Hello everyone, 

Here's my introduction from SA, you can find the rest of my thread here https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/33166-tumultarisk-six-weeks-in-withdrawal-so-far/#comment-747373. I'll follow up with a status soon. Brief version for now: still struggling with physical symptoms that may be WD. Still struggling with health anxiety.

 

I'm a 52 year old male from Denmark with a busy job, adult daughters and a pretty solid daily structure.

I've been neavous and anxious for most of my life but only December last year did I come to suspect that I probably suffer from GAD. I went to the doctor who told me that many people my age feel a worsening of their anxiety - and that SSRI medicine helps a lot of people. I then got bloodwork done - and when one of the results was WAY off, two things happened: my anxiety sky rocketed and became fully fledged health anxiety - and I accepted to begin a treatment with Sertraline. Everything went very fast and since I was clearly not doing well, I think the doctors felt they needed to help me fast. Now I think that things went MUCH too fast. Had I known then what I know now, I never would have accepted the medicine. 

I started taking Sertraline (see my signature) - but even though I soon was up to 50mgs, I never really felt that my anxiety became better in any way. Conversely, a whole range of interesting side effects really triggered my health anxiety. I've suspected and have been tested for at least 10 different diseases since then. In June I'd had enough. I'd been receiving therapy and therefore asked my doctor to taper off Sertraline. He gave me a very basic tapering schedule: go from 50mg to half of that from one day to the next and then after 4 weeks from 25mg to 0. I decided myself to change the schedule slightly so I went from 50 to 25 to 12.5 mgs over the four weeks.

Now, six weeks later and counting, I have a lot of symptoms that might be part of withdrawal. My doctor can't really help me with identifying symptoms as withdrawal - his standard reply is "everything can be a side effect/signs of withdrawal". 

Here's a list of symptoms I've had or am currently suffering from:

• Sleep problems - I wake up early in full stress mode.
  
• Vivid dreams - these went away after a week or so (I usually don't remember my dreams. These were so weird and vivid that I remembered them)
  
• Dry mouth, burning mouth and white tongue
  
• Muscle and joint pain
  
• Pins and needles in my skin
  
• Dizziness
  
• Fatigue
  
• Worsening of my anxiety - I especially find it very hard to avoid intrusive thoughts.
  

 

Overall, I feel slightly better but whether that's because the symptoms have decreased, I am more used to the symptoms, because I'm seeing a different therapist or something completely different, I really can't say.

 

The symptoms really trigger my health anxiety and it's very frustrating to me that most official information I can find online is very hand wavey when it comes to withdrawal syndrome. At least my doctor was honest enough and said that withdrawal can last for months - rather than the standard "it's probably gone in a wek or two".

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Hi Tumultarisk

 

Welcome to the forum and thank you for starting your introduction thread it is great to have you here.

 

I can see you have also updated your signature.

 

Ive read your thread. Im sorry for what has been a challenging year for you. I too was on Sertraline a few years ago. I can empathise with the dry mouth and white tongue. I did a fast taper and was lucky and experienced no WD. But it's a very powerful drug and had a number of issues whilst I took it, such as sexual disfunction, emotional numbing and at the beginning some heavy chemical emotional feelings. These drugs to play havoc with us, it's real and you are not alone! When I tapered I also went a little slower cutting my pills than the doctor had told me. I think that may have helped me 'get away' with the fast taper.

 

I can see you are still struggling with some symptoms to date. Did you have any of the aches and pains you describe in your December posts before the drug?

 

It is totally reasonable to think much of what you are going through is WD. You have said you had some health anxiety which led you to taking Sertraline. Unfortunately our nervous systems are in a fragile and vulnerable state and can amplify our feelings during WD, this is totally possible. 

I suspect the new symptoms you have and the amplification of the anxiety is very much down to WD. You mentioned rumination this is also common.

It's good you have found a therapist you like. You seem to have managed to have contact with a number of helpful medical professional including Anders Sørensen who is well known in the community! 

 

Again, its lovely to have you here and I hope you like the new site.

 

Speak soon

 

Chippy

Thanks for the welcome, Chippy.

 

Most of the muscle pains I'm experiencing are well known for me - in other words: I've had most of them in one shape or form before meds. BUT, and here's the interesting bit, never this many at the same time and most of them are more intense than ever. If this is indeed a symptom of WD, I suspect it's because my nerves are over-sensitive. Serotonin is known to play a role in muscle tone. I suspect that as my CNS is recovering, my muscle pains are worse than ever because my nerves are over-reacting. Mind you, I may be wrong - maybe the intensified anxiety is to blame?

 

No matter what, the dry mouth symptom is definitely WD.

