Oliver Hudson Details ‘Debilitating’ Withdrawal Symptoms from Anxiety Medication

In the latest episode of Oliver and his sister Kate Hudson’s siblings’ podcast — Sibling Revelry — Oliver steered the ship solo, speaking with author and anxiety specialist Drew Linsalata.

During the conversation with Linsalata, the 47-year-old actor detailed his intense experience with withdrawal symptoms after he attempted tapering off from Celexa, an antidepressant used to treat anxiety, “three or four years ago.”

“I was doing a show called Nashville,” Oliver said. “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.”

“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,” he continued. “It was just so debilitating. It’s hard to even explain, I mean, complete dissociation, I was a mess.”

Linsalata could relate, having gone through his own withdrawal process when stopping medication.

“Oh man I feel that, I remember being in my bedroom, literally ugly crying,” Linsalata told Hudson. “‘Somebody do something!’ It was horrific, horrific feeling. It was worse than the panic attacks for me, that thing when the meds go away and your brain is adjusting again…”

“Again if you’re listening to this, that doesn’t necessarily happen to everybody,” Linsalata stressed to listeners.

Hudson said his want and need to provide for his family is what got him through the difficult time.

“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 try to support my family. And now I’m just on it. But that withdrawal was so nuts.”

During the podcast, the Rules of Engagement star also praised Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

“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.”

Hudson is married to fellow actress Erinn Bartlett, and the pair share sons Wilder and Bodhi, and a daughter called Rio.

Listen to the episode of Sibling Revelry below.