After enduring the debilitating side effects of antidepressants for thirty years, I stopped taking them five years ago and now I have my life back. It’s a whole new world: I wake up feeling bright and rested and take pleasure in everyday tasks – I’m functioning again.
The initial wave of discontinuing side effects – increased anxiety, brain zaps, headaches and nausea – finally subsided, yet I was left with some lingering side effects that were difficult to sort out.
At home I was fine, but when I went out, I sometimes got thrown into full panic mode and had no idea what was triggering it. I thought the problem was anxiety, when it’s actually an “over-stimulation” response to ordinary sights and sounds. When it happens, I go into high anxiety and the buzzing in my head (tinnitus) amps up.
Over-Stimulation Effect
I knew increased anxiety is a common side effect of coming off antidepressants. I blamed myself for not being able to handle it better, which only made it worse.
So, it was a revelation to read The New Yorker article, “The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs” in which Laura Delano says she “was overstimulated by the colors of cereal boxes in the store and by the grating sounds of people talking and moving.”
That’s what’s been happening to me: ordinary sights and sounds make me shudder or flinch, sometimes even shriek. It’s called the “over-stimulation” effect which is a lesser known long–term side effect of quitting antidepressants.
Harvard Health calls it “hypersensitivity to sound;” other sources describe it as a “heightened startle response.” The National Institute of Health suggests that an “auditory startle response” is part of post traumatic stress, which I certainly experienced when I realized that everything I had gone through for decades was caused by antidepressants. Regardless of what it’s called or what sets it off, I don’t go into high anxiety anymore when it happens.
Recently I walked into a large gathering in a small, low-ceilinged room and felt assaulted by the loud chatter. I started to shudder (sometimes referred to as a “tic”), but this time I knew what was happening and got out of the room for relief. As the program began and the noise subsided, I was able to rejoin the meeting.
A year ago I went to a classical music concert and had a full-blown panic attack. I thought my reaction was just high anxiety, but now I know it was the over-stimulation effect in full throttle – the live, full orchestra sound triggered it. I went to the same concert hall a month ago, used earplugs (which I now carry with me), and enjoyed every minute of it.
Head Buzzing (Tinnitus)
While I was on antidepressants, the fizzing in my ears and buzzing in my head were almost constant. Over the years, I went to several ENT specialists; they told me it was tinnitus and there was nothing I could do about it. One suggested hearing aids, but I don’t have any trouble hearing.
In the years since quitting the drugs, the tinnitus has calmed down, but I notice that when I get startled, the buzzing in my head ramps up. When I’m out, I try to take myself out of the situation that is causing the problem. To mask the head-buzzing at home, I run my kitchen exhaust fan during the day and flip on my white noise machine at night. I’m sleeping better than I have in a long time.
How I’m Coping
When these lingering side effects of quitting antidepressants kick in, I’ve developed some ways of coping. Everyday I take a walk at our little town beach – exercise always relieves my stress and anxiety. I don’t call it meditation; it’s just my quiet time. When I can’t get to the real beach, I go to the beach in my head, visualizing how the water laps on the rocks and how the breeze feels on my face.
I’ve learned to detect when anxiety is creeping up: I can feel the muscles in my head, neck and shoulders tensing up. When it starts to happen, I give myself a massage (with both hands) starting at the top of my head and moving down my neck and shoulders.
I can also relax those muscles with simple de-stressing exercises I’ve picked up from physical therapists. These head/neck and shoulder relaxation exercises help defuse the anxiety, and I can do them anywhere. I hold each position for at least 5 seconds without forcing it and return to a relaxed position between each one:
Head/Neck:
• Drop chin toward chest and hold
• Rotate head and look over your shoulder, R then L
• Looking forward, tilt head toward shoulder, R then L
• Pull chin in, keeping head level and shoulders down
Shoulders:
• Rotate shoulders one at a time
• Press shoulder blades back and squeeze
• Grab elbow with opposite hand and pull toward chest
• With hands on doorjamb, lean forward
10 X10 Breathing: I’d heard about square breathing, equal breathing and alternate nostril breathing but could never figure out how to do any of them. So, when I get in a jam, I just pay attention to my breathing – I call it 10 X 10 breathing. If I’m really wound up, I’ll take a few deep breaths to start calming down. Then, breathing normally, I count my breaths: 1 on inhale, 2 on exhale, only up to ten. I count to ten as many times as it takes to settle down – I do it in the car, at the supermarket or in a room full of people.
What long-term effects of quitting antidepressants have you experienced?