[amirs]

I took Sertraline (one kind of SSRI) to treat anxiety, never had depression. No panic attacks anymore, sexual drive was still good, after 3 months I felt superhuman and like my life changed, 3 months after that the suicidal ideation started. I thought it was something I could power through, so I gave it another three months before it became unbearable, and I couldn't book an appointment with my treating doctor for another two months so I quit cold turkey. The withdrawals were so terrible, I was basically a zombie for two weeks. Took me a few months until I felt like myself again.

I no longer experience anxiety to the same degree I did back then, no use of other SSRIs or any other drugs.

This isn't meant to scare people into not trying SSRIs, just sharing my experience. I think had I been more informed of the potential risks and changed my attitude of toughing it out, it could've probably been more beneficial.

[4star3star]

I found that dosage of Sertraline made a notable difference for me. Too high a dose would get me in a hypomanic state. That may be where you were at when feeling superhuman. But mania can't last forever and is inevitably followed by a low.

Stopping cold turkey was bad news for me, too. I got the "zaps" any time I turned my head. So, I decided to taper down, which worked fine.

[burjui]

I had exactly the same side effect when turning my head, and 150 mg would also make me agitated. Also, my vision worsened a bit. But without sertraline, depression wouldn't have gone away, so the drawbacks were worth it.