 

Here's a list of my current symptoms:

 

• Heightened (health) anxiety - although this is better now compared to just a few weeks ago
  
• Muscle pains in feet, legs, arms, neck and shoulders
  
• Pins and needles, especially in my right hand (I suspect this is actually due to the tense muscles that are putting pressure on the nerves)
  
• Dry mouth
  

Most of the muscle pains I'm experiencing are well known for me - in other words: I've had most of them in one shape or form before meds. BUT, and here's the interesting bit, never this many at the same time and most of them are more intense than ever.

This seems to be a common theme wd not only creating symptoms but super charging vulnerabilities that were already there. 

 

I’ve certainly also read others many times talk of pain and I’ve experienced a lot of back issues since my injury that were not there before. So could be a bit of both maybe. 

 

Sounds like you’re doing great in the grand scheme of things. It’s good you can recognise some improvement. I’m hopeful this trend will continue for you into 2026! 

 

Thanks again for joining. Great to have you here. Stay in touch and let us know how you get on.

 

 

Speak soon

 

Chippy

Hej Tumultarisk, det er hyggeligt at møde dig! (hopefully this is correct, I can say only couple sentences in Danish hehe)

 

So sorry what you’ve been through, and it looks like we share a similar timeline since we both stopped the SSRI in July. The most important thing is that you’ve found your way to these sites and haven’t start trying new medications, which would have prolonged your recovery even further.

 

Wishing you all the best and sending lots of strength your way. Let’s hope next year will be better for both of us (it has to be!)

Hey VeraVa,

That is exactly right. I'm sorry that I don't know any Finnish - even though I've been to wonderful Helsinki twice!

Thanks for your well wishes - and right back at you. It's a comfort for me that I'm not alone with these struggles (although I of course wish that no one should go through WD and all the anxiety around it).

I've actually had quite a few good days, where my symptoms didn't bother me and my anxiety was under control. For some reason, today has been pretty hard. I've had a very hard time believing that my symptoms are in fact WD and not some dangerous underlying disease. I know this is extremely common for people in WD but I've simply been struggling with believing that this is also the case for me. 

 

Symptoms today:

 

• Anxiety
  
• Pain in legs and feet (worse after maybe five good days)
  
• Tingling in fingers (especially on right hand - seems to be ulnar-nerve related)
  
• Massive, massive muscle tension all over
  

---

Also, I keep asking myself if Sertraline/Zoloft REALLY can cause symptoms like these. It seems that most of the people who are experiencing WD have been on other meds?

Hi Tumultarisk,

 

Tumultarisk;

I've actually had quite a few good days, where my symptoms didn't bother me and my anxiety was under control. For some reason, today has been pretty hard. I've had a very hard time believing that my symptoms are in fact WD and not some dangerous underlying disease. I know this is extremely common for people in WD but I've simply been struggling with believing that this is also the case for me. 

 

Im glad to hear you've had a few good days. That's great! 

 

Sorry to see yesterday was tough. It's totally normal to have this up and down waves and window experience where your anxiety is better some days than others. This if proof if your looking for it of WD. Why would you one less concerned on your better days if it wasn't WD. This fluctuating of symptoms is typical. On the bad days just kindly remind yourself of this.

 

Tumultarisk:

Also, I keep asking myself if Sertraline/Zoloft REALLY can cause symptoms like these. It seems that most of the people who are experiencing WD have been on other meds?

 

 

Zoloft is a very commonly prescribed AD and creates PWD syndrome just the same as all the other drugs.

 

Hope today is a good for you

 

Chippy

Thanks for your kind reply, Chippy. It means the world not to be alone.

Today is better!

Thanks for your kind reply, Chippy. It means the world not to be alone.

Today is better!

Very good to hear. I hope this trend continues for you.

Thank you for joining.

 

Muscle and joint pains seem quite common in withdrawal.

 

By the sounds of things, you have improved considerably, even though it is still difficult. That is a good sign. Hopefully more time = more improvements, even if not every day is easy.

Happy New Year, everyone.

 

I'll do a little status - maybe mostly for myself to look back at at a later date. 

 

I've had a couple of overall good weeks with some challenges along the way. 

 

My main symptoms remain:

 

- Painful/tensed muscles. Pain in neck, shoulders, legs and feet. The burning sensation in legs and feet is overall better

- Dry mouth (getting better each day, it seems)

- Ulnar nerve issues (most likely related to the muscle tension)

- Involuntary movement of left index finger

- Exhaustion

- Tinnitus

 

I'm less affected by the symptoms but still often struggling with not overthinking what else they could mean. In my good moments, I recognize the similarity to what others in here and on SA have experienced and that especially dry mouth is a completely new symptom after ADs. In those moments, I tend to think that the WD is worsening muscle tension. In bad moments, my mind spirals into very dark places. I'm struggling with accepting that the official message from my doctor and the experiences from people here, on SA and so many other places don't add up. 

