Tappering Off SSRI

Uselis

Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2015
Messages
333
Hey,

if this is inappropriate place to ask this, apologies and please remove.

I did some research and found survivingAD website and been recommended 10% reduction/monthly which means off current 10mg dose to 0 I'll taper 4 years.

Doctor insists that I keep taking them for 9 months and then can discontinue which most likely means she's not aware of withdrawals and would likely diagnose those as "disease" reoccurance.

Due to my own stupidity and vulnerability I went on them and not a single dose helped me. Couple days of 50mg Pregnenolone done way more then couple months on this poison.

Is there anybody who did faster tapers then 10%/month and would share their experiences?

Thanks
 

Beefcake

Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2019
Messages
290
Hey,

if this is inappropriate place to ask this, apologies and please remove.

I did some research and found survivingAD website and been recommended 10% reduction/monthly which means off current 10mg dose to 0 I'll taper 4 years.

Doctor insists that I keep taking them for 9 months and then can discontinue which most likely means she's not aware of withdrawals and would likely diagnose those as "disease" reoccurance.

Due to my own stupidity and vulnerability I went on them and not a single dose helped me. Couple days of 50mg Pregnenolone done way more then couple months on this poison.

Is there anybody who did faster tapers then 10%/month and would share their experiences?

Thanks

What SSRI are we talking about and how long have you been taking them? How long have you been on the 10mg dose? What dose was it previous to 10mg?
 
OP
U

Uselis

Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2015
Messages
333
It's called Brintellix 10mg and been on it for roughly two months. Before that I was taking variety of meds from December on/off as I was hospitalized due to really horrible event that happened to me.

I quit all of them cold turkey due severe side effects and left now only with this brand which doesn't offer me much. I have to pay for it as well around 20e/month. So in 4 years I am looking to spend 1000 euro to tappering project ☺
 

lampofred

Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
3,244
Peat email response on Wiki:

[Decreasing SSRI dose] It takes time to adapt to decreasing those drugs, keeping sugar up and inflammation down, including bag breathing, should help. Starting with a little, a sixth or fourth of a tablet, of cynoplus in the evening would be the best way to try it.

[Weaning off anti-depressants] Keeping the metabolic rate and cholesterol up is important, so that repair and adaptation will be quick. Progesterone reduces pain and anxiety, and pregnenolone would be the most convenient supplement for men, but it's hard to find products without allergens. Combining progesterone and DHEA or testosterone can produce the stabilizing effect without suppressing the libido. Benadryl and cyproheptadine are probably both helpful. Withdrawal from morphine and SSRIs and migraine involve some similar processes. (Reference)

[continued] It depends on how much pregnenolone you can assimilate. People would use progesterone in amounts needed to stop the withdrawal symptoms, but pregnenolone doesn't have the powerful effects of progesterone, even in multi-gram quantities, so it's just a matter of seeing what it can do. As I understand the mechanism (migraine, withdrawal, etc.), estrogen-histamine-serotonin rise on a background of hypothyroid liver malfunction, cytomel (and/or sugar, selenium, B vitamins) allows the liver and other detoxifying systems to lower them, and the lower they are, the less progesterone or pregnenolone it takes to block the symptoms.
 

Beefcake

Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2019
Messages
290
It's called Brintellix 10mg and been on it for roughly two months. Before that I was taking variety of meds from December on/off as I was hospitalized due to really horrible event that happened to me.

I quit all of them cold turkey due severe side effects and left now only with this brand which doesn't offer me much. I have to pay for it as well around 20e/month. So in 4 years I am looking to spend 1000 euro to tappering project ☺

I would recommend you halv the dose to 5mg per day right away and see how you feel. You might experience some level of withdrawal at first but this should stabilize within 2-3 weeks. I would take 2,5mg in morning and 2,5 in the evening should give you a more stable blood level. If the withdrawal is too severe you can always adjust up again. But usually its not lowering the higer doses that is worse. I think when you come down close to 2,5mg that part down to 0 tends to be the hard part. Also once you start lowering the dose try not to think about withdrawal or try to feel if you feel any symptoms. It will just make it worse and at some level part of it is in your head aswell. Thats why some people struggle more than others I think. Obviously there ar withdrawal symptoms associated I personally have experienced them but you just have to bite the bullet and think it will get better soon. If you had anxiety before going on anti depressants then that anxiety will likely return since its not fixed. SSRIs are just temporary band aids. Dont miss diagnose that original anxiety as being all withdrawal symptoms. Lots of people struggle with anxiety then they use an SSRI become anxiety free and then when they stop their original anxiety returns. But instead they start blaming the original anxiety that was always there on that its the SSRIs fault. And that its withdrawal going on for years. Its likely not.
 

