigue and feeling physically heavy

• vivid dreams, fragmented sleep, oversleeping, then feeling unrested

Cognitively and emotionally I’ve experienced:

• derealization / depersonalization

• brain fog

• feeling mentally slowed or “stupid”

• reduced visualization / inner imagery

• emotional blunting at times

• intense rumination

• intrusive fear-based thoughts

• difficulty thinking clearly under medication changes

• feeling disconnected from my instincts, emotions, and sense of self

Sorry to read, these are awful, you have had alot to deal with.

21 minutes ago, freerunnerrr said:

The hardest part is that for years these reactions were interpreted as proof that I was sicker and needed more medication changes, when in reality I think a lot of the damage came from repeated activation, repeated withdrawal, and too many rapid switches. Every time I destabilized, it was framed as relapse. Very few people around me seemed to understand that withdrawal can be physical, cognitive, emotional, and severe even when doctors dismiss it.

Yes, you have got it. The hardest part is that, especially the fact that those around you will find it hard to believe. I hope the work of professionals like Dr Horowitz is starting to help change this, but it is very slow.

Maybe show them this :Family and friends just don’t get it? Letter from Angie

23 minutes ago, freerunnerrr said:

I’m writing this because I know I can’t be the only person who got trapped in this cycle of “side effects/withdrawal = relapse = more medication = more destabilization.”

Right now I’m trying to approach things much more carefully, much more slowly, and with much more awareness of activation vs withdrawal vs my baseline condition.

If anyone has had a similar journey with SSRI/SNRI switching, activation, emotional blunting, cognitive changes, or protracted withdrawal-like symptoms,

I have many more thing to say but it will ge tooooo long

You are not. There are literally 1000s of people suffering, more, with drug harm. It is an epidemic in my opinion.

No this is good. Thanks for the update.

If you could now update your signature as I requested above? This is really important so please do this for us.

Then perhaps we can talk about where you are at now. And what you are going to do next.

Chippy

10 minutes ago, freerunnerrr said:

I really need help with the method of down titrating the brintellix,because i dont know if its good to cut and scale. Thats what im doing now. I decreased 25 mg sertraline to 12.5 before 8 days and im on 4 mg of brintellix. I was thinking to stop just the sertraline but it was unbarable. I dont tolerate it good so im cross titrating to the only thing i tolerate -brintellix so i can stay on it and down titrate it. If i was on zoloft it makes everything hell and when i withdraw its 10x so decided to switch to brintellix because i can stay on it atleast

Ok, first thing. Don't move anything. You are tapering too quickly.

Please fill all this info into your signature so we can clearly see all your dose changes. It isn't helpful not having this information in full. We need it. 😀

Edit Signature

Like this:

01 Jan 2014 Ecitalopram @ 10mg

01 Jan 2014 Abilify @ 10mg

And so on.....

Ok?

I have filled it, i really dont know it now i have to do my own big research its sooo much for the state im in right now.

I have question is there only the administrator helping ? 😄

I really dont know how the site works sorry and is it anoymous?

Other thing i started exp on the meds is that i get some strange toughts like " if someone makes a joke that involves harming me " i start to overthink it with days till i ask him if its true. That started with the first AD treatment idk if i unlocked something then because i had stressful situations with one of my friends and i was convinced that he can harm me if i tell my parents but i needed reassurance and asked them. Till this day its like that and it actually drives me crazy, idk if its paranoia, if its from the meds since it started with the first AD. The big question is is it from me not the meds 😄 most of the psychiatists that ivr been (all of them in my country) dont think this is something big but thats my biggest problem. For them i have anxiety, hypochondria and mixed personality disorder(my problems are from my personality) which is actually very very dumb....

Nobody has diagnosed me with the scary diagnoses, they tell me all of it is not psichyatric but psychological disorder. Im convinced that meds make my hypochondria because of the phisycal symptoms and its a natural instinct and for my personality disorder, it doest bother me, they told me i have to release the control, no way ahah. They dont see the bigger picture most of the thing come from the meds!

5 minutes ago, freerunnerrr said:

I have filled it, i really dont know it now i have to do my own big research its sooo much for the state im in right now.

Thank you for doing that. Im sure it is hard for you right now and Im sorry.

It isn't perfect what you have done, we could do with some more detail really. We need you to months in there for the recent drugs ideally.

So, lets try to confirm where you are.

2025

Sertraline 100mg - Which month was this?

Brintellix 10mg - Which month was this?

Brintellix Taper - Which month did you start this, which month did you stop this?

Brintellix 5mg - Which month was this?

Brintellix Taper to 2.5mg - Which month was this?

Brintellix CT - Which month was this?

Fluvoxamine 25mg - Which month was this?

Fuloxamine CT - Which month was this?

Mirtazapine - Which month was this? What was the dose?

Mirtazapine CT - Which month was this?

Sertraline 100mg - Which month was this?

Sertraline Taper - What month did you start this? And do you have a list of reductions?

Brintellix Taper - What month did you start this? And do you have a list of reductions?

Clonazepam 1.5mg - What month was this?

Current doses: Is this correct?

