u/Automatic_Basil_7075

Hi all,

I read a lot about anxiety, fear, crying spells, ruminating, etc. My experiences in this withdrawal is completely the opposite. Almost complete emotional anesthesia (don’t even feel bad emotions), anhedonia and a blank mind. Its like it’s physically impossible for me to feel emotions or ruminate. Chemically it feels like: Ctrl alt delete.

I also experience really painful head pressure and excruciating head sensations 24/7.

Do others have this as well and have you seen improvements? Feeling nothing is the worse thing that ever happened to me (even tho I can’t even process the severity of it without emotions). It’s inhumane.

I get downvoted for sharing a negative experience and harm from the med, as a genuine concern.

It’s totally okay to not believe me. I am aware many people benefit from the meds (I hoped to be one of them), but the sad reality is that it did me harm. All I get is people claiming “it’s impossible” and downvoting my post / comments.

Some of you seem to not be able to handle the fact that there might be multiple truths. This “happy pill” can also cause severe side effects. By sharing my experience my post and comments get downvoted massively. Even sharing factual information about how SSRI’s work in a hyperbolic fashion (meaning that low dosages already have a huge impact on the brain) gets downvoted.

Stay in your bubble y’all! But be sure to taper off safely if you ever decide to come off. I genuinely hope you don’t have to experience what some of us have in PAWS or PSSD! 🙏

This post will probably get downvoted but that’s okay. I want to share my experience as well, as it’s just as true as positive experiences.

I (F,29) struggled with panic, anxiety, insomnia and high stress for 1,5 years. I was ruminating a lot and really emotionally drained. Had to take time off work to recover. I was in therapy for 3-4 months, but so desperate for relief that I agreed to start medication. It was not an easy decision to make, as I was very afraid of the negative effects it could have on me. On the other hand.. I was sleeping and eating so poorly for months due to all the stress that i did not know how to break the pattern and get some rest to recover. 
 
It was my first med ever. I started on 5mg fluoxetine last august and after 2 weeks I was upped to 10mgs. I had a really rough onboarding period with almost every side effect from the book (tremors, anxiety, headaches, head pressure, dialated pupils, blank mind, emotional numbing etc.). After a few weeks.. I knew this was not the right path for me. I wanted to feel my emotions and body in order to heal. I wanted to get this stuff out of my body ASAP. 

In consultation with my psychiatrist I went back from 10 to 5 mg (stated there 1 week) and went from 5 to 2,5 mg (stayed there 2 weeks). Then I went to 0. I used it for 7 weeks total, including this 3 weeks taper.
 
I thought, because I only used it so shortly I did not want my body to adjust more to it, and because fluoxetine has such a long half life, I would be fine doing it this way.. boy was I wrong. It’s been over 7 months since my last dose and I still feel far from normal….

I struggle with

Head pressure
Numb brain
Injured head feelings / severe toxic headaches
Parts of brain feel missing / like air
Brain feels weightless
Feeling chemically energized
Chemical better mood
Blunted emotions (not even fear, sadness, irritation or anxiety)
Blank mind (no thoughts..)
No hunger feelings
No tired / drowsey feelings. I just can’t feel sleepy anymore in my head. I keep feeling chemically clearheaded.
No rich inner world
Low libido
No genuine motivation / enjoyment of anything
Severe dry eyes and barley tears when I cry
Dry skin
No effects of alcohol and caffeine
These symptoms change and alter each other.. like when I have head pressure I am more numb..

I used to be a highly sensitive and empathetic person. I used to feel things deeply. My rich inner world is chemically removed. I am scared, but can’t even process what has happened to me due to the emotional blunting.

I don’t understand how people can give this to their children and how children could even tolerate these. To me.. this medication has been worse then street drugs.

If you doubt to start meds and you have a negative gut feeling about it, listen to it! I ignored mine and regret it severely.

If someone recognizes my experience and has recovered… please let me know 🙏😔❤️

This post will probably get downvoted but that’s okay. I want to share my experience as well, as it’s just as true as positive experiences.