Hugh Johnson

Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2014
Messages
2,648
Location
The Sultanate of Portugal
I just quit cold turkey. However, that is dangerous. SSRIs are quite similar to hard drugs and quitting a hard drug you have been taking for months suddenly is tough.

But definitely do not listen to d'octors or spend four years on them. You should listen to Peter Breggin's videos:

 

Beefcake

Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2019
Messages
290
Hey,

if this is inappropriate place to ask this, apologies and please remove.

I did some research and found survivingAD website and been recommended 10% reduction/monthly which means off current 10mg dose to 0 I'll taper 4 years.

Doctor insists that I keep taking them for 9 months and then can discontinue which most likely means she's not aware of withdrawals and would likely diagnose those as "disease" reoccurance.

Due to my own stupidity and vulnerability I went on them and not a single dose helped me. Couple days of 50mg Pregnenolone done way more then couple months on this poison.

Is there anybody who did faster tapers then 10%/month and would share their experiences?

Thanks
Dont forget to keep your magnesium high, it will help you to sleep.

This is great advice there some supplements you could defo do reduce withdrawal likely. Even tough its serotonin we talking about it does affect gaba and that in turn affects sleep and your anxiety. Magnesium is crucial to keep you relaxed and feeling calm. On top of that taurine and niacinamide I know both have been used to help with great succés stopping benzodiasepine withdrawal which is equally as bad or worse than SSRI withdrawal. Regarding the taper protocol again yes a 50% reduction when ever you feel ready is usually the way to go. Start splitting in half then go 2-3 weeks see if you get any side effects. If they are manageable then wait till it stabilize then you reduce 50% again. So 5, 2,5, 1,25, 0,65. If you cant split the pill anymore than you start taking that low dose every other day. If you feel its going to fast you could always do a smaller dose one day and higher next day and do that for sometime. As long as you feel comfortable its all good.
 
OP
U

Uselis

Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2015
Messages
333
I just quit cold turkey. However, that is dangerous. SSRIs are quite similar to hard drugs and quitting a hard drug you have been taking for months suddenly is tough.

But definitely do not listen to d'octors or spend four years on them. You should listen to Peter Breggin's videos:


If you don't mind asking how long you've been on them?
 
OP
U

Uselis

Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2015
Messages
333
This is great advice there some supplements you could defo do reduce withdrawal likely. Even tough its serotonin we talking about it does affect gaba and that in turn affects sleep and your anxiety. Magnesium is crucial to keep you relaxed and feeling calm. On top of that taurine and niacinamide I know both have been used to help with great succés stopping benzodiasepine withdrawal which is equally as bad or worse than SSRI withdrawal. Regarding the taper protocol again yes a 50% reduction when ever you feel ready is usually the way to go. Start splitting in half then go 2-3 weeks see if you get any side effects. If they are manageable then wait till it stabilize then you reduce 50% again. So 5, 2,5, 1,25, 0,65. If you cant split the pill anymore than you start taking that low dose every other day. If you feel its going to fast you could always do a smaller dose one day and higher next day and do that for sometime. As long as you feel comfortable its all good.
Thanks!
 
OP
U

Uselis

Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2015
Messages
333
Peat email response on Wiki:

[Decreasing SSRI dose] It takes time to adapt to decreasing those drugs, keeping sugar up and inflammation down, including bag breathing, should help. Starting with a little, a sixth or fourth of a tablet, of cynoplus in the evening would be the best way to try it.

[Weaning off anti-depressants] Keeping the metabolic rate and cholesterol up is important, so that repair and adaptation will be quick. Progesterone reduces pain and anxiety, and pregnenolone would be the most convenient supplement for men, but it's hard to find products without allergens. Combining progesterone and DHEA or testosterone can produce the stabilizing effect without suppressing the libido. Benadryl and cyproheptadine are probably both helpful. Withdrawal from morphine and SSRIs and migraine involve some similar processes. (Reference)

[continued] It depends on how much pregnenolone you can assimilate. People would use progesterone in amounts needed to stop the withdrawal symptoms, but pregnenolone doesn't have the powerful effects of progesterone, even in multi-gram quantities, so it's just a matter of seeing what it can do. As I understand the mechanism (migraine, withdrawal, etc.), estrogen-histamine-serotonin rise on a background of hypothyroid liver malfunction, cytomel (and/or sugar, selenium, B vitamins) allows the liver and other detoxifying systems to lower them, and the lower they are, the less progesterone or pregnenolone it takes to block the symptoms.
Thank you, already have Pregnenolone. Progestetone I am cautious about since from what I understand it's female hormone. Don't want to mess myself even more ☺
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom