Absolutely wild that I have to get this information from RU-vid instead of my doctor, but here we are. This regimen has been 100x better for me than what my doctor suggested (6 weeks of linear taper)
Agreed, but how can I make this happen? I'm trying to taper off Desvenlaxafine and they are taking me down from 50 to 25 for six weeks and then nothing. There are no other tablets available.
@@marleemall Reduce negative thoughts to have a healthier life with a simple practice. Your breath is directly related to your mind [brain] causing negative thoughts-anxiety. For a relaxed life sit on a chair, back straight, eyes closed, be as still as possible and observe the sensations of your incoming--outgoing breath at the entrance of the nostrils for around 5-10-15 minutes or more. Don’t fight with your thoughts. Slowly the mind will relax. No deep inhalation-exhalation needed. Anytime of the day or night before sleep sit or lie down on your back and observe your breath. Stillness brings internal peace. Like me, make this a lifetime daily habit to have a good life. Best wishes Shyaaam Sir. -Counsellor.
@@marleemall Since many years I have made it a habit to observe my breath even when walking alone, speaking on mobile, when reading, before sleep etc and I feel relaxed and healthier. Stillness reduces negative thoughts. Do the practice daily and develop your mental muscles during these challenging times. Best wishes. Shyaaam Sir-Counsellor.
After getting sober realized probably prescribed AD for my alcoholism problem. 20 years on SSRI when what I really needed was different coping skills, not chemicals. Planning to start tapering in June and your info really helps!
Be sure you look up your SSRI and the best way to wean off. Paxil is hard and you need to go very S L O W.... even getting a psychiatrist to help would be good. These types of drugs are wicked to get off of. I'm trying to get off paxil now and am having great difficulty. Wishing you the best outcome. Take care.
@@missEvaMarie58 that's the one I'm trying to get off too. I was down to 15mg but the move to 10mg is very different... Almost 2 weeks in. Good luck to you.
I only did 3 weeks on sertraline, came off them coz they caused night sweats & insomnia, now I have spasms like I'm gonna go into a seizure, night sweats & insomnia. I swear to God I am never touching them again!! I've needed a drink every night this week just to get through. I would rather try to get to the root of the problem & deal with it than numb myself out to the point of not caring.
Disgraceful doctors don’t tell you how difficult it is to get off this stuff when they start you on it. GPs in particular are irresponsible in their handling of antidepressants.
Doctors and psychiatrists DO NOT tell you anything about this when prescribing and boy do they like to prescribe as many as possible.. Thanks for addressing this, my doctor had the gaul to deny withdrawals happened, invalidating the suffering I went through because of her, she should be made take the meds she pushes and then left to see what CT/ quick taper feels like.. Really it's time prescribers were made accountable for all the damage they do and suffering they cause..
@@missEvaMarie58 This is very common these days. Doctors just don't want to hear you out or listen to your concerns especially if you have been through the rabbit hole many times before. One doctor told me I could just quit taking Effexor XR 75mg with no problems or just go down to 37.5. Maybe some lucky people, but not me.
Excellent presentation Dr. Rege. So many SSRI prescribers rarely suggest tapering off medication and when their patients initiate this, the prescriber, whether it's a psychiatrist or GP, will follow a linear taper over a short period of time. When the patient has withdrawal symptoms, the prescriber mistakes them for a 'relapse' and wrongly assumes the patient needs to stay on the SSRI. The withdrawal symptoms (e.g. manic episode) are sometimes misdiagnosed as bipolar or schizophrenia and the patient is put on other medications. Dr. Mark Horowitz has done a lot of research on safely tapering to minimize withdrawal symptoms, which can be severe, and it's wonderful you have presented his research (along with co-author David Taylor) in a clear and comprehensive presentation. I hope practitioners watch your video and heed Horowitz's advice. Thank you!!
@@PsychiatrySimplified your video is wonderful, I wish I would have seen it before my colomipramine withdrawal, I left it on 15mg,and now I am terribly suffering from its withdrawal symptoms. I am going back to the same dosage again . Would you please let me know how to prepare liquid form of clomipramin for tapering it very slowly?
@@anahitafaridmarandi4209 you can discuss this with the pharmacy - compounding pharmacies can help. Tapering strips and liquid are not available in all countries. Sorry to hear about the symptoms. Wish you well.
@@anahitafaridmarandi4209 have a talk with your pharmacy and also compounding pharmacy. They can guide you. If you search for tapering strips there seems to be a company in Netherlands delivering. But we have no experience or afficliation with them.
Am an RN and can not tell you how refreshing it is to see this information being explained in a clear conscience manner. So very interesting and thought provoking! Every patient should have the opportunity to have antidepressants explained like this to make a more informed choice. Antidepressants may be life saving, but patients should still be informed. Would you consider a video for cross tapering? Thank you 12:50
I will keep this on the list. I think it’s very relevant. Thank you for your feedback. I’m going to be doing another video on tapering soon so will include this.
Yeah especially if a person gets stuck on the antidepressant and can't get off due to debilitating withdrawals. Alot of people are on them for life. And what they do is make a person emotionally numb. That's how they work.
Thank you for this information ❤ I am currently going through hell. Hoping all of us make it through these horrible withdrawals. I hope we all get through this quickly.
@@PsychiatrySimplifiedhi doctor can you please help me here? I was taking 20 mg of citalopram generic for celexa for 3 years them taking 40 mg fr 2 years now my doctor put me 20 mg of celexa together with lexapro 5 mg! The doctor wants me to take it like that for one month them e just want me to take lexapro only. Did he did it right? Please
I'm glad this research is now being done. I came off venlafaxine in 2017 using 10% reductions over three and a half years, against doctors wishing to take me off considerably quicker. Even then it was the worst hell imaginable during last stages and the first year completely off.
@@adamwiseman6117 15 years on. Then reductions every month or longer depending on how it felt. Apart from the occasional mild brain zap, feeling considerably better now thanks yes.
I could not get under 6mg. Decreasing just one bead caused severe anxiety. Better described as horror. Never was closer to killing myself. Lasted 9 hellish months that I'm still not sure how I survived. Stuck on 6mg for 5 years. Plus freaking Prozac that the dr said would help get me off Effexor, but all that happened is I got stuck on Prozac too, and it gives me bad fatigue and avolition.
Thanks for posting this, i have been dealing with severe post ssri withdrawal effects for over four years, from Escitalopram. If only more psychiatrists knew all of this, then people would have far less problems with withdrawal. Unfotunately, most psychiatrists and Drs I have dealt with are essentially clueless about how to handle SSRI withdrawal.
I'm thinking about starting Escitalopram soon actually... What are there withdrawal effects that you have for over 4 years now? Is it better to just stay on the meds forever?
