6 hours ago, Bernadette said:

@overthepill how has family support been. Do you have someone in the family you feel comfortable with talking things out?

It's been frustrating talking to my Mom about it because she's been convinced that this is just my anxiety, but I think she is starting to understand. My girlfriend is very supportive but she has her own health issues so I feel bad not being able to be there for her as much as id like to.

8 hours ago, Saar8srl said:

I agree that the first 3 months can be hard. After that the windows will start rot show more and more and this is also different for everyone. I also struggle with the fact that I just want to stand up in the morning and do my things like a normal person. Not thinking about what kind of mood I will be and how I start the day. I never taught that I will become someone that will be only happy by doing the normal things in life without watching my symptoms every day. On bad days I compare my self to others who are laughing and just going through the day without thinking about their health. I wonder “ do you even know how beautiful this is?, you should cherish this.” But how will they know. I never thought I will be this person but I am.

It's like I wake up in the morning and for a second you forget and then it hits you "Oh yea I'm in this ********" and then your day starts and you gotta just push through all the BS until it's bedtime and hope that tonight won't be a hard to sleep night. I really hope this acute phase passes soon.

Day 30 off, head still kicking my ass with pressure, spacey feeling and lightheadedness, feeling of not being present visual DP/DR. Been feeling some hunger cues today and haven't had any stomach discomfort so I'll take it. Muscle tension in my neck, chest, back, and shoulders still strong. Air hunger feeling whenever I'm up and doing stuff, it sucks getting winded so easily now. I slept good last night when I finally fell asleep, had some good dreams which was nice and didn't wake up in cold sweats which was another positive. It was really hard waking up today, I felt drugged. All in all a mixed bag of ups and downs but taking the good with the bad is part of this process I guess.

5 hours ago, overthepill said:

It's like I wake up in the morning and for a second you forget and then it hits you "Oh yea I'm in this ********" and then your day starts and you gotta just push through all the BS until it's bedtime and hope that tonight won't be a hard to sleep night. I really hope this acute phase passes soon.

I know exactly what you’re talking about. Going to sleep is now for me the most beautiful part of the day. And indeed waking up and remembering that yeah I’m in this …

@mstimc60 @j1290 @Bernadette Did any of you ever worry that you would forget what feeling normal felt like? I know this might seem like an odd question to ask but I've been thinking about it and I feel like I've been feeling off for such a long time that I don't remember what feeling normal feels like.

@Luke @Chippy What are your thoughts on Tylenol use for headaches during WD?

1 hour ago, overthepill said:

@Luke @Chippy What are your thoughts on Tylenol use for headaches during WD?

If it's purely paracetamol you might be okay. Personally, I avoid it entirely and would rather not risk further harm for short term symptom relief.

I would avoid the versions with additional ingredients that affect sleep.

12 hours ago, overthepill said:

Did any of you ever worry that you would forget what feeling normal felt like?

I was on meds like 30 years, and had no idea what normal would feel like. My normal was not so great at age 21 when I started these things. In my case, because the med pooped out after taking it for 20 years and threw me into WD after making that first reduction, I was committed to getting off of it whether I liked it or not 😁😜🙋‍♂️

Sure enough, that headache feeling I used to have all the time when I was on the meds that aspirin couldn't touch is gone. I don't feel that artificial mood elevation that I grew to dislike. When I am under stress the highs and lows are less intense. I have an expanded range of emotions, improved memory and cognition.

My Normal emotional state when I was 21 used to be on a scale of -5 to +5 , about a -4. I got on these meds for a reason 😂 Now, on an average day I'd say it's a -1.

That said, now that I've been off meds for 3 years, with the first 2 being recovery years, I'm switching to a completely new career in my 50's and moving across country after getting accepted to a highly competitive training program.

I'm hoping this new, more stable job in a LCOL state will be a better fit for me. If it isn't, I will pivot to plan B. If there's one thing tapering taught me, it's to be flexible when things don't work like I think they will 😆

That's a long way to say yes, I didn't know what normal would be like. And, it's just normal. It's uneventful. Maybe when I do this new job and city, I'll be able to get my daily emotional state to a 0 or even a +1, who knows. I'm ready for the adventure.

I'm saving you a seat, @overthepill !

What do you guys do when the despair and hopelessness hits you late at night when you are up and haven't fallen asleep yet? It feels so alone to sit with these emotions and they don't even feel like my emotions it just feels like these feelings are being trusted upon me, today was day 34 off the med and it's been the hardest day yet. These head symptoms really need to plateau already because my ability to endure is being worn thin. 😔

1 hour ago, overthepill said:

What do you guys do when the despair and hopelessness hits you late at night when you are up and haven't fallen asleep yet? It feels so alone to sit with these emotions and they don't even feel like my emotions it just feels like these feelings are being trusted upon me, today was day 34 off the med and it's been the hardest day yet. These head symptoms really need to plateau already because my ability to endure is being worn thin. 😔

This is the hardest part the acute phase, it will pass. Learning you have more strength than you realise takes a little time. Distraction, routine, acceptance and one day at a time, this is key to everything in WD. Mindset. You've got this.