Sertraline 12.5mg

Brintellix 4mg

Clonazepam 1.5mg

15 minutes ago, freerunnerrr said:

I have question is there only the administrator helping ? 😄

Right, you and I are trying to understand what has happened to you. You don't need lots of members confusing things. I am sure once we can put together a clear picture of everything and get you on the right, others will offer your some support?

Did you still want to change your Username? We don't normally encourage this. But this is ok one time. Let me know?

17 minutes ago, freerunnerrr said:

I really dont know how the site works sorry and is it anoymous?

This site is public. But people can only see your username. No other information is visable.

Please answer the questions about. It is really important. We can't help if we don't have a clear picture.

Thank you for taking the time to do all this. I know it must be hard for you. We are trying to help you. 😀

Chippy

10 minutes ago, freerunnerrr said:

Other thing i started exp on the meds is that i get some strange toughts like " if someone makes a joke that involves harming me " i start to overthink it with days till i ask him if its true. That started with the first AD treatment idk if i unlocked something then because i had stressful situations with one of my friends and i was convinced that he can harm me if i tell my parents but i needed reassurance and asked them. Till this day its like that and it actually drives me crazy, idk if its paranoia, if its from the meds since it started with the first AD. The big question is is it from me not the meds 😄 most of the psychiatists that ivr been (all of them in my country) dont think this is something big but thats my biggest problem. For them i have anxiety, hypochondria and mixed personality disorder(my problems are from my personality) which is actually very very dumb....

Nobody has diagnosed me with the scary diagnoses, they tell me all of it is not psichyatric but psychological disorder. Im convinced that meds make my hypochondria because of the phisycal symptoms and its a natural instinct and for my personality disorder, it doest bother me, they told me i have to release the control, no way ahah. They dont see the bigger picture most of the thing come from the meds!

Many of the things you mention can be caused by the meds. You have been on them a long time. You have had many drug changes. It won't have been kind to your nervous system. Please don't taper any further. Hold your doses where they are. And please answer all my questions in the message above 😀

On 4/16/2026 at 3:53 PM, Chippy said:

Thank you for doing that. Im sure it is hard for you right now and Im sorry.

It isn't perfect what you have done, we could do with some more detail really. We need you to months in there for the recent drugs ideally.

So, lets try to confirm where you are.

2025

Sertraline 100mg - Which month was this?

Brintellix 10mg - Which month was this?

Brintellix Taper - Which month did you start this, which month did you stop this?

Brintellix 5mg - Which month was this?

Brintellix Taper to 2.5mg - Which month was this?

Brintellix CT - Which month was this?

Fluvoxamine 25mg - Which month was this?

Fuloxamine CT - Which month was this?

Mirtazapine - Which month was this? What was the dose?

Mirtazapine CT - Which month was this?

Sertraline 100mg - Which month was this?

Sertraline Taper - What month did you start this? And do you have a list of reductions?

Brintellix Taper - What month did you start this? And do you have a list of reductions?

Clonazepam 1.5mg - What month was this?

Current doses: Is this correct?

Sertraline 12.5mg

Brintellix 4mg

Clonazepam 1.5mg

Right, you and I are trying to understand what has happened to you. You don't need lots of members confusing things. I am sure once we can put together a clear picture of everything and get you on the right, others will offer your some support?

Did you still want to change your Username? We don't normally encourage this. But this is ok one time. Let me know?

This site is public. But people can only see your username. No other information is visable.

Please answer the questions about. It is really important. We can't help if we don't have a clear picture.

Thank you for taking the time to do all this. I know it must be hard for you. We are trying to help you. 😀

Chippy

I really have no idea i dont keep track of that i know the current dose and what i took before that. There are many more changes that i havent mentonied because they are too much. And there are meds that were not titrated but stopped abruptly by a doctor so. Thats what i can provide. Other thing i want to get the zoloft out, because i think its dangerous to cross titrate 1 month, those 2 meds are in my body 1 month now

On 4/16/2026 at 3:53 PM, Chippy said:

Thank you for doing that. Im sure it is hard for you right now and Im sorry.

It isn't perfect what you have done, we could do with some more detail really. We need you to months in there for the recent drugs ideally.

So, lets try to confirm where you are.

2025

Sertraline 100mg - Which month was this?

Brintellix 10mg - Which month was this?

Brintellix Taper - Which month did you start this, which month did you stop this?

Brintellix 5mg - Which month was this?

Brintellix Taper to 2.5mg - Which month was this?

Brintellix CT - Which month was this?

Fluvoxamine 25mg - Which month was this?

Fuloxamine CT - Which month was this?

Mirtazapine - Which month was this? What was the dose?

Mirtazapine CT - Which month was this?

Sertraline 100mg - Which month was this?

Sertraline Taper - What month did you start this? And do you have a list of reductions?

Brintellix Taper - What month did you start this? And do you have a list of reductions?

Clonazepam 1.5mg - What month was this?

Current doses: Is this correct?

Sertraline 12.5mg

Brintellix 4mg

Clonazepam 1.5mg

Right, you and I are trying to understand what has happened to you. You don't need lots of members confusing things. I am sure once we can put together a clear picture of everything and get you on the right, others will offer your some support?

