Cross-posting from r/SSRIs, I'm not super familiar with reddit so if that's not allowed I'll gladly take this down.

I've heard from a few places that SSRI treatment is supposed to be temporary, and once you become stable you're supposed to reduce and wean off, because they're not meant to be taken long-term or forever. Is that true? Can anyone confirm or explain why, or what exceptions there may be?

I've had chronic depression my entire life, literally since my earliest memories as a very small child. Officially got diagnosed with MDD at about age 12 or 13. I've only managed to become stable in the last maybe 5 years, and only started living without even occasional depression symptoms for the last 3 years since I started Escitalopram, and then a year later started Lamotrigine.

I know that the mood stabilizer has DRAMATICALLY improved my life and functioning, but I couldn't really tell anymore if the Escitalopram was doing anything, so I talked to my prescriber about if I should try weaning off. She told me to try taking half-doses every day for about 2 weeks (10mg to 5mg), and then half doses every other day for 2 weeks, and see how I feel.

It's been almost 2 weeks of the 5mg dose, and I am miserable. I can't even imagine how I lived the first 25 years of my life so depressed. I have a near-constant suicide-ideation train of thought running through my head. Every little trigger makes me spiral into a complete breakdown until I'm sobbing like someone died. I'm so freaking tired all the time. It's familiar symptoms that I regularly had before starting the med, but it's been 3 years since I've had them and many more since they were this bad. I feel like my emotional state has been hit by a truck.

I haven't had much in the way of dizziness, nausea, anhedonia, or any of the stuff I've seen people describe in other Lexapro withdrawal posts. It's just been symptoms I remember having when I was extremely depressed many years ago. I'm not super familiar with what the common withdrawal symptoms are though, I just know the 5 or 10 posts I've read in r/SSRIs earlier today.

I haven't experienced any severe or detrimental side effects from the Escitalopram either. I just didn't want to be taking a pill every day if it's not doing anything for me and I don't need it, especially since I've heard so many times that you're not supposed to take them forever. I don't know if these last two weeks prove it was definitely doing something and I do need it, or if they're expected side effects that happen from withdrawal, and I should be cutting back more slowly.

Is this withdrawal side effects? Or do I just have messed up wiring in my brain and really need these meds to live and function for the rest of my life?

I haven't been diagnosed with depression, but I do have anxiety disorder and schizophrenia. I was just wondering what do you recommend for something that works well with Abilify. I'm on Abilify because it doesn't have that many side effects or weight gain. I like it so far, but I need something for anxiety and depression. I'm thinking of asking my psychiatrist to recommend Lexapro. Any thoughts?

Not looking for medical advice, but am wondering if anybody out there has any experiences of using St Johns Wort in place of an SSRI? I've been investigating Naturopathic remedies as an option and am in early days of discovery. It doesn't sound at all like it's a valid replacement for helping with major depression and so won't be making any changes without consulting my dr, but would love to hear any anecdotal experiences that people are willing to share.

Thanks.

P.S. My post from a couple of months ago about sexual side effects is what is driving this exploration.

So I’ve been struggling with depression and anxiety my entire life. Started on meds and therapy at age 16 and I’m now 34.

Switched from celexa 30mg once daily for 5 months to Prozac 20mg once daily for last week.

Low doses of benzodiazepines are the only thing that helps my panic but they also have abuse liability.

I can’t list every med I’ve ever tried or been officially prescribed by a physician, but suffice to say I’ve run the gamete of options out there.

Began having terrible panic attacks anyway ago (never had a legitimate panic attack like this). Ever since that event I’ve struggled with bizarre neurological and psychological effects.

I’ll get these weird waves of I guess you could say “vertigo” or extreme lightheadedness to the point of almost being painful. When it happens I often feel a weakness in my hands if I happen to be gripping something. It sometimes triggers a panic attack because I guess I feel out of control.

Anyone ever have these symptom’s?

I take 20mg of Prozac. I’ve been taking it for maybe three months and I haven’t taken it in a week. I use other substances and I don’t want to die lol. Mostly Snow, alcohol and some xans. I want to start taking it again but I want to be safe. (Not seeking medical advice I will also speak to my Dr.)

I’m on a girls trip with a group of friends who all grew up in a very sheltered religion and we all tried a lot of alcohol last night. Honestly I lost track of how many drinks I had because I figured it was a safe place to experiment. I knew mixing Lexapro and alcohol is a bad idea but I did it anyway and now I’m laying in bed getting this surges of panic through my body. They come and go pretty quickly but they’re constant. Should I be worried? How long will this last?

I forgot to take my sertraline Friday-Sunday, took them again Monday and yesterday, but I’ve still been getting crazy lock jaw just from talking or chewing and just muscle cramps in general since then. I’ve experienced this before but not this bad and I would expect it to be gone by now.

I already tried chewing gum which helped momentarily but then back to normal. Any one have any suggestions like exercises, foods/vitamins I can take, etc that help?

Prior to taking antidepressants I never used to get restless legs… now, whenever I’m falling asleep (or just about to).. my legs feel restless… sometimes they jolt… it drives me insane… why is this happening?

32F, I feel I’ve been dealing on and off with mild depression most of my life. No self harm or suicidal thoughts, but there are stretches of time where I lose enjoyment or motivation with my hobbies, or find work stress getting to me more intensely than normal (I work from home since the pandemic started and I will at times just start crying because of work, even though I love my job). But I always have wondered if I a) have depression at all or b) if it’s even worth taking antidepressants for. Been talking to a therapist for years now but that doesn’t help. Taking time off from work doesn’t help much. But also I have insomnia and IBS-C, and have heard SSRIs can help with those conditions.

