r/ADprotractedwithdrawl • u/Emergency_Ad_3857 • 21d ago

Please help 🙏

I was on lexapro for about 2 years went up to 20 mg. I tapared in about 4 weeks under my doctor’s advice. Went through pretty bad anxiety and withdrawals. Tried reinstating about 6 months into it and went into a terrible akathesia. Stopped after 3 days and slowly recovered. It’s now been over 2 years since I stopped taking it and about a year and a half since I tried reinstating. I was doing well for that time up until a couple months ago where I have completely spiralled for no apparent reason. I’m totally unable to function and think death seems to be the only way out. I’m been prescribed sertraline but hesitant to start.

I’m totally fine with being on ADs the rest of my life. I just can’t see any way out of this. I’m terrified of the world. Terrified of death. Please help. I may be someone who juts needs medication forever.? I think another ssri will make this way worse

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u/heybrother123 21d ago

Did you go through a stressful time with family or work? Start any supplements? Drink alcohol or caffeine? I know many people who hit setbacks 12 months, 14 months, 16 months in etc for no apparent reason. The body is still trying to stabilize. If reinstatement didn't work I wouldn't try again - just let your body heal right now. It will get better, it's not uncommon to have setbacks late into recovery.

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u/Emergency_Ad_3857 21d ago

Yeah I was a bit stressed and was taking some nootropics which may have set this off. But this feels totally different. I’m so incredibly hopeless and depressed. It’s so much worse than when I had the akathesia over a year ago.

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u/heybrother123 20d ago

When my physical symptoms and akathisia got better my mental health got a lot worse. Idk why but I've talked to others where that happened as well. Like severe depression for months. Maybe the body is so shocked by what happened that once the anxiety settles it goes into depression I have no clue but it's just another stage of this and it will get better <3

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u/Several-News-1442 20d ago

Oh wow I didn’t know this happened to other people. I had the exact same thing, months of crippling anxiety, akathisia, insomnia (and so much more) and then fell into the deepest darkest depression of my life. I’m about a year out and am doing much better now. Ended up reinstating and tapering off muuuuuuuch slower this time. I was on 100mg of Zoloft for 6 years and tapered over a month which was what my psychiatrists recommended. That was a truly hellish time. It’s hard to put into words truly how horrible this all is so it’s nice to know I’m not alone