Search the Community

tried tapering Pristiq, too tough, looking to try tapering Wellbutrin next Hello all! It has been so helpful to read through this wonderful community, and it’s giving me more hope than I’ve had in a long time. When I was a troubled teen, my parents put me on Prozac, said it made me too angry, and started switching it up and I was on a cocktail before graduation. Been on one ever since, I can’t even remember the chronology of what was taken when, though perhaps I should sit down and try to figure it out. This year, I tapered down Buspar and successfully got off of it. Anxiety went up a bit, but I took more Gabapentin and was fine. Recently, partly due to Kaiser not being able to fill it, I tried tapering down on Pristiq. Since I’m on the lowest possible dose, and it’s time release, I’m having a rough time figuring this out. I read that the maker recommends taking it every other day, then less, but that seems like a real ping-pong for the ole brain. Cutting it to lower the dose was a terrible plan, I spiked in anxiety then crashed for the rest of the day. Since I felt so terrible with lowered Pristiq, it made me wonder if that’s working and I should leave it alone for now. I’ve been on Wellbutrin for longer, so maybe that’s a good one to let go of. I was considering switching to the non-time-release version, but remembered that made me feel suicidal in the past, which got better when I switched back to the same dose of Wellbutrin SR. I’ve also had trouble finding doctors who can/will help. Everyone has told me that since I’ve been on meds since I was young, I’m stuck. Or that it would require more therapy than my insurance company/provider Kaiser is able to provide. For years now, every time I ask about lowering a dose or being on less meds, I walk out of there having gotten a hard sell to increase or add another one. It’s maddening! Finally tapered down on the Buspar on my own, since I couldn’t find anyone to help. With lots of coping skills and self-soothing, it was all right. The problem for me now is this time release mess and being on the lowest doses! I’ll keep diving into what other people have done and see what options might work. Hoping that one day I can find a doctor willing to help me lower, not increase, the meds. I had a family member of kidney failure caused by a mental health med, so being on these for the rest of my life (and potentially shortening it in the process) sounds like a bad plan. Still, figuring this all out is tough! Grateful to find this resource, and learn ways to safely decrease with the goal of getting off some or all meds. Thank you all, and I hope you’re all doing well!

Basically, I've been on antidepressants since 2017. Lexapro from 2017-2019 (7.5mg) no antidepressants for most of 2019-March 2020. Then a very low dose of Lexapro (2.5-3mg liquid) until July 2023. I felt so amazing on this low dose of Lexapro! My life changed 100% for the better. I was living the exact life I wanted to live. I was working out so hard, my co-workers said I looked like a bodybuilder, I had a job in a difficult field, and best of all no side effects! I was even starting to enter the dating world! Something that I had never done before. The greatest 3.5 years of my life. No drugs (besides Lex), no alcohol, My family thought this Lexapro was like a secret formula! I had an extreme interest in bodybuilding and my whole life revolved around in. I went into an extreme depressive episode (I will talk about it later) when I increased my lexapro to 7.5mg, and only had a 1 month relief from it when I went back to 3mg. It's like all of a sudden now, I don't have any interest in working out let alone bodybuilding. Then in July 2023, I decided to up the dose. I was struggling with insomnia and some increased anxiety. Increased from 3 mg to 4mg. No big deal didn’t really help my anxiety, but I’m still happy and have no side effects. No depression just yet. September 2023 hits and hallucinations are starting to happen. Man, my anxiety is starting to get bad! Talk to my doctor, it’s only natural I up it to 5mg. It’s a pretty standard dose, and I bet my brain will stabilize on that! No depression just yet. In October 2023, I went to my doctor again, and he recommended an increase to 7.5. Hey, not a big increase, but I’ll give it some time. Nope, dumbass me is having a panic attack for literally 3 weeks straight. What then ensues is a Truman Show like 60 days of torture. The worst days of my life. Oh, the life I used to live. I was on 7.5 for a month. I got every side effect in the book. Nausea, vomiting, increased anxiety, SEVERE INSOMNIA (never had sleeping problems, I slept 8-10 hours a night before. Now I’m lucky for 4-5, some nights I even stay up all night). The only thing I didn’t get was the sexual side effects. Not to mention a SEVERE DEPRESSION. Severe anhedonia and apathy which is something I've never had before. Then I went down my Lexapro back to 5mg, as my doctor ordered. Some side effects lessen but no relief. I then go down to 3mg, and life is actually back to normal for a month! I'm so thankful! Some anxiety, but at this point I will live with it. The anhedonia, apathy, and no motivation is gone! Then I struggled with depression again. I have a bad depressive episode and, I see a new psychiatrist and he recommends Pristiq for MDD. I was on 25mg for a month, no relief. I was on 50mg for a month with no relief. My mind and body do not want to do anything ever. Everything seems extremely boring. Nothing gives me any pleasure anymore. I'm so done. I still have kept my normal work and workout schedule, I'm just so mentally fatigued and done. I'm tired of not wanting to ever do anything all day. I have so much apathy, fatigue, and no motivation. I just want to go off of all antidepressants now. I was thinking 25mg for a month, 12.5mg (compound) for a month, and then going off since I wasn't on Pristiq for that long. The weirdest thing has been, I've still been working out on Pristiq, and if anything I've been stronger on most lifts, and I've lost almost all of my muscle. I haven't even lost any weight!

Hey everyone sorry if I don't post this correctly I am new to the site but I have lurked around a bit, I have been taking Pristiq 50mg for around 5 years now and I would like to get off of them I've been searching to get off them a year after taking them and got a bit scared with the withdrawals that happen and I've finally got the courage to try now, with all the research I have done and posts I have seen others make here I have chosen to look into going to a compound chemist and seeing if they will help me lower the dose and go that way if anyone can recommend any tips and tricks or ways they got off Pristiq be sure to let me know! I have missed tablets in the past (forgot to take them) and I felt terrible the day of not taking them so I think if I remember correctly 20% off the size I'm on now and do that for a month then go down again, I couldn't quite work out how to work out the measurements when cutting them that was posted but I don't think I should go that route as I don't like the risk of withdrawals that come with cutting them, I'm also from Australia thanks for taking the time to read this!

