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When to end the taper and jump to zero?


MatGMax

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ADMIN NOTE The 10% rule keeps decreasing the dose but, mathematically, can never get to zero. As you approach zero, when do you simply stop taking the drug?

 

This is a very good question. This site advocates a very gradual taper for greatest safety. You may know of people who quit a drug very easily -- but if you ever had withdrawal symptoms, you are not that person.

 

Everyone's tolerance for dosage changes is different. It could be that you have been tapering by 10% with everything going smoothly. You may also have found you can decrease every 3 weeks or even every week with no problems. Even so, from what we've seen, you will want to taper as far below 1mg as you can. As you go lower in dosage, your system adapts to the lower dosage. Slide off as gradually as possible. 

 

If you are counting beads to taper, at the very end, when you are down to one bead, you will be unable to divide your dose to taper. You might want to skip doses to very gradually go off. This is the only situation in which we suggest skipping doses.

 

Sometimes people find that, even though they've quit at a very small amount, they might get slight, occasional withdrawal symptoms. You can take a tiny bit (such as one bead) occasionally until these withdrawal symptoms stop, which should be within a couple of weeks.

 

More clarification:

 

On 5/26/2018 at 4:39 AM, brassmonkey said:

The time it takes is all in the mathematics of a logarithmic progression  It doesn't matter where you start it's going to take so many steps to cut your dose by a certain amount. For our recommended basic taper of 10% every four weeks that gives a [half-way point] of six months.  So every six months you will cut your current dose in half.  This makes it so at the higher doses you will see larger decreases over that time spam. I started my taper at 40mg [active ingredient].  After six months I would be at 20mg [active ingredient] and at the end of a year 10mg [active ingredient].  Another year and I'd be at 2.5mg [active ingredient]. Wait a third year and I would be nicely below 1mg [active ingredient] at about .75mg [active ingredient].  It keeps going like that until you reach a point that you consider it safe to make the jump.  

 

....Also if you change the percentage of taper you will change the [half-way points]. If you do a 5% taper every four weeks you double the time it takes. So at 5% your taper [half-way point] would be 12 months and at 2.5% it would be 24 months.

 

WARNING: DO NOT GO COLD TURKEY AT THE END OF YOUR TAPER

 

Cold turkey is cold turkey. Even though you might be down to a tenth of your original dosage, quitting suddenly may still be too much for your nervous system. You can undo all your tapering by jumping off at too high a dosage, and trigger severe withdrawal syndrome.

 

Ultimately, your tolerance for dosage decreases determines the speed of your taper, all the way to going off. Please listen to your body. If at any point in your taper you get withdrawal symptoms, continue going off very, very gradually at the end.

 


 

Hi All,

 

(Note from CC mod:  member's taper rate is faster than 10%.  Calculations have been rounded down, when it is recommended to round up, so that reductions do not exceed 10%.  See this post for more details.  Also this member was tapering Lexapro which is a very strong drug so stopping at 0.3mg was way too high.)

 

Apologies if this has been done to death...

 

I was playing around in excel with a taper protocol and thought I'd share.

 

The 10% is a good rule and very good at encouraging people to go slowly.

Something a lot of us have trouble with. (well me anyway...)

 

But like Achilles catching the tortoise, reducing 10% will never get you to 0.

(An aim a lot of us have).

 

I've plugged the following rule into excel (attached) to see how it comes out.

Rule 1:

new dose = old dose - (9% of old dose) - (1% of original dose).

You plug the starting dose in and it will always taper to 0 in 24 months.

Now this may be to quick for some which brings us to ....

 

Rule 2:

If you feel moderate to nasty withdrawal effects then stop and stabilize.

After stabilizing restart taper from current dose.

(which will also reset the end 0mg end point to 2 years from current dose).

 

 

Here is an example of the output for a 20mg taper (though just an example!!)

Month Dose

1 20.0

2 18.0

3 16.2

4 14.5

5 13.0

6 11.6

7 10.4

8 9.3

9 8.2

10 7.3

11 6.4

12 5.7

13 4.9

14 4.3

15 3.7

16 3.2

17 2.7

18 2.2

19 1.8

20 1.5

21 1.1

22 0.8

23 0.6

24 0.3

25 0.0

 

I'll probably look to start this from my current 2.5 mg Lexapro , thus aiming to be at 0 in 2 years.

 

Cheers

 

Damien

ssri_taper.xlsx

Edited by ChessieCat
Updated admin note, CC added note about taper rate

Off all SSRIs as at November 2016.

 

Been on SSRIs (mainly Lexapro) for around 15 years.

failed attempts to go cold turkey before I got proper info on it.

Over last 2 years I've slowly gone from 20 mg Lexapro to 2.5 mg Lexapro.

on 25th Jan 2015 I've now moved to home made liquid Lexapro.

Plan is to drop roughly 0.2 mg per month over the next 1-2 years.  

25th Jan 2015 2.5 mg Lexapro liquid.

24th Mar 2016 1.0 mg lexapro (crushed tablet mixed and refilled into capsules)

Planned to be at 0.0 mg lexapro by about October 2016. 

I also take 50-100 mg modafinil per day, no short term plans of stopping/tapering modafinil but will re-evaluate after I'm off lexapro. 

 

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What do most people here recommend as the drop off dose, or last dose before stopping ssri?

zoloft 2004-08 tapered too fast(2 weeks)
Luvox 5/08 100 mg 07/10 40mg via small reductions, 08/10 39mg, 09/10 38mg, 10/10 37mg, 11/10 36mg,2/11 35mg, 5/11 34mg, 8/11 33mg, 11/11 32mg, 01/12 31mg, 03/12 30mg, 4/12 29mg, 5/12 28 mg, 8/12 27 mg, 11/12 26 mg, 1/13 25 mg, 3/13 24 mg, 4/13 23 mg,6/13 22 mg, 7/13 21 mg, 8/13 20mg, 10/13 19 mg, 11/13 18 mg, 12/13 17 mg, 1/14 16 mg, 3/14 13 mg, 9/14 10.9 mg,  1/15 10 mg, 3/15  9 mg,  5/15 8 mg. 11/15 7.12 mg.  4/16  5 mg, 6/16   4.5 mg,  9/16 4.2 mg, 1/17 3.48 mg, 2/17  3.2 mg,  4/17 2.2 mg, 5/17 2.0 mg, 6/17  1.74 mg, 7/17 1.58 mg, 9/17 1.27 mg, 11/17 1.0 mg,  1/18 0.79 mg

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Its really an individual decision, based on how your symptoms/nervous system has been responding to cuts through your taper.  Everyone seems to be different about how low they need to cut to and how much to slow down as the dose gets lower.  See: 

Tapering down to zero: Achilles and the tortoise 10% rule

Edited by Altostrata
obsolete link

I'm not a doctor.  My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one.

