Another symptom I have noticed past few months is that my muscles feel really light.. light as a feather actually. It feels like my legs can’t feel tired or sore after walking / running. It even feels like an unnatural super human power because I simply won’t feel sore, painful or tired?😨 I can’t feel my muscles well.. I think this is what people mean when they take drugs to dance for hours. I can’t feel my own limits. I think it is the COMPLETE opposite of having sore muscles in withdrawal.

 

Same goes for my brain. Some days my skull feels completely empty.. like there is only air inside. Brain light as a feather….

Do people recognize this?

I really miss the real organic human experience. Everything feels constantly fake. Better mood? Feels artificial. Feeling sharp? Artificial. Brain fog? Chemical. Headaches? Chemical. Feeling calm (aka EMOTIONALLY BLUNTED)? Chemical! 🤡🤡

Edited March 12Mar 12 by Sophia

2 hours ago, Sophia said:

Same goes for my brain. Some days my skull feels completely empty.. like there is only air inside. Brain light as a feather….

I have this too constantly. My head feels "light" like there is no emotional "weight" anymore

21 minutes ago, GreggeryPeccary said:

I have this too constantly. My head feels "light" like there is no emotional "weight" anymore

I have this too right now… my entire brain feels hollow / light, just air.

 

other days my brain is like a brick… as if someone poured concrete in my brain

7 hours ago, Sophia said:

Same goes for my brain. Some days my skull feels completely empty.. like there is only air inside. Brain light as a feather….

 

I had this one day so far, lasting a couple of hours. I felt like my brain was made out of fine hollow crystal, completely transparent and filled with air. There were no solid thoughts, almost like there was no "me" inside my head. Just nothing, so clear, clear, clear. It was horrible. I empathise.

@GreggeryPeccary I hope that whenever it is, you do reach a point when you feel able to write a success story.

Hi @Luke,

 

Hope you are doing well! 

 

I see that the surivivingantidepressants.org website is closed off. Do you know if that’s permanently? 😨

43 minutes ago, Sophia said:

Hi @Luke,

 

Hope you are doing well! 

 

I see that the surivivingantidepressants.org website is closed off. Do you know if that’s permanently? 😨

Hi Sophia

 

Just seen this is the case. We have no contact with team at SA directly just some of the ex moderators. If I was to guess they are in process of updating the software and possible bringing over a new version of the site that they may have been working on offline. Just my guess. If I was to bet, it will be back online soon looking a bit different.  

 

It could of course just a bit a glitch and they are working on it.

Ahh thank you @Chippy for responding! I really hope so! Just to read the success stories every now and then is so nice :) 

16 minutes ago, Sophia said:

Ahh thank you @Chippy for responding! I really hope so! Just to read the success stories every now and then is so nice 🙂

Im sure it will be back soon.

On 3/19/2026 at 7:43 AM, Sophia said:

Hi @Luke,

 

Hope you are doing well! 

 

I see that the surivivingantidepressants.org website is closed off. Do you know if that’s permanently? 😨

 

It is back up now.

 

Other than being in touch with some people who were involved, we don't have much specific knowledge of what is going on behind the scenes there.

 

I put significant effort into opening dialogue with altostrata and the team there to preserve the content, even if it was just the stuff written by the site's team if success stories were copyrighted, or if they could push email alerts out to accounts with success stories, but this was ignored and I was repeatedly warned and threatened with bans for trying to discuss this at all.

Hi @Luke,

 

Thanks for replying! I am really sorry to read there was not a collaborative response from SA… would think there is a common goal right? Provide hope and support in a very difficult journey. 
 

Glad that you started this forum tho! If you guys have added a donation button, please inform us 😊🙏

Hi all,

 

My eyes are so severely dry. I dont have any tear production as it seems.. rubbing my eye, cutting onions, wind in eyes, yawning, nothing produces tears. Also no eye discharge upon waking. Yet another signal that has been completely numbed out since withdrawal.