Hi there, OP. You and another user wanted some solidarity with other people stuck on Seroquel, right? Let me introduce myself: Almost 38/F. Vancouver, Canada. I'm starting a taper from 50mg I.R. Seroquel next week. I've been stuck on it since July 2021, when I had a horrific reaction to LoLoestrin on the 6th day of taking it. I started having symptoms on day #3 (2x/day panic attacks!) Went to walk-in clinic on day #5 & was dismissed/told it was normal. Not for me. I've been on ~7 different b/c pills (all made me spot, and as I got older, really putrid stuff started comming out of me or I bled constantly and never stopped for 2 weeks until I gave up. So, I'm stuck with a menstrual cycle. lol.) I listened to him & kept taking the LoLoestrin. The next night, I went into Psychosis (rapid switching b/n manic laughing & weeping rapid-fire within seconds - I've always been in control of my emotions. I have the emotional regulation of a titan, humble brag.) Next morning, I went to the small local E.R. (even though my mom said nothing's wrong) & they gave me an Rx for something called Seroquel 50mg I.R. (was either that or Ativan - NO! I don't drink, so I never thought of getting drunk until my endocrine system re-balanced) & told me to get my Psychiatrist to get me off of it later. He was always on vacation (80 yrs old?), & I don't trust him whatsoever. I was finally able to get rid of him in Dec 2022. Wanted to get rid of him in Feb 2022 when things really started spiralling out of control, but nobody else avaliable. The 50mg I.R. snowballed out of control with mis Dx's, mood stabilizers, etc. I've tried to taper off of 50mg I.R. Seroquel 11x with either my own pill splitter (crumbly mess) or an in-patient industrial pill-splitter to reduce 1 of the 2 mini pills by 1/4 (12.5%). This never worked. I almost went into Psychosis 3x. I thought the birth control incident was scary enough. At no point since July 2021 in the Hospital's Mental Health & Substance Use Unit (had to get my mom to drive me many times due to withdrawal symptoms from Seroquel or other meds or the meds themselves!) or In-Patient facilities (3x w/in 6 months) did anybody mention a liquid taper. Shocking and pathetic incompetence. I learned about a liquid taper earlier this year by myself. I also learned more about Seroquel last November (h1 & d2 receptors & how the serotonin is different than the serotonin in Pristiq - ******* hell). & even more about its action on Histamine recently. & nobody since July 2021 ever plainly outright straight-up admitted that withdrawal symptoms are real. I've experienced w/d symptoms in the past. The only way I was able to get off Effexor (side-effects because I was Rx'ed way too much in 2015) was to go to Pristiq. I do well on Pristiq. My physiology can't tolerate any of the other SSRI's & SNRI's, although my Psychi always Rx'ed me too much - dangerous! The only reason I want to get off of the 50mg I.R. is because my muscles constantly jerk/twitch all over my body. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Sometimes more frequent. Sometimes less. This is a red flag and dangerous. But I've put up with it because until recently, I had no idea how I was going to try to taper again with a pill-splitter. Since learning about Histamine, I'm doing a low-histamine diet & started a couple of days ago. I do not Diet. It's not necessary for me, nor do I want to restrict. But this is a VERY special circumstance. This may help with the taper from Seroquel, since I learned from someone else on this message board about histamine from their withdrawal from Seroquel essay. (Heartbreaking.) From what I've read in your thread, you're doing quite a fast taper. I plan to do -0.25% off of the last dosage every 4 weeks minimum. Or 6 weeks? & Holding for ever how long. & then going again. Hold however many times my physiology requires. It's not up to me. It's up to my individual nervous system. I'm a non-smoker, non-drinker, and never done weed before. I drink plenty of water & plenty of fibre. I'm sure the other meds I'm on will help at least a little bit with the taper. & I've read that you need to do smaller decreases as time goes by. So, it'll eventually have to be a 0.075% decrease. & then 0.05%. & then 0.025%. I'm not even sure if my syringe for the liquid solution will work. Since I've been on the two 25mg pills for so long, I'm pretty sure I'll have to use 1 of the 25mg pills plus two 1/4 pills (12.5mg total) and then the rest liquid. I've been stuck on this ******* Anti-Psychotic for 2.75 years. If I knew it was an anti-psychotic and how complex it is, I would've taken the ******* Ativan. If it takes 5 years to fully get off of this bullsh*t, I have no choice. I already have partial insomnia for a long time now because of the Pristiq - even with the Seroquel (I'm usually up in the middle of the night tranquilized. I cannot work anymore due to this. It's too exhausting to fight it.) So, I don't want to make it worse by doing a fast taper. I'm going down until the mg where my muscles are no longer tranquilized & the twitching stops. I do not consent to my body moving without my permission, nor do I consent to being tranquilized and unable to move until mid-day next day or rarely the whole day until I take it again at 8pm. Sometimes the tranquilzing wears off a few hrs after I wake up. The tranquilizing decreased when 50mg X.R. Seroquel was added in Nov 2022 because I was withdrawing so severely from a few things at once - dangerous! People really have no idea what they're doing out there. My boyfriend has been right the whole time. I do not have BiPolar #2. I do not have Borderline Personality Disorder. I do not have 'Cluster B'. The reason he likes me is BECAUSE I'm bland, boring, average, emotionally stable, and can regulate my emotions. ie: I'm an incredibly easy partner. I come from a relatively good family. No drinking, no drugs, no domestic violence, no history of "mental illness", etc. So I'm starting to experiment with the low-histamine diet (especially with my dinner & before-bed snack) to see if it helps with the tranquilizing the next day. In July 2021, I went from my trusty 100mg Pristiq ($2/day) -> 5 medications + now 150mg Pristiq ($3/day); I think 9 pills per day. I've been emotionally violated, gas-lit, and dismissed repeatedly in these past ~2.75 years. This is by far the worst thing that's ever happened to me and will ever happen to me. Psychiatric Medication Withdrawal is worse than anything on this whole entire god-forsaken planet. I'm extremely over-medicated, but this myoclonus is downright dangerous. I was extremely hot as well until fairly recently. My long-term boyfriend had to have multiple blankets on during the summer with the A/C full-blast on me. I've been emotionally labile as well. Especially during the summer when the heat was messing with the 2 Seroquels and the SNRI. The Lamictal, Gabapentin, & Seroquel X.R. weren't enough to combat that. Sorry for hi-jacking your thread. I should make my own and make a signature for myself. Anyway. OP, take a looksee: https://reversepsychiatry.org/ https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pw4tjImAJ92OIVyRvZoZYjqxiKMk7wvp-ljiIi1olRo/edit#gid=246292188 https://withdrawal.theinnercompass.org/taper/special-tips-calculations-and-liquids https://withdrawal.theinnercompass.org/taper/doing-calculations-taper#taper-schedule-2-daily-microtaper https://www.willhall.net/files/ComingOffPsychDrugsHarmReductGuide2Edonline.pdf Specific for Histamine/Seroquel: https://rxisk.org/guide-stopping-antidepressants/#Prominent_withdrawal_symptoms https://beyondmeds.com/2012/12/04/psychiatric-drug-withdrawal/ Thanks

I've been taking Pristiq 100mg (plus 5mg Somit to sleep and 100mg Activigil to wake up) for the past 3 years more or less. I've been trying to quit Pristiq for many months due to HORRIBLE withdrawals whenever I forgot even one pill. I got to down the dose to Pristiq 50mg after enduring two weeks of those horrible withrawals and then they were gone, luckily. Now I'm trying to figure out my next step. There's no Pristiq 25mg where I am from. My psych told me to switch to venlafaxine 75mg three days ago, not the XR, the regular. It has such a short half life that I'm having horrible symptoms as well, even though I'm taking 37,5mg in the morning and 37,5mg in the afternoon. I'm trying to figure out if this is the best way to quit Pristiq. She says I should stay with venlafaxine and taper down from it. I'm worried about feeling awful. I can't function. Should I stay with the venlafaxine or switch back to Pristiq 50mg and figure out something else? Should I bridge with Prozac form Pristiq? Should I stay with venlafaxine and THEN bridge with Prozac? Should I just taper down from venlafaxine? By the way, thank you all for describing so accurately all the discontinuations sympotms of the Pristq- the brain zaps, the headaches, the dizziness, the confusion. What has this done to us? I want out.

