Yes, very slowly and with lots of selfcare and support. Dr. Peter Breggin, a psychiatric pioneer and patient advocate, write about this. It took my boyfriend 1 year 3 months to wean off of 60 mg of Prozac that he had been on half his life. Within one month his coping skills were lacking and he had a set back. I quit cold turkey after no pdoc would help me step down. A pcp said it would only take 2 weeks. 2 weeks?!? No way. 6 years later for me and 2 for him, I have reached my goals, his is still a work in progress. This is definitely a marathon and not a sprint. Support to everyone reading this 💕
Thank you Douglas. I've been on 20 mg citalopram for years. Started tapering april 2019 and I'm still at 2 mg today. Average taper was a little over 1% from previous dose per week. When I tried faster I had most horrible withdrawal symptoms. Most doctors know nothing about wd and prescribe another antidepressant as soon as you start having wd problems. Take these meds very seriously .
I've been trying so many different meds throughout my life (I'm 45 now 2022, and I started when I was 19) Some of the side effects and withdrawals were beyond horrid. I keep trying to tell my providers that I'm sensitive to medications of all kinds, and to start me on the lowest dose, not the "therapeutic dose" they recommend. I took one pill of Lex one time and didn't know who, what, or where I was for 3 days 😱 Another time I thought I could fly to work. Needless to say I called in that day. I've had those terrible "brain zaps" from Zol. I've been trying to taper off Klon for years now, and for now, being it's the height of "anxiety season" for me, we put a halt to the taper until after the holidays. Thank you for bringing these back, sometimes it's nice to see videos I've missed! Also downloaded the book as well as you book 😊 Happy end of DST, my cat is already wondering what the heck is going on, as I traipse around the apartment messing with all the "beeping things" on the walls lol (He hates beeps, bangs, and any other loud sudden noises)
@@DouglasBloch It's hard to let them know when things are OK and when they're not (I had to train my cat to not be an escape artist, I would make noise at the door so he would move away or he would sit right at the door and I couldn't get it open since I didn't want to hurt him)
Thank you for posting this. I'm following a super slow taper off of escitolopram ....I was on it for 8 weeks originally...and I got symptoms like you describe....feeling agitated, and my prescriber didn't believe me either...she also didn't believe that I had insomnia from the drug, oh no your dose is too low, it's just your anxiety 🙄. Gaslighting. I'm down to 1mg from the highest of 7.5. It's been over a year. I'm scared to get WD so slow I go....I'm going through perimenopause and loss and have an anxiety disorder so it's hard to tell if I'm getting WD...but I'm doing my best💜
I’ve been on venlafaxine 37.5 mg for 6 yrs , I’d really like to start tapering off them , I’ve looked to find info on how to do,this To no avail , and thought ok this video maybe the one .. oh well back to square one ..
Is cbd anygood for depression/ anxiety most of the time u don't think antidepressants work but I still take thinking of trying so natural medicine I'm on Mirtazapine
HinDouglas,my brain zaps continued even after my lowest dosage of anti depressants..I broke up capsule that averaged about 90-100 beads went down by ten beads weakly until 50 then down to 5s then 1or 2 beads..all over about 3 months and had zero brain zaps or sides at all, if I had to rely on last dosage I doubt I'd be off them now,best thing I ever done
Yes, I have two audiobooks on audible.com They are words that heal and When Going Through Hell ... Don't Stop! www.audible.com/pd/Words-That-Heal-Audiobook/B0963YZ3NX?qid=1667793919&sr=1-1&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=6CXEASDS78EA9227AE60 And here is the link for When Going Through Hell... tinyurl.com/bbxd9knu
I have heard of people that go off their medications because they are feeling fine and then they have had severe relapses of depression, anxiety and paranoia. There is nothing wrong with being on these meds if they improve the quality of your life. If you have a chemical imbalance, the meds help fill the void and there's no shame in that. Choosing to go off of them eventually is a personal choice, but is it worth the risk if you're functioning fine by being on them? Something to seriously consider.
Actually, it did cause akathisia in me. As for propanolol, it does help with anxiety so it might be useful. I would definitely talk to your Prescriber.
Hey Doug I've followed you for a while and I relate alot to the depression amd mxiety symptoms you experienced. My anxiety gets so bad and my head and brain feels like there buzzing and I've literally hit myself in the head to lol can I send you an email?
Yes, very slowly and with lots of selfcare and support. Dr. Peter Breggin, a psychiatric pioneer and patient advocate, write about this.
It took my boyfriend 1 year 3 months to wean off of 60 mg of Prozac that he had been on half his life. Within one month his coping skills were lacking and he had a set back.
I quit cold turkey after no pdoc would help me step down. A pcp said it would only take 2 weeks. 2 weeks?!? No way.
6 years later for me and 2 for him, I have reached my goals, his is still a work in progress. This is definitely a marathon and not a sprint. Support to everyone reading this 💕
Thank you so much for this!!!