Did you still want to change your Username? We don't normally encourage this. But this is ok one time. Let me know?

This site is public. But people can only see your username. No other information is visable.

Please answer the questions about. It is really important. We can't help if we don't have a clear picture.

Thank you for taking the time to do all this. I know it must be hard for you. We are trying to help you. 😀

Chippy

I feel preasured like that idk, its too much personal infò, like you are trying to get it, my paranoia is kicking. But whatever, i really dont feel like sharing this and i cant in that moment because i have to do a big research and for real i have no power to do that idk if you can understand me, but it really big task for me right now

15 hours ago, freerunnerrr said:

I really have no idea i dont keep track of that i know the current dose and what i took before that. There are many more changes that i havent mentonied because they are too much. And there are meds that were not titrated but stopped abruptly by a doctor so. Thats what i can provide.

Honestly, the information you are providing here is so fragmented and incomplete, it is almost impossible for me to help. I wish I could but I know very little about what you have been through from what you have said.

15 hours ago, freerunnerrr said:

Other thing i want to get the zoloft out, because i think its dangerous to cross titrate 1 month, those 2 meds are in my body 1 month now

I don't understand you are saying here. Tapering too quickly is not a good idea. I know we don't want to be on these drugs, but coming off them too quickly isn't good either.

14 hours ago, freerunnerrr said:

I feel preasured like that idk, its too much personal infò, like you are trying to get it, my paranoia is kicking. But whatever, i really dont feel like sharing this and i cant in that moment because i have to do a big research and for real i have no power to do that idk if you can understand me, but it really big task for me right now

I don't want to know personal information, just the dates you took your drugs. Noone can tell who you are based off this data.

I understand that things are hard for you. If you can't provide the information we request, it isn't really possible for us to help. We can't just guess!

I will link you to some guides to read. Read them. If you can tell us more information about the dates you took things, in a clear way, I will comment further on what I think you should do. We are here for you, but you need to participate in this process or there isn't much we can do to help.

Chippy

Tapering Information

Preparing Doses for Tapering - Weighing & DIY Liquids

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

Hypersensitivity and kindling

15 hours ago, freerunnerrr said:

I feel preasured like that idk, its too much personal infò, like you are trying to get it, my paranoia is kicking. But whatever, i really dont feel like sharing this and i cant in that moment because i have to do a big research and for real i have no power to do that idk if you can understand me, but it really big task for me right now

This is a community support forum, run by volunteers who put in huge amounts of time and effort, all at a financial loss for us.

If we don't even know what you're currently taking, our ability to provide support with tapering it is going to be extremely limited.

You joined this forum to ask for our help.

10 years of all kinds of antidepressants and i realized they have are doing more bad than good.

Started down titration from zoloft 100 mg at 37.5mg i started exp symptoms like hand numbness and leg numbness when i get anxious but i could hold i could squeeze so, but it was nightnare so i added brintellix/trintellix like a helping substance and thats the only med iv been "better". So the thing is now im on 2.5mg of brintellix and im exp the same symtoms, plus i get anxious from everything i check everything for danger, the numbenss is there more like ants crawling, my chest tightens so much, i have random twitches, every light angers me, photophobia like symptoms and kinda blurred vision, heartbeat around 90-100 from time to time that does not settle till the night comes and i take micro beta blocker dose, because i suspect the NS is regulating. I would love to hear if thats "normal" because from my exp you can feel every fking symptom from these trashes!

I’ve been on psychiatric meds for around 10 years and have tried escitalopram, fluvoxamine, venlafaxine, sertraline, vortioxetine and others. I was on sertraline up to 100 mg and tapered off slowly. Vortioxetine was used as a buffer around 4 mg, and now I’m around 3 mg after reducing from 4 mg.

Every reduction seems to trigger delayed symptoms, usually worse around day 8–14: intense inner agitation/akathisia-like restlessness, brain fog, derealization/depersonalization, vivid dreams, morning intrusive thoughts, burning/tingling sensations, numbness-like feelings in limbs, muscle twitches/fasciculations, nausea, OCD-like fear loops and chest/sternum tightness.

One of the strangest symptoms is a racing heartbeat that stays around 90–100 bpm at rest and does not easily come down, even when I don’t feel anxious. It appears randomly during tapers, often fades after 3–4 weeks after a reduction, but feels almost chronic when I reduce every 3 weeks. Benzos don’t really stop it, and it usually settles at night if I don’t take a beta blocker. I’ve been checked many times by cardiologists, but I still fear “this time is different” and that it could be heart-related.

I also get badly overstimulated from longer stimulation like PvP games, doomscrolling, arguments or too much screen time. During it I feel this internal pressure/urgency, like my nervous system is rushing to finish something under a deadline. After I stop, I feel derealized, foggy, tense and mentally awful, like my system overheated and can’t calm down.

I’m very sensitive to medication changes and small reductions feel huge to me. I’m not asking for a diagnosis, just wondering if others had similar withdrawal/adaptation symptoms from tapering SSRIs/vortioxetine after long-term use and how long it took to stabilize.