Hello all. I've researched this extensively now, after a google search in late Nov 2022 lead me to this message board and other Psychiatric Medication Withdrawal Supports. I'm finally ready to try again. Trauma from previous attempts has kept me dealing with the extreme tranquilizing + myoclonus (ie: adverse effects) instead of trying again. This will be the 13th attempt. If it takes 5 years, that's out of my control. It's up to my particular nervous system. When I recently suggested to my Doctor about a 10% reduction per month using a liquid, they said it'd be perfectly fine. (& I guess reduce that amount by 10% per month until I'm off?) After going home and calculating how I did it in the past (-12.5%), NO. In the past, taking off 1/4 (6.25mg) of 1 of the 2 tiny pills hasn't worked 11x. (Either by myself making a crumbly mess with my pill-splitter or at an in-patient facility with an industrial one.) I almost went into Psychosis 3 of the 11 times & had to go back up to 50mg right-away. I had to admit myself to the hospital a few of those 1/4 pill reduction attempts, too. I recently calculated that was a -12.5% drop in dosage. No wonder it didn't work. Also, I was told by a Psychiatrist & once by a Doctor to stay with the 1/4 pill reduction and to take "just a little bit of Seroquel" when the limbic system withdrawal symptoms re-appeared. ...You mean like a Benzo? This is literally playing ping-pong with your neurotransmitters, and I wasn't even given "little bit" amounts so had to make do with a crumbly mess. This didn't work and fairly quickly sent me right back to the hospital where they sent me to an in-patient stay again. I held on for as long as I could at home using little pieces of Seroquel like a Benzo, because I did not want to go back to an in-patient facility again. All of this since July 2021 shattered my reputation with my Employer and caused unnecessary stress to my long-term partner, parent, and sibling; let alone myself. Earlier this year, I learned on my own about a liquid taper. It's truly shocking how nobody since July 2021 ever mentioned getting it made into a liquid in order to do an extremely slow taper; not even my Psychiatrist, who I chose finally to stop seeing in late 2022. But from extensive reading online, it's the standard to stop with a Medical Professional when things get unnecessarily out of control, doing harm and no good, and too much frustration. I also recently learned on my own more about Seroquel. I looked it up on go.drugbank.com in early 2022 when things were really getting really out of hand, I was unwell on medications, and things were snowballing out of control. I was scared shitless at how complex Seroquel was and how it differed so severely from Pristiq. Late last year, I learned even more about Seroquel: H1 (histamine - severe tranquilizing for my particular physiology) & D2 (inconsistent myoclonus for my particular physiology). It explained everything & confirmed that it's not "Psychosomatic" symptoms. & earlier this year, I learned more about Histamines, histamine receptors all over your brain and body, allergies, anti-histamines, stomach acid (H2), Monoamine oxidase (MAO) & Diamine oxidase (DAO), etc. Further, last week, I learned about a Low-Histamine Diet for people who have Spring-time allergies. While I don't have any comorbidities of any kind, this Seroquel is a beast on my particular physiology and am now semi-unenthusiastically doing a Low-Histamine Diet for the next handful of years as to not complicate this extremely slow taper & to hopefully reduce the extreme yet inconsistent tranquilizing. I'm now pretty sure how much water I drink + what I eat at dinner and before-bed most-definitely affects the severity of the tranquilizing the next day. Most days, it doesn't fully wear off until mid-afternoon! Rarely, it wears off once I'm awake in the morning. & Rarely, it lasts all day until I take it again at 8pm. From reading online, the menstrual cycle (different levels of the hormones during each phase) also affects Psychiatrric Medications's potency, clearance, etc. + hormone levels and histamines interract with each other + hormone levels and dopamine (D2 inconsistent myoclonus) interract with each other. So that's fun. I never wanted to take this 50mg I.R. Seroquel in the first place, but an E.R. had to give me something to take, because I had a severe reaction to LoLoestrin, which I went the day before to see a Doctor about growing symptoms and was told that the literature says mental health symptoms are very common for hormonal birth control. That's nice, & I've heard that from hundreds of women online, too. Bt I've tried ~7 different b/c pills before with no issues. I've never gone against my better judgement before. This link was very informative for Histamine: https://rxisk.org/guide-stopping-antidepressants/#Prominent_withdrawal_symptoms , as was FerralCat's Essay. When an in-patient facility had to add 50mg X.R. in Nov 2022 because I was withdrawing so severely from a few things at the same time, the tranquilizing greatly reduced, but it's still enough to halt my life. I think the inconsistent myoclonus also increased. So, now to the taper: I have a few questions. In the 'Seroquel Withdrawal' thread, they mention doing 1/2 pill + 1/2 liquid taper, as your Physiology is so used to pill-form. (I've ben stuck on this Anti-Psychotic since July 2021. That's 2.75 years.) So, maybe I should start my taper with one 25mg pill, two 6.25 mg (1/4's), & the rest liquid. (& as I slowly go down, get rid of a 6.25mg and replace that with a liquid, & so forth.) My question: does this seem fine to you guys? Note to self: I'd need to go back to the walk-in clinic to get an Rx for 6.25mg pieces, an Rx for 25mg pills (I only have like 16 left), & a revised Rx for the liquid. Currently, my liquid Rx is 40mg/day (-10% reduction) for 4 weeks & then go back to the walk-in clinic to get more liquid for the next "month-long 10% drop". I don't have the liquid on me, so I'm not sure the total mL in the bottle and whatnot. I'm aware that syringes can be very price with micromL's. This link overwhelmed me: https://withdrawal.theinnercompass.org/taper/special-tips-calculations-and-liquids This link is similar to the info on this forum: https://withdrawal.theinnercompass.org/taper/doing-calculations-taper This link confused me: https://antdep.alwaysdata.net/liquid/liquidForm.php I generally understand this link: https://withdrawal.theinnercompass.org/sites/default/files/2017-05/TheWithdrawalProject_TaperJournal_LiquidMixture_SampleChart.pdf After all of my reading around on here and all of the online calculators/etc, here's what I've come up with (holding for 2-6 weeks as needed not included): See 2 attached images. ****I'm a bit unclear about making smaller and smaller % (or mL?) reductions each 4-6 wks (however slow you want to go). That's been discussed on this forum regularly & want to make sure this taper doesn't go badly whatsoever. I can't afford to stress my partner out anymore, losing money anymore, or traumatizing myself even more than already am from all of this by being it withdrawal. & Finally, I will keep tapering off until the myoclonus & tranqulilizing of my physiology. If that's one 25mg, fine. If that's one 25mg and a 1/4 (6.25mg), fine. I'm still stuck on the 50mg X.R., but that can wait for the future, if at all. I'm on a lot of Serotonin-medication and was extremely hot for the last 1/2 of 2023, as well as scatter-brained and confused. Somehow, the extreme temperature went away back in Nov. I also had a lot of very unusual unlike extreme emotional lability due to all of the meds, especially in the summer. My partner likes me BECAUSE I'm emotionally uneventful and stable and can regulate my emotions/stress. I'm overmedicated, so I should've been experiencing the opposite. I'm well-aware from my Pristiq how dangerous the heat can be with Psychiatric Medications: they clear faster from your body or something? Especially if you're drinking more water in the summer? I expect to have issues with the heat for the next handful of summers, unfortunately.

