Oliver Hudson has opened up about his longtime battle with anxiety, detailing the ‘debilitating’ withdrawals he experienced while attempting to wean himself off anxiety medication.
Speaking to author and anxiety specialist Drew Linsalata on the Thursday, May 2, episode of his and sister Kate Hudson’s “Sibling Revelry” podcast, the 47-year-old actor detailed a terrifying withdrawal from Celexa, an antidepressant used to treat anxiety.
“I was doing a show called Nashville,” Oliver said of the experience which occurred “three or four years ago”. “I was away from my kids and it just hit me. I was playing beach football and had a f—king crazy panic attack, it was nuts. I started bawling crying.”
He continued, “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.”
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Oliver , who is the son of Goldie Hawn and Bill Hudson, explained it was a powerful desire to provide for his family that helped him through the ordeal.
“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,” he said. “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.”
Hudson married actress Erinn Bartlett in 2006 and the pair share sons Wilder and Bodhi as well as daughter Rio.
Hudson further attributed his current well-being to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a popular form of psychological treatment.
“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,” he said. “It was incredible and totally life changing.”
It isn’t the first time the actor has spoken out about his withdrawal experiences from anxiety medication and antidepressants. In February 2022, he shared a video from June 2021 that revealed he had stopped administering Lexapro after being on the medication for five and a half years.
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In the clip, he revealed “it’s been crushing, debilitating, just scary honestly” before reassuring fans that “in this moment, right now, I feel good”.
He also acknowledged that his well-being was susceptible to suddenly shifting.
“It may be fleeting,” he said. “In an hour, I might be back to where I was but I’m going to bathe in normalcy for a moment.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. https://988lifeline.org/
