Hello everyone I hope you guys can help me with my situation. I was on Prozac for 6 years and in October of 2025 told my doctor can’t focus and she took me of it in 4 weeks and started strattera for focus that cause irritability and I stopped was still functional but with a lot of adrenaline rushes and anxiety so in April of 26 my doctor put me on lexapro that made things so much worse I started having severe dpdr severe cortisol and adrenaline spikes was bedridden I was severely emotionally numb blank mind no internal monologue no executive function so my doctor switch me to litium and 2.5 of Zyprexa for severe agitation than she switch me to trintellix and said I should try ect which I did two sessions and I had more agitation so I stopped all antidepressants on July 21 st I stayed on the Zyprexa and in two weeks after the stop I started having severe akathisia I was hitting myself and screaming it was so bad I had severe Si so I found a doctor who works with withdrawal and ppl they have experience this and he recommended to give me gabapentin for the akathisia I was so so desperate that I took it and slowly stopped the akathisia. So now it’s been almost 3 months I am still on gabapentin and the baby dose of Zyprexa and the doctor told me to hold until I recover. Only I feel I never will recover I am not functioning I had to move back with my family because I can’t take care of my self my symptoms now seem more rare than others I have severe distortion of reality I can’t feel anything completely numb I can’t think my brain is blank but still inner feeling of misery and fear I am bedridden and I am so so scared I will never recover the dpdr is so severe I have the complete freeze response. Please any encouragement will help . What is going to happen to me I just waste away in bed ?

Edited Monday at 12:19 PM4 days 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 withdrawal 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.

The value of this forum is in the community it fosters. We hope that all of our members will be able to learn from each others' experiences, both the good and the bad. To this end, we strongly encourage members to not only document their personal journey on their own thread, but to read and post on other members' threads and otherwise make full use of the resources available throughout the forum.

 

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.

Please use the format outline here Preferred signature/drug history format

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

3 hours ago, annamaria said:

Hello everyone I hope you guys can help me with my situation. I was on Prozac for 6 years and in October of 2025 told my doctor can’t focus and she took me of it in 4 weeks and started strattera for focus that cause irritability and I stopped was still functional but with a lot of adrenaline rushes and anxiety so in April of 26 my doctor put me on lexapro that made things so much worse I started having severe dpdr severe cortisol and adrenaline spikes was bedridden I was severely emotionally numb blank mind no internal monologue no executive function so my doctor switch me to litium and 2.5 of Zyprexa for severe agitation than she switch me to trintellix and said I should try ect which I did two sessions and I had more agitation so I stopped all antidepressants on July 21 st I stayed on the Zyprexa and in two weeks after the stop I started having severe akathisia I was hitting myself and screaming it was so bad I had severe Si so I found a doctor who works with withdrawal and ppl they have experience this and he recommended to give me gabapentin for the akathisia I was so so desperate that I took it and slowly stopped the akathisia.

@annamaria I'm so very sorry this happened to you. It sounds like you came off prozac much too fast, which would have caused withdrawal. When we're in psych drug withdrawal our nervous systems are highly sensitive, and adding and removing more drugs just causes more and more injury. Unfortunately most doctors don't recognize this and will keep trying more drugs to treat symptoms even though they see their patients getting worse.

It's interesting that you found a doctor who works with withdrawal, even though he seems to have put you on quite a high dose of gabapentin. Can I ask, did you very slowly work up to the 1800 mg dose? Or did he put you on a high dose right away? I'm glad the gabapentin seems to have worked to calm the akathisia -- do you feel like you're tolerating the drug well overall (even though I understand you still have many symptoms), or has it made other things worse?

3 hours ago, annamaria said:

So now it’s been almost 3 months I am still on gabapentin and the baby dose of Zyprexa and the doctor told me to hold until I recover. Only I feel I never will recover I am not functioning I had to move back with my family because I can’t take care of my self my symptoms now seem more rare than others I have severe distortion of reality I can’t feel anything completely numb I can’t think my brain is blank but still inner feeling of misery and fear I am bedridden and I am so so scared I will never recover the dpdr is so severe I have the complete freeze response. Please any encouragement will help . What is going to happen to me I just waste away in bed ?

I'm really sorry things are so hard for you right now. Please know that you can absolutely recover, but these things can take a lot of time. All of the symptoms you describe are awful, but they are also very common withdrawal symptoms. There are many others on this forum with similar symptoms, so you are not alone.

Your doctor is right that you should hold now until you stabilize. Unfortunately stabilization can take time, but if you are tolerating your current drugs well then it should be possible. I went through something a bit similar to you with a lot of drug changes in a short time, and I've now been holding on two drugs for over six months. I've begun to stabilize but I'm not there yet. I plan to hold for at least a few more months to see if I can make some more progress.