I (F,29) struggled with panic, anxiety, insomnia and high stress for 1,5 years. I was ruminating a lot and really emotionally drained. Had to take time off work to recover. I was in therapy for 3-4 months, but so desperate for relief that I agreed to start medication. It was not an easy decision to make, as I was very afraid of the negative effects it could have on me. On the other hand.. I was sleeping and eating so poorly for months due to all the stress that i did not know how to break the pattern and get some rest to recover. 
 
It was my first med ever. I started on 5mg fluoxetine last august and after 2 weeks I was upped to 10mgs. I had a really rough onboarding period with almost every side effect from the book (tremors, anxiety, headaches, head pressure, dialated pupils, blank mind, emotional numbing etc.). After a few weeks.. I knew this was not the right path for me. I wanted to feel my emotions and body in order to heal. I wanted to get this stuff out of my body ASAP. 

In consultation with my psychiatrist I went back from 10 to 5 mg (stated there 1 week) and went from 5 to 2,5 mg (stayed there 2 weeks). Then I went to 0. I used it for 7 weeks total, including this 3 weeks taper.
 
I thought, because I only used it so shortly I did not want my body to adjust more to it, and because fluoxetine has such a long half life, I would be fine doing it this way.. boy was I wrong. It’s been over 7 months since my last dose and I still feel far from normal….

I struggle with

Head pressure
Numb brain
Injured head feelings / severe toxic headaches
Parts of brain feel missing / like air
Brain feels weightless
Feeling chemically energized
Chemical better mood
Blunted emotions (not even fear, sadness, irritation or anxiety)
Blank mind (no thoughts..)
No hunger feelings
No tired / drowsey feelings. I just can’t feel sleepy anymore in my head. I keep feeling chemically clearheaded.
No rich inner world
Low libido
No genuine motivation / enjoyment of anything
Severe dry eyes and barley tears when I cry
Dry skin
No effects of alcohol and caffeine
These symptoms change and alter each other.. like when I have head pressure I am more numb..

I used to be a highly sensitive and empathetic person. I used to feel things deeply. My rich inner world is chemically removed. I am scared, but can’t even process what has happened to me due to the emotional blunting.

I don’t understand how people can give this to their children and how children could even tolerate these. To me.. this medication has been worse than street drugs.

If you doubt to start meds and you have a negative gut feeling about it, listen to it! I ignored mine and regret it severely.

If someone recognizes my experience and has recovered… please let me know 🙏😔❤️

This post will probably get downvoted but that’s okay. I want to share my experience as well, as it’s just as true as positive experiences.

I (F,29) struggled with panic, anxiety, insomnia and high stress for 1,5 years. I was ruminating a lot and really emotionally drained. Had to take time off work to recover. I was in therapy for 3-4 months, but so desperate for relief that I agreed to start medication. It was not an easy decision to make, as I was very afraid of the negative effects it could have on me. On the other hand.. I was sleeping and eating so poorly for months due to all the stress that i did not know how to break the pattern and get some rest to recover. 
 
It was my first med ever. I started on 5mg fluoxetine last august and after 2 weeks I was upped to 10mgs. I had a really rough onboarding period with almost every side effect from the book (tremors, anxiety, headaches, head pressure, dialated pupils, blank mind, emotional numbing etc.). After a few weeks.. I knew this was not the right path for me. I wanted to feel my emotions and body in order to heal. I wanted to get this stuff out of my body ASAP. 

In consultation with my psychiatrist I went back from 10 to 5 mg (stated there 1 week) and went from 5 to 2,5 mg (stayed there 2 weeks). Then I went to 0. I used it for 7 weeks total, including this 3 weeks taper.
 
I thought, because I only used it so shortly I did not want my body to adjust more to it, and because fluoxetine has such a long half life, I would be fine doing it this way.. boy was I wrong. It’s been over 7 months since my last dose and I still feel far from normal….

