Hi all! 

 

After dealing with severe anxiety, panic, burn-out and insomnia for 1,5 years, I decided to give medication a try. It was not an easy decision to make, as I was very afraid of the negative effects it could have on me. On the other hand.. I was sleeping and eating so poorly for months due to all the stress that i did not know how to break the pattern and get some rest to recover. 
 

I started on 5mg fluoxetine last august and after 2 weeks I was upped to 10mgs. I had a really rough onboarding period with almost every side effect from the book (tremors, anxiety, headaches, head pressure, dialated pupils, blank mind, emotional numbing etc.). After a few weeks.. I knew this was not the right path for me. I wanted to feel my emotions and body in order to heal. I wanted to get this stuff out of my body ASAP. 

In consultation with my psychiatrist I went back from 10 to 5 mg (stated there 1 week) and went from 5 to 2,5 mg (stayed there 2 weeks). Then I went to 0. I used it for 7 weeks total, including this 3 weeks taper.

 

I thought, because I only used it so shortly I did not want my body to adjust more to it, and because fluoxetine has such a long half life, I would be fine doing it this way.. its been 15,5 weeks since my last pill (108 days today) and I still feel not normal.. Some things have improved (luckily) but I am kinda worried I made some serious damage because i still have lingering Side effects. 

I’m looking for people who might relate to a less common withdrawal pattern after stopping medication.

I read a lot about anxiety, panic, racing thoughts and akathisia after stopping — but my experience is almost the opposite.

- Emotional and mental numbness / flatness

- Constant head pressure (brick / concrete / stone-like feeling)

- My brain feels the same 24/7 — very blank and unchanged. My brain doesn’t feel tired in the evening or upon waking — it feels chemically “clear” most of the time.

- Reduced response to caffeine, alcohol, exciting movies/series, or stressful situations (like I cant feel my adrenaline?)

- I can barely feel hunger or blood sugar drops

- It feels like internal and external signals are blocked from my brain (frontal part)

 

Because all of this.. I can’t properly feel my own limits or boundaries anymore

 

Are these normal symptom in withdrawal? I started the medication for severe anxiety and panic, and I’m surprised that I now barely experience those at all. Instead, I feel flat and dampened, but in an unnatural way. Like everything is at 30-50%. 
 

I wanted to stop the meds because of these side effects and 3,5months after stopping.. they are still here 😞 

 

Any Insight is helpful. Thank you for reading 🙏❤️

Hi Sophia

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

This is a volunteer-run, community forum aimed at helping those who are experiencing difficulties with psychiatric medications. We are not medical professional and cannot offer medical advice. We simply offer support and opinion which you could use as talking points with a medical provider knowledgeable in ADs withdrawal.

 

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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.

 

After a tough 18 months dealing with normal life events and then suffering anxiety, insomnia and burnout as a result, you seeked support from a medical professional who prescribed you 5mg of fluoxetine. I understand your hesitance to take this prescription. There are number of us here who were also feeling this way.

 

How were you after two weeks before you upped your dose to 10mg?

 

It sounds like to me you have reacted badly to the fluoxetine. Increasing the dose either amplified the problem or caused it.

Your gut instinct to get the drug gone and out of your system I relate to. I felt the same on Mirtazapine. 

 

As you were only on the drug a short time and it doesn't sound like you ever really got settled on it, it might not have been the worse choice to get off fairly quickly. You will find quite a lot of people in a very similar situation to you. Im one of them for sure.

 

1 hour ago, Sophia said:

I read a lot about anxiety, panic, racing thoughts and akathisia after stopping — but my experience is almost the opposite.

- Emotional and mental numbness / flatness

- Constant head pressure (brick / concrete / stone-like feeling)

- My brain feels the same 24/7 — very blank and unchanged. My brain doesn’t feel tired in the evening or upon waking — it feels chemically “clear” most of the time.

- Reduced response to caffeine, alcohol, exciting movies/series, or stressful situations (like I cant feel my adrenaline?)

- I can barely feel hunger or blood sugar drops

- It feels like internal and external signals are blocked from my brain (frontal part)

 

All of this is very common I'm afraid.

 

In my opinion your CNS is now irritated and it will need to settle down.

 

You haven't been off for very long and it sounds like to me you have made good progress. I suspect this will continue. Don't worry if you have set backs this is very normal. Healing happens over time in a windows and waves type pattern.

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/82-the-windows-and-waves-pattern-of-stabilization/

 

In the mean time this is what I would do if I were you:

 

-Stay away from Caffeine, Alcohol and Antihistamines and any other psychoactive substances.

 

-Good clean whole food diet. Avoiding GM/processed foods and sugar. Plenty of fluids.

 

Supplements are to be avoided they often irritate our nervous systems. Try to get your nutrition through food.

 

SA recommend Fish Oil, Magnesium and Melatonin. As with all these things some find them helpful some can't handle them. 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. 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.

 

Chippy

 

Thank you so much for you response! 
How are you feeling today? Are you feeling healed ? 🥹

It’s my pleasure Sophia. 
 

I’m ok. Definitely not healed yet. But one day! Until then we keep taking it day by day and support each other. 😀

Thank you for joining.

