Oliver Hudson experienced “debilitating” withdrawal symptoms when coming off anti-anxiety medication.
Oliver Hudson struggled to come off medication
The 47-year-old actor – who has children Wilder, 16, Bodhi, 13, and 10-year-old Rio with wife Erinn Barlett – recalled an experience “three or four years ago” when he was left in “a mess” after trying to withdraw from Celexa, an antidepressant also used to treat anxiety.
Speaking to author and anxiety specialist Drew Linsalata on the latest episode of his and sister Kate Hudson’s ‘Sibling Revelry’ podcast, Oliver said: “I was doing a show called ‘Nashville’.
“I was away from my kids and it just hit me. I was playing beach football and had a crazy panic attack, it was nuts. I started bawling crying.
“I was like, please, I cannot believe this is happening. I was weaning off and I thought I was doing it correctly and it just took me to a place. It was just so debilitating. It’s hard to even explain, I mean, complete dissociation, I was a mess.”
Oliver went back on his medication in order to be able to keep working for the sake of his family.
He explained: “I got offered two jobs, you know, and… I’m like I can’t go to live in Albuquerque, I can’t do it, I can barely come out of my room.
“But I need to support my family, I’ve got to do this. So I had to go back on medication because I just had to be even to try to support my family. And now I’m just on it. But that withdrawal was so nuts.”
The ‘Cleaning Lady’ actor has also found Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to be “life changing” for him.
He said: “I have been in therapy for a while but then I switched and found this person and it was CBT and I was like woah, this is real therapy.
“It was incredible and totally life changing.”
