Hi @Billford81,  

 

I am sorry.. it is so awful! I have noticed same improvements in the last 2 weeks.. mostly my cognition and memory and blank mind have improved. Also some of my sensations are improving like hunger cues, goosebumps when cold, skin more sensitive, etc. I am really hoping my emotions will follow soon.. Take care ❤️‍🩹

@Sophia what improvements you have overall after you stopped taking the drug? Do you have windows and waves? I'm glad your memory improved 

Hi @Billford81,

 

I noticed that my head was a little less painful (less headaches and headpressure), besides some sensations came back. My skin feel normal again (was really dull), I experience goosebumps when cold like I used too, i feel a little bit more hungry. Also my blank mind has improved. More thoughts / monologue. 
 

maybe this is a window.. still feel far from normal but is less worse than it was! 

Do other people also sometimes feel like parts of their brain feel hollow or missing? I have so many strange sensations in my head. It feels often very tightly, linear or rigidly calibrated, like I am too present and my inner world is non existent. Its everyday a suprise how my brain will feel. 
 

Scary stuff .. 😞 

Can someone relate to my head symptoms ?

 

My brain feels completely injured and numb. It hurts so bad almost 24/7 for

momths… even pressing my forehead it feels bruised. My brain cant feel tired,  I cant feel blood flow in it or lightheadedness standing up. Its like my frontal part in a very tightly, linear or rigidly calibrated state. I cant sink in my head.. My brain feel like stone (literally!!). Other days parts feel missing or hollow. I cant even feel dizzy, drowsey, or normal headaches. I don’t understand how a human brain can even feel this way. What the heck causes these sensations?

 

Have people healed from these symptoms? Other things have improved slighty for me (like little more thoughts, get goosebumps again when cold, feel my stomach better) but I have severe head symptoms and headaches 24/7 (no exaggerating).. 😭

@Sophia I also have the head pressure. It feels like my head is full of lead. I don't have any pain but I can relate to the tight, rigid feeling. I also have a hard time feeling tired. Most nights it takes me 2-3 hours to get to sleep, sometimes even longer.

Its beyond awful!! Thank you for responding ! @GreggeryPeccary

 

May we both heal soon 🥹❤️‍🩹

Edited February 24Feb 24 by Sophia

Hi all,

 

I am really struggeling lately. I am so extremely blunted there is NOTHING that can give me any emotion. Even this situation can not cause any emotional reaction in my body / brain, while I know that I would normally freak out and stress about my health. My emotional world seems to be completely deleted. Along with such bad head pressure.. my brain feels swollen or made of stone. I don’t know how I can even go on for years with this.. I am 5 months off now, and it is completely unrealistic to expect that I will be healed in the next 5. 
 

People with my symptoms are often linked to pssd. It does not look good. Idk if there is anything I can do, like see a neurologist? Probably not. 
 

I wanted to start a family in 1-2 years with the love of my life. I don’t even know if I would be able to feel love or care for a baby in this state. 
 

I only found 1 recovery story of a girl with my symptoms.. 

 

if anyone here can relate to me and has made improvements in their emotional symptoms. Please tell me. I went from a highly sensitive over emotional and anxious women to a complete emotional numb person. My whole personality is gone.

 

sorry for the big vent. Just hate myself for taking those pills. I did not sit right to me since day one I took them. Decided quite soon it was not the right path for me. Tapered off to prevent any damage. But the damage has already been done. Maybe because I stopped them too quickly and made so many changes in dosages. 
 

It feels like I ruined my life. With my anxiety/ocd/panic I always knew I could get out of it. Now it feels like my physiology is changed and it is not in my hands AT ALL. 🥹

Edited February 28Feb 28 by Sophia

Hey @Sophia

 

On 2/28/2026 at 1:21 PM, Sophia said:

I am really struggeling lately. I am so extremely blunted there is NOTHING that can give me any emotion. Even this situation can not cause any emotional reaction in my body / brain, while I know that I would normally freak out and stress about my health. My emotional world seems to be completely deleted. Along with such bad head pressure.. my brain feels swollen or made of stone. I don’t know how I can even go on for years with this.. I am 5 months off now, and it is completely unrealistic to expect that I will be healed in the next 5. 
 