 

Did others have this as well? How long did it take to recover ? I can’t were my contacts anymore and it feels really uncomfortable, like I have sand in my eyes all day. 
 

I also have reduced sweat and a very dry skin. 

Edited March 23Mar 23 by Sophia

I had significant eye pain, along with mild dryness.

 

It did resolve. It's difficult to remember how long this took, I was still getting it very occasionally at 2.5 years off, but very rarely in flare ups. I think it pretty much cleared up after the first year.

It is the same with me, @Sophia, dry eyes and dry skin. It has been like this for more than 11 months.

Svetla

Been exactly 6 months today since I took my last dose.

 

I thought back then that within 6-8 weeks, I would be normal again. Boy was I wrong… 

 

On the positive note.. I do think I am improving (especially my cognition and memory are working more normal) but it is soooo terribly slow.. At a snail pace. 
 

I think I mentioned it before, but what I really hate, is that everything in this experience feels chemical and unnatural. Not my own thoughts and emotions are the ones who influence my mood, only the neurochemicals in my brain. I just have gotten to experience some better days, but it feels like my brain becomes lighter and I become a bit hyper. Like I snort a line or something… Again, unnatural better mood. 
 

At least things are changing a bit in the anhedonia, I think that’s a good sign. I still have a lot of healing to do and I cannot wait for my emotional depth to finally come back, so I can feel like “me” again… 

 

That would be a BIG RELIEF…

 

The head pressure was definitely less severe since this month. That is a big win as well I guess. 

31 minutes ago, Sophia said:

Been exactly 6 months today since I took my last dose.

 

I thought back then that within 6-8 weeks, I would be normal again. Boy was I wrong… 

 

On the positive note.. I do think I am improving (especially my cognition and memory are working more normal) but it is soooo terribly slow.. At a snail pace. 
 

I think I mentioned it before, but what I really hate, is that everything in this experience feels chemical and unnatural. Not my own thoughts and emotions are the ones who influence my mood, only the neurochemicals in my brain. I just have gotten to experience some better days, but it feels like my brain becomes lighter and I become a bit hyper. Like I snort a line or something… Again, unnatural better mood. 
 

At least things are changing a bit in the anhedonia, I think that’s a good sign. I still have a lot of healing to do and I cannot wait for my emotional depth to finally come back, so I can feel like “me” again… 

 

That would be a BIG RELIEF…

 

The head pressure was definitely less severe since this month. That is a big win as well I guess. 

I’m so glad you can recognise some improvement @Sophia that is a great sign! I’m also glad your head pressure has reduced. 
 

More to follow. Healing is always happening. One day you will look back on this and it will be a distant memory. 

On 4/1/2026 at 5:50 PM, Sophia said:

Been exactly 6 months today since I took my last dose.

 

I thought back then that within 6-8 weeks, I would be normal again. Boy was I wrong… 

 

On the positive note.. I do think I am improving (especially my cognition and memory are working more normal) but it is soooo terribly slow.. At a snail pace. 
 

I think I mentioned it before, but what I really hate, is that everything in this experience feels chemical and unnatural. Not my own thoughts and emotions are the ones who influence my mood, only the neurochemicals in my brain. I just have gotten to experience some better days, but it feels like my brain becomes lighter and I become a bit hyper. Like I snort a line or something… Again, unnatural better mood. 
 

At least things are changing a bit in the anhedonia, I think that’s a good sign. I still have a lot of healing to do and I cannot wait for my emotional depth to finally come back, so I can feel like “me” again… 

 

That would be a BIG RELIEF…

 

The head pressure was definitely less severe since this month. That is a big win as well I guess. 

 

Good signs, @Sophia! Onwards and upwards 😊

@Sophia these are all good early signs.

 

I know the discovery that it is longer than a few weeks is brutal for pretty much all of us, but in terms of protracted withdrawal 6 months is really quite early to be experiencing noticeable improvements and this is an encouraging sign.

