Recently come off long term SSRI's. AMA

[UpUpUpU]

As above. Have taken various SSRI's for years for anxiety and have been on fluoxetine for the last 3 years. I have come off them really slowly and am now a month completely off them.

I feel like a completely different person and my sexual feeling and function has returned. AMA!

Similar situation here - how long did it take for your libido to come back? I'm worried!

When I got down to about 3mg (was previously on 40mg) I started to be able to orgasm a little easier. About 2 weeks after completely stopping I started to get my libido back and now a month after I could stay inbed with my partner all day, it feels so good and he can make me orgasm very easily and multiple times.

Amazing! Thank you, fingers crossed for me then

I can't believe I put up with the sexual disfunction for so many years. It should definitely be made more widely known when you are offered them.

I'm in the process of coming off them, have your brain zaps stopped yet? 😩

Everything is a balance isn't it.. Don't regret being on them. You needed them for a reason and swapped a libido for mental peace. Well done for getting off them though!

I never got brain zaps as came off them really slowly (about 10 weeks from 40mg). I did have brain fog, poor memory, exhaustion and nausea for a couple of weeks when I completely stopped

I feel I took them for far longer than I needed but never had much support from the GP to come off them properly, so I did it sensibly myself

I have sadly been on fluoxetine for around 14 years. I have tried a number of times to come off but gone downhill really fast which scared me.
I take 20mg a day, and probably only take 5 x per week as I'm not good at remembering to take... I know, after all these years!
I would sooo love to stop but am a single parent and have a narc ex partner to deal with, thats my main worry.
How do you reduce from the amount down, if I cut up the tablet the power will be everywhere and when I've had one stuck in my throat before I know it is really, really vile!

I bought some drug scales and each Friday I’d sit and open the capsules and empty out the amount that week. I did it at 3mg drop each week and had no side effects until I was a wel it so completely off it.

I wouldn’t suggest doing it without a doctors support but the slower the better for minimal side effects x

I'm currently doing the same. 30mg of duloxotine. I'm splitting the capsule and dividing the beads. Reducing by 2 or 3 beads a week. I'm down from around 105 beads to 35. Taking it very slow as I believe the withdrawals can be pretty intense and long term if a quicker taper is followed.

Good luck with your taper!

Well done @UpUpUpU . So glad you're feeling so much better.

My question is: if you had your time again, would you take them? If not, what might you have done instead?

This is great, I would love to do the same, mostly for the sexual dysfunction

I've been on sertraline for 13 years and am on max dose.
I started on them for PTSD

Last time I tried to come off then I was suicidal at one point and vowed never to do it again but the lack of orgasm is really bothering me

Does anybody know how you'd gently reduce the dose when the medication's in gastro-coated tablets? I've cut mine by 50% over twelve years but am really cautious about doing it, as I get quite a bad downturn each time and have to suck it up for six weeks or so before deciding if I can cope.

A very tiny reduction programme's more appealing, but all the patient info's very strongly against breaking the tablets.

I am still doing really well!

knowing what I know now, I dont think I would take them again unless I was in a really terrible place. I have so much more knowledge and support now and think I could keep myself out of that place (initially it was situational and then petimenopause).

one thing I have noticed is that so cry more (which to be honest is probably more normal as I see sad things at work) and that my tolerance for any kind of meek or bad behaviour is now zero! My ex (sons father) has taken the absolute brunt of the majority of that! 😂😂

This is so interesting.
I am currently 11 months into reducing from 40mg fluoxetine for 20 years.
I have attempted withdrawal 4x before and the low mood was so horrific I went back on them after 2wks each time or I didn't even manage to get off them at all.

This time I am going at a snails pace. I'm allowing 2 or 3 mths every time I drop a dose . The pattern I have noticed is after 6 to 8wks I get hit with horrendous depression, gloom, anxiety, foggy head, fatigue. I have a massive panic that I am ill again and then after 5 to 7 days it lifts and I'm ok again!

I really want to do this. I want my orgasm back.