SSRI discontinuation, please help if you've got experience

I quit SSRIs cold turkey once. Don't do that.

Just take it slow. You're fine, you'll be off them eventually. just take 2/3 of your normal dose, then the next week 2/3 of that, etc etc etc until it's barely anything.

Also, no big surprise they didnt help you. I have been on so many SSRIs for major depressive disorder and anxiety but none of them gave me anything but shitty side effects. I'm convinced that big pharma pays people to leave those reviews saying OMG ZOLOFT SAVED MY LIFE EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT NOW because that's just too good to be true.

If you really wanna get in better mental health
>exercise (make sure to lift if you are male)
>clean up diet
>meditate
>get all your vitamins
>shoot down negative thoughts that enter your head, change the subject (i know easier said than done)
>keep a schedule, especially with sleep

Good luck anon.

>>17518054
>Been on few different antidepressants over the past 5-7 years for my social anxiety
Really? That's weird. I thought doctors would only give those out for real things.

>>17518067
Fuck off. I'm not OP but I have social anxiety so bad that I can't go out in public without my armpits turning into waterfalls of unceasing sweat, drenching whatever shirt I'm wearing.

anxiety isn't the same thing as being shy.

>>17518071
You're right. Anxiety is a real thing. "Social anxiety" is a term used by fuckwits. I don't know what it is with people nowadays who desperately want something to be wrong with them. "HURR I HAVE SOCIAL ANXIETY" "DURR I'M INTOLERANT TO GLUTENT" "MURRRR I HAVE DEPRESSION THAT I DIAGNOSED MYSELF WITH AFTER READING THE WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE."

The irony is, you morons actually do have something wrong with you: Munchausen Syndrome.

>>17518077
It's pretty obvious that you've never dealt with mental illness before.

Your argument is essentially, 'I've never been to Rome, therefore Rome must not exist'.

Just because you personally don't understand mental illness doesn't mean it isn't very real. It's easy to write it off on others as Munchausen Syndrome because it makes you feel stronger and more independant than others because you're under the impression that we're all playing on the same mental field. Or at least that's what you're trying to convince yourself.

>>17518067
I am OP and what qualifies as ''real things'' to you? considering they are mainly given to people with depression and anxiety lol..
>>17518071
I know your feels brother. I can't wear any coloured shirts other than black, because i always sweat from my underarms/back when out in public. Can't control my body temperature so summer is hell for me, not that winter is much better considering everywhere is heated.

Good to know there are others like me. (i'm not a ''sweaty'' person by nature) prior to something that was said to me, triggering some dormant fucking anxiety problems, i was a completely normal person, never had issues with sweating

>>17518067
>>17518090
Congratulations on wasting everyone's time.

>>17518077
Regarding the term ''Social anxiety'' that i used, thats the term that medical professionals have said to me lol.. I agree that a lot of people over exaggerate issues that they have. But i don't see how that is relevant to my thread because this isn't a contest of who is worse off than who, i'm simply asking for advice from people who have come off the medications i was on

>>17518090
>It's pretty obvious that you've never dealt with mental illness before.
I failed out of college because of MDD and lost a job because of GAD. The former because I went about three weeks where I left my house for no reason, never bathed, slept about 16 hours a day, and very infrequently ate. The latter because I couldn't get through a normal work day without experiencing what I could best describe as feeling like a heart attack. I was in therapy for about three years and on Lexapro for two. I had to stop doing those things because after I lost my job, I also lost my health insurance, and the irony was, when I needed help the most, it wasn't available to me.

I'm typing all of this so that you can feel the full weight of this sentiment: your "social anxiety" is bullshit.

>>17518106
Social anxiety is a part of GAD.

>>17518093
>cant wear any other shirts than black
I know your feels more than you'll ever know. I pretty much only wear tanktops and black t shirts in the summer to hide my sweat, and even then it doesn't always work perfectly.

I think the only cure for this is botox injections in your pits, but >implying anyone can afford that.

We got dealt a shitty hand of cards anon. I'll keep fighting if you will.

