I'm a 24 year old female. I'm not going to write my life story here but back in 2008 I started a run on antidepressants and benzos for depression and panic disorder. In October of 2011, I quit the Celexa (antidepressant) cold turkey, which I know is horrible, but I had the same withdrawals just tapering. Up until March 2012 I didn't have a menstrual cycle and by the time April rolled around, I went back on the Celexa 10mgs because everything became unbearable. By April I had lost 40 lbs in a matter of just a few months without trying. My hair began to fall out...a lot. My anxiety actually increased despite my restart of Celexa. Constantly tired. Loose stools. Sensitivity to light. Severe migraines. One sided numbness. Blurred vision. Agitation. Crying spells. Decreased appetite. The works. It just feels like I'm dying slowly a little bit each day. I takes every ounce of energy just to wash a damn dish. Has anyone experienced something like this? Like I said, I am uninsured. I cannot afford health insurance and since I have no children, I do not qualify for AZ's AHCCCS plan.
Part of the mechanism of SSRIs is changing how the brain functions. No matter how much you take, the beneficial effects can take 2 weeks to happen. Quitting suddenly seriously screws things up as the brain adapts back to it's previous state. i.e quitting suddenly is a bad thing, and going back needs to be at your normal dosing rate/dose.
If you want to take less pills consider weaning off the benzos. They're not great long term for treating anything.