Symptoms: Akathisia, Brain zaps, Cognitive impairment, Insomnia, Suicidal ideation, Tinnitus, Neuropathy, Severe anxiety/panic, Muscle/joint pain
In 2001, I was prescribed 10 mg Paxil for anxiety. It worked well. In 2010 I was switched to 10 mg Celexa. It worked well. In 2023, I began to have a lot of breakthrough anxiety. I was switched to 75 mg of Effexor. I could not tolerate it. I was switched to 25 mg of Lexapro. I could not tolerate that. I went back to 10 mg of Celexa and the hell began.
Severe panic, hallucinations, flu-like symptoms, severe cognitive dysfunction, brain zaps, tremor, inability to eat. I was advised to cut the Celexa to 5 mg. These symptoms continued for 6 months. At that point, I started a wave and windows sort of thing where I'd have periods of feeling better. These windows continued and are more frequent now, almost 3 years in. But I will never be as I was before this began. I have sensory issues and brain fog. I have trouble reasoning and thinking. I have neuropathy and pain. I am better than I was at the beginning but not well. I was never informed that these drug changes and taper would be this difficult. My medical team does not believe I am in withdrawal even though all my tests show nothing is amiss.
We need informed consent for these drugs. The drug inserts say that withdrawal is "self-limiting and lasts about 2 weeks." The clinicals for these drugs were 12 weeks. It's a whole different story getting off a drug you've been on for 12 weeks than it is for a drug you've been on for 2 decades like I am. I am proof of that. Thank you.