Thank you Douglas. I've been on 20 mg citalopram for years. Started tapering april 2019 and I'm still at 2 mg today. Average taper was a little over 1% from previous dose per week. When I tried faster I had most horrible withdrawal symptoms. Most doctors know nothing about wd and prescribe another antidepressant as soon as you start having wd problems. Take these meds very seriously .
I've been trying so many different meds throughout my life (I'm 45 now 2022, and I started when I was 19) Some of the side effects and withdrawals were beyond horrid. I keep trying to tell my providers that I'm sensitive to medications of all kinds, and to start me on the lowest dose, not the "therapeutic dose" they recommend. I took one pill of Lex one time and didn't know who, what, or where I was for 3 days 😱 Another time I thought I could fly to work. Needless to say I called in that day. I've had those terrible "brain zaps" from Zol. I've been trying to taper off Klon for years now, and for now, being it's the height of "anxiety season" for me, we put a halt to the taper until after the holidays.
Thank you for bringing these back, sometimes it's nice to see videos I've missed! Also downloaded the book as well as you book 😊
Happy end of DST, my cat is already wondering what the heck is going on, as I traipse around the apartment messing with all the "beeping things" on the walls lol (He hates beeps, bangs, and any other loud sudden noises)
I just got a new cat and he is the same way. Even if I shut the door gently he jumps up and runs upstairs
@@DouglasBloch It's hard to let them know when things are OK and when they're not (I had to train my cat to not be an escape artist, I would make noise at the door so he would move away or he would sit right at the door and I couldn't get it open since I didn't want to hurt him)
Thank you for posting this. I'm following a super slow taper off of escitolopram ....I was on it for 8 weeks originally...and I got symptoms like you describe....feeling agitated, and my prescriber didn't believe me either...she also didn't believe that I had insomnia from the drug, oh no your dose is too low, it's just your anxiety 🙄. Gaslighting.
I'm down to 1mg from the highest of 7.5. It's been over a year. I'm scared to get WD so slow I go....I'm going through perimenopause and loss and have an anxiety disorder so it's hard to tell if I'm getting WD...but I'm doing my best💜
Does your Prescriber not believe you still? If so you might want to look for a different Prescriber
@@DouglasBloch I abandoned that prescriber a long time ago...now have a holistic MD working with me.
I’ve been on venlafaxine 37.5 mg for 6 yrs , I’d really like to start tapering off them , I’ve looked to find info on how to do,this
To no avail , and thought ok this video maybe the one .. oh well back to square one ..
Thank you .. very slow 10% or less hyperbole tapering .. with stabilization periods each taper 🙏🙏
You're welcome.
Is cbd anygood for depression/ anxiety most of the time u don't think antidepressants work but I still take thinking of trying so natural medicine I'm on Mirtazapine
Some people say that CBD helps with anxiety. I did a video on CBD. ruclips.net/video/6dj7gFDjUME/видео.html
HinDouglas,my brain zaps continued even after my lowest dosage of anti depressants..I broke up capsule that averaged about 90-100 beads went down by ten beads weakly until 50 then down to 5s then 1or 2 beads..all over about 3 months and had zero brain zaps or sides at all, if I had to rely on last dosage I doubt I'd be off them now,best thing I ever done
I'm glad you found a way to successfully taper
@@DouglasBloch it was the only way ...for me
Hey Douglas,
Can I buy any of your books on audio books?
Yes, I have two audiobooks on audible.com They are words that heal and When Going Through Hell ... Don't Stop!
www.audible.com/pd/Words-That-Heal-Audiobook/B0963YZ3NX?qid=1667793919&sr=1-1&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=6CXEASDS78EA9227AE60
And here is the link for When Going Through Hell...
tinyurl.com/bbxd9knu
@@DouglasBloch great thanks!
I hope you can get them.
I have heard of people that go off their medications because they are feeling fine and then they have had severe relapses of depression, anxiety and paranoia. There is nothing wrong with being on these meds if they improve the quality of your life. If you have a chemical imbalance, the meds help fill the void and there's no shame in that. Choosing to go off of them eventually is a personal choice, but is it worth the risk if you're functioning fine by being on them? Something to seriously consider.
I completely agree.
Does venlafaxine(effexor) cause akathisia? Will propranolol counteract akathisia?
Actually, it did cause akathisia in me. As for propanolol, it does help with anxiety so it might be useful. I would definitely talk to your Prescriber.
WorldTaperingDay 🌎
Please stop calling it discontinuation syndrome. It’s incorrect. It’s called withdrawal.
Thanks.
Hey Doug I've followed you for a while and I relate alot to the depression amd mxiety symptoms you experienced. My anxiety gets so bad and my head and brain feels like there buzzing and I've literally hit myself in the head to lol can I send you an email?
OK. What would you like to ask