I have had severe and long lasting withdrawal symptoms after stopping an SSRI which I was on for 13 years. I tried numerous times over those years to stop, not knowing about withdrawal. My GP told me to just stop, because I was on a low dose and I shouldn't notice any difference. But each time I stopped, within 2 days I was in absolute agony, so I started taking them again, that's why I was on them so long. Eventually I learned about tapering, so I came off them over about 2 months, still not slow enough. I started having a long list of new and strange symptoms. Over the next 2 years I received several new mental health diagnoses and was put on various other drugs, along with different antidepressants. I was getting sicker and sicker. Thankfully I stumbled onto information about withdrawal and learned that it was the drugs which were making me sick. So I stopped all of them. It took 2 years before I started feeling better. Nine years later, I'm still not completely recovered, my brain and nervous system is still trying to adjust after all those years of being chemically altered, but I'm much better than I was. Initially, I was prescribed antidepressants for mild anxiety. Going through withdrawal has caused the most extreme terror and panic, lasting years. My original anxiety is like a walk in the park now. The extremes of psychological and physical symptoms I've experienced through withdrawal have raised my tolerance for discomfort. I also had akathisia on and off for 2 years, the only thing which kept me from ending my life was the belief that one day my suffering would end if I stayed alive long enough. In my opinion it should be a criminal offence to prescribe these drugs, coming off them is a kind of torture no person should have to endure.

This video needs to be watched by all doctors and patients. It's a gold mine of information.

25 Years on Paxil. Try every year to get off this drug. Cannot handle the illness that always follows. Thank you for understanding. I don’t feel unheard anymore. ❤

Patients and GP's should read this before starting on an 'antidepressants'

I'm glad the truth is now being told about the terrible side effects of withdrawal. I didn't have any resources when I went through this back in 2009. I went through withdrawal hell for 3 years after discontinuing Paxil, even though I slowly tapered for 2 years. I took the drug for anxiety for nearly a decade. My nightmare began 6 months after full discontinuation back in March 2009. I thought at first I had a case of intestinal flu, but the terrible withdrawal symptoms just got worse after the first few days of what I thought was the flu. Intestinal problems, crippling fatigue, dizziness, insomnia, chronic pain, brain fog, migraines, leg cramping, and numbness and tingling in my extremities. I had to quit my job and after 3 years, finally saw slow improvement over time. However, I have never really been the same after the Paxil nightmare. I'm 1000 times better, but I still have lingering issues with insomnia and mysterious pain that moves around my body. Thankfully I can live a relatively normal life, but prior to this nightmare, I was an energetic athlete who enjoyed rock climbing, backpacking, mountain biking, hiking, yoga...you name it. I manage to stay fairly active nowadays, but I'm still not the same. Something permanent happened to my nervous system. I am so thankful to have recovered as much as I have since 2009, but if I had to do it over again, I'd never take an SSRI or any other drug to manage anxiety. In my case, even though my panic attacks were pretty bad, I'd gladly deal with that than the withdrawal hell. The cure was much worse than the disease in my experience.

Thank you Mark Horowitz. I have experienced these horrible withdrawal symptoms for the past five months before I managed, after a lot od disagreement, to be put on prozac instead of quetiapine for my symptoms. The psychiatrist thought I had develped an anxiety disorder in addition to my depression. Luckily I had done a lot of research beforehand. I feel much more confident about coming off the prozac knowing about this research.

Akathisia can be induced by antidepressants as well as antidepressant withdrawal. It is a sensation indescribable to anyone who has never felt it, and I wouldn't wish it on anybody. It is not a pain, but is worse than any pain I have ever experienced.

thank you so much for trying to bring this to the attention of government and the NHS... as someone who is struggling with withdrawls and has been for sometime, with no where to turn (I'm fed up of having to "teach" my gp about withdrawls and how their tapering methods are very dangerous). we really need better education of withdrawls as these doctors are meant to be the people who support us in our times of need, it shouldn't be down to the patient to teach doctors this stuff.

