2 minutes ago, Sophia said:

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.. 

 

Try remember that none of this is your fault. You did everything you thought was right for you, how were to know these issues with continue post med use? 
 

It’s incredibly normal to still experience symptoms that you had develop on the medication still in play after being med free. The drug was quite literally embedded into your brain pathways, your nervous system, it’s not as simple as “remove X drug = Y symptom goes away” - these things take time, for some of us, an incredibly long time. 
 

I myself still have symptoms which started when I was first on the drug that I STILL have almost two years off the medication entirely.. The longer you’re on the drug, the likelihood you’ll experience the same timeframe for symptoms to vanish. I was on them for 6+ years, so it’s likely I won’t be completely healed for at least 3-4 years. This doesn’t happen to everyone but it’s been well documented, especially for those who have been on these drugs for decades. 

29 minutes ago, Sophia said:

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.. 

 

Hi @Sophia though acceptance is one of the keys it is also completely understandable to fall into a place of non-acceptance, sometimes it is simply uncontrollable and passes by itself without any effort, be gentle with yourself, you are doing great and what you can through this and that's enough.

Wishing you brighter days ahead.

Edited February 6Feb 6 by Fullhealing

Hi @Sophia

How are you now?!

I've also taken Prozac.

Can you work actually?

I can't since I've stopped the treatment and it's difficult to live... anyone else in the same case ? 😔

 

1 hour ago, poulette38 said:

Hi @Sophia

How are you now?!

I've also taken Prozac.

Can you work actually?

I can't since I've stopped the treatment and it's difficult to live... anyone else in the same case ? 😔

 

Hey @poulette38 so sorry that your work has been affected, too common in this tortures process, I'm still working, well, half working just because it's a family business, I highly doubt I would have held anywhere else..

I hope you get better soon and manage to get back to some sort of routine, it will happen, it's just a matter of time.

Edited February 8Feb 8 by Fullhealing

@Sophia

How are you now?

Hi @poulette38,

 

Sorry for my late reply. I am on a ski trip right now so I try to enjoy it as much as possible.

 

My symptoms are still present unfortunately but I do think I am improving. I notice my mind I a bit less blank and I feel a bit more emotions. My main symptoms are these awful headaches and head pressure. Its a bit better, but still very debilitating almost 24/7. My head feels physically so different than before the meds, it feels bruised and too tight. I also still feel quite blunted.
 

Its been little over 4 months since my last dose, I really hope to make full recovery in 2026, but I don’t know if thats possible.

 

I work a few hours a week right now as i cant manage to work fulltime. My cognition and concentration are still quite effected so its hard for me to do my job. 
 

how are you doing?

How is your sleep ? Are you tired all the day or not ? 

My sleep is good, emotions aren't all there yet, cognition is not good, like you..  headache are very frequent like you!

How is your appetite now? 

 

We have to pray to recover all this 😮‍💨 what think your psychiatrist ? For mine, it's all "normal" because it's the "beginning"... 

 

I pray everyday 🙏

@poulette38 my head feels really weird en “clear” most of the time.. So I don’t feel tired or drowsey. Tho.. 2 weeks ago I had immense brainfog 0 motivation or cognition, then I was really tired. 
 

My sleep is OK, but not as relaxing / restfull, and like I said, my head feels not tired, just in pain.

 

my hunger cues are really off.. I don’t feel the signals well.. its also blunted. But I Can easily eat. 
 

What are your symptoms? 🙂 
 

 

I'm very tired all the day, even after a good night ! No motivation, no concentration...

 

I've also this like you: a sensation of a "mild head", and nights are like days : like you wasn't sleeping at all when you wake up every morning, even if you slept ! Horrible ! 

I eat also easily but without experiencing the feeling of eat.

 

Do you think we can really recover one day ? We are quite young, we just want to live our life like before !! 😞

Did you still experience brain zaps ?

I didn't have this since few weeks, and it reappear those days...

 

Yes, i hope so, 2026 works for our recover... 

Edited February 12Feb 12 by poulette38

Welcome @Sophia.

 

You've received some really good  validation I want to echo. 

 

We are all different.  So forgive us in advance if we offer advice because something worked for us. All we can say is what worked for us. 

 

Certainly,  not everything works for everyone.  

 

I can be inpatient and carry into recovery the same attitude that tripped me into taking these meds in the first place:

 

"Please tell me what to do so I can be out of pain FAST."

 

No diet or supplement or yoga pose can do that for us. We must find the right combo of things for our nerves. 

