Quitting Antidepressants Cold-Turkey - Coping With Withdrawal

You talk to your ear/nose/throat doctor or your pharmacist about safely reducing your dosage to the point of where you can fully stop using them.

If that is specifically your request, that is the information that they will give you. You're worried about side effects, you have a good enough reason to stop, but you're looking for guidance on how to stop. They will provide this.

>Cold-Turkey
Don't mess around when it comes to brain medicine, sudden stops are fucking stupid. Ween off.

Do you have the possibility to get off progressively ? Like take half a dose/day or a dose every 2 days etc etc and change the dose to a smaller one every 2/3 weeks. Even a small dose change can diminish the side effects so you'll start feelings effects before the end of the withdrawal. But I don't know your situation so maybe you can't do that.

Currently withdrawing off Zoloft, Mitrazpine and Olanzpine. Your going to feel like shit for at least two weeks. I'm only a week in. Fuck antidepressants as you said placebo even work better.

There's a study that says that one session of exercise is as effective or more effective than taking an antidepressant. Check that shit out so you know what level/kind of exercise is required.

Don't try to get off those meds on your own. There is no point to go through hellish withdrawal symptoms when your doctor can just wean you off them without having any withdrawal symptoms at all.

If you're going to start treating it naturally you better look up every way in the book there is and make the best damn strategy you can out of that information. Because depression shouldn't be taken lightly. Be prepared to conquer it with the best combination of tactics and therapies modern medicine has created.

>>17865984
>>17865980
I understand that tapering the dosage is the healthiest way to go, but I can't see my doctor for another month, plus weaning off takes too long. I'd rather just tough it through and be done with it.

>>17866040
well why the fuck not? she's your doctor, call or e-mail her, it's her work to help you. if she's on vacation or something she'll get you another doctor

or just drop your meds and deal with withdrawal, if you even get them, it's not really that bad

>>17866040
It's not just a question of healthy, it's a question of possible. Maybe you'll find a way to brutally get off your ad with acceptable side effects. Maybe you won't. It's not a question of saying what your should or shouldn't do, but to considerate your options so you can figure out what exactly you're going to do.

This said, do you have the possibility to see a pharmacist before seeing your doctor ? Or anyone with a solid medical expertise ?

>>17866040
You can seriously fuck yourself up coming off antidepressants cold turkey. Risks of seizures and suicide are two possibilities. Do you really want to be a stubborn ass about this, is cutting your dose in half every other day for a week and then taking a half dose every day for a week until you stop really that big of a deal for you?
If you really want to do this despite the risks there's nothing you can do to make sure you can "come out alive" you have no idea how your body will react to withdraw.
Also I noticed that you said that you don't think that you even have depression, that's because the meds are working. I didn't think I had depression after being Wellbutrin for a year. I went off them cold turkey and had the worst, most self destructive two years of my life.
You should really consider all this OP. Google "going cold turkey on Effexor" I'm not seing any convincing stories.

>>17866050
>>17866080
>>17866063
Well...I guess I'll just wait for my next appointment and ask my doc to wean me off.
I was pretty pumped to just be done with this vile shit once and for all, but I suppose doing it the gradual, "healthy" way is the way to go.

I'll be a little bit more patient with this. Thanks for the advice.

>>17866092
good luck anon, hope everything goes well.

>>17866092
good luck, take care. Hope things will be ok for you. I think you're making the most sensible decision.

First of all placebos don't work better, antidepressants only work slightly better with more side effects. Effexor is a drug which basically works like all other modern antidepressants, the inhibit the reuptake of serotonin. It is a newer drug, however there are better drugs with a better antidrepressant effect. If you want to stop taking it, you should consider if you want to get off cold turkey (which I only recommend in only few cases, depending on the patient) or taking less and less during a period of time. What is your daily dose?