>>17518106
I really don't understand what your angle is, or what you are trying to express? You're saying that our 'social anxiety' is ''bullshit'' but you're the one with real serious problems?

I guarantee if you met me/hung out with me in person you would quickly realise its far from ''bullshit''

Whereas your experiences that felt like ''heart attacks'' clearly weren't heart related problems as you were seeing a therapist. But yeh buddy, your problems are serious and everyone elses aren't and theyre just making shit up and you for some strange fucking reason chose to come here and belittle other people

>>17518136
I try wearing looser style t-shirts as well, as tight clothing just makes me more uncomfortable.

My gf told me about botox injections but yeh its only temporary and costs a lot :/

Out of curiosity, have you always been like this? i'm 24 and have had anxiety since 16.
I've been worse than i am now, but i've been in a better place a few years ago which sucks

>>17518175
I feel you on the loose shirts thing, except i'm relatively /fit/ so it's bittersweet because I wanna look good but tight clothing makes me feel uncomfortable and anxious too.

I'm 21, had social anxiety/sweaty pits since I was 15 and developed some rough depression issues around 17-18 and neither of them have gotten a whole lot better. It's a lot of ups and downs.

Keep in there man. Just keep focusing on the positive, as generic that advice is. I find that exercise and meditation helps my anxiety a little bit. We'll both make it one of these days.

>>17518077
The best part is, you blatantly have it because you feel the need to impress other people to make it look like you're stronger than them. That's like playing in the Special Olympics with no physical or mental issues and bragging that you won. That sound impressive to you?

>>17518062
>I'm convinced that big pharma pays people to leave those reviews saying OMG ZOLOFT SAVED MY LIFE EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT NOW because that's just too good to be true.
idk, I've known people who say they've been helped by them, and who seem to be helped by them. but I've known just as many who haven't really gotten decent relief from them. they are a crapshoot at best.

also seconding the recommendation to taper off. OP, I think it really depends on your body and on the drug. once I got off SSRIs I felt kinda better - still depressed and empty but not dead inside like I was when I was taking them. I also made the mistake of going cold turkey but after a few weeks I felt better. I didn't notice any residual effects after that.

by contrast, when I took topamax, the whole time I was on it I had trouble with vagus nerve stuff. I would be able to swallow but just barely, I'd yawn over and over but it would never satisfy the urge to yawn, stuff like that. that lasted for a year after I went off it (I was on it for 2 years) and gradually went away over time. I haven't really heard of side effects from topamax hanging on that long. other drugs, yes, that one, no.

now topamax is not an SSRI but the point is that you won't know exactly what will happen until you actually go off it. but there's no sense in worrying about it til it happens. in all likelihood your body will adjust as you taper off, and you won't have any lasting effects.

>When people think that a chemical coctail in a pill will help them deal with the sad world
It makes me laugh... I can't believe people even fall in that trap. That is fucked up that something that supposed to make you feel better can also cause suicidal thoughts as a side effect. You are nothing but bags of money in big pharmas eyes.

>>17518054
>having less control over my dick

What did you mean by this?

I started to experience weak erections after my first month of SSRIs and after dropping the drugs completly a month later, I began to experience pretty much what I believe is erectile dysfunction and disappointing orgasms, regardless of how long the cool-own period between each orgasm is; this has lasted for 4 months now with no change.

I tapered off Prozac for 6 months. I dealt with the brain zaps and crazy headaches. To me, you end up feeling the depressant wear off as you become human again only wit the disadvantage that you can't make Seratonin as well anymore.

Imagine taking steroids, your test production shuts off because you have enough. Then after it takes time to get it back up to pace but never the same as before you took them or your bodies natural ability. Same shit.

Anyway it's been two years since and I only need to watch out because my baseline is way under baseline happiness. You got to work extra hard to get sun in and think happy shit. If I drink I gotta cool it the next day and stay distracted because I get really low.

OP take a long, like a year, taper off. After that you should be good for another 4 years and just relearn yourself. If I didn't do Molly for weeks straight, I'd still be way up on that train.

Good luck bro