I am someone who went through the horrors of a too-fast taper which included debilitating anxiety and violent thoughts, beyond anything I have ever experienced, as well as physical symptoms like excessive sweating and brain zaps. If I need to go back on them at a lower dose I will . I’m 97% off Lexapro after being o it 17 years. I tapered off and I’m now experiencing blurry vision, lump in throat, breathlessness, and stomach ache. I felt chastised and ashamed, and I haven’t been back to see her since. One minute, I was in music class, belting out “Camptown Races.” Then, in less time than it took to sing “all the doo-dah day,” nausea and weakness swept over my body. I’ve been on “Lexy” for 15 years and was considering getting off of it forever. They can help you determine how fast you can taper and help you manage your symptoms.© 2005-2020 Healthline Media a Red Ventures Company. I initially was prescribed it due to a rough period of stress and anxiety and this seemed to be helping. About 10% of women ages 18 and over take antidepressants. I told my Doctor I was thinking I needed 2-3 months to wean off Effexor XR as I had been on before and it was rough getting off of. I resumed my medication and feel better now. Two out of three were emphatic: They always take patients’ self-reported number of drinks at face value, unless a patient’s test results indicate liver damage or other signs of excessive drinking.tell me she’d been told to round up the number of drinks that patients report, and she assumed this practice was widespread. In my experience, tapering makes it bearable; stopping suddenly is never going to go well. The next week was a blur. You should join a Facebook group called “Zoloft should be illegal” (even if you are on a different SSRI). One example is a patient that’s trying to quit smoking.“If you’re underestimating how much you’re smoking, then I’m going to give you the nicotine replacement for that amount,” Ruff says. Patients are surprised to hear that, but I really do take what people say at face value, especially with alcohol intake.”The idea that doctors automatically double a patient’s self-reported alcohol intake reported on a survey of fewer than 200 general practitioners. I have been on antidepressants for 26 years and over 3 months am off them and trying Psilocybin and Lion Mane . It’s unlikely, unless your test results contradict your story. Instead, the symptoms come from your brain’s readjustment after being affected by your medication.While all antidepressants can cause withdrawal symptoms, they’re particularly common while tapering:These medications affect how your brain uses certain chemicals called neurotransmitters.No matter what antidepressant you want to stop taking, you shouldn’t try to do it on your own. He came to set us free and give us (His people) abundant life.I been on antidepressant for 7 years and been tapering about 2 mg at a time out of a 230 mg dose. Weaning off antidepressants, including Lexapro, Zoloft, Paxil, and others, can come with some side effects. Updated: March 25, 2020. After a few repeat panic episodes, my mom pursued the best solution she knew: medicine. It’s up to you when — or if — to stop taking antidepressants, but never do it without speaking to your doctor first. I would have continued taking Lexapro, but getting my meds during the lockdown was difficult for me. After all, the pharmaceutical industry MAKES CUSTOMERS, NOT CURES.Thank you for your success story. If your daughter understood what you’re going through she’d tell you she’s so proud of you, and that she loves you even when you’re down, even when you can’t be the mom you want to be sometimes. The only thing I think that is going to get me through is my wonderful mood stabilizer.i am withdrawaing from 18 years of anti depression & anti anxiety medicines.The author has not responded. Four months of Effexor XR has been a disaster!! It’s not a good idea to quit while you’re feeling stressed or going through a major life change, or if you’re only doing it to keep other people happy (perhaps you should quit those people, instead of the meds). I call them “brain zaps” — they’re like tiny electric shocks in my brain. I have had lots of therapy and I do have the skills to snap myself out of the worst of these feelings, but it is soooo exhausting. So I’ve been off for 1 month now… Cold turkey, and I feel fine. Medication has its place . I have had irritability very badly . The term “antidepressant” applies to several different classes of drugs, the most popular being SSRIs. It works pretty good if things in your life don’t get bumpy and you can stay at peace. Here’s the main thing I know about coming off antidepressants: it’s a complex process, and it affects everyone differently. But I didn’t need to go looking for her. Part of HuffPost Personal. About 10% of women ages 18 and over take antidepressants. I’m now on 5mg. Coming off antidepressants doesn’t need to take ages, ... MORE: I was a teenager in crisis – 20 years on, mental health support for young people seems to have gone backwards. Elaine, I have been off Lexapro now for 2 & 1/2 months. It also depends on the type of medication.All medications take a certain amount of time to leave your body since they build up over time.