My Introduction Thread

Full Drug and Withdrawal History

Brief Summary

Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects

2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010

Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal

DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms

Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal)

May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins.

Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes

Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine

Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D

June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens.

Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered

Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days.

April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close.

VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from?



VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made?



VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes?



VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects?

VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes

 

 

 

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Thought I could do it at 1 mg. but I dropped to .8 and had real bad couple of days so I think I will go all the way down to a miniscule amt.

Paxil start September 2003 due to Fluoroquinolone adverse reaction that I wish doc. knew what it was. 10mg. most of the time with a few short runs of 20mg. FAST tapered 3 times and finally hit poop out or a reaction to nsaid's in Nov.2013. Started a 10% taper Jan. 2014 and have been ok until Sept 14 and went through a short hell. Now plodding through and looking for the light with unrelenting insomnia and pain, fog, loss of interests....<p>12/20/14 - .8mg.

1/01/15 - .75 mg.

1/15/15 - .42 mg. better sleep now, hope it continues...

2/11-15 - .25 mg. doing really good!! 2 weeks feel 85% of old me!

3/17/15 .14 mg. Knee pain bad!

4/07/15 .05 mg. this is so small now that I am estimating and just licking it off palm small as a "." 

4/13/15 NOTHING !!!! Took my last little micro dose on 4/12/15. 

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I ain't jumping off till I do the 10% down to almost zero. Too many bad experiences jumping off too soon. Learnt my lesson and now think what's another year or two matter when the alternative might be suffering for years.

Put on Prothiaden for severe depression in 1989.  Recovered.   Prescribed Paxil for another bout of depression around 2000.   Have been trying to taper ever since but always crash about 2 months after getting to zero.   Because of the crashes, for years I thought that there was something wrong with me.   Then found that the crashes were simply withdrawal.   Now following a maximum of a 10% reduction every month or so and ready to slow down any time I feel any symptoms whatsoever.  Feeling good:).

7th Jan 15 - 3.6mg

28th Jan 15 - 3.2mg

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I agree DLB and ever!

zoloft 2004-08 tapered too fast(2 weeks)
Luvox 5/08 100 mg 07/10 40mg via small reductions, 08/10 39mg, 09/10 38mg, 10/10 37mg, 11/10 36mg,2/11 35mg, 5/11 34mg, 8/11 33mg, 11/11 32mg, 01/12 31mg, 03/12 30mg, 4/12 29mg, 5/12 28 mg, 8/12 27 mg, 11/12 26 mg, 1/13 25 mg, 3/13 24 mg, 4/13 23 mg,6/13 22 mg, 7/13 21 mg, 8/13 20mg, 10/13 19 mg, 11/13 18 mg, 12/13 17 mg, 1/14 16 mg, 3/14 13 mg, 9/14 10.9 mg,  1/15 10 mg, 3/15  9 mg,  5/15 8 mg. 11/15 7.12 mg.  4/16  5 mg, 6/16   4.5 mg,  9/16 4.2 mg, 1/17 3.48 mg, 2/17  3.2 mg,  4/17 2.2 mg, 5/17 2.0 mg, 6/17  1.74 mg, 7/17 1.58 mg, 9/17 1.27 mg, 11/17 1.0 mg,  1/18 0.79 mg

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  • Moderator Emeritus

I jumped off Effexor at 1mg, (5 beads) and had awful withdrawal. I reinstated 20 months ago and

have only reduced by 3 beads in that time. Everyone is different but it is astonishing how bad things get

when stopping too soon at such a small amount. 

**I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge.

 

 

Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem)

1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat

2002  effexor. 

Tapered  March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads.

Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013

Restarted taper  Nov 2013  

OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015    :D 

Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014

 

Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg  

 July 2017 30mg.  May 15 2018 25mg

Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. 

 

My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33

 

Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible

 

 

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I jumped off Effexor at 1mg, (5 beads) and had awful withdrawal. I reinstated 20 months ago and

have only reduced by 3 beads in that time. Everyone is different but it is astonishing how bad things get

when stopping too soon at such a small amount.

Thankyou mammaP. More confirmation for me. I'm feeling sooo much more confident about tapering to zero now. I had been dreading it. xx

Put on Prothiaden for severe depression in 1989.  Recovered.   Prescribed Paxil for another bout of depression around 2000.   Have been trying to taper ever since but always crash about 2 months after getting to zero.   Because of the crashes, for years I thought that there was something wrong with me.   Then found that the crashes were simply withdrawal.   Now following a maximum of a 10% reduction every month or so and ready to slow down any time I feel any symptoms whatsoever.  Feeling good:).

7th Jan 15 - 3.6mg

28th Jan 15 - 3.2mg

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  • Moderator Emeritus

As always, though, your body is the expert on tapering, not a preplanned calendar. We just say 10% of the current dose as a general rule of thumb, a starting off point. How we tolerate reductions is very individual. Making up a plan or calendar ahead of time can give you some ideas, but I can't tell you how many of those I've had to throw out the window when my body made it clear that it does not heal according to a schedule I devise. 

 

Overall, at the lowest doses it's best to go very slowly, in my opinion. The upside of that approach is large: You can minimize the chance of going too fast, getting sick, having to reinstate and start over, and all the disruptions and misery that come with withdrawal. And the downside is very small: at such a low dose, the side effects and dangerous drug effects are minimal, and if you go slow enough to keep feeling good you'll already be enjoying many benefits of coming down to such a low dose so you won't be feeling the need to hurry.

 

So I would say, make those last cuts small and the breaks between them long. Take your time. I have seen many many people get into trouble and fail tapers because of going too fast at the end, but I've never seen anyone fail by going too slow.

 

Let me add, as someone tapering, I know this is easier said than done! You get close to that finish line and you want to rush there. But this is really the time when going slow will give you the maximum benefit for the minimum price.

Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. 

Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010.  Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea.

