On 7/15/2026 at 5:56 PM, Luke said:

As others have said, new symptoms can crop up later on. It's all part of the recovery process.

I see also that you're about 10-11 months off. For some reason, it is also common to experience an uptick or worsening of symptoms for a little while sometime between 6-12 months off. Nobody knows why, but it has happened to many, including me. It is currently happening to a number of members on this forum right now.

The main thing is, this uptick in symptoms typically does fade again in time. I hope that gives you some hope, even though things are difficult.

Thank you. I hope that this is what I’m going through and not something else!

@Wildgoose I think this quote from someone who eventually recovered on SA is relevant:

"To those reading this post who are wondering if you are experiencing withdrawal or an underlying condition, if the symptoms are unlike anything you have ever experienced, either in type or severity, and you find yourself on this website, it’s a safe bet you have withdrawal."

NardilTime: recovery from polydrugging after 3 years - Success stories: Recovery from psychiatric drug withdrawal - Surviving Antidepressants

6 hours ago, Luke said:

@Wildgoose I think this quote from someone who eventually recovered on SA is relevant:

"To those reading this post who are wondering if you are experiencing withdrawal or an underlying condition, if the symptoms are unlike anything you have ever experienced, either in type or severity, and you find yourself on this website, it’s a safe bet you have withdrawal."

NardilTime: recovery from polydrugging after 3 years - Success stories: Recovery from psychiatric drug withdrawal - Surviving Antidepressants

Thanks for that Luke. I’ve been in a bad spot for the last few weeks. So frustrating that this isn’t a linear process. Hoping for a window soon as I’ve going on holidays to visit my partner soon. My hair has also been falling out again. Telogen effluvium as the trichologist said. Been going on for years now. Miss my old hair and my old life. Hope I can get both back.

It is very frustrating.

There is so much precedent for people going on to recover in time, especially at around a year out.

Hey guys, the last 3/4 days I have been in a wave it seems. No panic or too much anxiety but I have this depression and dark thoughts about my future and second guessing everything. Similar to what I had in early withdrawal just not as crippling. It feels like how I felt when I was a teenager. It’s hard to get the energy to do anything. Less brain fog and my cognition is better though like it’s always like its closer to normality just accompanied by this darkness. I’m trying to just distract myself. I’m hoping this isn’t how I actually feel and it is still just withdrawal. It feels like I’m going to have some work to do personally with my thoughts and stuff and like being on meds and being numb for so long have instilled bad patterns into my life. Just wondering if anyone else has felt like this? And if it’s normal? Thanks.

1 hour ago, Wildgoose said:

Just wondering if anyone else has felt like this? And if it’s normal? Thanks

Definitely depressive moods and intrusive negative thoughts are normal WD symptoms. I have struggled with them myself. You are definitely in WD so I think it’s likely that these are WD symptoms even if you say you’ve experienced similar things before. But you can still practice coping skills like distraction, CBT, or whatever helps to deal with them. That way when you go through hard periods of life after WD, which we all will, you’ll have some useful skills to fall back on.

4 hours ago, Wildgoose said:

Hey guys, the last 3/4 days I have been in a wave it seems. No panic or too much anxiety but I have this depression and dark thoughts about my future and second guessing everything. Similar to what I had in early withdrawal just not as crippling. It feels like how I felt when I was a teenager. It’s hard to get the energy to do anything. Less brain fog and my cognition is better though like it’s always like its closer to normality just accompanied by this darkness. I’m trying to just distract myself. I’m hoping this isn’t how I actually feel and it is still just withdrawal. It feels like I’m going to have some work to do personally with my thoughts and stuff and like being on meds and being numb for so long have instilled bad patterns into my life. Just wondering if anyone else has felt like this? And if it’s normal? Thanks.

Hi @Wildgoose if anything in this process can be called normal then definitely yes, depression, like other difficult emotions is very common.

Keep in mind that even if you experienced some sort of depression before the drug during withdrawal everything is extra magnified with a particularly bitter taste so just know that it is not you and not how you will be.

Great that you are willing to work on yourself, for many of us our personality has changed for the worse due to the drugs as well as the constant blurring that prevented us from working on ourselves properly so it is something that will be required in any case, just be gentle with yourself and try not to overload too much, do what you can and leave the rest for time.

Hope this dark cloud leaves very soon.

Edited July 21Jul 21 by Fullhealing

Hey guys, played another gig a few days ago and got that cotton wool in head, out of it feeling like chemically numb feeling and head buzzing again. I was a bit anxious before the gig but then it transitioned into this and then has lingered. I don’t know if it’s due to my body reacting weirdly to adrenaline or what but it’s super disorienting and I don’t understand it. Also I’ve been around people smoking a lot of weed the last few days and don’t know if that’s contributing to it. I don’t smoke anymore but yeah. I hope that as I continue to heal this will stop happening but ifs affecting me a lot recently.

18 hours ago, Wildgoose said:

Hey guys, played another gig a few days ago and got that cotton wool in head, out of it feeling like chemically numb feeling and head buzzing again. I was a bit anxious before the gig but then it transitioned into this and then has lingered. I don’t know if it’s due to my body reacting weirdly to adrenaline or what but it’s super disorienting and I don’t understand it. Also I’ve been around people smoking a lot of weed the last few days and don’t know if that’s contributing to it. I don’t smoke anymore but yeah. I hope that as I continue to heal this will stop happening but ifs affecting me a lot recently.

Sorry to read things have been a little bumpy for you. The healing journey is very up and down.

My advice would be to not be around people whilst smoking weed, the passive inhaling won't be good for your nervous system. Keep of the alcohol too, nice clean healthy living is what the body needs. You will get there!

