Tapering Safely off Antidepressants

Initially I went off all RX cold Turkey for 3 days and found that would not work

I then tapered off

New research investigating current antidepressant tapering trends finds that strategies for reducing doses over time can lead to varying results in different individuals.

The review, published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, advocates for a “one-size-fits-all” taper approach to ensure that withdrawal prevention is taken into consideration while simultaneously allowing for a process that is straightforward and not unnecessarily complex for most patients.

Withdrawal symptoms from antidepressants are common and can include dizziness, nausea, anxiety, depression, and “brain zaps,” which are sensations of electric shocks inside the head, among other symptoms. Given the overlap in symptoms between depression and antidepressant withdrawal, depressive relapse and withdrawal can be difficult to distinguish, which leads to confusion among patients and their providers.

Additionally, determining who will experience severe withdrawal symptoms from those who will not is difficult to predict, although research has shown that duration of use, previous experiences of withdrawal, and type of antidepressant used provide insight into who may experience withdrawal symptoms upon discontinuation.

Researchers, led by James Phelps, MD, of Samaritan Mental Health in Corvallis, OR, write:

“The severity of antidepressant withdrawal can be mitigated by carefully tapering the dose before stopping. Research is ongoing regarding which patients need a taper and the best way to discontinue their antidepressants. Most strategies emphasize the use of very small decrements in the last steps to zero.”

Researchers Seek Standardized and Safe Antidepressant Tapering Protocol

www.madinamerica.com/2023/01/researchers-seek-standardized-and-safe-antidepressant-tapering-protocol/

Author: GreatCosmicMothersUnited

I have joined with many parents affected with the surreal , yet accepted issue of child abuse via Pathogenic Parenting / Domestic abuse. As a survivor of Domestic Abuse, denial abounded that 3 sons were not affected. In my desire to be family to those who have found me lacking . As a survivor of psychiatric abuse, therapist who abused also and toxic prescribed medications took me to hell on earth with few moments of heaven. I will share my life, my experiences and my studies and research.. I will talk to small circles and I will council ; as targeted parents , grandparents , aunts , uncles etc. , are denied contact with a child for reasons that serve the abuser ...further abusing the child. I grasp the trauma and I have looked at the lost connection to a higher power.. I grasp when one is accustomed to privilege, equality can feel like discrimination.. Shame and affluence silences a lot of facts , truths that have been labeled "negative". It is about liberation of the soul from projections of a alienator , and abuser .. View all posts by GreatCosmicMothersUnited