 

Feb 15 2010:  300 mg Neurontin  200 Lamictal   10 Celexa      0.65 Xanax   and 5 mg Ambien 

Feb 10 2014:   62 Lamictal    1.1 Celexa         0.135 Xanax    1.8 Valium

Feb 10 2015:   50 Lamictal      0.875 Celexa    0.11 Xanax      1.5 Valium

Feb 15 2016:   47.5 Lamictal   0.75 Celexa      0.0875 Xanax    1.42 Valium    

2/12/20             12                       0.045               0.007                   1 

May 2021            7                       0.01                  0.0037                1

Feb 2022            6                      0!!!                     0.00167               0.98                2.5 mg Ambien

Oct 2022       4.5 mg Lamictal    (off Celexa, off Xanax)   0.95 Valium    Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet 

 

I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion.

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You may want to read this journal, talk about a microtaper and when he 'jumped off'. His ending dose was so small it reminded me of homeopathy. But he had symptoms the whole time and he was willing to be patient.

 

It is always a good idea to taper as slowly as you can. This is not a race, you only hurt yourself by jumping off prematurely. If you have to updose, your taper is prolonged.

What happened and how I arrived here: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4243-cymbaltawithdrawal5600-introduction/#entry50878

 

July 2016 I have decided to leave my story here at SA unfinished. I have left my contact information in my profile for anyone who wishes to talk to me. I have a posting history spanning nearly 4 years and 3000+ posts all over the site.

 

Thank you to all who participated in my recovery. I'll miss talking to you but know that I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, suffering and rejoicing with you in spirit, as you go on in your journey.

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  • 2 months later...

Hi! At what dose would you stop sertraline/zoloft? I am down yo 2.23 mg now. But I guess I am not ready yet. The last drop was totally awful.

Current dose: 0! Free!  Quit June 2017.

2017: Last dose zoloft: 17 June 0,00065 mg 18 May 0, 001 mg 14 May 0,002 mg 9 May 0,003 mg 28 April 0,006 mg 19 April 0,009 mg 8 April 0,013 mg 25 March 0,019 mg 22 March 0,039 mg 18 March 0,052 mg 16 March 0,079 mg 4 March 0,086 1 March 0,099 mg 22 February 0,11 mg 15 February 0,13 mg 6 February 0,145 mg 24 January 0,15 mg 19 January 0,19 mg 10 January 0,20 mg 3 January

2016: 0,98 to 0,22 mg; 2015: 2,35 to 1,01 mg; 2014: 4,9 to 2,5 mg; 2013: 9,1 to 5,1 mg; 2012: 15,7 to 9,7 mg; 2011: Started on 25 mg - then 50 mg- dropped to 25- to 12.5 mg - back to 25 mg - after 18.75 mg started tiny tapering to 16.6 mg

Started on 25 mg Zoloft in March 2011 due to stressrelated tinnitus that gave me panicattacks. Had a terrible reaction to Zoloft from start, but was told to "hold on". After four months I was stuck. Therefore the long taper. Crazy, I know... Super sensitive to drops and have dropped by 4-6 % from the previous dose.

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AmyK, I moved your question here. I think maybe you answered it yourself.

 

If you're having withdrawal symptoms as you get close to the end, a long hold may be called for so your nervous system can settle down for the final push.

 

As to how low you'll need to go -- maybe others have a guess?

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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  • 2 months later...

Hi, can anyone who has come off Risperdal safely and relatively easily tell me at what dose they jumped off? I'm currently on 0.0625 mg. Today was my sixth day on it. I had cut 50% from 0.125 mg. I am thinking I will jump off after spending a month or two at 0.03 mg or 0.01 mg depending on how I feel. I might also jump off after some time on this dose, 0.0625 mg, if a decent amount of time goes by and I do not experience withdrawal symptoms. What have other folks done?


 


Thanks!


Was taking: 2 mg Risperdal

50 mg Lamictal

100 mg Zoloft

 

Currently taking:

0 mg Risperdal- finished 6/20/2015

0 mg Lamictal- finished 10/6/2015

0 mg Zoloft- finished ~March 2016

 

I am med-free!!

 

My intro thread: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/7656-risperdrawlin-trying-to-come-off-all-psychiatric-medication-eventually/

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  • 7 months later...

I'm sure this has been asked already in the forum. However, I've looked and can't seem to find it. 

 

I'm currently at 4 mg Prozac. I've been reducing by 10%. It seems you could go forever with the 10% reductions so, my question is at what level do you quit tapering and go to 0. Would it be 1mg? My withdrawal symptoms have never been anything more than chest pain, and agitation when doing it this slow, but I fear for that actual point in which I stop medication altogether. 

- 2006 - 2009 Prozac 20mg 

- June 2009- February 2010 OB/GYN recommended switching to wellbutrin while pregnant with 2nd child.

- February 2010 switched back to Prozac 20mg

 

Have been weaning since 2013ish - Currently at 4mg

 

 

 

 My intro: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/5546-kristinacc-intro/

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Hi Kristin-- yea, we have a thread about that: Tapering to zero -- when do you just drop off?

 

It is best to go as low as possible before jumping off.  It makes the taper frustratingly long, but it sure beats having reinstate, stabilize and retaper.  According to the charts the range from 5mg to 0mg is the place where most of the changes take place.  A very small change in dose makes for a very large reaction in the CNS.  Many people I know, myself included have really noticed this.  It is generally recommended that people go to 0.5mg and if possible even lower before taking the plunge.

Edited by Altostrata
obsolete link

20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013.

Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks.  The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better.

Final Dose 0.016mg.     Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017

 

"It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general."  Stephen Hawking

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Be sure to take a look at the charts here:

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6036-why-taper-paper-demonstrates-importance-of-gradual-change-in-plasma-concentration/

 

You can see why it's particularly important to go slowest at the end. 

 

At 40 mg of Prozac you have something like maybe 85% receptor occupancy, but it goes down in a curve not a straight line, so at 1 mg you still have something like 15% receptor occupancy.  So people often find that's still a bit high to jump off.

 

It's highly variable from person to person though, and it sounds like you're doing well with your taper. I don't know, I'd be inclined to say go on down to 0.5 mg, anyway, if you don't have some pressing reason to need to get off faster (like pregnancy or something.)

Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. 

Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010.  Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea.