 

Tomorrow I have my second session with my new therapist. I'm looking forward to that!

Happy New Year, everyone.

 

I'll do a little status - maybe mostly for myself to look back at at a later date. 

 

I've had a couple of overall good weeks with some challenges along the way. 

 

My main symptoms remain:

 

- Painful/tensed muscles. Pain in neck, shoulders, legs and feet. The burning sensation in legs and feet is overall better

- Dry mouth (getting better each day, it seems)

- Ulnar nerve issues (most likely related to the muscle tension)

- Involuntary movement of left index finger

- Exhaustion

- Tinnitus

 

I'm less affected by the symptoms but still often struggling with not overthinking what else they could mean. In my good moments, I recognize the similarity to what others in here and on SA have experienced and that especially dry mouth is a completely new symptom after ADs. In those moments, I tend to think that the WD is worsening muscle tension. In bad moments, my mind spirals into very dark places. I'm struggling with accepting that the official message from my doctor and the experiences from people here, on SA and so many other places don't add up. 

 

Tomorrow I have my second session with my new therapist. I'm looking forward to that!

Hey

 

Thanks for the update! Happy New Year too.

 

I think you can see from your post this fluctuating in condition is typical Windows and Waves stuff. The mind spirally in a wave to a dark place is common.

 

Hope your session with your new therapist goes well.

 

 

Chippy

Hi everyone,

Time for an update - and a couple of thoughts. 

Update on symptoms:

 

- Painful/tensed muscles. Pain in neck, shoulders, legs and feet. This is still very present. I read abouyt many in WD that get a fibromyalgia diagnoses. I wonder if this is opften also a mis-diagnosis?

- Dry mouth - still getting better. I can ignore more easily. It's still there but not nearly as bad. I take this as a good sign!

- Ulnar nerve issues (most likely related to the muscle tension). Still an issue, although it's less "pins and needles" and more just a weird sense of fingers being a bit "off". I'm getting some physiotherapy for this particular issue. 

- Involuntary movement of left index finger. Hasn't happened for four days now. I still have some sensory things in my fingers and hands, but less worrysome. 

- Exhaustion. Still a problem. 

- Tinnitus. Still a problem - especially after a long day at work

 

I would say that I'm overall better. As before, my main problem is accepting that "this is just withdrawal" (plus maybe some regular muscular problems I've had to varying degree for many years). My rhythm seems to be that I find something on one of these boards that is very similar to my situation, or I read a paper on WD and then I relax for some minutes and even hours. Then, an intrusive thought comes along: "But your doctor thinks it's not WD. This official article also says it's very rare. Maybe there IS something wrong with you?!?!?" and then I'm in an endless spiral. 

 

I am aware that these spiraling thoughts are very common for people in WD - but as many of you know, a worrying mind easily defaults to "but that's not me!"

 

I would say that my mood is better overall and I'm less anxious. I go faster from worry and overthinking to letting go. 

 

Then, some thoughts:

 

One of the recurring elements of getting better in WD is (apart from time, obviously) seems to be taking care of oneself and decreasing stressors in life. As an anxious person, I think that my nervous system is battling not only WD but also the high base level of anxiety in me - thus, not giving my nervous system the best circumstances to fully heal and achieve homeostasis. In other words: WD can take longer for an anxious person precisely because the nervopus system isn't given great circumstances. I read a Danish research paper from around 2014 where the authors clearly stated that anxious people should have a much longer taper because of their tendency to notice changes in the body. Meaning: since WD can cause all sorts of symptoms, anxious people should not experience these symptoms at a too high rate and/or intensity. The paradoc is obvious: when SSRI's are given to treat anxiety, they may end up worsening said anxiety due to adverse effects and/or WD. 

 

Second thought: In recent research there is a big focus on the intensity of the symptoms. I know that I am not experiencing anything as bad as many in here and on SA. I will say, though, that even moderate and mild symptoms such as mine can take a huge toll on a person. Without these symptoms, my overall struggle to reduce anxiety in my life would be 100% easier. I'd be in a much better place, mentally. I don't know exactly where I'm going with this - although I think that doctors tend to overlook mild and moderate symptoms, because some people can function fine (at least on the outside) while having these symptoms. This may also be part of the reason why so many GP don't hear a lot about WD from their patients: maybe the symptoms are in the main "only" moderate apart from all thise that have significant and very heavy symptoms. So, totally not saying that what I am experiencing can even compare to some of your experiences. But that doesn't mean these moderate and mild symptoms shouldn't be taken seriously be the health care system. 

 

Rant over. As you can tell, WD takes up a lot of mental real estate for me and I'm constantly looking for (more) answers. 

 

As always, thanks for reading along. You are welcome to join my thinking but please keep in mind that I, as so many in here, am an overthinker.

