"Complete dissociation"— Oliver Hudson gets candid about withdrawal from anxiety medication

Actor Oliver Hudson has shed light on his ongoing battle with anxiety, detailing the severe withdrawal symptoms he faced while trying to wean himself off medication.

On the latest episode of his podcast "Sibling Revelry," released on May 2, with his sister Kate Hudson, the 47-year-old spoke openly with author and anxiety specialist Drew Linsalata. Oliver recounted a terrifying experience with withdrawal from Celexa, a medication commonly prescribed for anxiety.

He 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 f***ing crazy panic attack, it was nuts. I started bawling crying.”

Oliver Hudson described the withdrawal symptoms as "debilitating" and difficult to explain. He went on to detail experiencing feelings of dissociation, a mental process where one feels disconnected from their thoughts, surroundings, or body. This dissociation, coupled with intense anxiety, left him feeling like "a mess."

Despite the challenging withdrawal experience, Oliver emphasized the importance of seeking professional help for anxiety. He revealed that after restarting Celexa to manage his symptoms, he found Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to be "incredible and totally life changing" in his journey towards managing his anxiety.

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Medication withdrawal takes a toll on Oliver Hudson

Actor Oliver Hudson opened up about the challenges he faced while trying to wean off anxiety medication. He described the experience as incredibly difficult, despite his belief that he was tapering off correctly.

Speaking on the podcast Sibling Revelry with sister Kate Hudson, He shared that his primary motivation to get through this ordeal was his family. He was offered job opportunities that required relocation, but his condition made it impossible to even consider them. He added that he went back on the medication to support his family. Oliver said,

“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.”

Beyond the difficulties of withdrawal, he credits Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for his current well-being. He describes it as a turning point.

“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.”

This isn't the first time the actor has been open about his struggles with anxiety and medications for the same. In 2022, Oliver Hudson shared a video about his experience with Lexapro. The actor shared that he stopped taking the medication after being on it for five years.

In the video shared on Instagram, which Oliver said dates back to 2021, the actor opened up about that particular period in his life being "crushing, debilitating, just scary honestly."

Oliver Hudson is married to actress Erinn Bartlett, and the couple share two sons, Wilder and Bodhi, and a daughter named Rio.