Really great video. Hopefully more people will become aware of how bad withdrawal can be.

This should be shared with EVERY doctor who prescribes / treats a patient on “antidepressants”. One other topic not discussed was the newest studies showing that “antidepressants” are actually NOT effective for depression as depression is not the lack of serotonin (according to the latest studies in Germany).

*The aim of tapering is to NOT get withdrawal symptoms or at least keep them to a minimum* . It is better to taper slowly (sneak the drug away) than to experience withdrawal symptoms and possibly have to updose a tiny amount. Surviving Antidepressants suggests a harm reduction taper rate of no more than 10% of the current dose followed by a hold of at least 4 weeks to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug. The aim is to keep withdrawal symptoms to a minimum so that you can live your life as normally as possible.

Wonderful overview of how to safely and effectively get off antidepressants. Thank you.

Because I had a benchmark I knew that my withdrawal and updosing were related to the drug (see below for details). Thanks to Surviving Antidepressants I was able to get off my Pristiq successfully with a 6 year taper after being on an AD for 25+ years. I've now been off with no noticeable issues for the last 6 months. I found SA (the site's nickname) 2 weeks after I had reduced my drug by 50%. This is what happened. I was taking 100mg Pristiq and reduced my dose to 50mg. (Australian government drug authority has not authorised 25mg dose.) During the 2 weeks I was on the lower dose I suffered extreme cog fog where even walking took my full concentration. It was like my head was full of mud. At the end of the 2 weeks I couldn't type. Being a professional typist I immediately realised that something was terribly wrong. I had joined SA a few days before I couldn't type and they had suggested taking more of my drug but I didn't straight away because I was doing a lot of reading trying to understand what was happening. When I couldn't type I decided to take extra Pristiq and after only about 4 HOURS (not days) I was able to type again and the brain fog was lifting. Because I had a benchmark I knew that it was the drug which had caused it.

What an incredibly informative yet concise video for a topic that has felt so complex to, not only experience but, try and research and explain to those around me in a severe state of withdrawal. Thank you for the work you’re doing, I look forward to being well enough in my journey to join the cause in my own way. I will be sharing this video!

Only 15 mins in, it's looking good already. Great job Stevie (sorry for your suffering), Mark and IIPDW. We owe you.

Thank you so very much for this video!!!! Im from the Midwestern United States. My GP prescribed Paroxetine for over 20 years. At age 66 , it became apparent Paroxetine was working against me. (shortness of breath, tremendous weight gain) My GP gave the advice to cut down , no problem -Id be off it 4-6 wks! I ended up having anxiety attacks , worse trouble breathing couldn't sleep , horrible depression.....mega doses of magnesium citrate, and a strong probiotic did help, but still struggling. The good news is the struggle is manageable. Knowing what is happening with my body and mind (withdrawal from SSRI) is helpful in managing the symptoms. I tried listening to this podcast previously but couldn't focus because of withdrawals. Im close to 5 months free of SSRI control, and my focus is returning. I find there are bad days /good days coming off of Paroxetine. The bad days I eat comfort food and sleep.

Thank you for including the explanation of the "dose occupancy"; it makes is much easier to understand. This is something that many SA members don't realise, thinking that because they are taking a small dose that they can go faster. I have included a link to the video clip for this in SA's topic about those graphs and hope that it will help members to understand why they might need to go slower when they get to lower doses. I am also encouraging members to watch the entire video.

Lol I asked my GP for liquid Citalorpam because I’m going through hell and he said low doses are negligible and said I should just take a diazepam for withdrawal. I’m going through intense withdrawal and my nervous system is so sensitive..even to coffee or sugar. I can’t bear this. I 100% blame gps for their lack of understanding around this subject and arrogance.

