Antidepressant withdrawal

[Yellow85]

Hi all

I’ve finally taken the first step of a Gp consultation regarding my anxiety which is unmanageable at the moment. I was prepared to raise the possibility of medication, however, as if it’s not the worse timing - I opened an article on the news today about horrific withdrawals from antidepressants and some really terrifying comments too.

Just wondered if anyone had any positive experiences of coming off medication for some balance? It’s actually terrified me to the point I’m not sure I even want to discuss it with GP now.

Yup, I came off ADs with pretty much no issues.

I did a lot of googling and the verdict seemed to be "do not do the "one day on, one day off" system that seems to be recommended as you're just starting withdrawal every other day if you do that, keep the level constant but just drop it when you're ready and step down at periods of about 2 weeks.

I ended up having to bite pills into teeny tiny quarters at the end to just have a quarter each day but I didn't get any of the nasty side effects.

The other thing to bear in mind though is its not BAD to be on these pills if they're correcting a physical chemical imbalance in your body, in the same way its not bad to be on insulin if you're diabetic. I have a friend who has been on anxiety medication for years and plans to be on it for life, he's much happier, balanced and functional with it as he was miserable trying to cope before.

@StormTreader thank you!!! It’s relief to here the other side of the coin. I agree, I know it’s not bad to be on medication, it’s just taken me a long time to get here as I’ve always had ‘something’ else to blame.

I actually feel relaxed knowing I have an appointment to talk to the GP and get someone else’s opinion. Someone non bias, outside my DH and friends.

Every medication (and every patient) will have different withdrawal effects. Ask your GP what they recommend, then do some research on the particular medication. Most of the newer medications aren't too bad, the key is to do it gradually.

You're welcome :)
It's a scary idea and there are lots of people online who seem to revel in making it scarier, but the key is that the medication is there to try and help.

Everyone has anxiety and low moments, but if you know it's impacting your life then its ok to ask for and accept help - there's a world of difference between "I'm a bit stressed, have a bath" and "I am not functional in these situations because of anxiety and it's causing me real issues in living a normal functioning life".

I had no problems, came off citalopram.
The dose was gradually tapered. Had a little bit of dizziness but really only after I had stopped completely and it passed after a week. It wasn't severe just a bit weird.

Well meds SSRI have a half life so I took that on board missed a dose until I felt edgy then took one. I let my body lead me, no withdrawal that way

Thanks everyone. I had a great call with my GP this afternoon. We decided to try Propranalol for a month to see if it helps. He was open to prescribing antidepressants but we thought this was a good start

I have come off many different SSRIs in my life before and it was fine every time. Felt a bit ropey for a few weeks each time but nothing awful. The key is to do it gradually.

I am currently taking Venlafaxine and am not coming off it completely but lowered my dose a few days ago and to my surprise I feel fine, just a bit lightheaded at times. Venlafaxine is the one with the most horror stories but it's been really positive for me.

Everyone is different and I certainly wouldn't let negative stories put me off trying something that could help my mental health. Good luck

I’ve come off citalopram, I tapered off v slowly and it was fine. I’m back on them now (several years later) and I’m not worried about the process of coming off them when I’m ready.

As StormTreader mentioned, I kept the levels steady but tapered down gradually, and towards the end went on to liquid citalopram so I could get a reliable v low dose. Hard to get prescribed though, as it’s expensive. I may have been over cautious, actually!