 

Feb 15 2010:  300 mg Neurontin  200 Lamictal   10 Celexa      0.65 Xanax   and 5 mg Ambien 

Feb 10 2014:   62 Lamictal    1.1 Celexa         0.135 Xanax    1.8 Valium

Feb 10 2015:   50 Lamictal      0.875 Celexa    0.11 Xanax      1.5 Valium

Feb 15 2016:   47.5 Lamictal   0.75 Celexa      0.0875 Xanax    1.42 Valium    

2/12/20             12                       0.045               0.007                   1 

May 2021            7                       0.01                  0.0037                1

Feb 2022            6                      0!!!                     0.00167               0.98                2.5 mg Ambien

Oct 2022       4.5 mg Lamictal    (off Celexa, off Xanax)   0.95 Valium    Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet 

 

I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion.

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  • 4 weeks later...

What is the last dose to just quit it ? I beleive dose below therepeutic dose would be safe as the drug is no longer doing anything to our system. Is it so ?!

age 15 :: put on risperidone 4mg for depression. lost my mind and emotions ever since.... took for. 1.5years with a break of 2months.

age 17 :: stopped risperdal and put on klonopin ,luvox 200mg and abilify 20mg..

age 18 :: started tapering both abilify and luvox. now on 25mg luvox

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  • 2 months later...
  • Administrator

"Therapeutic dose" means absolutely nothing. It's an arbitrary number from the drug companies.

 

You may not be feeling anything from the drug but your system can still be dependent on it. That is not a valid way to decide when to simply quit.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Have been thinking about when I should do my next drop.

 

Although I feel as though I have stabilised over the last few weeks, I should probably hang on a couple more months to be sure.

 

Also, I could be starting work soon so all the more reason to wait I guess.

 

Have answered my own question, lol

Dose History: 19 Feb 2014 - Escitalopram 10mg daily June 2015 - Started taper, 5mg every other day July 2015 - 5mg every 2 days August 2015 - 5mg every 3 days September 2015 - 5mg every 4 days Sept 14th - Completed tapering, but at 7 weeks "drug free" I suffered serious WD symptoms as a consequence of "incorrect" tapering. Nov 25 2015 - Re-instated Cipralex @ 2.5mg daily. WD symptoms faded. Held at this dose and experienced "windows and waves". 12 Oct 2017 Reduced dose to 1.25mg. 13 Mar 2018 Reduced dose to 0.625mg (approx.). 16 April 2018 0mg. Windows and waves triggered by stress (IBS/reflux, headaches, sinus issues) Aug 2019 Mirena coil fitted 6 Jan 2020 MAJOR Wave hit 19 months following last dose (protracted WD).  Symptoms listed below Mar 2020 Mirena coil removal.

Therapy: Nov 15th 2016 Re-started therapy Jan 19th 2017 Started CBT Dec 2017 Started listening to Hypnotherapy CD (self-esteem). Nov 2019 Started couples therapy.

Supplements: "Bioglan" Biotic Balance Ultimate Flora 10 billion CFU, live Bacteria, Probiotic, suitable for Vegetarians, with Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Lactobacillus Rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium Longum"Pukka" Vitalise a unique blend of 30 energising botanicals.

Diet: 16 April 2018 Detox cleanse / anti-candida for 90 days. Jan 2020 Started "small plate" diet (i.e child size portions).

Exercise: Stretching, Yoga, Pilates, Spinning, Elliptical/upper body workout, walking.

Medical Test Results: 4 Jan 2017 Homeopathic Treatment starts 24 Feb 2017 Started weight loss program 24 Mar 2017 Naturopathic Treatment + anti-Candida diet started due to suspected Candida Related Complex (CRC). DETOXED for 7 weeks to "re-set" gut. April 2017 "Genova Diagnostics" Comprehensive Stool Analysis NEGATIVE; Full Blood Count (Normal) / Blood Cholesterol: 5.6 (Borderline) / Blood Sugar (Normal) / 28 Jun 2017 FSH 8.2 / 14 Nov 2017 FSH 17.7 Dec 2017 Blood Cholesterol: 3.9 (Normal) / Kidney Function (Normal) / Blood Sugar (Normal). December 2017 "Genova Diagnostics" Food panel allergy (bloodwork) analysis - a few "VERY LOW/VL" allergens; Mar 2018 "Genova Diagnostics" SIBO urine analysis: High Level of Yeast/fungal markers found in small intestine but NO SIBO.  April 2018 Thyroid (Normal) / Full Blood Count (Normal) / FSH (Normal). 16 April 2018 Started anti-Candida diet - 3 month protocol.   25 March 2020 All test results "Normal". CRP" 5 mg/L (normal range to 0-5 mg/L).

Symptoms:  Flu-like symptoms, anxiety, anhedonia, sinus headaches right-side (severe), IBS issues/reflux (severe)**, tinnitus, fatigue, inner tremor, nausea, chills/hot flushes, pounding heart, muscular issues including stiff left hip flexor, intense anger, PSSD (ongoing).  **Histhamine intolerance (suspected).

Major Life Events: 

Re-located to UK from Canada: Jan 2016

My father died: 5:05pm, Monday 5 Feb 2018 Last Lexapro dose: 16 April 2018 (its now been over a year since I quit ADs)  Moved house: Friday 23rd February 2018  "Divorced" toxic Mother: Monday 26 March 2018 Starting working again: 19 November 2018  Diagnosed with: 5th August 2021 PTSD/C-PTSD Diagnosed with: March 2022 Interstitial Cystitis (IC)/Painful bladder syndrome

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I had to reinstate 1 mg Trazodone after I jumped at 4 mg. I was surprised with withdrawal at 1 1/2 months. I did not have too much of a problem tapering to 4 mg, but when I got hit with withdrawal I had so much nausea for another 1 1/2 months. The reinstatement worked and I am waiting another month before I slowly taper from the 1 mg. I wonder how slow I should go?

 

Marie

10/13--10/14 Ambien. Started tapering 1/14  Jumped 10/14.  Done.                                                                              

3/14        7.5 Remeron  still taking this.                              

2/14         75 Trazodone   -    Tapered by dry cutting all the way down.

1/16        4 mg Trazodone  -  Jumped. Bad mistake. Got hit with late withdrawal 6 weeks later. Reinstated.

4/16        Reinstated 1 mg, updose to 2 mg Trazodone

2/19        .04 Trazodone. Walked off.  Done.