 

I had strong emotional anaesthesia like you're describing for quite a long time:

 

• Couldn't feel anxiety
• Couldn't feel fear
• Didn't respond to loud sounds/no reflexive "jump" response
• Anhedonia

and so on.

 

It improved in time, but it took a lot of time. 15 weeks is very early, unfortunately, however the positive way to look at that is you have immense capacity to heal, it can just take far longer than anyone would want it to.

 

These are common withdrawal symptoms, it's just that (in my view) you hear most about anxiety because those with anxiety tend to be the most vocal.

17 hours ago, Sophia said:

Thank you so much for you response! 
How are you feeling today? Are you feeling healed ? 🥹

How are you today?

Thank you @Luke for your response! 
 

I think some things are coming back, which is a good sign! Tho.. like you said it will take a long time to feel completely normal again 🥹

 

Did you also get a lot of pressure headaches ? My brain hurts almost 24/7.. 

Did those things improve for you as well? 

Hi Sophia 

1 hour ago, Sophia said:

I think some things are coming back, which is a good sign! Tho.. like you said it will take a long time to feel completely normal again 🥹

This is a great sign. Unfortunately it can take some time healing from this. 
 

1 hour ago, Sophia said:

Did you also get a lot of pressure headaches ? My brain hurts almost 24/7.. 

I’ve had a lot of head pressure. It’s fluctuated a lot but has been one of my worst symptoms. 
 

Try not to compare yourself with others. We are all so different. 

 

Over time everyone improves but time really is the key here. 

16 hours ago, Sophia said:

Did you also get a lot of pressure headaches ? My brain hurts almost 24/7.. 

Did those things improve for you as well? 

 

I did, but head pressure was not one of my main issues.

 

It has improved in time.

15 hours ago, Chippy said:

 

Try not to compare yourself with others. We are all so different. 

 

 

If you ask me, this is one of the absolute most important pieces of advice when going through WD. One can drive oneself crazy trying to find another person with the exact same symptoms and process. But, it seems impossible. I go into these dark, dark places where I seem to need a 100% similar case, before I fully believe that I'm going through WD. We are all different. Our stories are different. Our nervous systems are different. Our stressors are different.

 

Hang in there! It's a tough road. 

Thank you for your reply!
 

@Tumultarisk @Chippy I know I should stop comparing… 😭 Its really hard to see that most people have different symptoms than me and that makes me afraid I am that outlier that will not recover. I notice some resembles in my symptoms (blank mind, anhedonia, no responses to substances etc.) with people who deal with PSSD and that subreddit is not really positive.. 😭

20 minutes ago, Sophia said:

Thank you for your reply!
 

@Tumultarisk @Chippy I know I should stop comparing… 😭 Its really hard to see that most people have different symptoms than me and that makes me afraid I am that outlier that will not recover. I notice some resembles in my symptoms (blank mind, anhedonia, no responses to substances etc.) with people who deal with PSSD and that subreddit is not really positive.. 😭

Hey

 

Trust me it’s crazy common how often people feel exactly like you do. I’m different, there’s no one like me, I’ll never heal and so on. It gets said ALL the time. It’s not true for them or for you. 😀

 

I avoid labels etc and id recommend keeping inside of community that’s positive and supportive and staying away from anything you think negative. 

You are right! And no I avoid that forum with all costs 😂

7 minutes ago, Sophia said:

You are right! And no I avoid that forum with all costs 😂

Good idea! 😀

15 hours ago, Sophia said:

Its really hard to see that most people have different symptoms than me and that makes me afraid I am that outlier that will not recover. I notice some resembles in my symptoms (blank mind, anhedonia, no responses to substances etc.) with people who deal with PSSD and that subreddit is not really positive.. 😭

 

It isn't positive, but they also advocate not even calling it PSSD or considering that you have it until you have been off of all medications for at least 6 continuous months.

 

It's still incredibly early days and it is very premature to assume that you are unlikely to improve or recover.

Hi @Luke,

 

I’ve read your story and I am so so so sorry for what you have been thru. You are so strong for still pushing thru everyday.. 🥹❤️‍🩹

 

I’m only a few months out and am a way less severe case than you and already struggeling really badly with this blunting. 
 

I’ve read you noticed some improvements last couple of months. Would you say you got some emotions and sensations back as well? 🙏

On 1/26/2026 at 12:59 PM, Sophia said:

Hi @Luke,

 

I’ve read your story and I am so so so sorry for what you have been thru. You are so strong for still pushing thru everyday.. 🥹❤️‍🩹

 

I’m only a few months out and am a way less severe case than you and already struggeling really badly with this blunting. 
 

I’ve read you noticed some improvements last couple of months. Would you say you got some emotions and sensations back as well? 🙏

 

Yes, it fluctuates.

 

In my case, I did not go from blunted and missing emotions to "good" emotionally. I am not always blunted (in fact, most often I'm not now), but I struggle with emotional dysregulation, suicidal thoughts, anger, looping thoughts etc.