Thanks for telling your story whoever you are - your personal circumstances sound very challenging. I'm looking for advice going through withdrawals 9 days. Withdrawal was worse on the lower of the dose. Frightening. I'm going cold turkey and I feel absolutely terrible. But feeling is healing. I'm strong willed. Good luck to everyone.

Mention needs to be made of sticking to the same brand throughout and/or that the effects of changing can have surprisingly nasty consequences. Also the different dosing regime when the method of tapering requires moving from extended release to immediate release and the problems it can cause. I’ve been amazed how often people are having difficulty due to IR prescriptions being written for once daily instead of half the dose at 12 hrly intervals.

Very good documentary!! Well done. I missed some information about post acute withdrawal. A lot of people are very ill after stopping, even with tapering. Sometimes years. Hope you will add another video about that! Thank you so much!!

Thank you so much. So clearly and sensitively explained.

Excellent video. Very true and very real thank you x

I am so glad I found this. My arm pain and head zaps have been debilitating. Imma start slowing down my taper.

I've been saying this for well over 10 years trying to come off paroxetine and doctors acted like I was crazy and insisted it was a relapse. I'm glad British doctors are finally coming around, but it's still nearly impossible to find a doctor in the US who is aware of this.

I think it is important to recognise that this is life long. I know we can heal. However, 22 years on these drugs has taught me to be optimistic and cautious and not to expect too much.

Thank you for this information.

very useful, MANY THANKS

Thank you so mutch 🙏

From Saudi Arabia Thank you very much

Thank you so much for this information

I'm glad this info is available but i feel like what's being missed sometimes is that clinical depression is not "sadness" or just a normal reaction to an adverse situation - it is a different animal and "exercise" is not a solution nor is "wait and see" - not when you're acutely suicidal. Frankly, when i was there i would have taken ANYTHING to not feel what i was feeling. Please don't confuse these things! I think it's very importan to learn about withdrawal effects but that doesn't mean that antidepressants of some kind - perhaps of a kind not yet known, like ketamine was, are not critically important in cases of severe clinical depression. You trivialize that illness by confusing it with sadness and prescribing exercise as a solution. It is life-threatening and extremely serious. Immediate steps are necessary to prevent suicide or attempts. It's not a bad mood!

New subscriber! Amazing videos thanks for all the info ❤

I sufferd from tapering Venlafaxine it’s hell to come of 🙏

A big TY ❤

So wish I had known this before tapering, would gladly have taken years to do it without the withdrawal symptoms I now suffer with 😢😢😢

13 years on zoloft. Went from 12mg to zero at the end which was too fast. Chemical torture WD. 3 mounths off, electricity and pain in head, nerves, achy body, panic. Dont know if reinstate 6mg but trying to fight it.

You got keep trying control your mind it will help you ❤

Wonder if the W’s at NICE are watching

Wonderful presentation. I live in the US. Are there any deprescribing resources that you know of anywhere in the world? What do you know about tapering strips? I wish there was a program to attend …Thanks so much for his presentation.

I don’t regret my anti depressant its been making me much more functional for at least ten years. I was so tired of feeling depressed. I wasn’t eating enough it seems to be my problem often but I do have problems digesting certain fats even when i was young. When do people know when to go off. I am afraid to ever go off considering i have issues since teenagehood . If the source stops to get my meds because of this world conditions i am going to be in bad trouble when my meds run out.

There is no advice about if you are in PAWS what to do. Do you have to suffer or how can it be ameliorated to prevent suicide/ruined lives?

I am going through this and had no idea I’m glad I no now but I need help

But, does the brain ever go back to its original chemical balance before these drugs altered them, or do these drugs actually cause permanent damage?