10/3/19  Started 7.5 Mirtazapine taper cut to .073 gram weight, pill weighs .076

4/5/20    New Mirtazapine Taper - Compound Liquid 7.35 mg April '20, 7.25 mg May, 7.05 mg June, 6.99 mg June, 6.78 mg July, 6.57 mg Aug, Sept 6.35 mg, Sept 6.24 mg, Sept 6.21 mg, Oct 5.99 mg, Oct 5.90 mg, Oct 5.70 mg.

1/11/21 6.05 mg Messed up taper due to syringe change. Must remember the 1 ml syringe contains 1.5mg! 1/16/21 5.99 mg

2/21 5.75 mg, 3/21 5.6 mg, 4/7 5.45, 4/14 5.30, 5/12 5.15, 5/25/21 4.99 mg, 6/29 4.87 mg, 7/14/21 4.74 mg, 8/5 4.62 mg 8/17 4.5 mg, 8/30 4.38 mg,9/16 4.26 mg,10/9 4.14 mg, 10/23 4.05 mg, 11/6 3.96 mg,11/17 3.87mg.***Jan 22 Liquid was changed/couldn't tolerate***Changed back to pills. Feb 22/3.9 mg, 2/17/22 3.8 mg, 3/23 3.7 mg, 4/7 3.6 mg, 5/10 3.5mg,6/10/22 3.4 mg, 7/4 3.3 mg, 7/25 3.2 mg, 8/20/22 3.1 mg, 9/15 3 mg, 10/8/22 2.9 mg., 12/15 2.8 mg, 1/6/23 2.7 mg, 2/16/23 2.6 mg, 3/9 2.5 mg, 4/4 2.4 mg, 4/29/23 2.3 mg, 5/26 2.2 mg, 6/22/23 2.1 mg, 10/14 2 mg, 11/12 1.9 mg, 11/28 1.8 mg , 12/14/23 1.7, 12/31/23 1.6 mg, 1/20 1.5 mg, 2/6/24 1.4 mg, 2/12 updose 1.5 mg. Taking multi-vitamin, vit. D, cholestoff, psyllium husk, and fish oil.

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

The 10% rule still holds at this lower end, in fact it is especially so at this end.  I'm just looking at your last sig. line of tapering details and seeing a fairly quick taper then a big jump to 0.

 

I'd suggest tapering by 10%, holding a month, and then considering your next move.  I don't want you to end up having to up-dose again, cause each change causes further instability for your CNS.  Slow and steady is your safest bet. 

2010  Fluoxetine 20mg.  2011  Escitalopram 20mg.  2013 Tapered badly and destabilised CNS.  Effexor 150mg. 

2015 Begin using info at SurvivingAntidepressants.  Cut 10% - bad w/d 2 months, held 1 month. 

Micro-tapering: four weekly 0.4% cuts, hold 4 weeks (struggling with symptoms).

8 month hold.

2017 Micro-tapering: four weekly 1% cuts, hold 4 weeks (symptoms almost non-existent).

2020 Still micro-tapering. Just over 2/3 of the way off effexor. Minimal symptoms, - and sleeping well.
Supplements: Fish oil, vitamin C, iron, oat-straw tea, nettle tea.

2023 Now on 7 micro-beads of Effexor. Minimal symptoms but much more time needed between drops.

 'The possibility of renewal exists so long as life exists.'  Dr Gabor Mate.

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KarenB thanks for your advice. I know slow and steady is the way to go. I can't help, however, thinking about the Remeron taper I'll have to deal with when the Trazodone is finished. You know the longer I'm taking the Remeron the harder I think it will be to taper. That's my train of thought. I've taken it for 2 years now and it's time to go!

 

Marie

10/13--10/14 Ambien. Started tapering 1/14  Jumped 10/14.  Done.                                                                              

3/14        7.5 Remeron  still taking this.                              

2/14         75 Trazodone   -    Tapered by dry cutting all the way down.

1/16        4 mg Trazodone  -  Jumped. Bad mistake. Got hit with late withdrawal 6 weeks later. Reinstated.

4/16        Reinstated 1 mg, updose to 2 mg Trazodone

2/19        .04 Trazodone. Walked off.  Done.

10/3/19  Started 7.5 Mirtazapine taper cut to .073 gram weight, pill weighs .076

4/5/20    New Mirtazapine Taper - Compound Liquid 7.35 mg April '20, 7.25 mg May, 7.05 mg June, 6.99 mg June, 6.78 mg July, 6.57 mg Aug, Sept 6.35 mg, Sept 6.24 mg, Sept 6.21 mg, Oct 5.99 mg, Oct 5.90 mg, Oct 5.70 mg.

1/11/21 6.05 mg Messed up taper due to syringe change. Must remember the 1 ml syringe contains 1.5mg! 1/16/21 5.99 mg

2/21 5.75 mg, 3/21 5.6 mg, 4/7 5.45, 4/14 5.30, 5/12 5.15, 5/25/21 4.99 mg, 6/29 4.87 mg, 7/14/21 4.74 mg, 8/5 4.62 mg 8/17 4.5 mg, 8/30 4.38 mg,9/16 4.26 mg,10/9 4.14 mg, 10/23 4.05 mg, 11/6 3.96 mg,11/17 3.87mg.***Jan 22 Liquid was changed/couldn't tolerate***Changed back to pills. Feb 22/3.9 mg, 2/17/22 3.8 mg, 3/23 3.7 mg, 4/7 3.6 mg, 5/10 3.5mg,6/10/22 3.4 mg, 7/4 3.3 mg, 7/25 3.2 mg, 8/20/22 3.1 mg, 9/15 3 mg, 10/8/22 2.9 mg., 12/15 2.8 mg, 1/6/23 2.7 mg, 2/16/23 2.6 mg, 3/9 2.5 mg, 4/4 2.4 mg, 4/29/23 2.3 mg, 5/26 2.2 mg, 6/22/23 2.1 mg, 10/14 2 mg, 11/12 1.9 mg, 11/28 1.8 mg , 12/14/23 1.7, 12/31/23 1.6 mg, 1/20 1.5 mg, 2/6/24 1.4 mg, 2/12 updose 1.5 mg. Taking multi-vitamin, vit. D, cholestoff, psyllium husk, and fish oil.

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

I know - so frustrating.  However the whole thing will be faster if you don't take risks and have to backtrack etc.