3 hours ago, Chippy said:

Sorry to read things have been a little bumpy for you. The healing journey is very up and down.

My advice would be to not be around people whilst smoking weed, the passive inhaling won't be good for your nervous system. Keep of the alcohol too, nice clean healthy living is what the body needs. You will get there!

I hope so. The feeling in my head feels like brain damage or something when I’m in it. Hopefully it eases in time. Thanks @Chippy

Hi @Wildgoose ,

We used the same med (fluoxetine / Prozac). I also have excruciating head symptoms. How do yours feel? :( Mine feel like pressure, stone, injured feeling, sore, bruised, nerve pain, parts feeling like air/missing.

I also wondered if you have seen improvements in your emotional blunting? I still feel severely blunted and blank.

2 minutes ago, Sophia said:

Hi @Wildgoose ,

We used the same med (fluoxetine / Prozac). I also have excruciating head symptoms. How do yours feel? :( Mine feel like pressure, stone, injured feeling, sore, bruised, nerve pain, parts feeling like air/missing.

I also wondered if you have seen improvements in your emotional blunting? I still feel severely blunted and blank.

I have had decent windows of feeling again. Feeling compassion and love for people. During these periods where stressors put me into this brain fog, out of it cotton wool feeling I feel chemically numb. It’s like the stressors put me back into this. I’m a year off now so I’m praying that this goes away with time. But very strange while in it.

Hey guys. This is mostly for the people that recovered fully or almost fully. Did you guys feel that as you recovered you were thinking about things you haven’t thought about in years like stuff that could have happened 10+ years ago? I feel like some days it feels like I’m going back to ‘factory settings’ or being ‘reborn’ or something. Like it’s a painful process and some days my emotional state feels like I did as a teenager? But I get glimpses of thoughts or smells that remind me how life used to be. But I keep thinking of stuff that I would never think about like things that happened in school or just random thoughts? Is this normal? 13 months off meds btw.

Edited August 18Aug 18 by Wildgoose

20 hours ago, Wildgoose said:

Hey guys. This is mostly for the people that recovered fully or almost fully. Did you guys feel that as you recovered you were thinking about things you haven’t thought about in years like stuff that could have happened 10+ years ago? I feel like some days it feels like I’m going back to ‘factory settings’ or being ‘reborn’ or something. Like it’s a painful process and some days my emotional state feels like I did as a teenager? But I get glimpses of thoughts or smells that remind me how life used to be. But I keep thinking of stuff that I would never think about like things that happened in school or just random thoughts? Is this normal? 13 months off meds btw.

Hey @Wildgoose I think this is a great sign. On my better days I feel a sense of this too. Like you are more interested in things that you couldn't d before. Like coming out of a WD cocoon!

On 8/19/2026 at 8:10 AM, Chippy said:

Hey @Wildgoose I think this is a great sign. On my better days I feel a sense of this too. Like you are more interested in things that you couldn't d before. Like coming out of a WD cocoon!

I hope so. Thanks Chippy.

Do any of ye ever feel like this current feeling is just your baseline now. Some days (like today) I feel like I’m in a bit of a wave but not a full one. Like my mood is down and I have no motivation and it worries me that this is just my new normal. I have had solid windows recently I guess, it just feels like I’ll never get back to who I was previously before all this happened. It’s difficult when you can’t fully identify if your in a wave or not.

13 hours ago, Wildgoose said:

Do any of ye ever feel like this current feeling is just your baseline now. Some days (like today) I feel like I’m in a bit of a wave but not a full one. Like my mood is down and I have no motivation and it worries me that this is just my new normal. I have had solid windows recently I guess, it just feels like I’ll never get back to who I was previously before all this happened. It’s difficult when you can’t fully identify if your in a wave or not.

The ups and downs can feel endless, the fact you have had windows is a great sign. You are not stuck like this, this is just temporary even though at times it can feel as though it is not.

13 hours ago, Wildgoose said:

Do any of ye ever feel like this current feeling is just your baseline now. Some days (like today) I feel like I’m in a bit of a wave but not a full one. Like my mood is down and I have no motivation and it worries me that this is just my new normal. I have had solid windows recently I guess, it just feels like I’ll never get back to who I was previously before all this happened. It’s difficult when you can’t fully identify if your in a wave or not.

Well, to frame it another way:

At a year off you've progressed to the point where waves aren't distinct periods of hell and are much milder, and you're having windows.

That's good progress.

I’m in a pit of depression these last few days man. Feeling so guilty about not being able to think about moving forward in my life or my girlfriend who I care for deeply. I just am not myself at all and all I can do is try and get through the day. I don’t even know what’s withdrawal and what’s not anymore. Really can’t see the light today. This is just such a lonely road. I’m 13 months off and I really thought I would feel different at this stage of it. How do we get through this? It’s been so hard man.

26 minutes ago, Wildgoose said:

I’m in a pit of depression these last few days man. Feeling so guilty about not being able to think about moving forward in my life or my girlfriend who I care for deeply. I just am not myself at all and all I can do is try and get through the day. I don’t even know what’s withdrawal and what’s not anymore. Really can’t see the light today. This is just such a lonely road. I’m 13 months off and I really thought I would feel different at this stage of it. How do we get through this? It’s been so hard man.

Thirteen months really isn’t that long, and many people get hit by a huge wave at around a year off. I spent months thinking I was making no progress. If the feelings feel strange to you, the chalk it up to withdrawal. These thoughts are not who you are. Give yourself the time and space you need to recover, and don’t set a timeline on yourself. Healing will come.