I went into full protracted withdrawal a year after discontinuing sertraline. I was water fasting for detox. Three days in and full PAWS. I had no idea what was happening

This could be me talking here .. GP gaslighting etc .. I’m still tapering off Escitalopram now .. managed to get the liquid after requesting another dr when my GP point blank refused me the liquid and told me I was only ever on 5mg … down to 1mg liquid now

The question I want to ask is this. Should gps be giving out these medications if they have little or no knowledge on them?

thank you for this good information. can you tell me if you would recommend the use of supplements such as Magnesium, L-Tryptophan & Vitamin B Complex, fish oil and the use of food as medicine and avoiding inflammatory food to aid the withdrawal symptoms. can you tell me what you think please

Salve! Vorrei sapere dove recuperare informazioni, o se può rispondere il dottore, sul passaggio da un antidepressivo ad un altro,visto che menziona l' argomento nel video. Si passa direttamente da un antidepressivo ad un altro, oppure l' antidepressivo in uso va prima scalato e poi si inserisce l' altro, oppure si inserisce l' altro e nel frattempo si scala quello già in uso!? Grazie a chi risponderà!

Earlier today I posted about my experience with Pristiq and also replied to another poster. My 2 posts and the other person's post are no longer visible. Is it because I mentioned the Surviving Antidepressants website for peer support and tapering information about how to get non standard doses?

Would this type of taper be useful for other drugs? Methadone in particular? My friend goes to a clinic where patients can control taper for the most part. He is on 90 mg. Many patients say they have not had difficulty tapering until hitting 30mg. I understand a response would not be medical advice- just a discussion about possible applications of your technique which could be tested in the future.

My GP just yesterday denied my symptoms are in any way withdrawal, since it’s now been 9 months since being off. She said it’s anxiety and depression come back and that I need to get back on them. So frustrating…am I crazy, or could this be my brain just trying to regulate again? Was on them on and off the last 28 years…hard to believe it couldn’t have more long term effects.

a mi hijo de 16 años le diagnosticaron esquizofrenia y le medicaron con aripiprazol 15 mg desde hace 11 meses muchas gracias desde Peru

well what happens if you been off the drug for a year ? and not have any relief. how do you get better? i havent seen any improvements with my symptoms after all this time and its crippling ... there must be some treatment like cbd oil or somthing

With this information to hand does this mean GPs will prescribe liquid forms rather than 10mg every other day?? Having spoken with a pharmacist he confided that liquid form was more expensive to produce...

Very interesting. Can withdrawal problems occur after a relatively short time on an antidepressant - say two or three months? I begin to think that how I feel now, having decided to stop taking Sertraline after not very long, is very different from the feelings I had when I started. Then, I was very anxious and possibly depressed, since I stopped I am desperately anxious and bordering on suicidal, and extremely frightened. Is this withdrawal? Or should I have carried on (side effects terrifying) because I am worse, but felt unable to “stick it out” and get through side effect period? Just don’t know where to go or what to do now.

Did you recover Stevie?

What is emotional support?

What is the advice for Trintellix which has a half life of 66 hrs which is pretty long?

Is withdrawal worse for teenagers due to brain plasticity to the ssri?

Coming off citalopram. It’s literally disabling

How to taper when they have u on THREE antidepressants?

Can someone help me with tapering off Cymbalta?

Dirty little secret

So these are very dangerous drugs

I no what you mean but stop. Thinking is all in the mind. Get. B vitamin s and magnesium tablets. Grab it will help you. I'm finishind myself of the tablets. Good luck to you with love ❤️

Relapse kzfaq.info/get/bejne/g7WfkruLtODXY30.html

SAME, I HAVE BEEN SIX MONTHS OFF ZOLOFT AND STILL LIVING IN HELL!

Does anyone knows a doctor that can help with tapering in Dallas TX . Thank you in advance 🤍

Salve! Vorrei sapere dove recuperare informazioni, o se può rispondere il dottore, sul passaggio da un antidepressivo ad un altro,visto che menziona l' argomento nel video. Si passa direttamente da un antidepressivo ad un altro, oppure l' antidepressivo in uso va prima scalato e poi si inserisce l' altro, oppure si inserisce l' altro e nel frattempo si scala quello già in uso!? Grazie a chi risponderà!