2010  Fluoxetine 20mg.  2011  Escitalopram 20mg.  2013 Tapered badly and destabilised CNS.  Effexor 150mg. 

2015 Begin using info at SurvivingAntidepressants.  Cut 10% - bad w/d 2 months, held 1 month. 

Micro-tapering: four weekly 0.4% cuts, hold 4 weeks (struggling with symptoms).

8 month hold.

2017 Micro-tapering: four weekly 1% cuts, hold 4 weeks (symptoms almost non-existent).

2020 Still micro-tapering. Just over 2/3 of the way off effexor. Minimal symptoms, - and sleeping well.
Supplements: Fish oil, vitamin C, iron, oat-straw tea, nettle tea.

2023 Now on 7 micro-beads of Effexor. Minimal symptoms but much more time needed between drops.

 'The possibility of renewal exists so long as life exists.'  Dr Gabor Mate.

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  • 4 months later...

What's the jump off dose of seroquel? any insight, experiences?

in 2002- 0,5 tablet cipramil for half a year, ended it uneventfully. in 2006 - citalopram for half a year, ended in horrific state, ditched the drugs CT. 2007-2008 not feeling well but drug free. in 2008 prozac 20mg + quetiapine 25mg. 2009 tried to stop, ended up in hole after couple of months, started zoloft. 2009-2011 zoloft 50mg. went to 25mg in 2011 summer, it resulted in half a year horrible suffering. reinstated, changed drugs, nothing happened. by 2012 beginning suddenly felt great and CT meds. after 4 months came suddenly most horrible human suffering that's possible. was started on prozac and questiapine. started tapering slowly, GFCF diet and Hardy Nutritionals vitamins in 2013 summer. 

current medications: 1) fluoxetine and quetiapine since Aug 2012; 2) Daily Essential Nutrients by Hardy Nutritionals 7 capsules / since May 2013 + omega3; 3) Gluten-free-casein-free diet since june 2013

Started withdrawing slowly since april 2013. Mostly around 10% cuts. 

April'13 - March'14: fluoxetine 40mg -> 19,5mg; quetiapine 50mg -> 40mg
April'14-March'15: fluoxetine 19,5mg -> 14,4mg; quetiapine 40mg -> 22mg

April'15-March'16: fluoxetine 14,4mg -> 7,4mg; quetiapine 22mg -> 15mg

April'16-March'17: fluoxetine 7,4mg -> 5,0mg; quetiapine 15mg -> 7,25mg

April'17-March'18: fluoxetine 5,0mg -> 4,0mg; quetiapine 7,25mg -> 0 (as of 1st Feb 2018)!!!!

April´18-March´19: fluoxetine 4,0mg - > 2,3mg. Jumped off fluoxetine 1,4mg due to pregnancy in July 2019. Oct 2019 severe withdrawal syndrome started.

Took mistakenly a complex for hormonal support that included pregnenolone dec2019-april2020. Stopped it april 2020 and immediately severe akathisia started. Have had life threatening akathisia since, 100% disabled, suicidal, very hard to hold on. 

 

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  • 2 months later...

The last time I came off of prozac, I tapered down to 0.4 mg, then went cold turkey from there.  I had withdrawal reactions for a few months.  Since then, I came off of a far higher dose, far too fast, and crashed hard.  So, I'm wondering how far I should taper before stopping.  Going from 5 mg to 1/100 of a mg, at a dose-adjusted rate of 10% per month would take 249 weeks, or 4.8 years. At this rate, I could go down to a millionth of a dose in 587 weeks, or 11.3 years.  

 

At some point it gets ridiculous.  At what point should I simply go cold turkey?

Thanks

various SSRI for years

 

20 mg Lyrica 2010

30 mg to 0 mg Prozac 2012

Reinstate 20 mg Prozac 2012

Drop to 19 mg Prozac 2013

Reinstate 20 mg Prozac 1 month later (2013)

Gradual decrease of Prozac dosage starting in late summer of 2015, currently at 11.2 mg/day

 

use of vitamin D3, fish oil, and magnesium at various times

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My math was off.  The above is in months, not weeks.  I'm looking at half a decade to stop at 1/10 mg.

various SSRI for years

 

20 mg Lyrica 2010

30 mg to 0 mg Prozac 2012

Reinstate 20 mg Prozac 2012

Drop to 19 mg Prozac 2013

Reinstate 20 mg Prozac 1 month later (2013)

Gradual decrease of Prozac dosage starting in late summer of 2015, currently at 11.2 mg/day

 

use of vitamin D3, fish oil, and magnesium at various times

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I am down to 0.24 mg zoloft. It seems easier to taper now. 1 mg to 0,6 was soo hard!

Anyway I will go further down, I still feel side effects and some wd symptoms.

I guess it's very individual.

Current dose: 0! Free!  Quit June 2017.

2017: Last dose zoloft: 17 June 0,00065 mg 18 May 0, 001 mg 14 May 0,002 mg 9 May 0,003 mg 28 April 0,006 mg 19 April 0,009 mg 8 April 0,013 mg 25 March 0,019 mg 22 March 0,039 mg 18 March 0,052 mg 16 March 0,079 mg 4 March 0,086 1 March 0,099 mg 22 February 0,11 mg 15 February 0,13 mg 6 February 0,145 mg 24 January 0,15 mg 19 January 0,19 mg 10 January 0,20 mg 3 January

2016: 0,98 to 0,22 mg; 2015: 2,35 to 1,01 mg; 2014: 4,9 to 2,5 mg; 2013: 9,1 to 5,1 mg; 2012: 15,7 to 9,7 mg; 2011: Started on 25 mg - then 50 mg- dropped to 25- to 12.5 mg - back to 25 mg - after 18.75 mg started tiny tapering to 16.6 mg

Started on 25 mg Zoloft in March 2011 due to stressrelated tinnitus that gave me panicattacks. Had a terrible reaction to Zoloft from start, but was told to "hold on". After four months I was stuck. Therefore the long taper. Crazy, I know... Super sensitive to drops and have dropped by 4-6 % from the previous dose.

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What occurs to me is that if these drugs are active at concentrations of 1% their prescribed dosage, perhaps they should be prescribed starting at these very low dosages.  Then, I'm not really for their use at all after all that I've been through.

various SSRI for years

 

20 mg Lyrica 2010

30 mg to 0 mg Prozac 2012

Reinstate 20 mg Prozac 2012

Drop to 19 mg Prozac 2013

Reinstate 20 mg Prozac 1 month later (2013)

Gradual decrease of Prozac dosage starting in late summer of 2015, currently at 11.2 mg/day

 

use of vitamin D3, fish oil, and magnesium at various times

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I agree with you. 50 mg was too much for me. I woke up like a zombie each day.

