Coming off SSRIs after years - any experiences?

[EmmaEmerald]

Hi all

I've been on some sort of SSRI for 20+ years, initially to cope with the stress of work and commuting.

But I think I have hit the point they may be doing more harm than good.

Due to various med changes, and my doctor asking me to have a gap inbetween, I don't think I've had any for about three weeks now.

This year, being medicated didn't stop me having a nervous breakdown over life stuff. I also think weight gain would be easier to address without them.

But short version - has anyone got any experience of coming off them after a very long time, and if so, how did it go?

I won't give a potted history of 20 years but there will be no more high pressure jobs or commutes.

Thanks.

Bump

My son stopped cold turkey after 7 years. No ill effects, he says. I stopped, having tapered, after 2 years and had brain zaps for a week or two but I quite liked them! Especially when I looked out of the corner of my eyes. Otherwise all fine.

Very -very- graduated tapering, was fine

I tapered over a 6 months to come off them. Had a break down around a month after stopping. Went back on again. This was after 8 years of using them. I’m now back to low dose again and I intend to taper exceedingly slowly and try again in around a year. I feel like the breakdown has given me problems I didn’t have in the first place, so I’m loathe to try again but I will.

Thanks everyone

I suppose it feels weird to think maybe I can manage without them. Having a nervous breakdown with them, now that things are more settled, it's made me question the value, and my life circumstances have changed massively.

I had to do two periods of cold turkey while trying to switch and didn't feel side effects. So I'm now still in a cold turkey period and thinking "how about I just don't take them again".

SweetPetrichor sorry to hear that. If you don't mind the question, was the breakdown related to external circumstances or do you think it was caused by coming off them?