@@mireille8444 you should probably not start anything that you will be dependent on from the government bc of the state the world is in. I'm trying to wean off all my meds so they don't try and force me to do anything I don't want to do just in order to get it. Just my opinion. Good luck too you and God bless 💙🙏💙
I'm down from 60 mg of mirtazapine to 30 mg every other day. In 10 days I go to 15 mg. I have absolutely no side effects. Not any that I'm noticing anyway. Will update when I'm halfway through the 15 mg to update about side effects bc I know the lower the dose the worse they get or so I've been told. Hope everyone is doing ok 👌
I'm now off mirtazapine completely. Waking up in the middle of the night and being very emotional is the only effects I have noticed. I'll take that over being dependant on any government supplied drug any day. At least I won't die from not having the drug. I hope everyone else has been successful as well 🙏
I have seen one patient who withdrew by rubbing 10mg tablet 💊 of escilatopram by nail filer. Each day he use to grind tablet with one additional rub and with in a period of 30-40 days completely withdrew the intake without any significant symptoms.
For the 50% of people who experience severe withdrawals, that would not be safe. That is still considering a fast taper and a cold turkey quit. Many get protracted withdrawal symptoms 1-6 months after. It is safer to reduce over time and to taper well below .50 mg
Been on Zoloft for 20 years. It’s affecting my kidney function and cholesterol. I have weaned myself from 150mg to 125(two weeks at 125). Today started at 100 and will give it a few weeks at 100 before reducing again. Have had tingling in extremities, headache but nothing truly frightening yet. Thank you for your information!
Get the liquid Zoloft. Calculate mg per ml. Use a tuberculin syringe to measure it out. I mixed it with oj. You can can titrate down to 1 mg. Taper down at the pace you can tolerate without side effects. Good luck. My extra weight melted off after I got off of it. I tried 4 times prior to doing it this way without success.
@@sallywallace851 I’m in the throes of menopause too! It took me a while but I lost 20 pounds- about 2 years- when I gave up my beloved red wine every night the pounds really went off!!!
UPDATE: 75 days ago I started tapering for 1 month from 10 mg escitalopram. After that month I stopped taking escitalopram completely. So , I am now "clean" for 45 days and I feel O.K. :D PROS: My intelligence is back. My mind is sharper, and I acquire knowledge easier and faster. Currently, am trying get back to work and find a good paying job. CONS: I am now full aware of my situation. I also have a heart problem, which makes me sometimes very tiered and I am often not fit enough to do basic staff. My initial motivation to get of the medication was to "get 100% of my brain back", to catch up on technical staff I missed in the past, to get a job again, and earn good money. I applied for some positions and some companies already showed interest in me, which is good. But (never start sentence with a but :) ) now this whole concept of earning money and having a job, is not more appealing to me. My mindset is now in the state like: why do I need this money, it won't make me happy, the world is broken anyway. So I went to square one. For now, I'm fine, but I expect the depression could kick in again. CONCLUSION: With meds I was semi-happy and dumb. Now without meds I am sharp minded, but more nervous, emotional and questioning the whole meaning of everything, risking to fall into depression again. SIDE NOTE: During tapering I noticed that at dosage of 2,5 mg (which is 1/4 of original dosage) I felt pretty good. My brain was almost back at 100%, but I still had just enough of that fake happiness feeling. It was like some kind of sweet spot. PLAN: First, I will wait. But if it get worse, I consider taking only 2,5 mg. I will give update soon. DISCLAIMER: Doc, you are allowed to use my story in your future book. As a doc, you HAVE to write a book. :) Thanks
Thank you so much! I told my Dr I was weaning off of this medicine. I am having serious hair loss and he didn’t want to listen to me and do other test(which is fine) but after educating myself more on the medicine I didn’t want to be on it for more reasons than just the hair loss. He told me to go back on my regular dose. I told him I refuse. Instead of him being a Dr who cares he didn’t give me any insight on how to wean off of the Zoloft. And If I would have known what I know now, I never would have started the medicine. My anxiety is high sometimes but I’d rather learn to cope with it than have been through what I’m going through now. Thanks for this video
When it was revealed that a lack of 14:04 seretonin does not cause depression, I promptly started my tapering. Before I began, I was on 300mg Venlaflaxine. I've been tapering for about 8 months as I experienced severe brain shocks and was on these drugs for 23 years. I don't feel as sluggish as I used to and embrace life now, not hide from it.
@@stefanmarkovic1709 much better thanks, still monetering myself carefully, energy level up but still cant sleep without sleeping pills. I'm working on that now.
I'm not sure how widely known that fascinating graph about SERT occupancy by dosage is among GPs but... As a patient finding the end of the taper tough going, I wanted to thank you so much for providing the science to explain why this is so. I'm taking escitalopram rather than citalopram but.... This mirrors my taper experience exactly (I barely felt anything dropping from 20mg to 5mg... the last 5mg however.... Wow, not easy!)
I needed this information 7 yrs ago. Too many doctors just don't care or don't know this approach for reduction. I'm starting my journey this week. Life has been horrible for 15 years.
@@sonamwangmo5012 hello. Yes I did. Thank you for asking. I took drastic measures. It required an 8 week short term disability period where I was not working. It was the hardest thing I've done mentally and emotionally. I was down to 10mg daily of Paxil before I knew I had to just cut it off and get better. I went "cold turkey" from 10Mg which some day isnt a big dose. The Paxil was masking trauma from my past. I learned I had D.I.D. and the meds made it very hard to detect. I have had healing and impressive recovery through a counselor at The Center for Christian Counseling. The power of Jesus Christ made my diagnosis, healing and recovery in record time. I cannot stress the importance of finding a counselor in Christian counseling. The mind, body, and spirit are very complex and we do not realize how much they can be impacted throughout our lives.
The concept of SERT occupancy was mindblowing. The first time I did a taper I did the linear approach you mentioned. The last few drops were really rough. This time I'll follow the table you showed. What a lifesaver!
I have been on around 3 to 4 mg of Prozac for 30 years. I decided 4 months ago to start tapering. 2 months at 3 mg then 2 months at 2 mg. What the doctor described is very true. Even though I was only taking a small dose, the jump from 3 to 2 mg has been more difficult. Thank you for the information and helping me see that what I am experiencing is normal.
Well I was started at 10 and could not tolerate it so we kept down dosing and settled at 3. To be honest I probably did not need any because I believe the depression I felt was just the natural rhythm of recovering from the anxiety episode.
