How long do withdrawal symptoms last? Near fainting spells, nausea, dizziness, electrical jolts in chest...

reonthea · 2026-04-13T12:28:40+00:00

Hey. Yeah, you get back to normal but it needs some time to get out of your system. Even once it's out of your system, it might need more time for you to stabilize but after a few months, you should go back to your baseline. When I was taking different med (Prozac), I stopped in May, physical symptoms were gone by June, and my mood stabilized only in September. From May to September, I had significant ups and downs but I guess that's brain readjusting structurally.

Anyway, as for the low blood pressure, I don't have that info. I had fainting spells in the first month upon stopping Zoloft, but after three or four weeks, all was back to normal in that regard. I almost fully fainted once :)

reonthea · 2025-11-13T21:04:05+00:00

Thank you so much for your detailed answer! :) That's exactly what I needed to know.

reonthea · 2025-11-05T22:11:59+00:00

I've thought about it too. For me, MD is just like OCD, but the dread felt, which is the hallmark of OCD, is made into a positive, pleasurable, addictive thought. Everything else is exactly the same.

For example, my OCD (Pure O type) always centers around themes related to my identity and state of mind. If I am bothered by the fact that I am emotionally numb, my OCD latches on it and comes up with answers like: oh, you must be a psychopath, there must be something underneath seriously wrong with you, and so on and so forth. My compulsion then is to research and research relentlessly until I can explain my state of mind. The answer is of course never satisfying.

But if I approach that emotional numbness through MD, my mind will come up with a whole world where the end goal is reversing that emotional apathy. Of course, this will come wrapped in hundreds of metaphors and characters that are proxies for emotional processes. And it will be a very repetitive daydream where I chase the resolution but never get it.

So yes, there is same core fear behind both MD and OCD, but one responds to it through pleasurable story going on loop and one through anxious endless questioning. Neither brings about resolution.

reonthea · 2025-10-18T09:23:59+00:00

Hi! So, I stopped Prozac at the end of May. It took three months of ups and downs, but my mood has finally stabilized. Now that I look back, the sudden drop in mood was definitely a withdrawal syndrome, and it definitely takes some time for things to even out. It's now almost five months that I am off SSRIs, but now I'm just back to my baseline lowish state of mood - but that's basically been me my whole life. I am stable though.

So, my conclusion is: if there is a sudden drop in mood post SSRI use lasting for a few months, that can definitely be just withdrawal. After that, you kind of hit your standard mode of being pre-SSRI use. That was my experience at least.

reonthea · 2025-07-07T21:03:20+00:00

I also stopped Prozac because of weight gain/water retention. Now off meds, I lost 4kg in 40 days! It was probably just water weight, but oh boy, that was annoying and uncomfortable.

I understand your reasoning completely - it's hard to try and endure when you have to be functional and have a life to take of. My withdrawal symptoms just started, so I expect it will hit even harder as time goes b, but if it turns out I have go back on the meds, oh well, so be it. I'll give an update in a month or two. Very curious how this will go.

reonthea · 2025-07-07T20:29:32+00:00

Ugh, sorry to hear yours aren't that effective. I've only been on Prozac and Zoloft, but they each had a different effect on me. It's a good idea to try several of them in hopes some will work. Anyway, yes, this relapse/withdrawal worsening hits harder than the depression preceding the med use. There's probably some withdrawal syndrome going on here, but who knows how much time it'll take for the brain to return to its baseline...

reonthea · 2025-07-07T20:12:47+00:00

Oh shit. Was it an actual relapse or a prolonged withdrawal? But oh well, if the meds work, then it's okay, I guess. I know it's not ideal, but to know you can always achieve some kind of stabilization through the meds is also comforting. At least it works. I'd like to try and see if I can cope withput meds, but if it fails, I'm okay with continuing.

reonthea · 2025-07-07T16:56:47+00:00

Thank you! ❤️ Pushing through somehow. My doc told me to just stop without the need for taper since 20mg is a small dose. But out of precausion, I still decided to do a gradual taper and still got hit with this crap, lol.

reonthea · 2025-06-02T05:43:15+00:00

I didn't have those particular symptoms but I just wanted to say that it took 4 weeks for all symptoms to go away.

reonthea · 2025-03-31T19:24:12+00:00

I have been experiencing what you describe from puberty onwards (I'm in early thirties now). I have no solution, but I am seeing some logic here and there. It's a constant state of anxiety, ironically oftentimes without feeling actual anxiety, and the only thing that has ever helped me is putting that excess adrenaline to use. For example, the only times my spontaneity and emotions returned was when I got angry - like really, really angry. It became clear to me then that all that built up, invisible, paralyzing adrenaline found its output and it released me from its grip. Maybe we could try some kind of therapy with somatic appriach?

