Jorge

Age: 26 | Mexico

"I was able to quit Escitalopram three times without any problems in the past. Now, just a single pill turned my life upside down.

I decided to take Escitalopram on January 7, 2024 for mild anxiety, and then after one small dose, decided not to take it anymore. This was mainly because I immediately felt different after taking it. I felt emotional blunting and cognitive problems. Days later, after that single small dose, I started having anhedonia and reduced sexual attraction. I was very surprised because I just took about one quarter of a 10 mg tablet.

I went to a psychiatrist and he told me it was possible Escitalopram caused me those symptoms, but he wasn’t very convinced. He told me to wait some weeks. I waited several weeks, and my symptoms did not change. These symptoms were driving me crazy. I did a lot of research online and came across a lot of information at survivingantidepressants.org. I realized that the effects of these types of drugs are barely understood. I was tired of my symptoms, and I knew that going to the psychiatrist again would be a waste of time and money. I became desperate.

So about one month after I took the first dose on January 7, I decided to take the risk and experiment by taking the SSRI again. It slowly made things worse, but I was certain that the reinstatement of the drug would help my brain to readjust. Well, the result was that I started the drug with mild PSSD symptoms, and after the few drug reinstatements up to December 2024, I now have it severe. If I had stayed in that state, I could had just continued living without paying too much attention to the topic and finding ways to cope with my annoying symptoms. Throughout the drug reinstatement, I developed more symptoms including genital numbness, full body numbness, tingling in extremities, and more.

I regret taking Lexapro and I just want my life back.”