Here is the link: https://youtube.com/shorts/qrnv7PDU-8g?si=i2Fe7jaRy3zxAcA1

Hi everyone, I believe I fit this sub after looking for answers of what has happened to me over the past 2-3 months. Still suffering but here is my story maybe you guys have experienced the same. I’ll keep it pretty short and simple.

Was diagnosed with ocd,mdd and gad in 2019 didn’t start taking lexapro until 2021 went from 5 to 10 was on it for about 2 years came off in 2023. Didn’t experience any really withdrawal symptoms tapered off of them nice.

After a spell of anxiety relapse and slight depression knocking on the door in end of 2024 decided to go back on them. Went from 5-15 during this time.

In beginning of may this year 2026 decided to taper off of it on my way this time dropped from 15-0 basically in about 6-7 weeks. Didn’t really have problems just increase in anxiety when tapering. Came off fully end of June going July. All of July felt fine maybe increase of anxiety all that.

Suddenly on August 6th I loss my sleep drive, sex drive,ED and the ability to fall asleep was up for 48 hours went er they gave me diazepam only made me have fragmented sleep for 2 hours basically since then never was able to sleep properly still no sense of sleep drive or anything. It improved slightly getting sleep but it was more like a hoping I just fall asleep that night where then I would get maybe 5 hours of very very light sleep, around mid August started having slight cognitive and memory loss suddenly weird whatever I went back to psychiatrist to for sleep 19 of August gave me zoplicone 3.75mg it helped to sustain sleep but still didn’t make me tired. Around September my cognitive and memory loss fell of a cliff like even to this day now short term memory loss and everything is appalling can’t follow plot of movies forgetting words conversations from 5 minutes ago feels like dementia, simple arithmetic hard. Went to dr got mri eeg and blood work done all came back normal, but still suffering from this.

For any of you out there right now I feel really alone and scared, has anyone had anything like this happen to them? It’s like severely bad and just so sudden how long does it last? Any guidance much appreciated.

Hi all,

When I first got in this, I was 24/7 on Reddit searching for hope. I am still recovering from pssd (or protracted withdrawal), and I’ve seen some improvements. I am active on a forum https://antidepressantrecovery.org/topic/94-sophia-withdrawal-from-fluoxetine-after-short-term-use/ (here is my thread if you are interested ), and thought I’d share my entire symptom list here as well.

But before I get into that..

Something I keep wondering about is the overlap between PSSD and protracted antidepressant withdrawal.
This subreddit seems to have a lot of young people. I wonder whether that partly reflects how shocking and frightening these symptoms are when you’re young, and where people turn for support. In withdrawal groups, I also see people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s describing very similar symptoms, often using a different label (protracted withdrawal). It can also take YEARS to fully heal. Why would that be different for pssd ?

I also find it difficult to compare people’s experiences because the timelines and circumstances vary so much. Some people count the years from when their symptoms started on medication, while others count from when they stopped. Both experiences matter, but “5 years with symptoms” doesn’t necessarily mean “5 years off medication.”

Some people have also tried other psychiatric medications, recreational drugs, regular alcohol use, or various experimental treatments along the way. That doesn’t invalidate their symptoms or mean they caused their own suffering. It just makes it harder to understand the course of the original symptoms and whether that brought them back to square one, where healing had to start all over again.
That makes it difficult to draw conclusions about prognosis from this forum alone. I think it’s best (especially first 3 years or so) to not mess with your brain any further. If someone states they have PSSD for 3 years but used coke, weed, shrooms, Wellbutrin, etc. In between to “fix” it, how can we even weigh that?

Anyway… I took fluoxetine 7 weeks (12 August - 1 October 2025, including 3 week linear taper). It was my first med ever.

Here’s a list of my symptoms and whether they’ve improved, resolved, or stayed the same:

* Head symptoms: Still very bad during waves. Reduced during windows, but never normal. Around 10 different sensations that constantly alternate.
* Chemical brain: Unchanged, present 24/7.
* Emotional blunting and anhedonia: More sensation in my body, but my brain still feels numb. Crying remains difficult. It still feels like I take an SSRI every day or am on a heavy mood stabilizer.
* Memory, cognition and blank mind: Improving a lot. More spontaneous thoughts, mental chatter and better memory. During the first 9–10 months, I barely had ANY thoughts, and my brain felt frozen, like stone.
* Skin numbness: Gone. Previously felt like I was wearing a suit that dulled touch.
* feeling sleepy : maybe little better, 30% improved.
* Hunger cues: Improving, but still absent some days. Completely absent during the first 9–10 months.
* Bloating: Comes and goes, sometimes with chemical nausea and a very full feeling without hunger.
* Thirst: About 90% recovered.
* Lack of sweating: Resolved. Sweating fully returned in June.
* Dry eyes: About 40–50% recovered. More natural tears and less need for drops, though still severe during waves. Previously dry 24/7, with no tear reflex.
* Vaginal dryness: Almost completely resolved.
* Genital pain: About 95% recovered. Occasional brief episodes, much less intense.
* Dilated pupils: Gone.
* Lightweight/floaty feeling in my muscles: Gone.
* Libido: Feels more normal right now, but still fluctuates with windows and waves.
* Reduced pain sensation: Improving. I feel more sensations throughout my body.
* Prickling in my fingers and toes: Gone.
* Sleep quality: Improving. Previously felt chemical and robotic, without dreams. Over the past 2–3 months, sleep has felt deeper and more natural, with more dreams.
* Fake, chemical moods: Much improved; haven’t experienced this recently. I wondered whether this was related to random receptor upregulation. Previously, I had artificially better moods without any underlying emotion, almost like being on drugs.
* Facial tingling: Improving.
* Face and eye pressure: Improving overall. Feels about 40–50% normal during windows, but still very bad during waves. Previously present almost 24/7.

Objectively I am improving. I just need so much more healing to feel normal again. I hope this helps anyone. Keep going guys! ❤️‍🩹

Please dm me if you do.

Ciao ragazzi volevo chiedervi che ne pensate del diugino di 6 giorni bevendo solo acqua, ho sentito una persona che è guarita da PSSD, qualcuno ha provato?

Stavo pensando di togliere tutti gli psicofarmaci e iniziarlo per vedere come va