So many people have been through this horror and have gotten to the other side. You can too. Just keep passing the time and eventually, sometimes very slowly, I think you will start to see things improve little by little. We are all here for you 💜.

 

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.

Thank you for responding to me the doctor put me straight on 1800 mg because he said that higher doses are needed for akathisia. Quite frankly I am not sure how I tolerate the drug I know it sounds crazy but I am in such a severe dpdr and completely emotional numbness I am bedridden have no cognitive functioning at all so it’s so hard to feel anything may be is adding a layer of heaviness and slowness. Do you think I can recover while I am holding on my doses can my feelings and functioning return can my thoughts come back so I can think of something to do now I just sit and stare for hours I am like a ghost it’s like I am alive but dead . I am scared

16 minutes ago, annamaria said:

Quite frankly I am not sure how I tolerate the drug I know it sounds crazy but I am in such a severe dpdr and completely emotional numbness I am bedridden have no cognitive functioning at all so it’s so hard to feel anything may be is adding a layer of heaviness and slowness.

It doesn’t sound crazy at all, many folks here understand exactly what you’re going through. After so many drug changes and when you’re already doing so badly it can become almost impossible to pin any specific symptom to one particular drug or one change.

17 minutes ago, annamaria said:

Do you think I can recover while I am holding on my doses can my feelings and functioning return can my thoughts come back so I can think of something to do now I just sit and stare for hours I am like a ghost it’s like I am alive but dead . I am scared

I know you’re scared and I’m sorry 💜. Yes I think you can very likely improve while still on these drugs, and I think holding is definitely the safest path forward for now. Your nervous system is screaming out for some stability. Like I said, it can take a long time to stabilize after so many changes, but there is ALWAYS hope. So many other people have found themselves in these horrible situations and have made it to the other side. You will too, and we are here for you all the way.

17 minutes ago, SarahMc said:

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 withdrawal 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.

The value of this forum is in the community it fosters. We hope that all of our members will be able to learn from each others' experiences, both the good and the bad. To this end, we strongly encourage members to not only document their personal journey on their own thread, but to read and post on other members' threads and otherwise make full use of the resources available throughout the forum.

 

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.

Please use the format outline here Preferred signature/drug history format

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

@annamaria I'm so very sorry this happened to you. It sounds like you came off prozac much too fast, which would have caused withdrawal. When we're in psych drug withdrawal our nervous systems are highly sensitive, and adding and removing more drugs just causes more and more injury. Unfortunately most doctors don't recognize this and will keep trying more drugs to treat symptoms even though they see their patients getting worse.

It's interesting that you found a doctor who works with withdrawal, even though he seems to have put you on quite a high dose of gabapentin. Can I ask, did you very slowly work up to the 1800 mg dose? Or did he put you on a high dose right away? I'm glad the gabapentin seems to have worked to calm the akathisia -- do you feel like you're tolerating the drug well overall (even though I understand you still have many symptoms), or has it made other things worse?

I'm really sorry things are so hard for you right now. Please know that you can absolutely recover, but these things can take a lot of time. All of the symptoms you describe are awful, but they are also very common withdrawal symptoms. There are many others on this forum with similar symptoms, so you are not alone.

Your doctor is right that you should hold now until you stabilize. Unfortunately stabilization can take time, but if you are tolerating your current drugs well then it should be possible. I went through something a bit similar to you with a lot of drug changes in a short time, and I've now been holding on two drugs for over six months. I've begun to stabilize but I'm not there yet. I plan to hold for at least a few more months to see if I can make some more progress.

So many people have been through this horror and have gotten to the other side. You can too. Just keep passing the time and eventually, sometimes very slowly, I think you will start to see things improve little by little. We are all here for you 💜.

 

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.

Thank you for the encouragement it means a lot . Yes I will just stay where I am because rocking the boat right now may be is not a good idea . It’s been almost 3 months and the improvement is that I don’t have akathisia and the I don’t wake up in panic but the rest is still debilitating let’s see what the next 3 months will bring hopefully a positive change .

46 minutes ago, annamaria said:

It’s been almost 3 months and the improvement is that I don’t have akathisia and the I don’t wake up in panic but the rest is still debilitating let’s see what the next 3 months will bring hopefully a positive change .

I think that’s a really good idea — just pick a date 3 months or so out and commit to holding until then and checking in to see where you are. That’s the strategy I’ve been using as well, I think it helps to quell the daily “why am I not stabilizing??” kind of thoughts.

It’s really good that you’ve seen some improvement in the last three months. This can often be painfully slow but any positive change is a good sign. You’ll get there 😊.

Thank you for your kindness 😊

Welcome @annamaria , I am glad you have found us out.

Sarah did a good job of giving you some guidance.

I believe if you aim towards getting better, you will eventually be in a good state, it just takes a long time, acceptance is key, symptoms are really only symptoms, you don't die from them, it's all temporary.