Hi , I was on Prozac 10 mg for about 25 years for mild anxiety. In 2018 decided to get off. My dr prescribed the liquid version and I titrated down 1/5 of a mg every 2 to 4 weeks. When I got down to 4.25 mg all hell broke loose, I got severely depressed and tired and drained but didn’t know about or understand withdrawals and what was happening to me . So I went to dr and he put me back on original dose of 10mg which made things worse after 5 days being on it he then switched me to trintellix which I took for 1 week with no relief . I was so depressed that I ended up in pysc ward for 2 weeks at which they took me off of trintellix and put me back on Prozac 10mg and 2 days later upped it to 20mg. Now I was not only severely depressed but felt extremely over medicated and tired and drained so they added ability 2mg to my Prozac. By this time I couldn’t function so they lowered my Prozac back to 10 and released me. After approximately 3weeks being on Prozac and ability I wasn’t any better and was extremely dizzy so my pysc took me off of ability and added 75 mg Wellbutrin which made me physically I’ll after 2 weeks I was switched to 25 mg pamelor with 10 mg Prozac. I stayed on that for 3 months but felt like a zombie so I was taken off of pamelor and stayed on Prozac 10mg for 8 weeks but couldn’t function so I was put on 20mg Prozac for another 8 weeks and couldn’t function. I was then put on 30mg Prozac and was a zombie. I switched pysc and I am now on pristiq (originally 25 mg) was too strong. I told my dr NO MORE! I want off of medications! So she tapered me from 25mg to 20 mg which I was pressured to taper down again after 4 months to now 18 mg which I have been on for 3 months. I am extremely horribly depressed and tired and drained and can’t function all day but miraculously it lifts around 4pm every evening, does anyone experience this phenomenon, I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t get these windows every evening , it’s been 2 years since I stabilized, will I ever? Need encouragement please 😞

#1 Help. I was on lexapro 8 years. Tapered off lexapro onto Effexor in sept 2021. Couldn’t handle it. Stopped taking after 5 days. Started Zoloft. Lasted 30 days. Side effects were bad. Tapered off to pristiq. Lasted 10 days and my psychiatrist said to just stop. I was trying to give my body a break so I could start a new med. 8 days later I went back to lexapro. Took it tonight. I’ve been having slight confusion lately, mental fog, poor concentration and not in touch with reality. I’ve always had panic attacks but what I experienced was not. My brain started to get warm and I almost wanted to pass out following extreme confusion with my heart/pulse racing incredibly fast. It’s like my brain was shutting down. I was so scared thinking i was having a brain aneurysm, stroke or seizure. I called 911. Went to hospital where I got a ct scan of my head. They ruled out a tumor, stroke or seizure: they didn’t check my blood sugar or run blood work. This happened at 10pm tonight. Got back home almost 2AM and went to bed extremely scared. I woke up an hour later in state of confusion to this happening again. The docs say it’s from the meds. I’m so scared I can’t sleep bc I don’t want it to happen again. I feel like it’s more than this and I’m actually going to die from whatever this is. It’s like my brain is broke. I was perfectly fine a few months ago. Idk why the docs couldn’t find an answer to what I was experiencing. I’m so scared this is something else. I’m 34, male, good health.. active

Hi everyone! I just joined this group after being 10 months off of Pristiq from a fast taper. I’m part of a different withdrawal group, which was how I heard about this forum. I had a couple of windows in the beginning, 2 at 60% better, then one that lasted a week in September/early October where I felt 80% better. Then after that week, I was hit with a wave and haven’t had a full window for 4 months. Every day I wake up with so much dread and despair, and then throughout the day the depression persists. It’s consistent and hasn’t gone away in these 4 months. I had a couple days where I felt 20% better, but it wasn’t a full window. Instead, I’m getting hit with wave after wave after wave, like I’m in the middle of an ocean storm. Right now I feel a strong emotion of worthlessness and insignificance, it’s incredibly scary. I feel so alone and detached from the world, and I’m constantly attached “what’s the point?” to everything. I’m also hyper vigilant and take everything negative to heart. Besides the consistent depression, I have anxiety, ocd, dp/dr and pulsatile tinnitus as symptoms. I could really use some hope, this wave is absolutely awful and all I want is to feel better.

Iv been off pristiq for 3 weeks. Was on 25 mg for 3 months. Prior to that I switched from lexapro 15 mg I was in for 2 years. I am having withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, depression, Brian zaps, and just feeling off. I did a taper off pristiq of 25 mg every other day for a week then stopped. My NP recommended that I could take Prozac 10mg for 2 weeks to lessen withdrawal. Thoughts? experience? Please help! I don’t want to take pristiq anymore because I was already on the lowest dose

I want to know how to detox from all the psychiatric drugs that I took in order to make possible for my body not to need to take them anymore and to eliminate all the side effects that the psych drugs gave me. This is all the drugs that I took from psychiatrists: when I was 16 years old I took first paxil and rivotril (clonazepam) for a year and then only epival er (valproate semisodium) for a year and Then when I got 21 I took paxil and rivotril for 6 months. I changed to a 2nd psychiatrist he gave me symbyax (olanzapine and fluoxetine) I was with him for 4 months, then I went with a 3rd shrink that gave me lamictal and abilify for 6 months so then I changed with a 4th doctor which was a "neurologist" who gave me strattera for ADD and told me to go with his partner who is another psychiatrist (5th doctor) who added me sertraline, topamax (topiramate), olanzapine, lamictal, and because of the tachycardia that were produce by this drugs he added inderalici for my tachycardia. So after 7 months with this doctor I went with a 6th doctor that gave me paxil, rivotril, lithium and for my ADD he gave me methylphenidate (commercial name is tradea LP which is similar to Concerta). After 6 months with this doctor I changed to a 7th doctor that gave me sertraline in a very high dose and with this I decided to stop taking that pill a was taking but in a one day span it caused me to have a psychosis that made my father send male nurses to kidnapped and locked into a clinic (like hospitalization), in which the skrink that trated me was the one that treated me when I was 16 and he injected me haldol and gave pills more haldol, biperiden, triazolam and risperdal. I LIVED HELL WITH THESE DRUGS. Then the shrink after he saw that I recover reality, I was super depressed so he gave me citalpram but it didn't work so he gave me paxil and lithium. Then I started coming off meds and now I just take one quarter of a lithium pill every day in the morning. My actual side effects that I want to eliminate are: anxiety, very strong heart palpitaions or beats/beating that cause bad breathing and chest pain, difficulty to take decisions, nausea, extreme itching in my face, head, chest and back, buzz in the ears, difficulty to focus or concentrate, bad short-term memory, and wanting to pee all the time. Thank you very much.

ADMIN NOTE moved initial posts from Mission of Surviving Antidepressants Hello. What do you exactly mean "if the symptoms are from and adverse or paradoxical reaction to medication, the medication has to be gradually withdrawn for recovery."? Is three to four months of gradual withdrawel enough? Thats what I did.