 

I wish my nervous system weren't so sensitive! I cannot relate at all to you or Jack or Neils. Lol. So I'm learning to look for similarities.  

 

Not sleeping...AT ALL...for many months, made me desperate enough to go back on Paxil. So sorry I did. Now I know my experience is common...even though not universal.  

 

Glad you are here!

Hi @poulette38,

 

I really hope we will recover!! 
Honestly, I don’t experience brain zaps and I never had them! Hope you had a better day today 🙏

We remain in regular contact regarding our progress, if you agree? Apparently, someone tell me that there were similar cases that had recovered. 

I also wanted to tell you that I read in an article (you can find it in the "documentation" of the forum) that pain is a good sign of guerison (for example a headache in your case): it proves that the body is healing... if it can reassure you...!!

 

 

Thank you! Can you maybe send the link? I cant find it. Of course it is OK to follow each others journey! @poulette38

Hi everyone! 
 

I read a lot about anxiety, rumination, panic, agitation and emotional dysregulation in withdrawal. However, my experience is almost the complete opposite in this (protracted) withdrawal journey.
 

I experience mainly numbness in my emotions and sensations (even things like hunger, thirst, adrenaline, startle response, reduced libido etc.). This, along with other symptoms like head pressure, brain fog, blank mind, reduced inner monologue, memory & cognitive issues. It feels like everything is blunted under a thick blanket and I cannot fully wake up from it. Like I am still under the influence of the medication. 

 

I was wondering if others have this experience as well and if people would like to support each other with these symptoms.

 

If things improved for you / if you have healed, feel free to share your positive improvements! 

 

Take care! ❤️‍🩹

54 minutes ago, Sophia said:

Hi everyone! 
 

I read a lot about anxiety, rumination, panic, agitation and emotional dysregulation in withdrawal. However, my experience is almost the complete opposite in this (protracted) withdrawal journey.
 

I experience mainly numbness in my emotions and sensations (even things like hunger, thirst, adrenaline, startle response, reduced libido etc.). This, along with other symptoms like head pressure, brain fog, blank mind, reduced inner monologue, memory & cognitive issues. It feels like everything is blunted under a thick blanket and I cannot fully wake up from it. Like I am still under the influence of the medication. 

 

I was wondering if others have this experience as well and if people would like to support each other with these symptoms.

 

If things improved for you / if you have healed, feel free to share your positive improvements! 

 

Take care! ❤️‍🩹

Hey @Sophia Ive moved this back in here for you as we like to keep all these kinds of posts together in our intro topics 🙂 

 

WD symptoms are wide ranging. Not everyone has the same.

 

I too don't have any of the emotional symptoms you mention here and haven't for a long time.

 

I don't feel really numb but suffer from a certain amount of lowered feelings. Not nothing, but much less than I should. I also have head pressure as you know.

 

The libido issues you mention have improved a lot for me in the last month if that helps.

 

I must also admit Im starting to feel a bit more of connection to the world somehow again which Im finding hard to put into words but I suspect it's me coming back online again. Or at least I hope!

 

Chippy

Oh no worries! Thank you for your reply @Chippy! 
 

wauw do I understand correctly that you have made some good progress recently ? ☺️

5 minutes ago, Sophia said:

Oh no worries! Thank you for your reply @Chippy! 
 

wauw do I understand correctly that you have made some good progress recently ? ☺️

I have yes, still often doesnt feel so good so very up and down but progress is definitely there!

Hi all, 

 

Following up on my previous post about my symptoms being more “hypo” than hyper...

 

I sometimes feel like people who still have strong emotional reactivity — even if it’s anxiety, panic, or intense dysregulation — might have better recovery odds simply because their emotional range is still active. It's still so weird to me that I have always been anxious very easily and now it is just shut off.. 

 

Do you guys think recovery chances are the same as for people with hyper symptoms? From what I’ve seen online, it sometimes looks like people with emotional blunting, anhedonia, or PSSD struggle longer or recover less fully compared to those with more hyperactive withdrawal patterns. I don’t know if that’s actually accurate... but I find way less recovery stories online with these kind of symptoms and it worries me.

 

What do you guys think? And is it really possible for your body / brain to feel like your pre med self? Or is it more realistic to expect a recovery between 75-85% of your previous self with still lingering issues but a meaningful life? 

