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Comment by Zelphyr | Hacker News Reader

Having taken SSRI's before, and experienced their withdrawal symptoms, I'd almost rather have COVID.

You need to taper off. And I mean really gradually over weeks. Sadly, they don't even work for me, yet doctors are hellbent on me trying them and won't prescribe anything else. Guess I'll die lol

Taking an SSRI and it saved my life. I‘d rather be the happy motivated SSRI addict than be left with permanent lung damage etc

Brain zaps? Still better than benzo withdrawal though!

Brain zaps. Feeling like I was going to puke all day every day for a month. I somehow avoided one of the more common side-effects and withdrawal symptoms: panic and/or anxiety. The two reasons I was taking the SSRI's to begin with.

I should have done the research beforehand to know that the medication has the potential to make worse the symptoms it is supposed to remedy.

In the end, therapy did way more for me than those pills ever did.

Having experienced both, I'd prefer to have COVID. The only reason why I'd take SSRI's for COVID is to prevent the multi month recovery of symptoms.

I had 0 issues when I've stopped, I've been on Voxra (bupropion) and Escitalopram. Meds that cause brain zaps like Voxra need to be stopped over a longer period of time, for me I got off them in a month after being on the max dose but for many that's way too fast as well.

FYI, bupropion is not an SSRI. Escitalopram is.

I had brain zaps with escitalopram, but not very bad. I went off over the course of 2-3 weeks.

It's usually SSRIs and SNRIs that are associated with brain zap withdrawal symptoms. Bupropion is an NDRI.

Currently on a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, side effects are wonky...

How long? Most side effects should be gone after ~1 month.

Side effects are starting to subside for me after a week, so I'm hopeful..

If fluvoxamine is used for COVID-19 treatment it will probably only be administered for a couple weeks so withdrawal symptoms should be minimal.

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