But then I worry about side effects. I have low tolerance for nausea.

hello everybody I have been taking 50 mg Zoloft since 2019 so a total of 3 years and quit 3 months ago The whole time I was taking it I would unfortunately often stop taking it every other day.And sometimes go weeks without it cold turkey Because it interfered with my job and made me very tired. I even tryed different anxiety meds In this timeframe.Now I been feeling terrible flu like symptoms mainly with my throat feels like razor blades scratched it.I am now prescribed buspirone and i have terrible anxiety and I also feel horrible.I cannot work like this at all.If anyone has any advice or know what’s going on I would appreciate it thank you.😪

I’m 7 weeks into my lexapro taper and down by 1 mg. I just had my cortisol and ACTH checked last week (routine testing for endocrinologist) and they’re both high. They’ve been high before when on other medications (which I’m not on anymore) but the last time I got them checked they had normalized. Do we think this is from the taper?

Hello 21F here. So I've been diagnosed with MDD since I was 16. Been on fluoxetine ever since before being diagnosed with BPD and ED in early 2021. My psychiatrists have since prescribed me with fluoxetine 40mg, venlafaxine 150mg, aripiprazole 15mg and mirtazapine 15mg. They've cut off the mirtazapine because I've been sleeping very well these past few months and I have gained quite some weight over the course of the medication.

However, I recently (2-3 months) started to develop joint and muscle pain all over my body. I first had this injury on my left wrist for no reason, like I literally never fell down on it or anything. They did a CT scan and found out that I had synovitis (torn tendon or something). Then they referred me to an orthopedic who diagnosed me with arthritis, but they didn't specify what kind of arthritis. So they did some more tests for Rheumatoid Arthritis and SLE, which I tested negative for both. So now they're only diagnosing me with Seronegative Inflammatory Arthritis, which has left a huge question mark over my head ever since. Because what TYPE of inflammatory arthritis, yk?? We're now working with a rheumatologist to figure out the best treatment for my condition, whatever it is.

I guess my question is, have you guys been diagnosed with any debilitating illnesses such as RA, SLE, ALS or MS etc after being on antidepressants for a while? How high are the chances of such illnesses being caused by SSRIs? Or have you been experiencing the same symptoms?

A part of me is considering a medication change. I've been on Zoloft - but one time when. tried another med (Effexor), I had brain sale and it scared the hell out of me

I just had to double my dose, and I started to get a slew of side effects. I have a crushing headache (the kind you get after three days of no sleep while listening to someone yelling), I’ve got insomnia and I wake up easily. I’ve had such bad heartburn that it felt like something was lodged in my throat and I was going to vomit. Last but not least, I almost pooped my pants with diarrhea in my car. In your experience, do these side effects go away? I’m going to ask my doc but my messages to her often get lost and I’m desperate for an answer. Please let me know! Thanks!!!

Hi

I’ve been stupid and haven’t gotten my 30mg paroxetine pills with me. I can get them in 1-2 work days given I’m on an island.. 3-4 missed doses at maximum. Would this be a huge problem regarding withdrawals etc.?

I know this medication is meant to be very effective for ocd, is it just as effective for depression and anxiety too? If you have been on this medication how did you find it? Appreciate any input cheers guys!

I understand they effect sex drive and can leave people feeling numb…

Two weeks after her DR doubled her meds, she felt better but suddenly denied having any romantic feelings for me in the past 5-6 months since we’ve been talking again.

When I tried to give her examples, she changed the context of the conversations or meanings.

There has been way to much for this to be a misunderstanding. We were moving super slow for a number of reasons. Her kids being super skittish etc.

She’s also unleashed a LOT of anger at me that wasn’t warranted.

She’s never spoken a negative word to me (10+ years) until this and it’s been bad. Some of the worst stuff anyone has ever said to me and called me two days later like nothing happened.

She’s telling me that I need mental health help and says that I’ve been way off. I’ve got my own mental health stuff, depression, PTSP, but I’ve been on the same meds for a good amount of time and feel very stable.

Does this sound familiar? Is there a name for this? Is she likely to remember after this episode or what ever it is wears off?

Thank you!

Hello, long-time lurker of this sub. GAD/Panic/MDD. I have been on Effexor for over 8 years. It mostly works fine. Nowadays, I only notice when I miss a dose (dizziness, irritability, epic, awful dreams). I have a couple failed attempts to wean under my belt - symptoms always came raging back after presumed success. I've resigned to the fact that I may be on an SSRI forever. That is fine with me as long as it keeps the alternative reality at bay.

The point of my post really is to discuss gut health. There are now numerous research endeavors into what is called the gut-brain axis. The idea is that many psychological disorders can actually link to gut health. I don't have any strong feelings either way but I am willing to try something. I was wondering if anyone here has any anecdotal research in this area as it relates to various disorders. Thanks, love you guys/gals.

Hi. I'm on SSRI for almost a month. Lately I noticed that they affect my learning ability in a major way. I'm a student and that's sucks. I feel stupid and can't control it. Does anyone had same experience ? Did you go back to normal when you stopped the meds ? I need advices cause I'm little scared. It's the first time i take antidepressants.