They should never be prescripted...

Current dose: 0! Free!  Quit June 2017.

2017: Last dose zoloft: 17 June 0,00065 mg 18 May 0, 001 mg 14 May 0,002 mg 9 May 0,003 mg 28 April 0,006 mg 19 April 0,009 mg 8 April 0,013 mg 25 March 0,019 mg 22 March 0,039 mg 18 March 0,052 mg 16 March 0,079 mg 4 March 0,086 1 March 0,099 mg 22 February 0,11 mg 15 February 0,13 mg 6 February 0,145 mg 24 January 0,15 mg 19 January 0,19 mg 10 January 0,20 mg 3 January

2016: 0,98 to 0,22 mg; 2015: 2,35 to 1,01 mg; 2014: 4,9 to 2,5 mg; 2013: 9,1 to 5,1 mg; 2012: 15,7 to 9,7 mg; 2011: Started on 25 mg - then 50 mg- dropped to 25- to 12.5 mg - back to 25 mg - after 18.75 mg started tiny tapering to 16.6 mg

Started on 25 mg Zoloft in March 2011 due to stressrelated tinnitus that gave me panicattacks. Had a terrible reaction to Zoloft from start, but was told to "hold on". After four months I was stuck. Therefore the long taper. Crazy, I know... Super sensitive to drops and have dropped by 4-6 % from the previous dose.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Now I'm stabilizing at 3.6mg of paxil and it took me 20 month to get here from 20mg on for a few years .

 

I will for the first time do a 12% taper each month since that's what my brain can handle.

 

But it does seem ridiculous to go down as far as 0.2mg ... but after a got an accumulation hit last week because I was going 15 to 20% monthly

( 3.4 so I upped it and am stabilizing nicely on 3.6)

 

I don't see it that ridiculous anymore... will take about another 2 years but I really don't care as long as life can be lived normally and functionally.

october 31st 2007

panic attacks after recovering from the flu 

paxil 20mg .

Three attempts to taper

2009 ( down to 1.6mg)

2015 down to 3.5mg 

2019 down to 8.5mg

Crashed each time with stress and back to 20mg each time + 1mg of klonopin  ( because of the paxil updose effect) then  I taper klonopin after 3 month for 3 month each time with liquid.

 

Now up to 12mg paxil will stay forever but again 1mg  klonopin 2 month to taper again soon.

 

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What occurs to me is that if these drugs are active at concentrations of 1% their prescribed dosage, perhaps they should be prescribed starting at these very low dosages.  Then, I'm not really for their use at all after all that I've been through.

 

I agree with you music321, the starter dose of escitalopram is 10mg, at which level you have 80% binding of chemical to the relevant receptor. Why can't they start your dosage at 5mg (which still has about 70% occupancy) and see what happens from there? Sure, you might end up having to wait another 6-8weeks and then updose, but surely that would reduce some of the side effects. I had horrible nausea and diarrhea for the first few weeks when I started on it. 

Started 10mg Escitalopram March 2013
Stopped Escitalopram cold turkey December 2013 (Unsuccessfully)
Restarted 10mg Escitalopram February 2014
Started tapering May 2016 - 5mg
Estimated drops - 4mg, 3mg, 2.5mgOctober 2016 - 1.25mg
Stopped 19 Dec 2016
Withdrawals from 27 December - Anxiety, Insomnia, Nausea, Diarrhea, Headache (1 day), inc heart rate
7 Jan 2017 reinstated 1mg/day escitalopram

4 Feb 2017 - inc to 1.25mg Escitalopram after some feelings of depression returning

Currently experiencing generalised anxiety in waves

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  • 3 weeks later...

Im at 0.08 mg lexapro and still tapering. I actually felt worse after last 10% cut. When you go below the 0.5 border, its not possible to get accurate doses, even with liquid. But still better than jumping off.

<p>Sept 2015: 5 mg Cipralex for 3 weeks. Lots of side effects. Reduced to 2.5 mg for 2 weeks. Experiencing withdrawal and side effects still after dose reduction. Quit after almost 4 weeks on 2.5 mg because of adverse effects. Experiencing withdrawal symptoms still. Reinstating 1mg after 3 weeks. Reduced to 0.50 after 2 days due to sensitive reaction (dysautonomia) and trip to ER. January 2016: After 14 months of tapering from 0.5 mg im now down to 0.08mg. Planing on one more drop before 4-8 weeks healing, then jump to zero. 14.03.17: Lexapro free!

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My plan is to do one more cut, then evaluate response and heal for 4-8 weeks. Hopefully i can go the full distanse to zero then. Lexapro is a strong SSRI, so i will take no chances at this point. Then my last dose will be 0.04 mg. Anyone lower?

<p>Sept 2015: 5 mg Cipralex for 3 weeks. Lots of side effects. Reduced to 2.5 mg for 2 weeks. Experiencing withdrawal and side effects still after dose reduction. Quit after almost 4 weeks on 2.5 mg because of adverse effects. Experiencing withdrawal symptoms still. Reinstating 1mg after 3 weeks. Reduced to 0.50 after 2 days due to sensitive reaction (dysautonomia) and trip to ER. January 2016: After 14 months of tapering from 0.5 mg im now down to 0.08mg. Planing on one more drop before 4-8 weeks healing, then jump to zero. 14.03.17: Lexapro free!

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  • 6 months later...

A question for those of you who have experience in slow tapering and reaching the dosage below 1 mg. (Or for those who have made plans for when they get there):

At some point it gets absurd. It is just mathematically inevitable. If we reduce 10% from the previous dosage, we will be tapering forever.

 

This is why I have created a tweaked schedule for myself where I've rounded up the amounts. That again means that after reaching 1 mg the reductions will be 0,9 mg to 0,8 to 0,7 etc. Jump from 0,2 mg to 0,1 will be a 50% reduction.

 

So far I've reduced by 8 and 9% and have reached 0,76 mg. My "tweaked" plan would require the next step to be 0,66 mg. Is that too radical in your opinion? What have you done or are planning to do when reaching such small amounts?