 

I hope you experience more and more soon.

Thank you @Luke @Chippy and @Niels91 for the encouraging words! 
 

Its still a hard pill to swollow that 1,5 month of use causes months or even years of healing! But it is what it is… I do have more faith in my recovery than I had a month ago 🙏☺️

Edited April 2Apr 2 by Sophia

1 minute ago, Sophia said:

Its still a hard pill to swollow that 1,5 month of use causes months or even years of healing!

I know both Luke and I are right there with you! 
 

1 minute ago, Sophia said:

I do have more faith in my recovery than I had a month ago

Good you should cos you will heal!

Hi all,

Recently I noticed that because my head pressure is less, my head feels light as a feather. When this happens, I feel a bit hyper… like I am in a chemically better mood. Feels like I snorted a line or something. I am very self aware of this and don’t act weird or anything but I do feel kinda weird. Like some things come online but bit toooo much.. 

 

Do others recognize this? 😳

 

Idk if I can call it a window cuz it still feels very fake and not like “me”…? 

I have had this too. The emotional.blunting and brain fog and anhedonia lift (literally feels like a switch flips) and I feel unnaturally clear in the head, and strangely excited and have a little bit too much energy inside. Sometimes I am still emotionally blunted during this phase, but I have motivation and interest to do things. But it feels unnatural and not like me. I hate these periods as they feel so chemical and a bit out of control (and I have to work hard to control myself).

 

I used to think they were windows but I don't count them as such because they are still very unnatural feeling and definitely chemical and so I view them as a state shift. A change in symptoms but not a window, because it still is far from feeling settled or normal.

Edited April 4Apr 4 by Sminismoni

@Sminismoni Yeah exactly!! I still feel emotionally blunted in terms of deep emotions like sadness, grief, joy, trust, etc. 
 

But indeed.. more motivation, no anhedonia and energy. But really unnatural.
 

I really start to wonder if many people with “bipolar” disorder are experiencing side effects from medications and withdrawal haha… I feel kinda (hypo)manic in these phases. And I truly never had any of that before the medication. I really hope our brains are still looking for the right balance and sometimes switch a bit too much up or down… 

 

I am glad I am quite self aware and try to stay grounded 

Edited April 4Apr 4 by Sophia

1 hour ago, Sophia said:

Yeah exactly!! I still feel emotionally blunted in terms of deep emotions like sadness, grief, joy, trust, etc. 
 

But indeed.. more motivation, no anhedonia and energy. But really unnatural.

You should enjoy it, even if your emotions are blunted, you can do a lot.

 

1 hour ago, Sophia said:

I really start to wonder if many people with “bipolar” disorder are experiencing side effects from medications and withdrawal haha… I feel kinda (hypo)manic in these phases. And I truly never had any of that before the medication. I really hope our brains are still looking for the right balance and sometimes switch a bit too much up or down… 

Antidepressants are known to cause people to 'go bipolar', just sad psychiatrists are dumb and treat the symptoms from the antidepressants, the whole profession is built on shoving more and more 'treatments'.

 

SSRI's in 2019-2020 caused me to have insane anxiety, depression and SI, but psychiatrists don't understand it can happen, just tried to shove anti psychotics at me, someone told me about these drugs being bad, and I rapid tapered back then (and had relatively mild withdrawals) and all those symptoms were gone.

 

1 hour ago, Sophia said:

I am glad I am quite self aware and try to stay grounded 

that's good, just 'ride' time and stay occupied with things you love.

Edited April 4Apr 4 by Lighty

14 hours ago, Sophia said:

really start to wonder if many people with “bipolar” disorder are experiencing side effects from medications and withdrawal haha…

I think this happens far too often. 
 

Glad your head pressure is lifting, it’s great to see some fluctuations in symptoms. All proof of healing happening.