Hey Camille- I'm 34 and have been on paxil since I was 10 (originally put on it for OCD). Your comment made me stop in my tracks because I really haven't talked to anyone who has also been on paxil since they were a child. I was on 20mg for 20 years and then at age 30 my dose was doubled to 40mg/day (due to work/life stress). The doubling of the dose made me slightly manic and gave me suicidal thoughts for months. This horrific experience set me off on a journey to really get a handle on my mental health and learn as much as I could. I realized I had been taking paxil for much longer than I should have. I felt betrayed and very confused. I read "Your Drug May Be Your Problem" and it was an eye-opener. I had tried (unsuccessfully) to get off of paxil twice before, once in high school and once in college. This is my third, final, and most successful taper mainly due to the education I've received. In April 2021, I started tapering off paxil and I've learned a ton about the process. Happy to answer any questions you may have. I ended up leaving my psychiatrist (I had seen a few over the years) and found a doctor who was willing to support my taper. I also worked with a supplement doc and did got my gut health and adrenal glands up to speed. Most doctors are not educated around SSRI de-prescribing but there are many independent groups online (Inner Compass Initiative, Medicating Normal, etc) who have gathered amazing resources to help educate around the de-prescribing of SSRIs/benzos. Most doctors will tell you to cut your pill in half or some nonsense. The long and short of it is that you should reduce your dosage no more than 10% every 2-4 weeks. The tapering process is less about getting the drug "out" of your system and more about slowly reducing the amount of drug at the same rate your body/brain/CNS can adjust. A low inflammation diet can be very helpful in supporting your taper, as is some light exercise, maybe some yoga/meditation, and decent sleep (although insomnia from withdrawal is common). Support from good friends and family is also crucial. I'm currently on 8mg/day (down from 40mg). It's a tough journey to get off this crap but it is possible. I've met others who have also successfully gotten off. I wish you well and would be happy to talk more, if you'd like.
@@kristalxleigh07 At first, I dropped from 40mg to 30mg to 20mg, because those are the pill sizes available. It took me about 6 months to get from 40mg to 20mg and looking back, these were pretty big drops. The bigger the drop in dosage= the more extreme the withdrawal. After 20mg, my doctor and I worked with a compound pharmacy and I dropped to 17.5mg pills, then 15mg pills. A compound pharmacy is a little expensive but they can make you pills in whatever dose you need. At 15mg I then learned that paroxetine (generic for Paxil) comes in liquid version. 1ml of liquid=2mg of paroxetine. Then I ordered some liquid syringes off Amazon and I was off to the races. With the liquid, you can make small drops in dosage. Small drops in dosage are important to do when you're nearing 0mg. It's "easier" to drop from say, 40mg to 30mg, but harder to drop from 10mg to 0mg. In both cases, you're dropping 10mg, but it's a much bigger shock to the system to drop off the drug completely. After I hit 10mg, I started dropping 1mg each month. I'm now down to 5mg and am hoping to be off completely come spring time of 2023. (I should add: liquid paroxetine is expensive! I was paying $5 month for 40mg pills. Now to get off this crap, I pay $170 for a bottle of liquid paroxetine. Kind of ridiculous but I'm more than willing to invest some money in being free of this poison)
This was easily the most comprehensive and easy to understand explanation of this subject I have ever seen- very well done. As for me, I start to get withdrawal symptoms when I attempt to reduce below 10mg per day. It’s nasty.
7:27 This is an example of a rapid taper. 50% every 2-4 weeks is not ideal nor is it tolerable. If you're a doctor watching this, I urge you to please look into microtapering and harm reduction tapers. What is taught about tapering in medschool is so limited. What is known now, 30 years after Prozac, is 10% a month is the most you should taper pts. Tapers typically take months to years. Thanks to Rege for opening up the conversation about withdrawal 🙏🏽
Thank you for your comment. Both tapers are covered. 50 percent and then 10 percent. There is significant individual variability in sensitivity to withdrawal symptoms. Some can come off easily. Some longer. Typically keeping a duration of 3-6 months and monitoring is beneficial. Yes some may take a year or more. Tapering strips and liquid formualtions are mentioned.
@@PsychiatrySimplified i.m glad you sound aware of this. I came off effexor quickly due to prescribers not knowing just how much these drugs effect processes in us and a respected professor of endocrinology almost hit the roof when i told my story. Effexor along with cymbalta and aropax (rated the worst) are excrutiating to come off but to say others are low risk when there's thousands of real life experiences out there to say otherwise i think is something requiring urgent investigation. It's all of them that can cause equally intense wd. Yes Horo/Taylor have done much to have the college make this public. There aren.t many with titles who're brave enough to speak the truth. Are you aware of Horo's connection to this? What led him to it?
Dr Sanil Rege 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾! Please keep making these videos - so useful to creating platform for dialogue between patients & physicians & empowering for patients to understand.
What a fantastic explanation! Thank you! I reduced Escitalopram from 20mg, down to 10 and 5mg over a year without a single withdrawal symptom. However, from 5mg to 0mg it was really bad after day 6! Make sure you get some time off from work on this phase!
Hey mate, how are you? I was on 10 mg and reduced to 7.5 without side effects. Now i reduced to 5 and experiencing slight anxiety and nausea. How long did it take for it to level out?
@@amritasurendran091 hey I'm doing really good. I'm on 2.5 mg right now. Those initial side effects only lasted for 3-4 days. I have no issues right now. Include physical exercise and a good diet into your life and it improves your mental health a lot. Also, while reducing i suggest you see a therapist as well.
I attempted a linear tapering of Citalopram 40mg to 30. 20 and 10 (suggested by my doctor!) two years ago. and I still have bouts of dizziness and fatigue. Despite being back on 40mg now. I’m planning on tapering hyperbolically by 5% now. With an initial jump from 40 to 36. Thank you for this video.
How are you now? I'm currently day 3 of feeling like crap because i was too lazy to pick up refills for my Pristiq. So dizzy, light headed, etc. Been on 50mg daily for 10 years now. I finally got more pills today and took my first one a few mins ago, hate feeling so bad!
I basically have all these symptoms to some degree. 115 days into stopping fluoxetine after a two week taper. I should have taken the taper more slowly. FLUOXETINE withdrawals ARE HELL! These symptoms are just delayed three weeks. I am paying for it. Thank you sir, I wish I had this information earlier.
Thank you for explaining all this. I have been on the generic form of Elavil for several years. I am now down to 5mg once a day. I am very frightened of experiencing these horrible side effects again. I was on Surmontil for over 25 years it was a capsule so there was no way to to divide the dose after a certain point. My withdrawal symptoms were so bad I ended up at a doctors office with super high blood pressure, sweating, shakes and severe anxiety, diarrhea, ect…that doctor had to prescribe blood pressure meds and then put me on Elavil. It was horrible. I was ready to go the ER I felt so awful. It is really awful that most doctors and psychiatrists never clue the patient in on how to withdraw on these antidepressants or get any help from them. I want to get off the amytriptyline but am truly frightened of the withdrawal and as such feel like a total failure as a human being.
You are not the failure... you trusted "the doctors" like I did and now we are both in a mess. I am presently suffering from withdrawal symptoms from paroxetine and suffering so much. It is very hard. I don't have an appointment with the psychiatrist for another month!!! They are the ones to help you wean off. Not the GP's. Wishing you lots of good luck.
hello how did it go? did you taper off amitriptyline? I'm suffering the withdrawal effects too, can barely stand up and walk without feeling dizzy and feeling like I'll faint
@@PsychiatrySimplified I am trying to taper from 10 mg to 5 mg. based on doctors advise i started from 10 mg to 5 mg on alternate days. As soon as I started doing feel weakness, decreased libido symptoms, diziness,feel like lying on bed, insomnia. I have taken rtms therapy before. As soon as I go from 10 to 5 i start facing problem. Please advise how to proceed
@@saurabhkunal3624 I'm unable to give advice as this is in appropriate on YT forum. Pleas discuss this with your doctor as they would know your history and can explain the rationale for the steps.