I always like to link some coping skills threads:

Acceptance is key - Why does acceptance feel impossible?

Being a human, and dealing with emotions in WD

Breath And Meditation

Thank you how nice of you , I am really trying with the acceptance it’s just so hard because it’s scary and I don’t have space from symptoms to try to just accept them as so but I am trying my very best !

1 minute ago, annamaria said:

I am really trying with the acceptance it’s just so hard because it’s scary and I don’t have space from symptoms to try to just accept them as so but I am trying my very best !

it's definitely not easy at times, especially when having tons of symptoms, if it was that easy, I wouldn't need to talk about acceptance all the time 😄

it took me a year and a half of my life to realize symptoms are just symptoms and they don't mean impending doom ❣️

Yes , I bet it’s the hardest thing a person can go through in my opinion and I have gone through stuff in life for sure but this , this is suffering on unimaginable level I can’t believe that it is happening to me ! But I hope that you feel better it seems like you have some time under your belt ! Keep healing 😊

25 minutes ago, annamaria said:

Yes , I bet it’s the hardest thing a person can go through in my opinion and I have gone through stuff in life for sure but this , this is suffering on unimaginable level I can’t believe that it is happening to me ! But I hope that you feel better it seems like you have some time under your belt ! Keep healing 😊

Welcome and I'm so sorry you've had such am awful time. You'll find support here throughout your journey ❤️

Thank you I appreciate it 😊I hope healing comes for all

Welcome to the forum @annamaria glad you found us! I am so very sorry for everthing you have been through you have found a community who understands. @RachelSusan was also put on Gabapentin for WD by her doctor and is now stable and in the process of tapering. I agree fully with Sarah, holding is a very wise move at this point. Your body is busy working hard to stablise this for you. Chippy

Chippy , thank you so much truly grateful for the support! Let it only be healing for everyone let time transform us out of this suffering 😊

@annamaria I’m so sorry you’re going through this, and I’m sorry you’ve had to find your way here under such difficult circumstances. You will find a lot of support and understanding in this group.

There are people here who have been as sick as you are, experienced severe symptoms, and felt just as hopeless and frightened, but who went on to recover. I’m one of them. I was indeed as sick as you are describing, and I did recover. I know how terrifying it is when you can barely function, but I want you to know that recovery is possible, even when things feel this bad.

I also eventually had to find a doctor who specializes in withdrawal, as the other doctors I had seen were not able to help me in the ways I needed. Finding someone with that experience was one of the most helpful things I did.

Please don’t lose hope. How you feel right now does not mean this is how you will always feel. If you need support, please feel free to reach out to me or anyone else here. We are here for you.

@RachelSusan Thank you so much for the encouragement I really appreciate it . I am so very glad that you were able to recover I will definitely reach out to you it’s so hard I really do need help sometimes. Not knowing how long this takes and being 3 months of ssri but suffering since April it’s really getting to me and the best I can do is staying alive . I see you were also on gabapentin if you don’t mind me asking did you recover on it I am on a really high dose because of the severe akathisia I had that was unsustainable. And now I have to hold until recovery because I can’t afford another withdrawal and that’s the advice the doctor gave me . Thank you again 😊

I am currently on 1800 mg of gabapentin and 2.5 mg of Zyprexa just for additional info

You’re so welcome, @annamaria . I’m so sorry you’re suffering so much. I know how hard it is to live with these symptoms day after day, especially when you have no idea how long it will take to get better.

Regarding gabapentin, I didn’t find that it helped much with my withdrawal symptoms, but we’re all different, and it sounds like it has been helping you with the akathisia, which is fantastic. I am still on it, and it has been a little bit challenging tapering off because my nervous system is very sensitive to reductions. However, I’m slowly making progress, and my experience with tapering has been better this time because I’ve learned how to approach it more carefully. I understand why your doctor wants you to hold for now, especially after what you went through with the akathisia. Given how sensitive you’ve been, I can understand the reasoning behind allowing yourself time to stabilize before making further changes.

I want you to know that I really do understand how sick you can become and how frightening it is when you can’t imagine ever getting better. I was that sick, too, and I did recover. Please feel free to reach out whenever you need support. I’m happy to help however I can.

.

Edited Tuesday at 06:37 PM3 days by RachelSusan
left something out and wanted to add it in.

Thank you Rachel so much for the encouraging words! I am glad you recovered that’s just so amazing. Happy for you ! I am trying I just feel like the sense of being condemned and the inner misery the distorted reality the feeling of impending doom the inability to think or feel the blank mind like I am completely disconnected from self and reality . Death but alive ! I can’t imagine how will this ever change but ppl like you are making me stay another day ! Thank you !

@annamaria I care very much. And yes I know how really bad it is. A lot of people don't know, they can't know, but most of us on this site do. When I was at my sickest that is what I really wanted, for someone to understand.