New Member: Looking for Guidance After SSRI Withdrawal

[Alexir]

Hi, I'm a new member. Former English professor, had to shift to train for another career after long-term unemployment and still looking. I'm also an author of horror and fantasy books. I joined up here because I'm looking for some help after withdrawing from the SSRI Lexapro. The only thing worse than the side effects that caused me to quit are the withdrawal symptoms. I'm three months in and seriously wondering if I have cognitive impairment. It's as if somebody took my emotions and put them on a dimmer switch. Everything is numbed out. Lexapro causes such radical changes to the brain that withdrawal seems to be especially fraught with complications, and I'm afraid I may have tapered down too quickly--over five days, after taking it about three months. The immediate result was horrific, as though my brain were on fire. That burning sensation lessened, but was replaced by a sort of emotional numbness. I know that Lexapro controls blood flow to the limbic system, which is the site of emotions, and wonder if it's possible I sustained damage from pulling the plug too quickly. Thanks. 

[Iceberg]

yeah 5 days is really fast...especially if ur on a higher dose, but I don't know about the permanent damage thing...I've never heard anything super convincing on the whole lasting damage thing, but there are some users who are really into the pharmacology stuff, they might be more helpful

Also- is it possible the numbness is the symptoms coming back? 

[Bad Haiku]

I've never heard of an SSRI/SNRI causing permanent damage from rapid withdrawal, it's just incredibly uncomfortable for a few weeks.  There is no risk of permanent damage that I am aware of.

The numbness and cognitive hits you are feeling are very likely your symptoms returning.  If you are feeling this way, you need to pursue treatment for the diagnosis for which you were prescribed Lexapro in the first place, just try a different medication with fewer side effects, and keep trying until you find one that works for you.  That's how this treatment works, and it is worth your time to find a medication that you tolerate well and that treats your symptoms.

Writer to writer, it can be difficult to find a medication that does not influence or impact the desire or ability to write, but they do exist, and you can find them, and it is worth it.

Edited May 8, 2018 by Bad Haiku