Hi everyone hope your going ok. I have been brought to this page by the projects report tonight with Tim whom took 18 months to get off antidepressants. I have suffered from depression for the past 30yrs, I am now 52. I finally sort help around 4yrs ago as wanted to end the racy thoughts and occasional sadness in my mind. I was prescribed 50 milligrams of Pristiq and changed my life. I was going extremely well until I noticed 2 big side effects. First being a terrible sex drive which I was not happy about and the other extreme tiredness. 2yrs ago I went back to the doctor and said I want to get off them because I am not me. He set up a taper off for 4 weeks and went very well. After completing the 4 weeks I was off them though did experience the electrical impulses in my head for around 4 days. I pushed through that pain barrier and was flying for the next 3 weeks. No sweats, not tied and sex drive was back. Then one morning I woke with a tingling sensation in my left chest, and just then my depression was back. That dreaded felling and then the anxiety followed. From that point i didn’t leave the house for 4 months and had to go back on 100 milligrams to get back a stage of normality and even to mow the lawns. I starting feeling good again finally and dropped down to 50 again. Things are once again stable though I want my energy and life back and stop being a zombie with no emotion. Any advice to fully get of Pristiq I would really appreciate it. Lucas.

Hello all, I just started tapering 50mg of Pristiq using the 10% hyperbolic taper protocol with the assistance of Mark Horowitz's new service, Outro Health and a compounding pharmacy that is making me capsules of desvenlafaxine with a time release agent added. I've been on this dose of Pristiq since 2016. Prior to that I was on 5 mg of Lexapro for about 10 years. So far Outro has been a fantastic support and it's going pretty well, but I am definitely noticing some increased anxiety. I'd like to know more about other folks' symptoms while tapering Pristiq. I've read Chessiecat's great thread about their Pristiq taper; now I'm going to search around some more for more info on symptom duration.

Hi All, Firstly thanks for the excellent site and taking the time to review my post. History is long, so in the interest of time, 20 yrs on SSRI's (i've tried virtually all but had most luck with prozac and lexapro) with a 4 month bout of Remeron (awful w/d not helped by cross taper) and benzo's on/off for 8 years or so. Benzo: I've successfully switched from .5mg of clonazepam/day to 10mg valium and i'm now at 2mg per day. A bit more about this below. SSRI: Was on 20 mg for celexa for the last several months but completely zombified so decided it's finally time to be done with this sh1t I dropped relatively quickly per docs orders with really no impact down to 5mg celexa completely stopping the celexa and valium on May 1. Started 10 mg prozac only May 1, by May 4 really awful DR with anxiety, inability to focus, sleeplesness, headaches. Reinstated 1-2 mg valium which helped a little bit. Yesterday i tested the waters and dropped the prozac down to 5 mg to see if agitation was from that which resulted in bad anxiety, chills,and shaking. Took the other 5 g prozac and an additional 1mg valium which helped a bit. Today slightly better back at 10mg prozac and 2mg valium in the morning. I have a pdoc appointment tomorrow and really don't know what to do and not sure i trust his opinion frankly but do believe he will be fine with what i recommend. I consider these the following my options: 1.) Reinstate celexa at last dose (5mg?), drop prozac entirely after a week or 2, and keep valium, then micro taper off at 10% per 3 weeks or so. 2.) Hold steady on prozac and valium for awhile (how long?) then micro taper 3.) Something else? Any thoughts are much appreciated and i apologize for any incoherence in this post but just got back from work trip and wanted to get this out there for the educated folks to review asap. Many thanks for any input and your time!!! methuselah

Short Story After 6 months of being on 3 SSRIs and 1 SNRI, tapered from Pristiq for 1 week by cutting 50 mg pill in half. After being stuck in hypomanic like anxiety state for 6 months since i got off, seeking help on next move - small dosage reinstatement, go along with bispurone suggestion from doc, or other? I recognize reinstatement after such long time is contentious. Current Symptoms Anxiety (maybe hypomanic?), switching from distractibility to hyperfocus, brainfog, difficulty organizing thoughts, planning, lack of drive, motivation and sex drive. In the 6 months since i am off meds I had under a 7 days (total) where i felt present, calm, w/ reset nervous system - after a rare moment i was tired enough to nap. The rest of the time I was in an agitated, restlessness nervous state with distorted perception of time (highly accelerated). The higher stress, excitement, or other trigger like intense work session, the stronger the symptoms, which without significant rest, can lead to greater distress and extreme brain fog. Long Story I'm in my early 40s. My depression flared up after end of a long-term relationship. Pandemic isolation happened shortly after. The immense stressors during this period caused bad anxiety. I asked for anxiety meds but scored high for depression so I agreed to anti-depressants. Cycled through celexa, lexapro, zoloft and ending with pristiq; all helped anxiety with mixed sideffects, such as removed drive and motivation, which specifically remained after the meds. My pristiq taper - was told to half my 50 mg dose for a week and get off. I was not dissuaded from my suggestion of cutting my 50mg pill in half - i now know that was bad. In weeks and months since (total 6 months now), I am unable to sustain cognitive performance w/o causing aroused state from which i find almost impossible to return from. In fact a lot symptoms and triggers to a varying degree, except for the risky behavior, look like hypomania. It started during the weeks after taper, with a hyper arousal, over-productive brain. I never experienced something like that before and no bipolar history in me and family. Psychiatrist's response is that its likely anxiety. Strange, as I never got so anxious I could not calm down before from stimuli of social night out with friends, working with a coworker, from an angry conversation, or even intense workout session. In the early months of withdrawal, any sort of excitement/stress lead to insomnia, short term memory loss, or even disorientation in navigation (new to me) and I'm frightened to see time and my life passing so fast. I'm unable to perform at any decent rate at work (work as engineer) so much I'm considering quitting or taking sabbatical if they'd allow me. I seem to have lost whatever drive i still had left before i got on the drugs. Sleep stabilized in last 2 months. Most recently once or twice, I reached tired state and got a nap (common in the before-times). This caused me to finally leave my 'hypomania'/hightened anxiety state, felt present, 'reset' back to normal and thought creatively, calmly for rest of day. Since i left the drugs 6 months ago though, I didn't experience more than 5-6 (individual) days like that. Question I don't know if this is hypomania or just a level of anxiety i haven't experienced or heard of before. I read that although people may get hypomania when getting on these drugs or upping the dosage, in rarer cases its possible to get it when stopping. Given the slow rate of improvement, distress, mental performance at work, and inability to consistently get off feeling anxious state or slow down perception of time (despite doing supplementation, meditation, regular exercise), I'm debating either to go on anti-anxiety med like bispurone psychiatrist suggested, or try small dosage reinstatement to abate some symptoms. Highly appreciate any suggestions, comments. Thank you