Thank you for such an informative video. I stopped abruptly after being on lovan for years, as I didn’t know how to taper off as they were in capsules. It’s also very hard and expensive to see a Doctor. It’s been a hell ride but seeing the list of side effects here makes me feel a bit better as I’ve got them all 😢 the nerve shocks were really scaring me. I was even thinking about going back on them. Now I’m hopeful that if I keep on pushing through with healthy eating , walking my dog and structuring positive experiences like charity work and animal rescue. That I’ll eventually be ok. I should never have been put on them. I was just going through a very tough time caring for my precious dad until he passed. I needed physical support not chemical alterations of my brain.
The no harm taper method is 1-10% reduction at a time. At higher dosages no more than 10% reduction. At lower dosages you want to reduce 1-5% reduction, stabilize 2-4 weeks before next reduction…
Thank you! This is so helpful! I’ve been on 25mg of sertraline for two years. It works for me, but I never wanted to be on medication long term. I’m scared to feel the same lows I felt before meds, but I’m also afraid of what the drug might do to my brain and body if I stay on it for many more years.
Thank you for your feedback. It is important to recognise the effect of untreated depression on the brain - which has significant consequences biologically and psychosocially. Please discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor - who should be able to answer your specific questions with regard to your concerns.
Wow you have no idea how much relief this video gave me. I’ve been doing my own research with getting off paroxetine that I’ve been on for 13 years now. I was on 20mg and I am all the way down to 5mg now but I was worried about how I would go any further because I read about how bad it could be going straight from 5 to 0. I’m gonna see if I can find a liquid dose somewhere but I will probably have to change my psychiatrist because he is naive about the withdrawal effects. Thanks so much for this information.
Ok. I DID NOT FOLLOW THE DR. ORDER IT FUCKED ME UP. HAD ME FEELING LIKE I WAS VEING SLAMMED TO THE GROUND 360 DEGREE STYLE. ON IT FOR 10 +..... OK. It took me a YEAR TO GET OFF BUT IM OFF ITS BEEN 4 YRS AND NO WITHDRAWLS. CANT SPEAK FOR THE LONG TERM EFFECT BUT IM BETTING THE PAXIL FUCKED UP MY NERVES IN MY BACK. I TELL U WHY AT THE END. This is what u do . Lower the dosage to 5 mil BY PRESCRIPTION. . NoW take that 5 mil and cut it in half. Take for 6 months than cut THE PILL THAT U CUT IN HALF....CUT IT IN HALF AGAIN .... take for 6 months. Than cut that pill in half THE SAME AS BEFORE and start taking every other day for 6 months. Until u feel ur energy returning .. drink lots of water . It sounds like along time but it's not it's to a new begining and u don't realize that day by day of weening urself slowly helps the immune .. brain to slowly start operating. And u now have all paxil out if ur system. WITHOUT WITH DRAWL... Get a load of this I have back problems and all the medication that they trying to treat the nerves with us all antidepressant FAMILY 😲🤔🤔.. hell no I will take the pain before I even lick the stuff THAN GAVE ME APPETITE STIMULANT .. THE SHIT HAS ANITDEPRESSANT PROPERTISE. I COULD HAVE SLAPPED HIM!! IM LIKE WHAT THE FUCK. BUT WONT GET ME THIS TIME. GOOD LUCK. .. U CAN DO IT. !!!!!;
Don't scare withdraw effects with sport vitamines walking will be reduced i experienced it 2 months and it vanished but the symptoms of pd return unfortunately so i back
Most GP's and Psychiatrists are naive unfortunately and see their patients as a diagnosis and money. Fortunately there are some really brilliant doctors out there including the one running this channel. Thank God we have smart and conscious doctors. 🙏
Thank you for this very informative video! 😊 I wish I (or my doctor!!!) would have known about this a year ago. When my treatment with Venlafaxine was stopped, the reduction from 300 mg to 37.5 mg went quickly and without withdrawal syndromes. The step from 37.5 to 0 mg was exactly as awful as that one time when I was on 300 mg and forgot to take my pills. After having watched your video, this makes sense. My doctor told me to take 37.5 mg every other day, and then once a week over a period of some weeks. Here in Norway we (apparently) only have access to capsules with granules in them, which are impossible to break up into smaller pieces. There is no dose below 37.5 mg! While it wasn't awful, it interfered with my daily life, especially at work...
Good video, a lot better than you’ll see than almost all doctors, psychiatrists out there practicing. Unfortunately for some people like myself, withdrawal symptoms are unavoidable, never minding the dose reduction amount, speed of the taper. These drugs, SSRI, SSNRIs are only clinically trialled for 8 weeks tops, what occurs after that to someone’s CNS system, brain is completely unknown, hence people shouldn’t be on these drugs long term. There should be informed consent in the field of Psychiatry. This is something as a psychiatrist you should be looking at, which in my case has lead to TBI, traumatic brain impairment due to long term exposure. Neurotoxicity is also another impairment I’m learning to navigate through. It’s just ridiculous what I’m having to go through because of corruption and ignorance in the profession. I’m currently on my 3rd taper, down to 88 % off the original dose of Effexor 75 mg after 17 years of physical dependence. This has taken nearly 5 years to achieve. I’m hoping with time, this is another problem the field of psychiatry will catch up with, as for some like myself, it’s too late.
Yes Effexor withdrawal is hell- so glad people r becoming more aware of this, like u I had to do a slow taper it took me 3 years even tho I still have symptoms-10% taper per month
Thank you so much for this explanation, you truly are a hero in my eyes, this changes the world for me. To keep a long story short I am 21 years old trying to cut off of Zoloft 25Mg, In a developing country where there are not many info nor infrastructure for mental health medicine. I will update this comment once i get to it. Wish me luck (i will show this to my general practitioner)
I've been on Paxil for 7 months and I'm going to start tapering next week and I'm so nervous because of what I'm reading about Paxil specifically. I'm going into the tapering with lots of prayer. I'm ready to come off of this
@@garysimone4977 I've been reading about the liquid. I have my telehealth apt with my doc on Thursday and I plan to start my taper on Friday. I'm going to talk with him about the liquid
@@QMW11 what ever your Dr says go even slower. They. Just don't know ...you have any questions. Email me. Gary.a.simone@gmail.com I have been through it all You can do this as keep saying slooooow No one ever was yelled at for going to slow... seriously email if needed
I’ve been using escitalopram 10mg for about 8 years. I really want to give it a go tapering off. Just started to do 5mg today. Reading all these comments is making me extremely nervous about withdraw symptoms but I will do my best to taper extremely slowly after the 5mg drop. Here’s hoping all goes well.
Important thing to recognise is th withdrawal symptoms vary in nature and severity. Some patients have it minimally. Importantly any decision to taper should be made after medical advice. Symptoms of anxiety and depression can relapse and confound withdrawal state. Wish you well.
