Coming off anti-depressants, advice please.

[NewYearNewStart]

I have been an onti-depressants for some years now and feel i no longer know what I like without them.

I last visited my GP at the end of November and to cut a long story short I ended up in a flood of tears and she wanted to put them up even more. She certainly didn't want to entertain the idea of cutting them down or even out.

I really feel that i need to see how I am without them though, i'm not even sure if they even work anymore.

I've already halfed the dose taking it down to the 'normal' level for most. Although I do feel a little whoozy and i've felt faint at times I don't feel any more low than i did before.

I know you shouldn't go against the dr but I do need to do this, for me.

What's the best way to come off and over what time period?

Thank you.

bumping this for you.

I've only come off ADs once, did it too quickly, got rather ill and had some seriously strange side effects for a while - not much fun. So I'm not the best person to reply, hopefully others will be along soon. Lots of experience with depression and anxiety though

I understand why you want to do this but I would recommend you go back to you doc, say you are coming off them regardless and ask how to do it. She will be able to tell you how to do it properly as I believe the procedure varies with what type sof ADs you are on, what dose and how long you have been on them.

Thank you for understanding, I thought i'd get shot down for doing this!

What kind of strange side effects did you have? and quickly did you come off (so I know what not to do!).

I've come off old anti-depressants before but this is different. I came off over a few days and suffered a lot and was absolutely crippled with depression then (I was coming off to try another).

I probably should go back to see my gp, I know that's what I should do. I hate going though (big time) and absolutely hate making any kind of fuss, I always feel like i'm wasting their time.

just bumping.

on ADs myself but just started back up on them so right now don't want to go back to what i was before i started them again!

good luck.

Thank you, expat.

Btw I don't want anyone to think that taking ads is a bad thing if they're needed, I don't doubt I probably owe my life to them.

I still really need to see how I am though, it's been such a long time. I'm not even sure how I feel anymore.

Oh and i've told 1 close friend what i'm doing so she can keep a bit of an eye on me for any changes I might not notice. I honestly am trying to be sensible.

I don't think you are wasting their time at all since you have already been once but not had your query answered. It is a serious matter and when you have children to think about too you ned to make sure you are doing things right.

I came off 20mg citalopram having been on it for 5 months or so. I went down to 10mg a day for about 14-16 days, then down to 5mg (not very accurate dose as the 10mg are hard to break in half accurately unlike the 20mg). I stayed on the 5mg for about a week then came off completely.

Side effects were twitching of the face and whole head, shaking hands and generally all over and for one afternoon I couldn't talk properly - really weird. I have to say I have not heard of anyone else suffering such severe things - esp coming off such a relatively low original dose. What I can say is that when the withdrawl symptoms got too much I could just take a higher dose and make them go away (until the next dose was due) I did this twice.

I originally wrote a longer post saying why I came off them so quickly etc but my stupid computer which is driving me insane decided to browse backwards (does this for no reason from time to time) so I lost it and I am too brain dead to write it all again

I've heard of people taking their normal dose, but every other day. This is what my GP recommended to me today. I take sertraline, but quite a low dose I think.

I was on Prozac for nearly 10 years, and I came off them very very slowly. I felt they were doing nothing for me. I took fewer and fewer over a week until it really wasn't worth taking any. You must check with your doctor on the best way to come off your specific tablets as they're all slightly different.

I've been on and off Sertraline over more recent years, and I can't remember anything much about coming off them.

I hope you don't get withdrawal symptoms. I've never had them

it is usually not recommended to take one every other day unless your original dose is incredibly small, I'm pretty certain of that.

Coby - I get the sometimes can't talk properly now! I can sit there and know what i want to say but I can't say it. It's almost as if if I talk it would take ALL my concerntration and I need some to stay with it/ This is another one of the reasons that I need to stop them. I also get very 'vacant' for want of a better word, sometimes. I'll be listening to someone and somehow drift off completely unintentionally, I must appear so rude.

It's really interesting to hear all the different ways you've come off ads, I can see now that I really do need to go back to the gps to talk it through properly. I will try and make an appointment in the next couple of weeks and i'll not alter my current halved dose until after that.

I do feel ok on my half dose though, I still don't feel great but I don't feel worse - not at all. If anything the few vague suicidal feelings have actually gone, well so far.

Thank you all! x

Hi NYNS
I came off my ADs over 2 yrs ago now, I visited the Dr & told her I had began to ruduce them & she asked how..I told her I was taking one every other day & she advised me to NOT do that as it was a big shock to my system going from 7 a week to say 3 or 4 a week. She gave me a chart on how to ruduce them which was over an 8 week period.
I was on Sertraline 50mg & these tablets could be broken in half & the first week was reduced by just half a tablet, so therefore going from 7 tabs a week to 6 1/2 & so on.
But I do suggest that you ask your GP to maybe sort a chart out for you as this was the only time I have come off the AD's & stayed off them. I then went on to take St Johns Wort instead.

I felt depressed recently (not realising it was severe PMS)& the GP gave me AD's again, reluctantly I took them for 3 days, but suffered with sever headaches, delayed reactions &it was just like I was doped up really, so I stopped taking them. Couldnt believe the side affects from these tables that I had taken for years.

Good Luck & hope it works out for you, very couragous thing to do too!

You have not said which AD you are on - if it's Seroxat then it is available in liquid form - ideal for cutting down v gradually. Don't know if any others are but it's worth asking your GP

I'm on Trazodone Hydrochloride, it's a tricyclic. I've had it in tablets and capsules over the time i've been on it (depending on the dose).

I've got a litte bit of time next week so i'm going to schedule in a gp's appointment and brave it..

i still feel ok on the lowered dose, apart from some weird bug that i've had over the weekend that has left me feeling less than par. It's certainly given me encouragement as has you!

There is a website called www.theroadback.co.uk which gives some useful information on withdrawal from ads. I'd be interested in hearing others' opinions of it.

Hi Newyearstart. I had had a major withdrawal problem with seroxat following PND and still take a very small dose of a tricyclic to stop withdrawl happening again (i am very very sensitive to medication and that is why i have had specific probs - altho lots of people find coming off seroxat difficult).

I got down to the tiny dose just by reducing very very slowly.

Its definately worth talking to the doctor about it & get their advice on how quickly to reduce.

You might find the side effects you think are due to the medication (confusion etc) reduce before you even get down to 0.

Good luck!!