Hi everyone I started off here at this forum last year in May, but then went off as I had just gained some stability with my medication Taper during that time & wanted to concentrate on my work which had been neglected for a year and a half of the hard mental hit of AAP's, AD's & Benzo's at the same time. Now that a year has passed on the stable dosage of my medication which i am giving below, unfortunately, a lot of the Anxiety Depression symptoms have returned & I really am lost as to what to do. I am doing Diaphragmatic Breathing 15-30 min a day along with Meditation & a few CBT techniques like Positive Memories recall, Cleansing Vizualizations etc. Exercise really helps, but I am feeling very low energy since the past month & finding it very difficult to start, I started 25 minutes of Stationery cycling last week did for 3 days but couldnt sustain this week. I run a business & have been using my brain to extreme work for the last 6-8 months. Currently facing the following: 1. IBS symptoms like bloating pain returned 2. Palpitations (heart Rate fluctuating, restarted propranalol which was stopped for 6 months) 3. Weakness & very low energy 4. Brain fog & extreme memory loss (Memory loss has been on for 2 years now getting worse) 5. Feeling of Anxiety & loss of interest in work & other things 6. Disturbed sleep with the usual vivd Dreams getting tensed & nightmarish hallucinatory again 6. Return of hunger pangs or unable to do 16 hour fasting or even 12 hour & sugar cravings (Had done 16 hour fasting from May -Oct 2022 & loast 11 Kg (24 pounds) of the 22 Kgs weight i gained in 2020-21 due to In order to taper off Clonazepam 0.5 mg which i had been on since 2 years daily & on & off before that for 8 years, I ad moved to Librium 10 mg thinking it would be an easy taper off, but noe over a year of librium 10, it is the same If i try to leave it for 3 days also I experience extreme withdrawal of things mentioned above. I am going on a family holiday for a week in Last of week of March & have taken off work from Today to focus on my withdrawal & management of symptoms. Would really appreciate any advice on the following: Q1. Librium is supposed to work short term, Is it that I am unable to wean it off also & it is not even providing the anxiety reduction it is supposed to causing my symptoms to recur over the past 2 months. Any suggestions to change back to Clonazepam or move to some thing else like Buspirone etc, till the time I am a little normal again & try to taper off? Q2. Any coping techniques apart from Diaphragmatic breathing & Meditation anyone can suggest? A little about me - 45 Years old, Chemical Engineer, Running my own company manufacturing green cleaning Chemicals in India. Work and live in a joint family with my parents. Married since 18 years. 3 kids (1 biological and 2 adopted from the family that works in our house) I am considered to be Intelligent, articulate, extremely positive and well informed on almost everything in life. Used too much of my brain since childhood probably. A lot of struggles happened since 2005 with a new business financial, difficult new marriage, family issues, major stressful life changing justice system events from 2008 to 2012. Fought all of it, came out, but with a bad case of irritable bowel syndrome mixed type. Finally when all gastros failed to provide any resolution went to a psychiatric consult in Jan 2020 and went through a ton of medication which I am trying to leave now since October 2021. Below is my medication & Withdrawal History March 2022 to March 2023 - Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq) 25 mg Morning | Chlordizapoxide (Librium) 10 mg Night | Propronalol ER 20/40 mg Night (On & Off) | Magnesium 170 mg Night | Ashwagandha 600 mg Night (On & Off) In a nutshell below is brief Medication summary October 2021 - March 2022 (6 months) 1. Desvenlafaxine - Reduced from 150 mg to 25 mg by reducing 6.5 mg every 2 weeks, last reduction had gone to 12.5 mg by cutting the tablet but could not sustain due to very heavy withdrawal symptomps & came back to 25 mg 3 days back. 2. Clonazepam 0.5 mg - Replaced with Chlordizapoxide 10 mg Reduced to 5 mg 2.5 months back, tried once to leave it completely 2 months back rebounced after 23 days to 5 mg. Then again tried to completely leave it 2 weeks back, could not tolerate withdrawal, took one dose after a bad episode 10 days back & one dose of clonazepam 0.25 mg last night. In order to reduce the withdrawal of above the Doctor tried following medicines in between - 1. Amitryptiline 10 mg - 60 days 2. Duoloxetine 20-30mg - 45 days January 2020 to October 2021 (21 months) 1. Desvenlafaxine 100 to 150 mg 21 months 2. Amitriptyline - 25 mg to 100 mg - 11 months 3. Quitipin - 25 mg - 3 months 4. Respireone 0.5 mg - 1 mg- 15 months 5. Clonazepam 0.5 mg - 21 months (Previous history of usage on & off for 10 months upto 180 days in a year or more) 6. Chlordizapoxide 10 mg - 15 months In between the medicines tried by the doctor for not more than 3 months were: 7. Trifluoperazine (2.5mg) + Trihexyphenidyl (1mg) - 15 days 8. Mirtrazapine 7.5 mg - 60 days 9. Trazadone - 25 mg - 23 days 10. Pregabalin 75 mg - 45 days

Diagnosed with depression since 2000, on meds since 2009. Been through a bunch of psychiatrists and a bunch of meds. I'm stable on 100mg pristiq, 300mg Wellbutrin, 15 mg l-methylfolate, and 10mg Vyvanse. But I hate being dependent on the pharma industry and distribution chains (and my own ability to keep up with my med schedule and travel etc). It's several times landed me in a zappy, off balance, hopeless, self loathing pit of despair. I can't keep doing that. I also wonder... Who am I outside of this drug filter? What do I have to share with the world that are being stifled by the unending tiredness? Why do I keep working on my mental health and coping strategies and continue to need this pharmaceutical support? I eat a lot of fresh vegetables and unprocessed foods. I drink a lot of water and tea, and have switched from coffee to one cup of DOSE (mushroom coffee) a day. I sleep 8:30-5 every night. I've cut out nearly all alcohol. I know that regular, intentional exercise will help me, though I have a very active lifestyle and movement heavy hobbies. I have thought about trying to do an inpatient rapid detox, but this site is making me think that I will need much longer term support. I have two little kids and daily obligations around them as their dad is in the picture but unwilling to be helpful. I tapered down to 25mg pristiq with my current psych over four months and had a several week long crying spell, so I went back up to 50mg and have been parked there. Thank you for being here to support folks like me.

Hey there, I'll try to make my intro a bit shorter but its still kind of long. Was put on Effexor 150 XR at age 15 due to anxiety and depression (my mother is narcissistic and I developed a lot of self hatred from it. Older brother is also bipolar and made my life hell). Took that med until I was 28 (13 years). Worked with a nurse practitioner (for psych meds specifically) who tapered me off over the course of 2.5 months (waaaay too fast) by taking the little beads out of the capsules. My meds pooped out and I didnt feel I needed them anymore. Did great for 3 months, then my anxiety hit me like a ton of bricks, followed by depression. Insomnia due to anxiety, no appetite, emotional shutdown. Was put back on 75 mg and then raised to 150mg again, but since I had seen how vibrant I was without these drugs, I hated being on them. After moving across the country I asked my new doctor to move me down to 75 mg. I felt less flat but the anxiety was bad. Moved back up to 112.5 mg, but felt "meh" about everything. Tried Pristiq 25 mg for 2 weeks and was moved to 50 mg. 5 weeks in I had a horrible reaction-- anxiety, depersonalization, sweating, diarrhea. I didnt feel real. I told my doctor to lower me. Tried 25mg for 6 weeks. Still had diarrhea and apathy at 25mg. Was moved to Zoloft 25 mg for 3 weeks. I told my doctor I wanted to stay at 25 mg zoloft because I didnt want to become an over-medicated zombie. She said 25 mg wasnt a high enough dose to treat me, and I trusted her more than myself so I increased. After 3 weeks was moved to 50 mg. After 3 days on 50 mg I started being really spacey, dizzy, feeling like I was in a dream. Had insomnia. I would feel better every day as the med wore off closer to my dosing time. Felt like I wasnt real and didnt care about anything. My doctor said to wait until 5 weeks to see if my symptoms improved. I said no and told her to lower me to 25 mg. Stomach was still so bad after the debacle with the Pristiq that I had dropped 17 lbs at this point and needed an endoscopy and a colonoscopy, where they found nothing was wrong. 1 week after reducing to 25 mg Zoloft my stomach started improving. It wasnt a slow taper, she just had me half my tablet. I've been on Zoloft (Sertraline) 25 mg for 18 days as of writing this. Throughout my journey I've been moved up and down doses of Effexor every 2-3 months, I got to experience effexor withdrawal and new side effects from the pristiq at the same time, and I got to experience pristiq withdrawal and zoloft side effects at the same time. I'm currently having headaches, dizziness, apathy, and some sexual issues. Stomach is better but not 100% yet. Have pressure in my head a lot of the time. It feels like my head has cotton in it. I'm in therapy finally dealing with my abandonment issues from my mother's narcissism. This whole thing has been a huge lesson in trusting myself. A big part of me is scared that I've ***** up my brain, and that the apathy wont ever go away. I feel like I've made a big mistake. My partner has said that over the past few weeks I seem more myself, but I don't see it at all. I've begun doing some more things I enjoy, but a lot of the time I'm not enjoying them very deeply. A lot of the time I just want to be left alone. I guess I just want some support, since I'm so scared. How did I even get here? I just wanted to be happy. tldr: couldnt handle 50mg Zoloft, currently on 25mg for 18 days. Brain is effectively a scrambled egg. Timeline: Effexor 150mg XR 13 years, came off over 2 months, 3 months off. "Relapse" and put back on 75 mg, then 50. Lowered back down to 75 for 2 months, then raised to 112.5 for 2 months. Pristiq 25mg for 2 weeks, then 50 mg for 5 weeks. Back to 25 mg for 6 weeks. Zoloft 25 mg for 3 weeks, then 50 mg for 5 weeks, now back to 25 mg for 18 days.