@@PsychiatrySimplified thanks doc. I’m glad I found you and did more research. My doctor seemed to think 10->5->0 would be sufficient taper but after reading comments here I think after 2.5 I will try to go down 10% and just base it on how I feel to continue the taper. Hope you’re doing well. Thanks again.
@@PCP-ov7nj hi! So far since this post I’ve cut down to 5mg and honestly I feel quite good. Had minor symptoms of withdrawal maybe. Had some negative thoughts but I’ve been able to navigate them alright through meditation and breath-work. I will stay on 5mg for a while until I feel fully secure and probably try going down to 2.5mg and see how it goes.
@Prakash Roy likely try to cut the pill into quarters (2.5mg) and stay on that for a while to see how I react. From there I’ve read things about using a nail file to start making it even smaller to taper even more. Might try that!
I was only 50mg, wasn’t all that hard to wean off. I feel so bad for those who were prescribed more than 150mg of Zoloft. It’s so hard to get off at those high levels. My psychiatrist always told me he didn’t want me going higher than 75 due to the difficult discontinuing would be. Wish other psychiatrists were that honest.
Hey any tips? My wife been taking 50mg for 3 months became suicidal and we both decided for her to quit… any tips will really help I’m new to all this thanks
@Mezmer My psychiatrist also told me that she feels better with me at a low dose 25mg of Zoloft but I’m still apprehensive about taking it. I’m currently withdrawing from a god awful antipsychotic Zyprexa and this past week has been a nightmare. I was misdiagnosed by a mental facility and placed on a medication that was way too powerful for what I truly suffer with. I’m seriously between a rock and a hard place rn.
For some of us getting off even 20mg is a complete nightmare. I tapered for months down to almost nothing before finally coming off, only to then spend the next 6 months (and continuing) experiencing extreme withdrawal.
@@ShadaeMastersAstrology thanks. I can deal with most of it, even the uncontrollable moments of sobbing, but it's the anger I'm struggling with. It's a real rage with a sudden need to smash everything up, including myself. Thankfully, I live in a country where guns are not available, but it has made me wonder how many murders and suicides have happened due to these dreadful drugs. Knowing it's the effects of withdrawal, and not me, that is what is keeping me sane. I'm just wondering how long the maximum is that withdrawal can go on for.
Thank you for the valuable info. I'm prescribed 20 mg of escitalopram and am 70 years old. Through research I learned that people over 60 should not be prescribed more than 10 mg. I'm starting to slowly taper off and want to get below 10 mg or eliminate taking the drug completely.
That’s not true. It’s just that it should be prescribed low and go slow . But final doses are the same as for those below 70 . Sodium should be monitored and ECG if dose goes above 20 mg. Under monitoring it is safe agent. Ps not advice
I'm off of SSRI for a month now after at least 15 years of taking different anti depressants. The first week going from 1mg to 0mg I was vilently ill, after that I was well enough to work again but after a week ALLOT of symptoms came back. It's horrible. I tapered in liquid form and my doctor says this shouldnt happen. I.o.w.; it's not withdrawal symptoms. I can't believe him. Because what I'm going through is not normal and I can only think it's the SSRI withdrawal syndrome. I live a healthy life and had enough energy most of the time to live life. It's nearly impossible now..
Some medications require going well below 1mg. For example escitalopram would require 1-5% reductions from 1mg to .02 mg to avoid symptoms because at 1mg it still is very strong and is occurring many receptors
This is absolutely great information. Thank you for sharing. I used this to successfully taper off of Escitalopram 10mg. Experienced zero discontinuation syndrome. The video shows Sert occupancy for Citalopram. Out of curiosity, what is the Sert occupancy for Fluoxetine HCL at 10mg and 20mg tablets? I am considering use of Fluoxetine for future needs.
Great video. I have been taking Cymbalta for long term back pain and went from 20mg BID to 20mg QD recently and WOW is all I can say. For about two weeks I felt like electricity was running over my entire body and was stumbling around. Weird thing is if I would put my foot down too hard there would be a shock from my toes to the top of my head. Was going from Gabapentin BID to Gaba QD at the same time. Wouldn't recommend doing it the way I did it. Do it slow.
Is there any chance you could do a presentation specifically relating to mirtazepine withdrawal? It's got so many modes of action it would be great to try and understand what's happening during withdrawal, especially with regards to the antihistamine aspect.
Thank you for the request. I hope to do a video on antihistaminergic withdrawals at some point. The principles remain the same. The antihistaminergic effect can result in a rebound - so the last doses should continue to be reduced slowly. Rebound insomnia, agitation and anxiety are common symptoms. Importantly withdrawals should be differentiated from relapse which can be difficult to do in some cases. We have covered the mechanisms of mirtazapine on this channel in another video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZaClhWs6RzQ.html
Wow so i started paroxentine 16 months ago and i started tapering off 4 months ago...went from 20mg to 10mg..stayed one month on 10mg, started taking 10mg every other day for 2 weeks..got very bad tension headaches so i went back to 10mg daily for another month..cut down to 5mg for another month and now i ve been on 2.5 mg for 2 weeks now...the symptoms after lowering each dose is crazy but tolerable for like a week but as i live in Nigeria and we have no access to liquid paroxentine ...im trying to brace myself up to stop at 2.5 in one more week...Hopefully i can do it but this video was GOLD...thanks Doc❤
I had been on Zoloft for about two years at 100 mg. I tapered down to 75 mg over four weeks then 50 mg over four weeks and then 25 mg over for four weeks and then zero. I was extremely irritable and emotional during that time with low energy and no desire to leave the house. It was nothing short of Hell. The one positive was that I lost 30 lbs and got back to my "normal" weight. I have been at zero for almost six weeks and it too has been Hell. I now have trouble sleeping and am constantly bombarded by negative thoughts and a sense of impending doom. I go to bed hoping that I don't wake up. This has been the most unpleasant/painful experience of my life. Praying for everyone going through this.
Sorry to hear. One of the under recognized aspects is the REM rebound that occurs with discontinuation of sleep. Would recommend ensuring that the sleep aspect is looked at to avoid worsening agitation if the situation does not improve. Please seek medical advice. Wish you well
I was on Celexa for 25 years. I was on 10 mg. I slowly tapered over period of two years. It was absolutely painless. No brains zaps, no emotional spells, no physical or mental discomfort. I did so by crushing a 10 mg tablet and suspending it in 100 mL water. Then with Drew by one milliliter every week. When I got down to the last 1 mg I went to a compounding pharmacy and was able to taper off that last milligram over a course of 100 days. I know it takes a long time to do this. But time passes anyway. I was getting Parkinson’s- like symptoms on Celexa. I knew I had to get off the drug. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Now do one that's exactly the same for neuroleptics! I realize you wrote a summary on that. People taking neuroleptics are often, due to the perceived severity of their indicating conditions, left out of the loop even more severely when it comes to these things. Qualitative research needs to be done on the experience of rebound psychosis, so as to be able to differentiate it from a return of the original symptoms; too often psychosis is seen as an homogenous category (craziness), so people end up on the meds forever, even when they might not actually be indicated.