Hi @Sophia, nice to meet you! 😊

 

I experienced pretty severe emotional blunting while on both paroxetine and escitalopram. In fact, the only two emotions I could feel properly while on them were sadness and fear/anxiety.

 

When I quit my AD, I still wasn't feeling much and now, 8 months after stopping, my emotions have returned partially but I still deal with anhedonia (reduced ability to experience pleasure, joy, or interest in activities, hobbies, and social interactions). Basically, for me it is currently much easier to experience "negative" emotions compared to "positive" emotions.

 

I see you quit back in October so you're still in the early stages of WD. Based on what I've read and have personally experienced, it really is a matter of time before you start feeling emotions again. You can trust yourself and your nervous system. This will resolve 😊

 

PS: I see you're from the Netherlands. Nice to see another Dutch-speaking person here! I'm from Belgium myself.

Hi @Niels91,

 

Thank you so much for replying! 🥹

 

Did you also experience difficulty crying and reduced sensations ? I feel like there is a blanket over me, along with bad head pressure. I cant even imagine that my brain will ever feel and operate normally again at this point… 🥹

 

Mijn DM staat altijd open als je lekker in Nederlands wil kletsen! 🙂 

Hi there! Sorry to hear about your situation but know that you are not alone in this. I experienced difficulty in crying whilst on medication, especially early into my journey of being medicated. I’ve had brief periods whilst healing from protracted withdrawal as well. I find I can experience symptoms post med use that only occurred during the period of being medicated, it’s bizarre. 
 

The process of healing is so unique and individualised so do take note of what others have said above, try not to compare yourself to others as that only serves to keep you dysregulated and isn’t good for your mental. I’ve spent so long doing exactly that and it only further stressed me out and cemented the belief that I’ll be stuck damaged forever which isn’t true at all. 
 

 

Hi @Jack,

 

thank you for replying! This blank mind is so hard for me to deal with! I have no inner monologue, no thoughts about the future/past, no imagination. It just deadly silent. Its so scary! Did you experience that as well? I am having this for weeks now…. So afraid this is the new “me”.. a zombie. 

1 minute ago, Sophia said:

Hi @Jack,

 

thank you for replying! This blank mind is so hard for me to deal with! I have no inner monologue, no thoughts about the future/past, no imagination. It just deadly silent. It’s so scary! Did you experience that as well? I am having this for weeks now…. So afraid this is the new “me”.. a zombie. 

Yep, in acute withdrawal I could literally sit there and stare at the drywall for hours. I felt completely dead inside, almost like how it’s played out in the movies when someone is locked up in an asylum etc. I also experienced this periodically throughout my time through protracted withdrawal but it’s since gone away. 
 

I may get the odd time here or there where I’ll feel a little numb mentally but it’s usually coupled with a heavy amount of DP/DR so I know when it’s happening and that’s usually a sign for me to get out and about and focus on other things and it clears up. 
 

It’s all part of the healing process, and even though it’s lasting weeks it won’t last forever, just remember that. Try to keep remembering that your brain is highly sensitised right now and the reasoning as to why you’re blanking out is simply because of the drug, it doesn’t mean there’s something “wrong” with you, it doesn’t mean you’re brain damaged or dying. It WILL pass, and it time, it DOES get easier. You won’t live like this forever, trust me. 
 

In time it won’t last weeks, it’ll last two weeks, then a week, then a few days, then a day, then it’ll just stop happening for a while. It may pop up again from time to time, but then it’ll fade again. That’s the healing process. 

13 hours ago, Sophia said:

Did you also experience difficulty crying and reduced sensations ? I feel like there is a blanket over me, along with bad head pressure. I cant even imagine that my brain will ever feel and operate normally again at this point… 🥹

 

I did, yes! Especially when I was still on the meds and I still experience this sometimes.

 

Hearing sad stories from friends or colleagues and just not feeling anything. Watching movies featuring emotional scenes and not feeling anything. Oh, and listening to music and not feeling anything.

 

When I was on paroxetine for a couple of months, I vividly remember the moment where I first felt nothing positive when listening to my favorite music and the only thing I did feel was this low background anxiety. Very unsettling.

 

In the meantime, all of this has improved. It just takes a while 😊

 

I echo what has been said here: Comparing yourself to others all the time is not a good idea. However, it is understandable since we seek validation and comfort.

 

Try to put your focus elsewhere in the meantime and not on your symptoms. I'm not saying it's easy but it's worth it.

 

Keep going, one step at a time.

 

Also, do you have friends and family you can lean on? A good support system is a blessing.

11 hours ago, Jack said:

Yep, in acute withdrawal I could literally sit there and stare at the drywall for hours.

 

I spent weeks just lying on the floor looking at the ceiling.

 

Not anymore.

 

It is very common in withdrawal, but people can and do recover from it. At months off, there is so much scope for healing in the future, if you give it more time.

Thanks @Luke, @Niels91 and @Jack!

 

I really should work on my acceptance, it's hard! Especially since I wanted to come off the meds due to its blunting and that side effect still persists after stopping (maybe even worse? along with other issues like head pressure). It messes with my "sense of self". 

 

Can't wait to come back here in some time with some positive updates..