Hi Everyone, I'm pleased to find this forum, but I am sorry that it is for the reason it is. It is amazing how many people are suffering from AD WD, and the symptoms and length of time it can take. I found this site from searching withdrawal symptoms, because today is my 10th day at my lower dose and I have been feeling worse today than at any time since I halved my dosage. Recently I became absolutely miserable about my aches and pains, which were stopping me from doing things around the house and causing sleep problems. I started wondering about them and then remembered that I had had to go off Prozac (about 20 years ago) when I got muscle weakness. St John's Wort also caused similar but not as bad muscle weakness so I stopped that too. I started researching AD symptoms and made (what seems to be) the connection that I have Serotonin Syndrome so I made the decision to reduce my Pristiq from 100 mg to 50 mg. The doctor suggested alternating between 100 & 50 for 2 months, but because the aches and pains are debilitating I decided to see how I went going straight to 50. After a couple of days I did get mild zapping / electric shock sensations, and also headaches for several days at the end of the 1st week. I slept a lot over the first 3 days (and was able to sleep at night). Then I had several nights where I had trouble sleeping. Last night I slept through for the first time. I had several days where I had an upset stomach which I had thought was a tummy bug but I now realise it is possibly from the withdrawal. At this time, I am feeling achy (a bit like the flu), different from being on the higher dose. This surpised me because I had been going well. Thinking back, the first few days I wasn't drinking coffee. Then I started having coffee in the morning again and yesterday I had one at breakfast and then another at lunchtime. What I have read on this site confirms my suspicion that it may be the cause of me not feeling as good as I had so no more coffee for me. Yesterday I decided that I need to started taking more care of my nutrition (I haven't had much of an appetite lately), and what I have read here confirms this. I am taking one day at a time, and I am not making any decision yet as to whether I will go off the Pristiq completely or stay on the 50 mg. At the end of last year I completed a free Government funded online workshop (I'm in Australia) which I found very helpful. Even though I had previously seen a psychologist, had done a lot of reading of books and internet articles and "knew" CBT (which I have nicknamed Change Bad Thinking) I found that doing the workshop (which was over 8 weeks) was very helpful because it was practising the CBT, instead of just knowing it. I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone all the best as you deal with whatever you are going through. Unfortunately, that is the hard part. We have to go through it ourselves. Thankfully, though, others can support us. Take care everyone. ChessieCat

Hello everyone, This is my first post, and I wanted to express my sincere appreciation for the supportive environment this forum provides to individuals grappling with antidepressant withdrawal symptoms. The particulars of my journey can be found in my signature block, but in short, I've been navigating a three-month withdrawal process following an abrupt cessation of over three years of antidepressant use [cycling through the TCA class of drugs with Amitryptoline, Trazadone (Trittico), and Mirtazapine (Remeron)]. The withdrawal symptoms were triggered by the decision of my psychiatrist to abruptly switch me to Pristiq (Desvenlafaxine, an SNRI). After complaints of fatigue and depression, his expectation was that the SNRI would give me an energy boost. This switch was aggravated by the decision to not cross taper. Instead, within 24 hours stopping Remeron and starting Pristiq triggered nearly manic side effects. I was in a hyper-agitated state, dizzy and unable to sleep. He suggested I continue with Pristiq for a week to see if symptoms improved, after they did not, he cold turkey transitioned me to an SSRI (Lexapro) to test its efficacy. Unfortunately, this change didn't bring any improvement. Ultimately, we attempted to reinstate Trittico at a very low dosage. By that point, however, my body had become hypersensitive and reacted adversely to any changes. About 100 days later, my withdrawal symptoms are still significant, with only sporadic periods of reprieve. My most debilitating symptoms include severe dizziness and disassociation (which can last for days), brain fog and forgetfulness, hypersensitivity to certain foods and stimulants like sugar and caffeine, intense anxiety and insomnia, and a persistent, severe ache in my neck muscles that make it feel as though my entire head is trapped in a vise. I also suffer from a constant, low-grade stomachache. These symptoms are negatively impacting my work and personal relationships, which leaves me questioning whether I should consider reinstating a low dosage of one of the original successful drugs (Amatryptoline, Trazadone or Mirtazapine) in an attempt to alleviate these issues. Alternatively, I'm wondering if it would be better to continue without introducing drugs, out of fear of potentially exacerbating the situation. I've also explored virtually every dietary supplement available, but I'm unsure whether any have a real impact. Despite maintaining a healthy diet and exercising lightly each day, I'm not witnessing any significant improvements. Does anyone know of any reliable methods to lessen these symptoms? Since Pristiq seemed to have caused this effect on my body, are there any other people who have transitioned from TCAs to an SNRI and experienced the same negative symptoms? What does the recovery timeline look like? At 90+ days, I am severely demoralized and considering restarting anti-depressants. Having read through numerous posts on this forum, I am well aware there's no simple solution. However, my confidence in my psychiatrist has been completely undermined due to his choices to rapidly switch me through medications and his subsequent trial-and-error approach in trying to correct that initial error. Currently, I take 25mg of Xanax at night to aid sleep, but this doesn't guarantee a restful sleep, and I often wake up in a state of panic. I'd be grateful for any advice or guidance on what steps I might take next, as it feels as though I've exhausted all my options. I'm currently undergoing therapy to tackle my baseline anxiety, which has been beneficial, but it doesn't tackle the fundamental issue - the alterations in my neurochemistry and the impact that years of antidepressant use has had on my brain. I am hopeful that there are strategies or tips out there that might alleviate these symptoms and assist me on my journey towards a drug-free life. With sincere thanks.