Good point . There is more recognition about the phenomenon of dopamine super sensitivity psychosis ; with certain signs such as movement disorders, acute onset, different nature of symptoms etc as clues . But overall yes one should try to differentiate between the withdrawal vs true relapse. Hence reduction should be very gradual but more importantly in Rx dose adjustments should be made over the life span to avoid dopamine super sensitivity or using partial agonists . Thanks for raising this point .
It will take years to restore the body's ability to make all the good brain chemicals. Being as healthy as one can is the best way after years of SSRI use.
RoyalCalvin, Not true, Sooner or later anti-depressants have major side effects. It is quite easy to stop AD if you are determined. Get rid of the root cause-why are you taking AD? I transformed my life some years back. After 10 days of doing the simple meditation which I have explained below take pills on alternate days, then once in 3 or 4 days, once a week and after 20 days of daily meditation stop medication as the neurons in the brain gets re-programmed but for SOS keep the medicine with you. But do not stop daily meditation as follows---Your breath is directly related to your mind [brain] causing anxiety-stress. For a relaxed life without anxiety-stress sit on a chair, back erect, hands on lap with palms upwards, eyes closed, be still and observe your incoming--outgoing breath, body sensations, any soft buzzing sound in the head for around 10-15 minutes. Be as still as possible. Plenty of thoughts will come which is ok--slowly negative thoughts will reduce and your mind will relax with no desire for pills. Morning and night before sleep are good time to meditate. Best wishes. Shyaaam Sir. -Counsellor.
@@anorsegoddess9797 My best wishes are with you. But keep my 10-15 minute meditation in mind to reach a state of equanimity and be joyful by your very nature. The best news is that meditation simultaneously heals all other ailments [if any] in the body simultaneously. Avoid watching negative news channels and over-reacting to dauily life situations. Be motivated. Shyaaam Sir-Coun sellor.
Thank You for posting this. I have been taking Citalopram for about 21 years. I have tried to "wean" off twice over the years without success. I will give this a try again and be much slower in my taper.
Sir, thank you so much for this video. I've been taking Sertraline 100mg for 4 months, yesterday my doctor switched to ESCITALOPRAM 10 mg directly without tapering. Toady I'm having extreme dizziness & vertigo! Previously ,I also experienced terrible withdrawal symptoms from Paroxetine discontinuation.
Some good advice. I plan on stopping my medication eventually. Much of the 'expert' advice out there on tapering SSRI medication isn't very good. Many of them will say something along the lines of reducing over a period of 2-3 weeks then stopping completely, which is just too fast for many people.
I’m happy patients can learn from this guy. I wish the ignorant doctors would as well tho. The doctors cause more harm than good when they tell a patient to ‘just get off of it’. It’s horrible.
Same for SNRIs like Effexor- nearly died following doctor orders on how to decrease! Had to go back on and open caps and count beads down over several months.
If you are having a hard time with trying to, literally, cut your medication into smaller doses. I would suggest looking up your local compounding pharmacy. Compounding pharmacists can put drugs into specially flavored liquids, topical creams, transdermal gels, suppositories, or other dosage forms suitable for patients' unique needs.
Have you done a video of switching from and SNRI to an SSRI? You touch on it a little here but I hope to get more info because it’s what I’m about to do!
Good info. I'm tapering off of sertraline. Went from 200 to 150 to 100 with no issues. I feel better in fact. The next step will be 50. After that I'll look into switching to fluoxetine for a more gradual taper. I used the same method many years ago and had very minimal withdrawal.
Awesome thanks! I've been on paxil for years and just feel I need to get off of it, from 20 down to 10 for a few weeks now, I believe you are correct in that the lower you go the slower you need to go!
It took me 5 weeks to get off 10 mg of Citalopram, I went from 10 to 5mg for 2 weeks then 5mg to 2mg for another 2 weeks then the last week I was having a half of 2mg. I’m now 3 days with nothing at all, I’m feeling okay but dealing with vertigo/ dizziness only mild. I’m happy I’ve done it safely and slowly 🙏
This is absolutely rigth.I was 3,5 years on it after my mother died due to cancer. Tried 2 times quit escilolopram and withdrawal was a hell on earth for me. At 3rd attemp i followed the microdose tapering which already more than 1 year and still going. Yes it was also difficult when i was on 1/4 dose but managable now i'm on 3 drops which 1/7 of terapeutic dose (10 mg) already 2 month and i feel very good, I will go 2 drops and i think in 3 month and i will quit completely .
I am on 2 antidepressants one is paroxetine and the other is mirtazapine at night. But after 4 years I’ve put on 40kg and am completely stressed and am hugely worried about my health.
I was misled into taking paxil by my GI doctor due to constipation and left sided pain. I was like a Zombie with racing thoughts and body aches. My PCP switched me Lexapro 10mg ended up in the hospital with heart palpitations, nausea, vomiting & diarrhea. All of this Instead of giving me therapy and coping skills to manage stress & anxiety they just threw me into this mess. After 1 year on meds we are finally going to start getting off of it. Pray for me 🙏🏻
Thank you for the helpful video! Are there any withdrawal symptoms or known side effects for coming off of Escitalopram when the original dosage was only 5mg? I've been taking Escitalopram for 2 years for anxiety and have been stable for more than 1 year. Does it make sense to reduce to 2.5mg before going off completely?
This is best answered by your doctor as they know your history. In general gradual reduction is recommended as a safer strategy. However after reduction and cessation ( if indicated ) one should monitor closely for any rebound or withdrawal. As the amygdala can be sensitive to stressors after being ‘calmed’ by the SSRI. Wish you well. Ps not medical advice
Hi thank you for the informative video, I’ve been on sertraline for just under 4 weeks and am going to taper off due to the side effects, since I’ve only been on the medication a short period of time does this impact the taper time?
Each individual is different but in general ( exceptions can be present) - shorter the time on medication a quicker taper regime can be adopted. This however needs to be monitored
Im in the same boat. Been on it for 6 weeks. And it was helping much w my anger and bot being able to let go off it. (25mg) but this week i have been having hard time searching for words and remembering things. So I want to go off but I'm afraid of being angry and short tempered again.
Thank you for this informative and helpful video. I have a question. If I don't find the ssri form I take in a liquid form, can I dissolve it in water? And if so, how exactly to do it?