Till this day I struggle with

Head pressure
Numb brain
Injured head feelings / severe toxic headaches
Parts of brain feel missing / like air
Brain feels weightless
Feeling chemically energized
Chemical better mood (like I snorted a line) + dilated pupils
Blunted emotions (not even fear, sadness, irritation or anxiety)
Blank mind (no thoughts..)
No hunger feelings
No tired / drowsey feelings. I just can’t feel sleepy anymore in my head. I keep feeling chemically clearheaded.
No rich inner world
Low libido
No genuine motivation / enjoyment of anything
Severe dry eyes and barley tears when I cry
Dry skin
Reduced / almost no sweating
No effects of alcohol and caffeine
These symptoms change and alter each other.. like when I have head pressure I am more numb..

I used to be a highly sensitive and empathetic person. I used to feel things deeply. My rich inner world is chemically removed. I am scared, but can’t even process what has happened to me due to the emotional blunting.

I don’t understand how people can give this to their children and how children could even tolerate these. To me.. this medication has been worse than street drugs.

If you doubt to start meds and you have a negative gut feeling about it, listen to it! I ignored mine and regret it severely.

If someone recognizes my experience and has recovered… please let me know 🙏😔❤️

Hi all,

Wondering if others also have days were they feel so blunted that even their entire skin feels numb?

So over this blanket dampening everything in my body… taste, smell, emotions, sensations, hunger, ugh 😔

Hi all,

I (F, 29) took my first SSRI last summer (fluoxetine) for anxiety, panic and burnout. If you are in that long enough… of course you will become exhausted and depressed. After 4 weeks I noticed I became very emotionally blunted. I did not feel like myself so tapered off over 3 extra weeks and used it 7 weeks total. It’s been 7 months now since I took my last dose and I am still feeling the blunting effects, along with other annoying withdrawal symptoms.

I really miss “me”… 😔 Before the meds I was overly emotional and cried easily, so this feels completely different.
Also my body signals like hunger, saturation, thirst, sleepiness and sweating (I barely sweat anymore) are completely off. Some days my skin feels numb and I also have severe dry eyes, dry skin, headaches, head pressure, and don’t feel the effects anymore from alcohol
or caffeine (also blunted).

For those who stopped SSRI’s, how long did it take you to get your emotions back? I am starting to get worried my brain is permanently altered. I don’t recognize my mind and myself. I used to be very emotional and sensitive my entire life, so this feels truly awful 😢..

Yesterday morning I woke up and I noticed that I felt a little sad. I was actually glad I could feel it. I felt my eyes teared up and I could feel some emotional depth. Not full range, but it was there. I felt I could finally grief some of this and practice my self compassion. It felt good.

At night I watched a serie and felt touched by a beautiful scene. My body felt the emotion but my brain / eyes just could not allow me to release it. I felt devastated again. Losing my ability to fully feel / allow emotions for already 9 months now (as it started directly on the med) had been the most devastating thing that ever happened to me. It’s truly scary that a pill can erase your emotions, personality and feelings. And having to wait for my body to heal.. it’s just so hard.

I can’t wrap my head around that I only took that damn pill 1,5 month. I wanted to stop because of the blunting… but as the months the emotional blunting even has gotten worse.

Of course this morning was a nice milestone… but the reality that I have to be glad that I can feel an emotion for 10 mins, that I would normally have felt easily for way longer… it’s crazy. I often want to cry but my eyes don’t let it flow.. the signals are so blocked and I HATE it.

I genuinely am jealous of people who report crying spells. I want to have one so badly to be able to let it all out for hours… 🙈

Anyone who regained their full emotional range after feeling very blunted in withdrawal? 😔

Anyone who feels like their brain is weightless sometimes ? Its like my brain is like air or pudding. When this happens.. I feel a bit hyper and jittery and have better mood (but feels chemical). Even my pupils are dilated… just like on the meds.

My brain switches between weightless and really bad painfull head pressure/brick feeling.

Still, I can’t feel my emotions in both states properly. Feel constantly like I am under influence of something.

7 months in this nightmare… after only 7 weeks off use last summer 😭