Hey all, I'm really struggling with very severe persistent withdrawal and I could use some advice on how to move forward as I'm afraid of trying anything that makes this whole experience worse than it already is. I have been on SSRIs & SNRIs since I was 11 years old, over 25 years. I have a history of having been on many different medications and hospitalization (see my signature), at times several at once, for "treatment resistant depression" and anxiety, and never did I feel great on medication, often still having pretty debilitating periods of depression and anxiety that effected my capacities to "function." I started considering coming off of my medication in 2021 in large part to be able to utilize other supports more effectively like ketamine, psilocybin, and MDMA and to work with the attachment traumas that I believed to be part of the root. At the time I started considering coming off of meds, I had been on Cymbalta for 6-7 years at 60 mg and I wasn't doing so well, so my doctor switched my medication to Pristiq at 40mg in early 2022, and then tapered me down to 10mg by July 2022 when I took my last dose. I wish I had known about this site then and had more peer support around withdrawal because I know now that was way too fast of a taper, and that tapering should've taken potentially years in my case. I also wonder about the rapid jump from a medication I had been on for years to a new medication and then too-fast tapering from there. At first, I noticed the increased emotionality, crying spells, feeling constantly on the verge of tears and so, so raw all the time. I was still relatively functional for the first few months, able to travel and socialize and work a little bit, but I stopped working as things got worst and haven't worked since. By November 2022, I was completely debilitated by deep depression and the monster of akathisia, feeling stuck on the edge of panic constantly but too frozen to be able to move, limbs tremoring, constant nausea, super suicidal, all the things. This intensity lasted through early January 2023. I have really amazing support from my partner who had found this site and was able to help me understand that this was part of withdrawal, as I was convinced that this is just what my non-medicated baseline is. I still struggle to believe that this is all withdrawal as much of it is all so familiar to what so much of my life has felt like. It's hard to imagine I can feel any different. In January 2023, I started working with a holistic nurse practitioner and while she doesn't seem versed in withdrawal exactly, she has respected by choice not to go back on antidepressants for now and has helped with some harm reduction pieces like use of PRN benzos (I take them very sparingly but they are usually helpful when I do take them). She also prescribed Gabapentin to see if it helped with akathisia and anxiety- we started at 100mg and went up to 600mg but I didn't notice any obvious benefit from that so am tapering off that too and am currently at 300mg. Ultimately, I can tell she'd like to get me back on antidepressants. While I'm open to the idea that that may be what's most useful to bring relief and get me functioning again, I'm VERY afraid of having an adverse reaction or a kindling effect. And what would I reinstate with? Pristiq that I was only on for 7 months before tapering? The Cymbalta I was on for 7 years before that? Something totally new that isn't in my extensive medication history list? I'm very confused as to what I should advocate for if I head in that direction, and I wonder if anyone has advice on that specific part. Since January, I've been tracking my "windows" and "waves" and that's been helpful, as I was seeing a somewhat "upward" trend for a while there after January, but I've most recently been in a three week long deep depression wave and I feel like I'm just waiting for something to shift and it's not happening. It's so hard to get myself to do basic things in this state let alone do anything that might bring some support, and I feel a lot of hopelessness about what's the point in even trying. Right before this wave, I had been trying both Sam-E and low dose Ritalin for task-specific support for a few weeks under the guidance of the NP and decided to quickly taper off Sam-E when I read about folks in withdrawal having adverse reactions to it (I hadn't notice anything either way from it but didn't want to risk having to withdraw off another thing) and just stopped taking the Ritalin as the depression was setting in because I couldn't do anything with the added energy so it just created too much extra anxiety. Though I am wondering if this longevity of this deep wave has to do with stopping both of those things around the same time? I know it's hard to know when I make several changes at once and I will try to avoid that moving forward, but I wonder if that lines up from other people's experiences at all? I mentioned Iv'e also been tapering off of Gabapentin in the last few weeks as I didn't think it was doing anything, but maybe I should slow that down/stop tapering while I get through this wave? I have good supports and I'm safe, this is just really excruciating and I am not "functioning" and I don't know what to do next. Thanks in advanced for anything that others can offer.

Firstly, a huge thank you to all those responsible for creating, maintaining and helping on this site. THANK YOU. There is great comfort in knowing there is a warm and understanding support system of those in various stages of withdrawal. In 2003 in my early 30s, I was proscribed Sertraline (25mg) by my GP for an anxiety/panic attack related to a stressful event in my personal life. While an anxious child, it had never been suggested to me to see a therapist or consider any type of anti-anxiety or anti-depressant drug (AD). Even after been given the AD, it was not recommended that I see a therapist. I stayed on 25mg until 2005 when work-related stress required me to increase my dosage to 50 mg. The work stress was quickly resolved (a couple of months), I reduced back to 25mg until 2012 when work-related stress again required me to increase my dose back to 50mg. The work-related stress was quickly resolved (a couple of months) and I moved back down to 25mg. In 2017, a work-related stressful event sent me into a tailspin and I had a breakdown. I met with a psychiatrist and my Sertraline was increased from 25mg to 100mg over a short period of time. The work-related event was protracted and after a few months I switched psychiatrists and the new psychiatrist switched me to 50mg of Pristiq and ultimately increased my dose to 150mg after I showed little improvement. In addition to Pristiq the psychiatrist put me on Gabapentin (300mg) to help me sleep and Deplin (15mg) to assist in the effectiveness of the AD. In late 2018, I changed jobs and, given that the work related stress was no longer an issue, in April 2019, I began a slow taper down from 150mg of Pristiq to 12.5mg in June 2020. At the same time, I started on 20mg of Prozac (2 weeks later stopping Pristiq entirely) to help bridge with the ultimate goal of tapering off an AD with a longer half life. I don't recall when I stopped Gabapentin, but sometime between April 2019 and June 2020, I tapered off Gabapentin entirely. In November, I began a month long taper of Deplin, reducing about 25% of the original amount each week. Today (12/9/2020) is my first day not taking any Deplin. Anyway, I am on this journey alongside you all. I have had a lot of challenges along the way, lots of questions too. I am happy to share my experiences and want to provide support wherever I can be of help. Best, goitalone (meaning without ADs)

Think I’m ready to quit this stuff, on the fence for sure. Once you know what the withdrawals are like I can’t say it sounds exciting. What does sound exciting though is being in the other side. I have been on antidepressants for 18 years, the last 12 have been on Pristiq. The highest dosage 100mgs now I’m at 25mgs. Current Dr. Kept talking me out of stopping and for most of my relationship with her she really couldn’t help me with a plan to do so. She did finally come around to help me come off by getting me on Prozac as a bridge. Then I could quit Prozac after that transition. I wasn’t sure so I sought a second opinion, so-to-speak, only to find a new Dr. Who believes in cold turkey. I’m already at the lowest dose so I can’t taper from there. She did give me a prescription of hydroxyzine to help with the withdrawals but it’s for anxiety and make you drowsy, can’t imagine taking that to help me during the daytime when I’m supposed to function. Anyway, I think this group may be a good fit for me. I need to hear the stories of those who are on the other side of this. Not so much of, don’t do this or don’t do that. I already know most don’t believe in cold turkey. I need to get in a good mindset to start.

I am currently taking 40 mg of Prozac ( 1 week) along with 37.5 of Effexor ER (4 months). My goal is to get off of Effexor. I am currently having a great deal of anxiety. How can I make this work? Becky