Do ssri damage the brain?

I caught covid on 22th August. On 24th August my throat started hurting. On 26th I progressed to mild pneumonia with a cough. I couldn't sleep due to increased pro inflammatory cytokines like IL-6, which the body kickstarts in order to fight covid, making the sick person unable to sleep in the mean time. Afraid of progressing to more severe illness, I started taking fluvoxamine 50 mg twice a day for 14 days as suggested by the Front Line Covid 19 Critical Care Alliance, FLCCC for short. I couldn't get myself ivermectin, so I took fluvoxamine instead. Covid ended for me on 28th of August, so in total the illness lasted 5 days.


However I continued to take fluvoxamine as a precaution. I started taking it on 26th and tried to lower the dose in half, that is 50 mg once a day on the last few days. 10th of September was the last day I took fluvoxamine. On that same day I experienced akathisia for 2 minutes and said to myself that I'll never take anymore in fear of experiencing akathisia ever again.

After stopping fluvoxamine, the first 2 weeks I went through some crazy withdrawal. Irritability, crying spells, rage, insomnia, intense headaches, memory and concentration issues etc. But my worst symptom so far was akathisia, which then changed to profound muscle weakness.

Today, on 17th of October, I'm 37 days days after my last fluvoxamine pill. The only symptoms that I still experience is muscle weakness, although much improved and a bit of concentration or maybe memory issues. I also occasionaly get restless, I assume it is related to me experiencing akathisia before this.


I'm scared I may have damaged my brain cells? I'm improving from my ssri use, but very slowly. I know that akathisia, muscle weakness and concentration issues could be due to a lack of dopamine, as ssri inhibit serotonin reuptake and too much serotonin inhibits dopamine availability in the synapse. In theory, once my dopamine is stable, all my symptoms should disappear. However, why is it taking so long? I only used fluvoxamine for no more than 2 weeks, why can't my body rebalance faster?

Could it be that ssri withdrawal could cause glutamate storm or excitoxicity? I know symptoms of glutamate excitoxicity are primarily experienced by benzodiazepines or alcohol users during withdrawal. And I know the symptoms of glutamate excitoxicity are seizures and maybe comatose or unconscious state or other more serious symptoms, but I'm scared, what if I damaged myself?? If I knew that I would experience such severe post use symptoms I would have NEVER touched an ssri and would rather suffer with covid and survive by other means or medications.


Could it really be that the brain takes such a long time to rebalance back? Has anyone here taken fluvoxamine 100 mg (2 x 50 mg a day) for covid for 2 weeks and experienced symptoms up to 2 months after?

Well I had akathisia, which is a known symptom of ssri. And look at all my other symptoms, it can't be covid, I'm 24 years old male, covid lasted for 5 days, I didn't have shortness of breath or any other more severe symptoms. I coughed for a whole month after covid stopped but that's about it. Don't believe all the bullcrap you hear around. Covid either kills you, or causes severe disability (like lung scarring) or someone makes a full recovery. Covid long haulers with no visible organ damage and all other tests coming back normal means these people have something else. Or maybe covid is still active a month later, but ivermectin then should help, I've heard of some people who got it later and had improved, but all these are unproven still.


In my opinion long covid, even if it exists, is probably very rare. This virus has a higher chance either killing you or you surviving it and making a full recovery.

RG

Hope you are feeling better.
I suggest a talk with you doc or your pharmacist.

Sometimes the pharmacist has lot more insight on how meds can effect people.