 

Love! Peter

On 1/13/2026 at 8:22 AM, Tumultarisk said:

Painful/tensed muscles. Pain in neck, shoulders, legs and feet. This is still very present. I read abouyt many in WD that get a fibromyalgia diagnoses. I wonder if this is opften also a mis-diagnosis?

I did not have this at the start, although my doctors tried to label me with every chronic condition that they'd ever heard of even though I didn't have the symptoms.

 

I later developed it in various joints and muscles, and then now it has gone away almost entirely, other than my legs feel a bit tight and tensed (but not painful) occasionally.

 

All withdrawal for me and I believe your theory is very correct. I also believe that many who are taking these drugs develop a range of health conditions that nobody links to them taking these drugs and then have years of poor, difficult to treat health because they're not looking at the root cause.

1 hour ago, Luke said:

later developed it in various joints and muscles, and then now it has gone away almost entirely

This is really interesting. As you know I have number of back related issues Ive not had before WD. I do wonder. They fluctuate in severity.

56 minutes ago, Chippy said:

This is really interesting. As you know I have number of back related issues Ive not had before WD. I do wonder. They fluctuate in severity.

For what it's worth, when I do a little research on the effects of serotonin it seems that serotonin is deeply involved in muscle tone. While on Sertraline, I experienced a general worsening of muscle tension.  At its worst, my hips were so tight that I couldn't walk normally. This overall tension has returned during WD. It doesn't seem far fetched to think that muscle tension can still be a problem while the nervours system is recalibrating.

According to Dr. Glenmuller: "The third is muscle spasms, which, when they are mild, can cause tension in the neck, shoulder, or jaw, but can lock body parts in bizarre positions when severe.” (https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/g/glenmullen-prozac.html?fbclid=IwAR35rbd_zGLzZg6XxULxXwvxqd9)

He sees this as evidence that there has been actual brain damage. Whether that is true or not, it would stand to reason that healing this will take time. 

1 hour ago, Tumultarisk said:

He sees this as evidence that there has been actual brain damage. Whether that is true or not, it would stand to reason that healing this will take time. 

Well hopefully as we heal these things resolve too. 

On 1/13/2026 at 2:22 AM, Tumultarisk said:

Painful/tensed muscles. Pain in neck, shoulders, legs and feet. This is still very present. I read abouyt many in WD that get a fibromyalgia diagnoses. I wonder if this is opften also a mis-diagnosis?

I started to develop these symptoms after a year on this journey.  I have 13 Mon now.  Although it seems that it is slowly improving again...

7 hours ago, Chippy said:

This is really interesting. As you know I have number of back related issues Ive not had before WD. I do wonder. They fluctuate in severity.

I had elbow pains in particular, probably starting a bit before 1 year off. I also had a very tight, aching back for a lot of 2024. I also had aching knees and tight legs that felt very weak and wobbly at the same time.

All are resolved, except my legs feel tight sometimes but not as severe.

On 1/13/2026 at 2:22 AM, Tumultarisk said:

Painful/tensed muscles. Pain in neck, shoulders, legs and feet. This is still very present. I read abouyt many in WD that get a fibromyalgia diagnoses. I wonder if this is opften also a mis-diagnosis?

I started to develop these symptoms after a year on this journey.  I have 13 Mon now.  Although it seems that it is slowly improving again...

17 hours ago, Luke said:

I had elbow pains in particular, probably starting a bit before 1 year off. I also had a very tight, aching back for a lot of 2024. I also had aching knees and tight legs that felt very weak and wobbly at the same time.

All are resolved, except my legs feel tight sometimes but not as severe.

Interesting how we all experience same issues. 

My legs so far have been feeling better for weeks now...

So, yesterday was weird. Muscle pain moved around my body - first, one part would increase in pain, then a bit later another part would. It seems that a lot of pain is situated where bone and muscle meet. In the main, I succeeded in not letting my thoughts run amok. Today the pain seems slightly less intense. 

 

2 hours ago, Tumultarisk said:

So, yesterday was weird. Muscle pain moved around my body - first, one part would increase in pain, then a bit later another part would. It seems that a lot of pain is situated where bone and muscle meet. In the main, I succeeded in not letting my thoughts run amok. Today the pain seems slightly less intense. 

 

Hey Peter

These pains are mysterious aren't they. Ive started getting a horrible one in my upper back. Like inflammation, just as you say, feel like right where bones meets some sort of tissue. I genuinely thought until recently I was having age related back issues but they fluctuate and move about a bit. Always the back area but not static. Reading posts like yours and a few others has made me consider if when I recover my back issues will resolve too. 🤔

Glad your pain is less today. Nice when you have a better day isn't it. Good effort in keep the busy brain under lock. Half the battle sometimes.

Chippy