Im so sorry for what you are going through at the moment. We all relate. 😞 

 

On 2/28/2026 at 1:21 PM, Sophia said:

People with my symptoms are often linked to pssd. It does not look good. Idk if there is anything I can do, like see a neurologist? Probably not. 
 

Try not to focus on labels such as PSSD. Many of us have these kinds of symptoms too to one extent or another its all part and parcel of the healing process and likely connected to your Emotional numbing. I relate.

 

On 2/28/2026 at 1:21 PM, Sophia said:

I wanted to start a family in 1-2 years with the love of my life. I don’t even know if I would be able to feel love or care for a baby in this state. 
 

I only found 1 recovery story of a girl with my symptoms.. 

 

if anyone here can relate to me and has made improvements in their emotional symptoms. Please tell me. I went from a highly sensitive over emotional and anxious women to a complete emotional numb person. My whole personality is gone.

I can see you are quite panicked by all this. And that is fair enough. It's an awful thing to go through. You are only 5 months off. That isn't a long time and you have LOADS of potential to heal from here 🙂 

 

You might turn a corner in a few weeks it happens, Ive seen it! But if you dont, that is ok you will one day.

 

On 2/28/2026 at 1:21 PM, Sophia said:

sorry for the big vent. Just hate myself for taking those pills. I did not sit right to me since day one I took them. Decided quite soon it was not the right path for me. Tapered off to prevent any damage. But the damage has already been done. Maybe because I stopped them too quickly and made so many changes in dosages. 
 

It feels like I ruined my life. With my anxiety/ocd/panic I always knew I could get out of it. Now it feels like my physiology is changed and it is not in my hands AT ALL. 🥹

Rant away my friend! This is what we are here for. To support each other through this difficult time. 

 

Try not to worry about what is done and focus on moving forward one day at a time.

 

You WILL improve, it can take a long time sometimes, but you WILL improve. Don't compare yourself to others. Just be you. Accept, Distract just one day at a time.

 

Chippy

Dear @Sophia, I feel you very well, we are in the same boat. We have to continue to struggle with hope in the future. There is not another option.

Svetla

Thank you @Chippy for your very supportive words ❤️, I hope you are doing well ❤️‍🩹

7 minutes ago, Sophia said:

Thank you @Chippy for your very supportive words ❤️, I hope you are doing well ❤️‍🩹

It's a pleasure @Sophia Im thinking of you

Hey @Sophia

Just like you! Absolutely everything! 

I feel extremely guilty too ; please, can someone confirm that everything is being healed and NOTHING has been damaged? The idea of having destroyed my body and my head drives me crazy! Thank you 🙁

Last night I didn’t sleep, because -literally- of the CONSTRUCTION SITE that takes place in my head (tingling, crackling, pressure...), did someone experience that too?

Positive note: woke up today for the first time in months without a headache… it’s been half a day now and still have not had a headache. Maybe this is the start of a window? Maybe there is hope after all? 🥹

I could even cry from relief. Definitely feels like a first real window, so relieved! 
 

@Chippy the corner came!! Hopefully it stays with me, but I don’t want to get my hopes to high 🥹🙈

Edited March 3Mar 3 by Sophia

4 minutes ago, Sophia said:

@Chippy the corner came!! Hopefully it stays with me, but I don’t want to get my hopes to high

This is so good! I’m so happy 😀 😀

Soooo…

I’ve seen improvements in my cognition, blank mind and memory. It operates more normal again. Also my very severe painful headaches and headpressure did not occur often since this week, so physically that’s definitely a win! 
 