Sorry for all my reassurance seeking.. I am completely new to all of this.. and it almost seems impossible to me that my brain will work and feel 100% like how it used to before the meds.. 🫣

12 hours ago, Sophia said:

Hi all, 

 

Following up on my previous post about my symptoms being more “hypo” than hyper...

 

I sometimes feel like people who still have strong emotional reactivity — even if it’s anxiety, panic, or intense dysregulation — might have better recovery odds simply because their emotional range is still active. It's still so weird to me that I have always been anxious very easily and now it is just shut off.. 

 

Do you guys think recovery chances are the same as for people with hyper symptoms? From what I’ve seen online, it sometimes looks like people with emotional blunting, anhedonia, or PSSD struggle longer or recover less fully compared to those with more hyperactive withdrawal patterns. I don’t know if that’s actually accurate... but I find way less recovery stories online with these kind of symptoms and it worries me.

 

What do you guys think? And is it really possible for your body / brain to feel like your pre med self? Or is it more realistic to expect a recovery between 75-85% of your previous self with still lingering issues but a meaningful life? 

Sorry for all my reassurance seeking.. I am completely new to all of this.. and it almost seems impossible to me that my brain will work and feel 100% like how it used to before the meds.. 🫣

Hey Sophia. Dont apologise it’s very normal and common to go looking for reassurance. 
 

There is no way to know our healing path. We are all different. You’ll not find the answers looking at others. Don’t forget many don’t post on these forums and those who do often don’t update. You are only reading some of the worse cases. I think it’s best to not do this and just trust in your body to heal for you. The process can be long and unpredictable but it’s all part of it. You will improve over time and I believe given enough time and the right conditions we are all capable to getting back normal again. 
 

Chippy

@Sophia symptoms like that are very common.

 

I had emotional/cognitive blunting and processing to the point where I also lost reflexive reactions like jumping at loud sounds. I spent days and days lying on the floor or in bed doing nothing, although I was also very physically ill.

 

I have mostly recovered from the symptoms of this nature.

 

There are other active threads on this forum right now, with others stating that they are anhedonic and nobody else seems to have that symptom. Clearly, this isn't true. On SA, it was a very, very common symptom.

 

4 months off is very early. There is plenty of precedent for recovery in time.

 

Also, keep in mind that a huge proportion of people on the PSSD subreddit and in various PSSD groups will say things like "I've had PSSD for 3 years", but were on and off medications during that time, or in some cases only stopped one medication and continued to take others.

15 minutes ago, Luke said:

@Sophia symptoms like that are very common.

 

I had emotional/cognitive blunting and processing to the point where I also lost reflexive reactions like jumping at loud sounds. I spent days and days lying on the floor or in bed doing nothing, although I was also very physically ill.

 

I have mostly recovered from the symptoms of this nature.

 

There are other active threads on this forum right now, with others stating that they are anhedonic and nobody else seems to have that symptom. Clearly, this isn't true. On SA, it was a very, very common symptom.

 

4 months off is very early. There is plenty of precedent for recovery in time.

 

Also, keep in mind that a huge proportion of people on the PSSD subreddit and in various PSSD groups will say things like "I've had PSSD for 3 years", but were on and off medications during that time, or in some cases only stopped one medication and continued to take others.

If I could like this post twice would. 

Hi @Sophia, I found you from your post in my thread on SA. Unfortunately I had no idea that site was closing down and I was unable to respond there, but luckily I found you here. I'm sorry you've had such a bad reaction to fluoxetine. It definitely can feel hopeless at times, as if things will never improve, but that doesn't mean there is not healing going on in the background. To answer your question, I actually do feel like the worst of it is over for me. I'm definitely not back to "normal," but I am stable and much more functional and able to feel some real feelings again. I think I know what you mean about feeling pressure in your head and other weird sensations. I've had feelings like there was a hole in my brain and like it's "stifled" and not firing properly. That was very prevalent early on but a lot less so now. I hope you're able to experience some progress soon. Hang in there!

Hi @Prozaster,

 

thank you for posting. Could you please make an intro thread when you are able to?

Hi @Prozaster,

 

Thank you for responding!! Its crazy you took a few pills only and are still suffering years later 😱😱… I know what you mean with the “hole” in your brain. Sometimes I feel this as well and also like parts are missing. Truly awful! 

Hi @Sophia just wanted to say I relate. I had emotional blindness and lack of thinking for more than two months. I never seem to have windows, just to same nothingness everyday, like there is block in my mind that I can't ride of no matter how long I try. I hope you get better soon, do you have slight feelings or it's all static? Mine is the latter