Have any of you successfully weaned off of your SSRI medications? I'm about to start taking one, but I am extremely hesitant because I do not want to be on it forever. There are so many horror stories online about people who can't get off them due to the discontinuation side effects. Anyone ever get successfully treated and then stop?
I weaned off Lexapro after trying it for about 4 months, and more recently I just weaned off Zoloft after being on it for like 4 years! The side effects were definitely annoying for a month or two but they're 99% gone now! The only real side effect i had was "brain zaps". It was manageable most of the time. Taking benadryl or CBD can help with brain zaps
That sucks. I was talking to someone last night about the brain zaps of Lexapro. It’s so weird that they do that. I just started Lexapro. Gonna try it for 9-12 months.
Thank you! It's great to hear it's not as horrifying or impossible as some say. I have brain zaps anyway as part of my anxiety so at least I know them.
@Dre83 I'd say go ahead and try it. It really helped me a lot during those 4 years. I was able to stop it now because I found a new career that's less stressful and also I've been in therapy this whole time so thats helped a lot. Oh, and yes my brain zaps were bad, but I also weaned off it a little faster than I was supposed to, so thats probably why 😆
@Ríona Yeah I told my doc when it’s time to come off that I want to come off as slow as possible lol
Oh my goodness! I accidentally stopped taking my Zoloft due to a weird side effect of another medication and I had brain zaps too! I thought I was going crazy until my therapist suggested it was due to withdraw of Zoloft. It’s the weirdest thing but now it reminds me to take my medicine lol. For OP: I haven’t tried getting off yet I’ve been on it for just under a year and I can say without a doubt I wouldn’t be so far in my OCD journey without it. I was anxious to start medication too, but my therapist described it as a tool to get me into the headspace to deal with my symptoms without the added anxiety. Just like with Tylenol, you take it to lower your fever but it’s not preventing your body from fighting the infection, at least that’s how I see it idk. Hopefully that gives some new insights lol.
I'm weaning off zoloft . I didnt think about benadryl. I think I'm going to try the 5HTP to see how that works. I just hate the weight gain on the meds.
Hi, i have been taking Sertraline (Zoloft in US) for 8 months and i am currently weening off over a long period. I was prescribed 50mg (minimum dose) for OCD last year. Honestly, the CBT and medication have completely changed my life. I now feel much more in control and happier with my relationships and have a healthier attitude towards myself. I don't think i could have done this without both medication and therapy. That said, the medication is difficult to start and even more difficult to finish. The first few weeks can feel like the cure is worse than the disease and cutting the dose means experiencing relapses of my OCD, often at its worst. But i think i am getting there. To come off, I have followed information from The Royal College Of Psychiatrists in the UK. I'll try to post it on here
This so helpful, thank you so much.
As the page says, it is only information not advice. You're best taking to a professional about tapering your medication
I was on SSRI's for over 20 years. A little over 2 years ago I weaned off of them with the help of a doctor. There were some side effects namely irritability, insomnia, and palpitations but it's doable! Now I struggle with my depression and OCD/anxiety med free but am slowly getting better. It's possible that some of my "issues" are actually long-term side effects of taking SSRI's for so long but I'm not sure I'll ever know for certain.
Yes I have been on and off med since I was a teenager. The worst was Cymbalta and it was a capsul with tiny pebbles in it. I took 1 pebble out with each dose. Slow and steady wins the race when tapering of meds and if your Patient n do it slowly you shouldn't experience to many side effects.
It honestly depends on the medication and it’s half life. I have weaned off a few and Paxil was the worst but it’s because it has the shortest half life. Prozac is much easier because it has a long half life. Just make sure to properly taper if you do come off of one.
It’s always scary to google side effects, but it’s good to remember that millions of people take those meds, but within the few ones who rate them online the majority rates them because they had bad side effects and the people who work well on them don’t feel the need to share their experience
I tried taking SSRIs for the first time for my OCD last week but had the worst reaction. I've had the worst anxiety I ever had in my life, it made me suicidal, threw my libido out the window, my whole body was tense and shaking. I took the last dose on Tuesday and now I'm slowly going back to normal. Yeah OCD sucks but at least I got to know its patterns and I'm slowly starting to see progress after starting therapy 1.5 months ago. SSRIs helped a lot of people but it also ruined a lot of people's life. Just see if taking that risk is worth it for you. To me it's definitely not. I'd rather be myself, feel real emotions and a have a sex life than sacrifice all of that. I know there's a lot of people happy with them out there but I think it's important to see both sides
Was that the first one you ever tried? Sorry to hear you had a bad experience.
Zoloft made me feel weird after a week and a half so I got off and got on Lexapro which is on the other end meaning it’s not as stimulating. It’s been good so far.
@Dre83 Yes it was. I tried Paxil
Thanks! Believe it or not, I've had this happen too. I had genetic testing done to find out why, and it turns out I have a genetic variant that was completely incompatible with the drug I took. I'm betting this is your issue too. I'm not afraid to start the med. My genetic profile indicates this current drug will be compatible and I do also have family members who take it. My concern now is really just being able to get off of it when I'm ready.
any one take Wellbutrin?
SSRI success story: so far... It’s been 5 months since my POCD flare up. And it’s been by far the worst experience of my life. I was terrified to even leave my house and go to work (I work in child care) in December I decided enough was enough and went to see a specialist for a diagnosis. She diagnosed me instantly with OCD and recommended I gave medicine a shot. I started on Lexapro 4 weeks ago yesterday and the change has been incredible. That with a mix of ERP and Acceptance of the thoughts (Acceptance has been the biggest help, and very easy to do when the Lexapro makes me not care about the thoughts) Now, I won’t say I don’t get thoughts. I still absolutely do, but I get less of them. And when I get an extremely hard convincing one, I accept it in, and sit in any guilt I have until it naturally dissipates. I’m not recovered, not by a long shot. But I have a small piece of me back, and it feels good. I’m hoping with hard work, and not letting OCD thoughts get under my skin. Recovery will be possible. If you’re scared to try an SSRI. I completely understand. I was lucky enough to have the first one work for me. The side effects were HORRIBLE, almost worse than the OCD for well over a week. But the benefits I have now outweigh the negatives of that week. I’m not promising a fix with an SSRI. But I think it’s worth a shot. Hell, this could all come back to bite me in the ass, who knows? I believe in you guys, and I’m starting to believe in myself again. We can do this. We’re one big family here, and we need each other. (But no reassurance ??)
Does anyone have any good experiences with SSRIs for OCD?
So my OCD has gotten significantly worse in the last month or so. Constant anxiety and I decided to get antidepressants. I will begin taking them this weekend. I think there’s anyone have any good things to say about them? A couple years ago I got a script for them took one pill and the side effects were pretty hard to deal with so my doctor told me to cut one and a half and take that for a week but I decided not to take them. I think I’m ready to give it another chance. Does anyone else have anxiety about starting medication? Or does anyone have experience dealing with this?
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