I have been taking antidepressants for 30years (SSRI) I tried to withdraw but nearly ended up in a mental asylum. I crashed mentally, I had to tie myself to my bed at night because I was scared I would jump out the window. I live alone and was so anxious and afraid I had to go and stay with my elderly mother. It was terrifying. I couldn't work, and was filled with a sense of utter despair
Sorry due to medicolegal reasons unable to do. Doctors should be able to do this as there is a lot of guidance out there . A general practitioner or a psychiatrist can provide this advice
Thank you for this. Currently coming off escitalopram 20mg. Began taking 10mg a few days ago. A big issue is cutting the tablets, I find. Wanting to quarter them past 5mg is just too hard so hopefully that last drop is ok. Helpful to know that it might be the more severe one though
@@gunshow2121 Went fine, thank you! Second drop in dose and a little after I had a few zaps, not at all bad or hurtful, just like a little glitch. I was happy to be able to cry and laugh again and not be so robotic. It’s my situation and environment that causes my depression, so no tablet can really solve it. How have you gone?
@@alice5515 I’m so happy to hear that! I have cut down from 10mg to 5mg for the last 5 weeks or so and I feel fairly good! No terrible symptoms. I am taking this process very slowly just to ease my own mind. I think I will stay at 5mg for a month or 2 and try to go down to 2.5 and stay there until I feel like my body and mind are at a balanced point to the new dose. If I feel good at that point I’ll try to taper even more and so on until, hopefully, 0! Really glad you’re doing well❤️
@@alice5515 how long were you on the 20mg? I've been on for 9 years and I'm struggling so much. I've gone for 20mg to 10mg, and it's been 5 months. Now I'm trying to go to 5mg and I am really struggling with anxiety and my legs are extremely sore, like I've been working out. It's terrible. My doctor is not very helpful in this regard. 😕
Thank you Dr. Sanil for this video teaching. I have been on fluoxetine for probably close to 20 years. I have decided to go off and have cut my tablets in half; however, this video makes me think I'm not doing it right. Can you advise, please? I thought I'd take the half dose for a month, then do half a tablet (10 mg) every other day. I've tried before but went too fast and the brain zaps were awful. I would really appreciate your input. Please!
Fluoxetine has a long half-life, so generally tends to have an inbuilt tapering mechanism.; hence, it is generally associated with a lower risk of withdrawal. however, relapse symptoms, or REM rebound are other aspects that can complicate the withdrawal - hence the need for psychiatrist input. There is no fixed regime- the regime is individualized by a doctor. There are multiple factors to consider. Please discuss this with your doctor - wish you well.
@@PsychiatrySimplified Thank you! My dilemma is that my doctor is not a psychiatrist and doesn’t seem to have knowledge in this area. Any chance you’re in the So Cal area? Or the Boise, Idaho area? I live divided between these two regions. I realize I need some guidance but not sure where to find a doctor who really understands these processes. Any recommendations would be great. Thank you for your valuable time; it’s much appreciated!
@@PsychiatrySimplified but the thing is an overwhelming most of the psychiatrists have absolutely NO clue in helping people taper off those tosxic drugs. So what do you say Mr.?
Very helpful sir! I am on Paxil 50 mg extended release and am trying to figure out how I can taper off successfully. I tried dropping from 50 to 37.5 but got bad withdrawal effects of heart palpitations and anxiety. I have been on Paxil for almost 20 years. I have a feeling I am going to need a very slow taper process.
The slow withdrawal from paroxetine has been covered in the video - the second algorithm. Reductions of 10% or less may be required which means liquid formulations or tapering strips may be required. Please discuss this with your doctor who should be able to help.
I have serious withdrawal right now. Ive had to go back on them i duno wat to do. How long is it going to take me to come off these? Ive been on them 15 years!
Hi there, I was on them for 10 years, it took a long time and I didn't withdraw slowly or safely enough, I think that's key. Tbh it took me about 4 months to feel remotely normal again. What I found is I had been sheltered from the stresses of life by taking citalopram for ten years. Exercise, yoga, breathing is all key. Withdraw slowly and safely and be prepared that this could take some time.
@@Mariemaymoore you can have a read of this article which explains withdrawal in more detail and discuss it with your doctor psychscenehub.com/psychinsights/diagnosis-and-management-of-antidepressant-withdrawal-the-hyperbolic-curve-and-ssri-withdrawal-2/
Hi. I've been on 10mg escitalopram for 2 years - I started my taper 10 days ago. My GP gave me this taper schedule: 10mg every other day (for 2 weeks) I've had some headaches and anxiety but I know its due to the reduction. Then 10mg every 3 days for 2 weeks....10mg every 4 days for 2 weeks then hopefully done.. This whole withdrawal thing is just too much but I will not give up!
That's how I did it 👍. You must have a good doctor. I didn't but I did your schedule by myself. Common sense really. I was on citalopram for 22years but now a year later I'm two weeks off them. Feeling tired and a little achy but mentally fine.
I actually take paroxetine and I'm looking to get off of it. Do you know much about CBD oil as an antidepressant? I know there isn't much research into it yet, but I've been thinking of switching to that
No current evidence for antidepressant purposes. Other indications for CBD oil. A switch from AD to another treatment should be done cautiously and discussed with a medical professional.
I love CBD. I have been using it for over 3 years. Use a 3rd party testing and Organic brand. I don’t know if it would help with any withdrawal except the anxiety part. I just started tapering off my Lexapro. So far so good
@@sinnoboy0000 I was on 20 mg. I’m down to 10mg. (Lexapro ) I will take 50 mg. Of Full Spectrum oil, CBD. 1 or 2 a day. Just depends on the day I’m having. Also, it takes time for the CBD to get the desired results. In my opinion it takes a few weeks.
I am so frustrated about stopping Cymbalta (SNRI). My Psychiatrist was so sure that not even linear tapering was necessary.. However i went for 90mg to 60mg and 30mg in a total period of 3 months. After having completed 3 weeks on 30mg i stopped, and one day later i started feeling dizziness, blood pressure drop to a 9-10/5.5-6.5, nausea and bursting into tears for no apparent reason. I contacted him and he was so relaxed about it, did not recommend anything, hardly believed my symptoms (!) and thought blood pressure drop, must be irrelevant...Anyhow i am happy i found your video and the SERT process made so much sense. I wish i knew it before, even better i wish my psychiatrist knew about it. At least now i feel that i have an option if thing got out of hand to start over and proper tapper of. Thank you (leaving here this for Duloxetine: SERT occupancies by duloxetine were 71.3% at 20 mg, 80.6% at 40 mg, and 81.8% at 60 mg (Takano et al., 2006).
Thank you for this video! I’ve been on 20mg citalopram since 2017. I have communicated with my doctor that I would like to get off it but she just mentioned to go slow. I rotated 20mg/10mg every other day for a little over a month, 10mg for a month, 10mg/5mg every other day for a month & now I’m on 5mg & I’m experiencing withdrawal symptoms I think. I had crippling anxiety this weekend, body aches, horrible negative thoughts, lots of tears, nausea, diarrhea. I’m not sure if I’m doing this wrong or if this is even withdrawal symptoms? I’ve been on 5mg now for almost 3 weeks so I’m unsure why withdrawal started now?
