I went through a pretty rough period in the last two years or so dealing with anxiety (culminating in when I went to the ER with a panic attack thinking it was heart related/stroke) and depression and my doctor prescribed me an SSRI. I am feeling better now, so I want to get off this medicine as I dont feel like it's a great long-term solution.

I called my doc to talk about a plan to ween off. He said just stop taking them cold turkey because the half-life is such that I will not have any side effects. My initial thought at the time is this guy is out of his mind. There's no way I should just stop taking these things. I was on lexapro 10 years ago and doing so made me feel dizzy, discombobulated, confused, nauseous when I missed a single dose. So i tried to ween myself off by taking one dose every other day, then after about a week every 2 days.., after a week once every 3 days, and now im at the point where I just dont take them anymore...

fast forward to now, Im still having withdrawl side effects... Any advise (except potentially getting a new general practitioner who knows what they are talking about)?

I still feel fine, confident, dealing with anxiety through healthy eating, not drinking, exercising, but I still feel tired, dizzy, confused a bit every now and then.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful response.

I agree, its too easy for Drs to prescribe these things but they are unfortunately clueless on how to get off of them. I will leverage the resources you recommended. I hope you are doing well.

My struggle is that I dont really know how to cut doses. The Rx I have is 20mg in capsule form, so I dont really know how to go about splitting the dose. It's not a pill with a die cut that I can just split. So...Im either tasked with taking the entire dose, or not taking them at all.

Is it a capsule with beads in it or powder? I've heard about people having to count beads to come off (sounds crazy but when people are more sensitive to large changes gotta do whatever will work), or measuring powder on scale and then taking % from powder weight. Again a lot of hassle but yes, see if one of the groups for your med you feel is helpful for taper options. If not, Nick can definitely talk you thru options of how he could compound the medicine for you and it then takes the work off your shoulders (only downside of the compound side is it is more pricey, oh and always go with a PCAB accredited, PCCA member compounder bc they are most reputable).

I am putting all the details just so you have all info possible…. Hope it's not overwhelming!

Keep us posted/feel free to DM (is that what's it's called in here?! This is my first post hah) if you want to talk anything thru as you decide, etc! Glad to help in any way.
And thank you for your kind words, at .025mg down from .75mg so I am very grateful to have made it almost to finish line. It wouldn't have been this long had I not been thrown on all the other meds for sleep and anxiety that I didn't realize was from the benzo itself….. but almost there!

Powder. I just cut a capsule with a butterknife.

Again, not taking these anymore. Symptoms still suck. Layed around the house today, did the yard (yay). Push ups, pull ups, partner is aware Im withdrawing and asked for her grace and permission to do so. She's supportive.

Thanks once again for your help Kristin.

Thanks for sharing, friend.

Yeah, it's not great to be messing with the chemistry set. I didnt realize it would be this hard to quit these drugs.

I mean, I basically feel dopesick. From a drug a doctor told me to take. And when I asked him how I can stop taking these meds, he has no clue.

This is a fascinating and informative thread. I really appreciate everyone for sharing.

BadMoonRisin said:

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Thanks for sharing, friend.

Yeah, it's not great to be messing with the chemistry set. I didnt realize it would be this hard to quit these drugs.

I mean, I basically feel dopesick. From a drug a doctor told me to take. And when I asked him how I can stop taking these meds, he has no clue.

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I've heard some people say it's just as hard to come off Effexor as any of the hard drugs. The withdrawals are that bad. I have no idea if that's true or not. I hated the withdrawals I went through, but either drug addicts are exaggerating the withdrawal symptoms they go through, or I just didn't have it as bad. But it did take me months to taper down.

i personally would not stop a SSRI cold turkey

pharmacologically, the taper could be done safely over <2mo
however, from a behavioral health standpoint, that may not work for you

i prob would do a slow monthly taper -- ie 15mg (if your capsules can come in 5s) for a ~month, then 10, then 5, then every other day, then stop -- however, speak to your provider(s)

you would want to stay cognizant on your levels of anxiety/depression/sleep/energy/appetite/etc, and make sure these do not worsen during the med taper

"de-prescribing" is not hard, we know how long a med is in the system
from the provider standpoint , its the determining the reliance of the pt on the medicine, and their ability to manage without the medicine, that is tougher part

What med were you on initially? Some indeed have a really long half-life. However, if you weaned yourself as described, and you've been off them for a while, I suspect your symptoms aren't actual withdrawal and more in your head. Perhaps you view the meds as a security blanket, and you're getting anxious that you're off of them, not knowing what will happen.