 

20597154_511943676692_1621442814402171880_n.jpg

  • 2,5 years of slowly tapering down Cymbalta from 60 mg. Then tried going from 8,44 mg to 1 mg in 8 days. (April 1st 2015). That's when the real hell started. Reinstated. Didn't help. I was added Ativan (2 mg 2 times a day for relentless akathisia that started with jumping Cymbalta). For years had been taking Zopitin 7,5 mg and Stilnox 10 mg for I had not been able to sleep naturally since the 1st day I started Cymbalta). Used to take Xanax occasionally.
  • All of the above were stopped cold turkey when I was hospitalized in the beginning of May 2015.
  • Prior to that I have been on and off the whole spectrum of different AD-s for 15 years (since I was 17).

My introduction.

 

Tapering:

  • Olanzapine (starting point 2,1 mg): Jan 2016  /---/ April 2018 0 mg. (From 2,1 mg to 0 mg in 1y 3mo).
  • Diazepam (starting at 5 mg) : switching to liquid May 2018;  4,6 mg (June 2018) /---/ 0 mg (Feb 2020) (From 10 to 5 - nobody knows, from 5 to 0 in 1 y 10 mo)
  • Valdoxan (starting at 25 mg): switching to liquid (Feb 2019) /---/ 0 mg (July 2020)

 

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2 hours ago, erer said:

A question for those of you who have experience in slow tapering and reaching the dosage below 1 mg. (Or for those who have made plans for when they get there):

At some point it gets absurd. It is just mathematically inevitable. If we reduce 10% from the previous dosage, we will be tapering forever.

 

This is why I have created a tweaked schedule for myself where I've rounded up the amounts. That again means that after reaching 1 mg the reductions will be 0,9 mg to 0,8 to 0,7 etc. Jump from 0,2 mg to 0,1 will be a 50% reduction.

 

So far I've reduced by 8 and 9% and have reached 0,76 mg. My "tweaked" plan would require the next step to be 0,66 mg. Is that too radical in your opinion? What have you done or are planning to do when reaching such small amounts?

 

20597154_511943676692_1621442814402171880_n.jpg

I don't have an answer and hope some replies soon as I'm interested in find out what to do too when I get lower done.   But, I am wondering: how are you feeling?  i.e. how has the taper been going? 

200 Zoloft; 10 mg Zyprexa; 4 mg valium as of May 2021;  Valium taper: July 16: 3.5 valium; July 30: 3 mg (paused valium taper); Aug. 23: 2.5 mg
Zyprexa: July 26: 8.75 mg; Aug. 9: 7.5 mg; Aug. 30: 7.1 mg

-------
Dec 1, 2016. 10 mg zyprexa for 1.5 month. Started taper mid-Jan. 2017. Cut 1.25 mg every 2 weeks; smaller cuts 2.5 mg down. Stopped at .6 mg. May 7, 2017: zyprexa free. 
Zoloft: Dec1, 2016, 200 mg. Started taper: Jun12, 2017: 197.5 mg; Jun19,:195 mg; July 2:185mg; July 9,:180 mg; July16,: 175; July 23: 170; July 30: 165; Aug6: 160; Aug13: 155; Aug. 20: 150; Aug.27: 146 mg; Sept3: 145 mg; Sept10:143 mg; Sept17:140 mg....Nov5: 122 mg...Dec3:112.5 mg; Jan14, 2018: 95 mg...Jan28: 90 mg; Feb21:80 mg; Mar11: 75 mg; May2:70 mg; May15: 68 mg; May28: 65 mg; Jun9: 62 mg;Jun25: 60 mg:July22: 55 mg; Aug25: 45 mg. Aug28: 50 mg...Oct 28: 38 mg; Dec.4: 30 mg; Jan8,2019: 25mg; Feb6: 23.5 mg; Apr1:17.5mg; May1:1 mg; May 5: 18;  May 18:15mg; June 16:12.5mg; Sept 10:11 mg; Sept.16:10 mg; Oct. 1: 9mg; Nov. 27: 8mg; Dec.5: 7mg; Jan.1,2020, 6 mg; Feb1: 5 mg; May 1: 2.5 mg; Jn 1: 2 mg; Jy 1: 1.5 mg

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13 hours ago, Madeleine said:

I don't have an answer and hope some replies soon as I'm interested in find out what to do too when I get lower done.   But, I am wondering: how are you feeling?  i.e. how has the taper been going? 

 

So far I would have to say I mainly have the symptoms that derive in one way or the other from a CT over 2 years ago. The reductions I have made so far to this drug, Olansapine, have not brought up catastrophic symptoms (unlike the Cymbalta taper).

 

It seems to me that my AP taper has been very different from my previous AD taper that ended in catastrophe. In AD taper I got specific very strong and overwhelming symptoms after reducing, but now I really just don't even get strong symptoms that could be associated with the reductions. I mainly just have what I call residue symptoms from my CT over 2 years ago (my sh*tty baseline), but this is constant and has been getting better bit by bit regardless of the tapering.

I have been reducing by 8-9% a month and what I usually get is 3 nights of poor sleep and sometimes (which is the scariest) my akathisia acts up for a day or two (very rarely). But that only happened when I tried reducing after 3 weeks instead of 4.

  • 2,5 years of slowly tapering down Cymbalta from 60 mg. Then tried going from 8,44 mg to 1 mg in 8 days. (April 1st 2015). That's when the real hell started. Reinstated. Didn't help. I was added Ativan (2 mg 2 times a day for relentless akathisia that started with jumping Cymbalta). For years had been taking Zopitin 7,5 mg and Stilnox 10 mg for I had not been able to sleep naturally since the 1st day I started Cymbalta). Used to take Xanax occasionally.
  • All of the above were stopped cold turkey when I was hospitalized in the beginning of May 2015.
  • Prior to that I have been on and off the whole spectrum of different AD-s for 15 years (since I was 17).

My introduction.

 

Tapering:

  • Olanzapine (starting point 2,1 mg): Jan 2016  /---/ April 2018 0 mg. (From 2,1 mg to 0 mg in 1y 3mo).
  • Diazepam (starting at 5 mg) : switching to liquid May 2018;  4,6 mg (June 2018) /---/ 0 mg (Feb 2020) (From 10 to 5 - nobody knows, from 5 to 0 in 1 y 10 mo)
  • Valdoxan (starting at 25 mg): switching to liquid (Feb 2019) /---/ 0 mg (July 2020)

 

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