Well I didn't sleep last night, hope this isn't the start of some long drawn out insomnia spell. I was laying in bed all morning trying to drift off but was having palpitations with a normal heart rate and this inner buzzing feeling in my body that was not letting me drift off. 😔

4 minutes ago, overthepill said:

Well I didn't sleep last night, hope this isn't the start of some long drawn out insomnia spell. I was laying in bed all morning trying to drift off but was having palpitations with a normal heart rate and this inner buzzing feeling in my body that was not letting me drift off. 😔

Try to write it off as a one-off and release it. Everyone has days they can't sleep. The "tired but wired" feeling sucks but your body will know when it needs sleep.

Is it normal to be bedridden at a month off? I feel defeated and like I'm never going to leave this damn bed 😔

So I hit my 5 weeks off the med today, and was on it for 9 weeks and have been mostly bedridden since starting the med, so that's 14 weeks of being mostly in bed. I'm starting to wonder how much of my spacy lightheadedness is from the ADR/WD and how much the prolonged bedrest is contributing to these symptoms. Any thoughts?

When does the appetite come back? It's like since I stopped the med I have zero appetite or desire to eat, I literally eat because I know I have to. 😔

Hey @overthepill I am so sorry things are so rough for you. All of what you have described above is because of WD/injury. You are only a few weeks off and this is very early days for you. Symptoms tend to wax and wane especially in the early phases. The lack of appetite is a big one and I have had this too. Eventually it started to come back. It will for you too.

6 minutes ago, Chippy said:

Hey @overthepill I am so sorry things are so rough for you. All of what you have described above is because of WD/injury. You are only a few weeks off and this is very early days for you. Symptoms tend to wax and wane especially in the early phases. The lack of appetite is a big one and I have had this too. Eventually it started to come back. It will for you too.

It's just my head symptoms feel so intense, it's an absolute struggle to make it through each day. I really hope this is just the acute phase because dealing with this intensity for the entirety of my recovery would be miserable.

Just now, overthepill said:

It's just my head symptoms feel so intense, it's an absolute struggle to make it through each day. I really hope this is just the acute phase because dealing with this intensity for the entirety of my recovery would be miserable.

Symptoms being very intense in the early stages is so common @overthepill learning to accept and float and just deal with one day at a time rather then worry about the next day let alone the next month is really important, it helps to keep the nervous system calmer and further away from flight or flight mode and the removal of resistance helps reduce the suffering, I know it's a hard concept to wrap you head around but it really is key to coping in this my friend. Sending some strength your way.

On 8/18/2026 at 1:24 AM, overthepill said:

@mstimc60 @j1290 @Bernadette Did any of you ever worry that you would forget what feeling normal felt like? I know this might seem like an odd question to ask but I've been thinking about it and I feel like I've been feeling off for such a long time that I don't remember what feeling normal feels like.

@overthepill when you get a brief window no matter if it's a couple minutes or an hour, that the real you trying to heal itself, hang on to that feeling. You are still very early in this process so yes, there is a lot of things trying to figure where they belong in the acute stage. For now just stay distracted if you can, and a lot of time and patience my friend.

11 hours ago, overthepill said:

It's just my head symptoms feel so intense, it's an absolute struggle to make it through each day. I really hope this is just the acute phase because dealing with this intensity for the entirety of my recovery would be miserable.

The head pressure will subside, I during my earlier days had pressure that felt like my head was in a vice, and tinnitus was piercing that it was so loud sounds muffled. This does pass.

5 hours ago, Bernadette said:

The head pressure will subside, I during my earlier days had pressure that felt like my head was in a vice, and tinnitus was piercing that it was so loud sounds muffled. This does pass.

My head pressure has been not as bad today but my head has been very spacey and woozy feeling and I'm dealing with intense feelings of Derealization. Did you ever deal with these type of feeling like I'm so out of it sensations and thoughts?

2 minutes ago, overthepill said:

My head pressure has been not as bad today but my head has been very spacey and woozy feeling and I'm dealing with intense feelings of Derealization. Did you ever deal with these type of feeling like I'm so out of it sensations and thoughts?

Yes @overthepill I did experience this in my first 1 to 3 months off and on. It does subside.

On a more positive note, the past few nights I had been having this intense wave of head pressure hit me from about 10pm until about 3 or 4 am, it is now 2am and the head pressure spike is nowhere to be found. I will take this small win.

4 hours ago, overthepill said:

On a more positive note, the past few nights I had been having this intense wave of head pressure hit me from about 10pm until about 3 or 4 am, it is now 2am and the head pressure spike is nowhere to be found. I will take this small win.

@overthepill this is wonderful to hear, it is definitely a win. Hugs for now my friend xxx Bernadette

@mstimc60 did you ever deal with intense feelings of hopelessness and despair? This feels so overwhelming and consuming, I thought it was bad enough I was dealing with the physical symptoms, but now I have these emotions that don't even feel like they are mine they are just so strong!