SSRIs should always be coupled with therapy with a plan to wean off them. They aren't a permanent solution, but more a bridge to get you through therapy.

prozac/fluoxetine

That's what I was thinking. Halflife is roughly 4-6 days of fluoxetine, and about 9 days of it's active metabolite. So it takes roughly 5 half-lives to get cleared from the body (or to reach steady state concentration when you start taking it). So active metabolite is cleared from the body in about 20-30 days, but the drug won't be cleared till about 45 days. Which is why it's commonly taught that you don't need any special weaning off prozac.

Wouldn't worry about getting a new primary care doc. Would consider actually seeing a psychiatrist if you want to talk about medications/weaning/etc. However if you just feel like you need therapy, the a psychologist or even a clinical social worker, could probably work out ok.

Good luck, I've been on the fence about seeing someone myself.

kristin.schrag said:

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Anywho, back to your post.
The safe recommended approach from support groups for all these, is 5-10% reduction off of your current dose every 2-4 weeks. You need to be taking it around the same time every day and not skip doses(definitely for benzos but still same approach for AD's is good).

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If I'm interpreting this correctly, taken to your upper limit, this would mean it could take over a year and a half to ween off benzos? sounds a bit extreme

Getting off meds like SSRIs should be a question for your doctor, not an internet forum.

Seems extreme, but if you only knew the extreme someone can go thru not going slow, you'd be shocked.

It's taken me 3 years to taper off Klonopin after being on for 7 weeks and I have been completely non-functional for the majority of it…,.all bc they tapered me too quickly in the beginning, my body spiraled. I had zero clue, trusted /followed Dr rec how to come off and bam.

Unless you've done the research and wrapped your head around BIND - benzo induced neurological dysfunction (the study just came out in July), you don't realize how vital a slow taper is. Trust me I didn't want to have to taper this long, I've lost a lottt, but I had zero other choice bc I'd be dead otherwise. That's not being dramatic.

Detox off benzos is the worst thing someone can do (unless there is an addiction problem and then someone would never be able to do a slow taper and they have no choice but to detox). It is such an extreme shock to the brain and unlike other substances, it is not about 'getting the medicine out of your system' like most misunderstand and you're fine in a couple weeks or month. The neuro adaptation of the gaba receptors which are throughout the whole body and neurotoxicity has already happened very early on, so the main body systems rely on the medicine to then function properly. Gradually removing the med with a slow taper allows the brain to try to adapt back some along the way as you come off.

Some people can come off without problems and doctors don't understand why others get snared. It's Russian roulette. Some people I've met were on at different points in their lives and the second or third time they wanted to stop taking, they then are completely bed and couch bound. There was no indication for them that they would be in this situation bc the other times they came off in a month or two and no issues. Then there are those like me who take it once and get snared. It's a question not one person has the answer to at this time but maybe in the years to come.

Willpower is nothing in this journey. I'm a very strong willed person and thought initially I could 'beat this' as no medication was going to do this to me. You don't realize until you're forced to realize, there is no having the upper hand.

The 5-10% is the guidance for people to be able to stay somewhat functional so they can keep their jobs, be able to take care of cooking and basic needs for themselves. This rate isn't even a guarantee, it's just the best chance.

Again you don't know which person you're going to be until you're already in the situation….. that's what makes this all so screwed up. You, your Dr, etc have zero indication to know which camp you'll be in prior to taking.

Oh and once someone is off and if you're the BIND person, it takes an average 18-24 months for the brain (and rest of the body) to heal back to homeostasis…. some quicker, some longer. Insanity and something that I still can't believe can happen and I'm living it. I've seen behind the curtain with all these meds now and it is mind blowing.