However, I still feel far from normal. The emotional anesthesia is really bad.. I hope to see soon improvements in my emotional symptoms. I know I should be happy with the progrsss, but I think it would be easier for me to process things and to keep having faith if I at least feel some of my emotions / personality. I have completely lost my fear response and also sadness crying is nothing how it used to be. It feels like there is a mood stabilizer in me that just keeps everything blunted and neutral. A barrier that prevents the real me to come thru… 

I am also way to obsessed with this whole withdrawal. It’s the only thing I think about all day long…

9 hours ago, Sophia said:

I’ve seen improvements in my cognition, blank mind and memory. It operates more normal again. Also my very severe painful headaches and headpressure did not occur often since this week, so physically that’s definitely a win! 

I’m so pleased to see this. Great news 😀 definitely a win!

 

9 hours ago, Sophia said:

However, I still feel far from normal. The emotional anesthesia is really bad.. I hope to see soon improvements in my emotional symptoms. I know I should be happy with the progrsss, but I think it would be easier for me to process things and to keep having faith if I at least feel some of my emotions / personality. I have completely lost my fear response and also sadness crying is nothing how it used to be. It feels like there is a mood stabilizer in me that just keeps everything blunted and neutral. A barrier that prevents the real me to come thru… 

This is hard. Our emotions is what make us human, it is no wonder you are finding this difficult. Time will see them return. Healing is happening and you’ve seen it yourself. 
 

9 hours ago, Sophia said:

am also way to obsessed with this whole withdrawal. It’s the only thing I think about all day long…

I’d try to work your distraction and acceptance techniques. It’s so important during this journey. Not easy but worth pursuing. Xx
 

Acceptance is key

On 2/28/2026 at 1:21 PM, Sophia said:

I only found 1 recovery story of a girl with my symptoms.. 

 

Emotional numbing/blunting is a very common withdrawal symptom.

 

You've begun to experience some intermittent improvements in some of your symptoms, this is a good sign at 5 months off. Often the emotional numbing can be one of the later symptoms to begin improving after others have.

 

On 2/28/2026 at 1:21 PM, Sophia said:

if anyone here can relate to me and has made improvements in their emotional symptoms. Please tell me.

 

As I said earlier in this thread, I had severe blunting, no ability to feel fear, did not jump/flinch/react to stimuli that normally cause an automatic response like loud noises etc.

 

It improved in time.

3 hours ago, Luke said:

As I said earlier in this thread, I had severe blunting, no ability to feel fear, did not jump/flinch/react to stimuli that normally cause an automatic response like loud noises etc.

How long did the numbing take to improve for you, if you are willing to share?

19 hours ago, GreggeryPeccary said:

How long did the numbing take to improve for you, if you are willing to share?

 

In 6 weeks, I'll be 3 years off of Mirtazapine. I still sometimes feel a bit emotionally flat, or apathetic, but it is fleeting.

 

It is difficult to pick a specific point where I can say "this is how long it took to improve", because it happened gradually and non-linearly. I would say that the blunted reactions to stimuli etc. lasted maybe 6-7 months, but it's difficult to pick out as I was extremely physically ill as well.

 

The emotional blunting, anhedonia etc took much longer, but again it was non-linear, so I'd say that I had random glimmers of feeling more on and off but really this started to meaningfully improve (in bursts, and losing it again), at approaching 2 years, and then past two years improving over that time until now, when it's mild and not so frequent.

@Luke I'm glad you are recovering. I guess I'm still trying to learn to accept that this will be a long and hard road...

8 hours ago, GreggeryPeccary said:

@Luke I'm glad you are recovering. I guess I'm still trying to learn to accept that this will be a long and hard road...

 

It might be, it might not be. I had a large range of other severe symptoms to also recover from.

7 hours ago, Luke said:

It might be, it might not be. I had a large range of other severe symptoms to also recover from.

I feel like given my decade of being on drugs plus the many withdrawals, reinstatements, and kindlings I had that realistically this is going to take a long time, maybe 2-3 years at least. I think it's better to be realistic so you don't end up disappointed. But I would love for my body to prove me wrong!