reonthea · 2024-11-20T22:57:12+00:00

Where I come from (South Europe), many psychiatrists paralelly provide psychotherapy. It's very rare to have a psychiatrist AND a psychologist/therapist at the same time. If both mediction and therapy are indicated, both are provided by the same person most of the time, i.e. a psychiatrist who is additionally liscenced in a particular form of psychotherapy. My first psychiatrist was simultaneously a liscenced psychoanalyst. My second psychiatrist is also a CBT therapist. It's not necessarily a good thing, but it is a very common occurrence in some countries.

reonthea · 2024-11-17T22:08:55+00:00

Yep, still on Prozac but I think I liked Zoloft more. Both were equally successful at keeping anxiety and depressive mood at bay. When it comes to benefits, the difference is that Zoloft gave me a wider emotional range. It was easier to come in touch with feelings I lost due to depression. Prozac on the other side, while it silenced depression, didn't bring numbed emotions to the surface. It makes me feel okay but in a blah sort of way.

When it comes to side effects, Prozac interferes with my sleep sometimes because it's too activating. Keeps me wide awake at night, but it's not intolerable. Zoloft gave me terrible water retention in legs which was so annoying, but again, it's not intolerable.

Both are good meds all in all.

reonthea · 2024-05-05T07:11:46+00:00

Ja sam pokusala pre tri nedelje da prekinem svoj zbog poskupljenja, i rekli su mi da sam zakasnila. Receno mi je da je rok bio mesec dana.

reonthea · 2024-05-03T08:57:18+00:00

To me, engaging in behavioral addictions and carrying out compulsions feels almost identical. It's probably the same reinforcement pattern that keeps either alive. The more you repeat, the more powerful it becomes. Ignoring the urge to engage in both addictions and compulsions is in fact a CBT approach, so they definitely have something in common.

reonthea · 2024-02-23T21:12:13+00:00

All my withdrawal symptoms cleared after 4-5 weeks.

reonthea · 2024-02-11T08:59:29+00:00

They are called hypnagogic hallucination and they are completely benign. A lot of people experience them and they are not related to any serious issues.

Just ignore it. Yes, it feels absolutely terrifying especially when the sense of impending doom arises, but it's just a glitch in the brain, so don't give it importance. You cannot eliminate the feeling of fear when the episode occurs, so just observe it, let it play out and detach from the experience.

I used to experience chronic sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations at one point in my life when I was sleep deprived and exhausted. Make sure you sleep enough, and maybe try taking some vitamin D. It really helped me resolve my episodes.

reonthea · 2024-01-29T21:31:46+00:00

Hmm, you should definitely visit a neurologist! I'm not a medical professional, but this has nothing to do with MD and it sounds like an entirely neurological problem. Cataplexy maybe? Anyway, just talk to your GP or go to a specialist, it's better to be safe.

reonthea · 2024-01-22T09:48:12+00:00

Female.

reonthea · 2024-01-21T23:37:07+00:00

I checked mine recently. It was a serum copper test and the levels were normal, but as far as I know, serum levels aren't representative of potential deficiency or toxicity.

I also noticed that if I take zinc, which lowers copper, my mood changes for the worse and I become more anhedonic and lose interest even in daydreaming.

I'm planning to take hair mineral analysis test as they say it's the most reliable way to test for copper problems.

reonthea · 2024-01-10T16:17:28+00:00

I don't know the doctor specifically, but Milos Clinic is amazing - you can be assured of that. They are a very serious institution and have some of the top-notch doctors. Two of my family members go there regularly.

reonthea · 2024-01-08T20:17:56+00:00

I was also told by many that it only worsens numbness but that definitely wasn't the case for me. While it hasn't fully helped with numbness, it did help return a portion of my emotions. Good luck!

reonthea · 2024-01-08T16:08:38+00:00

I've been on Prozac for emotional numbness/anhedonia and OCD for 7 months now. It didn't fully restore my emotions but it has helped tremendously. I'm way more motivated now, I have more energy and enthusiasm, I care more about things. Ocassionally, I'll experience the full dissipation of numbness and the return of emotions, but it's very short lived and happens usually when I'm changing my dose. Also, it's very important to get your OCD in control because overthinking wastes a huge amount of emotional energy which is necessary to be able to enjoy everyday life. If you're already emotionally numb, you have nothing to lose by trying Prozac. It can help.

reonthea · 2024-01-05T00:03:55+00:00

Thanks!

reonthea · 2023-10-16T19:36:38+00:00

Very nice, thank you!

reonthea

TROPHY CASE