Before someone thinks I'm anti med….. I've had to do a lot of research (you have no choice but to become your own expert) bc I was told I had numerous medical conditions based on severity of symptoms and then when the tests and scans wouldn't show cancer or Parkinson's etc etc , the Drs and specialists were always baffled bc they couldn't identify what was the root cause. So I guess the one good thing is the amount of people in the medical community whose eyes have been opened by what I've shared.

And from the AD side, the half lives is good and well, but people can struggle with affects for a long time again after the meds are out of your system. Most Psychiatrists do not have guidelines on how to taper off so please do your own research and the Facebook groups for that particular medicine are your best source of guidance. It's the only thing medically I can think of where having to source info from groups vs a Dr is the best approach. Sad reality but there just aren't the developed guidelines yet….. one day.

In the OP, I stated that I asked him and he said to just throw the pills in the trash and stop taking them. This post was made questioning that as I started to feel like **** after a week or two.

BadMoonRisin said:

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I am now 35 days from my last dose and I cannot tell you how much better I feel now. 10 days until it's completely out of my system.

The last 4 weeks were really bad in terms of not being able to sleep, but I am so happy to be on the other side. I sleep like a baby. I can communicate. I can feel feelings. I can explain them.

I know these drugs work for some people, but *********I am glad to be (almost) rid of them.

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Congrats! That's fantastic news.

BadMoonRisin said:

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Nixter said:

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This is a fascinating and informative thread. I really appreciate everyone for sharing.

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Do not take this "medicine". It's poison.

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I came off a fist full of pills in 2008. All prescribed by my pcp .Had the zaps for 6 months. I was afraid of permanent damage but I made it through the other side. It is poison.

What are y'all taking now that's beneficial like an SSRI?

Going through a really tough anxiety phase, mostly induced by sleep deprivation because our baby is sick and coughing ALL night EVERY night. For over 4 weeks. About to see pulmonologist for him.

https://texags.com/forums/48/topics/3403091

Trying to work through this without a long term medication but therapist things I should go talk to PCP.

Having issues sleeping through the night, even when my wife gives me a night off.

Chemicals never fixed my problems.

I don't want to sound trite, just relaying my personal experience.

No I appreciate the honesty. Bumped up my therapy to weekly, hopefully I can dig myself out of this rut otherwise I might need something to get me through.

BadMoonRisin said:

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I am now 35 days from my last dose and I cannot tell you how much better I feel now. 10 days until it's completely out of my system.

The last 4 weeks were really bad in terms of not being able to sleep, but I am so happy to be on the other side. I sleep like a baby. I can communicate. I can feel feelings. I can explain them.

I know these drugs work for some people, but *********I am glad to be (almost) rid of them.

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How long were you on it?

about 3 years.

AgsMyDude said:

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No I appreciate the honesty. Bumped up my therapy to weekly, hopefully I can dig myself out of this rut otherwise I might need something to get me through.

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I've suffered from lifelong insomnia (even as a kid). I was on Ambien for years, and it did a great job of helping me fall asleep. But didn't keep me asleep. And now with so many people abusing it, it's difficult to find a doctor that will prescribe it for you anymore.

I recently switched to Quetiapine to help me sleep at night and it's been great. It makes me legitimately sleepy (not that weird buzz you get from Ambien) and keeps me asleep all night. I don't wake up feeling hungover. It was originally an anxiety med. My doctor says she has no concerns with long-term use of it, unlike Ambien.

Interesting thanks. I'll ask my PCP about Quetiapine next time I go.

Thankfully my sleep has been improving lately. Infant's coughing is gone. Latest 6 weeks and was up all night every night through that stretch.

I've also been making changes.

50 consecutive days meditating

Cut down alcohol to only Friday/sat. Even then my limit is 3 and have to be done 2 hours before bedtime.

Doing some form of exercise every day, even if it's taking the baby walking in the stroller for 20 mins or some body weight stuff (pushups/sit-ups/squats)

Reading instead of browsing before bed.

Going to bed and getting up about the same time every day (mainly forced by the little kids, ha!)

Taking L-theanine, Omega-3, Magnesium on top of my multivitamin