Brief history: F 37

I took escitalopram 20 mg from 2014–2018, at 2018 i reduced the dose in 4 weeks and suffered withdrawals, i didnt search online, then stopped in 2022. From 2022–2024, I experienced severe withdrawal symptoms with gradual improvement and waves/windows. In 2024, after taking a multivitamin containing ginseng during a swallowing-related wave, I experienced a severe crash and lost the windows I had been having. Since then, recovery has been minimal, with possible worsening. I feel like I worsened my withdrawal after taking the vitamin. My family didnt really believe me a lot, so I’ve had many tests to try to prove that what I’m experiencing is real, including a SPECT scan and various biomarkers. I also have an abnormal EEG. Has anyone else crashed during withdrawal and eventually recovered?

I also had a lumbar puncture; they had to puncture me multiple times, and I developed a terrible headache afterward. I don’t know whether that made me worse.

I’m also getting close to the age where having children may become more difficult, and that makes me really sad.

Edited August 21Aug 21 by SarahMc

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 withdrawa

l 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

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

2 hours ago, wanderer said:

I took escitalopram 20 mg from 2014–2018, at 2018 i reduced the dose in 4 weeks and suffered withdrawals, i didnt search online, then stopped in 2022. From 2022–2024, I experienced severe withdrawal symptoms with gradual improvement and waves/windows.

As I'm sure you know, your initial taper down to 10 mg was too fast. It sounds like you then cold-turkeyed the remaining 10 mg in 2022, which can unfortunately cause severe and long-term withdrawal syndrome, as you've experienced.

2 hours ago, wanderer said:

In 2024, after taking a multivitamin containing ginseng during a swallowing-related wave, I experienced a severe crash and lost the windows I had been having. Since then, recovery has been minimal, with possible worsening. I feel like I worsened my withdrawal after taking the vitamin.

I'm really sorry this happened to you. I'm not very familiar with ginseng, but a quick Google search suggests that it has significant effects on the brain so it is certainly possible this caused or contributed to a crash.

2 hours ago, wanderer said:

My family didnt really believe me a lot, so I’ve had many tests to try to prove that what I’m experiencing is real, including a SPECT scan and various biomarkers. I also have an abnormal EEG.

A lot of folks on here struggle with family and friends who either don't believe or can't fully understand what we're going through. It can be very hard to suffer this much without the support of loved ones. We are all here for you and believe you.

2 hours ago, wanderer said:

Has anyone else crashed during withdrawal and eventually recovered?

Absolutely, this is not uncommon. Adele Framer, the founder of Surviving Antidepressants, crashed several years into withdrawal after starting a high stress job and still recovered. The road is often not linear, but you can recover too.

2 hours ago, wanderer said:

I’m also getting close to the age where having children may become more difficult, and that makes me really sad.

I understand. I'm only a year younger than you and struggling with this fear as well. But we have to do our best to take things day by day and not worry too much about what the future holds. It might be helpful to check out some of our posts about coping skills, including acceptance: Acceptance is key - Why does acceptance feel impossible?

 

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.

Welcome to the forum @wanderer I am glad you found us you are most welcome here. I wish I could say your experience is unique, however as Sarah has said everthing you have been through is very common on here, others have made it through a set back and you will too. Big thing is to make sure you are doing everything you can to set the stage for healing. Make sure you read the pointers that Sarah has given you at the end of her post, really important to observe these things as you will know from experience of taking a supplement. From there, we really just have to take it one day at a time and trust in our bodies ability to put all this right for us. Nothing lasts forever and this will pass given enough time.

Welcome to the forum.

I'm sorry to hear you've been having a difficult time for a number of years.

On 8/21/2026 at 11:02 AM, wanderer said:

I’m also getting close to the age where having children may become more difficult, and that makes me really sad.

This is something many here can relate to, and this is hard.

I hope that you begin to improve more noticeably and significantly soon.

Thank you so much, everyone, for your kind words. I wish you healing as well. ❤️

Thank you for sharing all this information. I knew that supplements can be dangerous. A relative actually changed my multivitamin because he thought it might help me. I had told him that I didn’t want herbs, but he didn’t know about all this. He was only trying to help, and unfortunately, this happened.

I only tried it because I was experiencing this rare symptom of dysphagia and I couldn’t eat. I only took a small dose, not even a full pill, and only for a few days. I didn’t know what ginseng was or what effects it could have.

But I understand now, and I really appreciate all the information and advice.

Sending unhesling vibes too.

Thank you so much. ❤️

2 hours ago, wanderer said:

Thank you for sharing all this information. I knew that supplements can be dangerous. A relative actually changed my multivitamin because he thought it might help me. I had told him that I didn’t want herbs, but he didn’t know about all this. He was only trying to help, and unfortunately, this happened.

I only tried it because I was experiencing this rare symptom of dysphagia and I couldn’t eat. I only took a small dose, not even a full pill, and only for a few days. I didn’t know what ginseng was or what effects it could have.

We’ve all made mistakes on this journey, often unknowingly. I know it’s really tough to experience a setback like this, but you will still heal. I hope things have started getting a bit easier for you.

On 9/4/2026 at 7:37 PM, SarahMc said:

We’ve all made mistakes on this journey, often unknowingly. I know it’s really tough to experience a setback like this, but you will still heal. I hope things have started getting a bit easier for you.

Thank you so much Sarah. I really appreciate it. I don't know if I can ask this here, but did anyone try keto diet in this place and got better? If my question is forbidden I can delete it

2 minutes ago, wanderer said:

I don't know if I can ask this here, but did anyone try keto diet in this place and got better?

Some have success with the Keto diet, some don't. I personally think if you are going to try it you should have some professional help implementing it. Or at the very least spend lots of time learning about it and how to safely use it. YouTube videos from the WD community would be my starting point.

I’ve been doing keto for 4 months now with a coach. My learnings from it are:

It’s hard on the body at first and you have to gradually reduce carbs and up fat over 4-5 weeks.

You will need to increase electrolytes - sodium, potassium, magnesium.

You will feel worse before you feel better - like taking an AD!

You definitely should get a coach if you can afford one.

I’m still tapering meds but am in protracted withdrawal. It has helped but I did too big a reduction of a med about 5 weeks into my keto journey which has set me back lots

it’s not a miracle cure. It’s also hard work to keep the diet up hence why a coach is so important.

It works by increasing GABA and reducing glutamate and giving you more consistent energy for your mitochondria cells.

I’m on a 6 month program with several others. Most have reported benefits for their anxiety and depression but most/all bar me don’t have protracted withdrawal.

Oh and you may lose quite a bit of weight on the diet because you just end up eating less. It wasn’t my stated aim but I’ve lost 2 stone in 4.5 months and I’m on Mirtazapine too!!

I use IKRT as my coach.

So in summary it’s not a silver bullet but it could certainly help dial the temperature down on symptoms.

Happy to provide more info.