We can't provide individual advice but Usually alternate day dose changes is not recommended especially with shorter acting agents like citalopram. The lower dose reductions are associated with greater withdrawal Sx. It's best to stabilise and treat the symptoms by maintaining at a dose where the symptoms resolve before titrating downward. Also crucial is in the mean time addressing residual symptoms like insomnia. The reduction should take into account 1.withdrawal symptoms 2. Relapse of pre-existing illness symptoms 3. Combination of 1 and 2 4. Reduction of SSRIs can result in rebound insomnia - vivid dreams or nightmares among with other symptoms of anxiety, diarrhoea can signal hyperarousal and agitation rather than just withdrawal sx. This requires proactive management - see video on insomnia, Alpha 2 agonists. In two weeks will release video on anxiety vs hyperarousal vs agitation. Ps not medical advice. Wish you well
This is the detailed article on withdrawal management psychscenehub.com/psychinsights/diagnosis-and-management-of-antidepressant-withdrawal-the-hyperbolic-curve-and-ssri-withdrawal-2/
I just cut my Cymbalta (Duloxetine) from 60 to 30mg in an attempt to get off of it last week....Been taking for ~2.5 years. First few days, felt euphoric. Libido skyrocketed, mood was great, wanted to do things, even danced a little. But now about 7 days later I am feeling pretty down, slightly dizzy, irritable and unmotivated. Maybe I should've taken it more slowly. The dilemma for me is, push through this difficult spell and hope for improvement? Or, increase the dosage again and play the long game? Tough call.
Wouid recommend discussing it with your doctor. Reduction of dose can result in both a relapse of original symptoms and some withdrawal. Differentiating the two is important in deciding if the dose should be increased. Also coming off medication is a decision that should be discussed with the primary prescriber. Recent study showed more than 50 percent of individuals have a relapse of depressive symptoms after ceasing ADs.
Lexapro seemed to work well for me, until lamotigine was introduced. After about 6 months on lamotigine escitalopram gave me extreme nausea. Aside from the random tearing up on animal yt videos for the first week after discontinuation I feel more physically healthy. SSRI and SSNRIs have helped me, however after 25 years I feel that my brain is kind of fried. Good vid. Also this is al anecdotal..
Currently going through Paroxatine withdrawals, today has been fun... Similar to my Fluvoxamine withdrawals from a while back. Thanks for your great presentation!
Oh-I have to tell you that Paroxatine withdrawal is so difficult. I really feel for you, but hang in there. I went through it years ago when it was a relatively new drug, and when I tried to get off it and got terribly sick, everyone told me I was imagining it. I even called the drug manufacturer, and they were super dismissive and acted as though I needed to get back on my meds because I was mentally ill! Mind you, I was taking it for a low grade, totally functioning depression, but they treated me as if I was severely mentally ill. I wouldn't wish that withdrawal on anyone.
@@serahsanamfahiz Hi, Sirah. If it Paxil (Paroxatine), it is an especially difficult withdrawal. I quit cold turkey, which is a huge mistake, and it was a while back (1999ish) but if I recall correctly, the process was really bad for about 14-20 days and then got a bit more manageable-- I would say it was a good month before I didn't have symptoms. But it was really rough and if you can do it under a doctor's supervision, I would recommend it. hang in there. It's rough and you will feel a bit like you're losing your mind, but you can get through it!
@@chantalclarke5305 Hi! It was many years ago, shortly after Paxil came on the market in the mid to late 1990s, so I don't recall the dose, but I think it was probably just the basic dose that they start people on. I took it for about a year. I quit it cold turkey, which is a big mistake. One really needs to taper off very very slowly, under medical supervision. Think in terms of months, not weeks.
Excellent video, very informative. How much time on paroxetine and clomipramine would it take to call someone dependant and have a more obnoxious withdrawal symptoms?
Please note that paroxetine and clomipramine are not drugs of dependence. When a decision to stop has been made in conjunction with the doctor - then gradual reduction should be considered. Often the focus is mainly on withdrawal when symptoms of primary illness can also occur. Again not everyone has withdrawal symptoms that persist.
@@PsychiatrySimplified thank you very much, sir. I've been on both paroxetine and clomipramine for 4 months, and stopped them suddenly for 10 days now, how long will my symptoms persist?
@@cowboyjohnsontown I'm doing fine, I've been off the meds for almost a month now and I'm free of any withdrawal symptoms, worth noting that I had only been on meds for 4 months only before I stopped them
@@omartarek7075 that's great to hear. It seems like the longer one is on these drugs, the harder it is to get off. I'm glad you were able to get off quickly and that your withdrawal symptoms have cleared up!
Hi Doc,hope you are doing well.Thank you for sharing this information and video with so many of us.My question is that I am taking sodium valproate since March 2020 , when to the hospital Neurology in November 2021.A EEG was done and had nothing noticable problem with it, so I asked if I could take less(taper down)before discontinuing and was told that either I stop directly or continue and I should continue and wait on another EEG appointment.I continued taking my med as instructed.About 2 days ago I had another appointment for EEG(I don't know my results yet,because the doctor had other patients and not much time that afternoon.I take other medications for variable conditions and think that my meds interfer with my sodium valproate or vi.-versa.Do you have any advice for me?I have Hemp Seed Oil Capsules I considered replacing my sodium valproate with soon,is that ok or not?p.s. The doctor at the hospital was very unfriendly and a bit rude to me and I feel that it was of no interest about my condition and or needs.Again,thank you for this video and information you share.
Sorry but it is difficult to provide advice here: the nature of condition, what sodium valproate was prescribed for ( seems like seizure activity if EEG is being carried out) - in such cases a doctors opinion who knows the case is important . Ceasing valproate in the context of seizures should only ever be done if recommended by the doctor and under supervision. I’m sorry the doctor didn’t have much time. It would be in your best interest to reconnect with the doctor to get a clear plan. Wish you luck.
Thank you for this! This is key for harbor duction. The idea that cold turkey is the only way is absolutely insane! Cold turkey is known to cause relapses and create a trauma response. The best way to achieve homeostasis is a smooth landing
Been taking amitriptyline 10mg for 10 years. Tapered in June down to 2.5 mg over 3 weeks. Now I have daily headaches, flu symptoms in my head every day! Doctor said it’s acute sinusitis and gave me nasal sprays and Loratadine (hay fever tablets) it works but not for the headaches. Also have tinnitus. So yes discontinuation syndrome. I know this because I took 2.5mg again for past two days and all symptoms gone! Maybe I need to taper more slower? I called him last week and said I was feeling anxious and he prescribed Duloxetine 30mg. I haven’t taken it and I’m not going to. If anxiety is a symptoms of discontinuation then why give another antidepressant? Surely you just need to taper for longer. I wonder how many people have tried to come off antidepressant just to be given another for withdrawal symptoms. Why don’t doctors just tell you how to do it properly instead of dishing out mind altering drugs to tackle withdrawal symptoms. I’m not taking any more antidepressants ever again I’m going to taper off even if it takes me a year it’s worth it
The last doses often are more difficult to come off as the largest drop in SERT inhibition and with amitriptyline histamine receptor binding also plays a part and the largest drops occur at the lower doses. So slower tapering is recommended.
