i've never been able to experience benzo withdrawal, and have taken a LOT of primarily xanax for years. i've heard its truly horrible, worse than opiate wd, but i've taken some huge doses and long dosing and never experienced it.
ssri discontinuation can definitely suck, but its not guaranteed. if you've got anything from dysphoria to full on major depression, many ssri's will very effectively flatten your mood. its not i'd want to live forever, but there have been times in my life, like now- recovering from a massive injury- that having a flatter, more regular mood helps me a lot.
helps me motivate to get up at 5am to do 8hrs of physical therapy 3 days per week. for me, then, lexapro is literally a life saver. if it has a withdrawal effect, then so be it.
bottom line: the recreational versus medical use of drugs should be very clearly delineated. if you need to be on an ssri, and you trust your doc, you should do that. if you're primarily a recreational user then the rationale for one versus another becomes much more significant.
ssri discontinuation can definitely suck, but its not guaranteed. if you've got anything from dysphoria to full on major depression, many ssri's will very effectively flatten your mood. its not i'd want to live forever, but there have been times in my life, like now- recovering from a massive injury- that having a flatter, more regular mood helps me a lot.
helps me motivate to get up at 5am to do 8hrs of physical therapy 3 days per week. for me, then, lexapro is literally a life saver. if it has a withdrawal effect, then so be it.
bottom line: the recreational versus medical use of drugs should be very clearly delineated. if you need to be on an ssri, and you trust your doc, you should do that. if you're primarily a recreational user then the rationale for one versus another becomes much more significant.
