Who has stopped anti depressants after long term?

8 comments

1. I think yes if you count Zoloft even though I took it for anxiety? The first (mid 2016) was…well, post-breakup. And could have maybe helped if I’d started taking it earlier and prevented the bad decisions that my anxiety had caused, but taking it after the fact just made it harder to grieve what I’d already lost.

   I took it again for a while in 2021 back when we thought the seizures from my brain tumor were actually anxiety attacks. I got off them again sometime post surgery but I don’t remember when exactly.

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3. I was on a combination of Venlafaxine and bupropion for almost a decade for PTSD. In January of 2021 I got a stellate ganglion block done and felt like I could finally get off the SSRIs, which caused me significant side effects. My Dr. titrated.my dose down to the lowest level and then I was off of them entirely. I just had another block done about a month ago, so it lasted roughly 18 months, and that is working much better than the SSRIs ever did, with minimal side effects. Even going off of the lowest dose of the SSRIs was brutal, but it’s worth the quality of life improvements it’s offered for me.

4. I was on one for 3 years continuously, and previously on different meds for a few years. Stopped for about 2 years already, no needs nor intentions to go back on unless it becomes necessary again. Note, i tapped off gradually with doctor’s supervision, after my situation/mood stabilized. No issue afaik.

5. I was on Fluoxetine and then Sertraline for a number of years. I came off them gradually under the supervision of my GP and had no problems.

   They are not something you should just quit without support and oversight from your doctor.

6. Yes I did in my early twenties. Was on them for 1.5 years – I took citalopram for depression. I was weened off them very slowly so took about 6 months maybe more to come off them. I had a lot of counselling and psychiatric help to get me to the place though. But I felt fine after and didn’t get any side effects

7. I was on Lexapro for about five years. Coming off it is rough. Any SSRI is rough and they call it SSRI discontinuation syndrome. Which it is really a withdrawal. It is under researched but many people report experience some type of withdrawal side effect.

   I was pretty miserable for about a month. I was super emotional and felt emotionally all over the place. My balance was effected greatly, I was so beyond dizzy. Side effects are tough and can be experience in some cases up to a year. After going through this myself I did some research for a project and am still passionate about this.

   Long term I’m so thankful to be off of it and I’ve felt pretty good. I still go to therapy but am medication free.

8. I took sertraline (Zoloft) 100mg for a few years. I had a good experience on them, they really help me with my anxiety and the days that I felt depressed. I stopped taking them when Covid hit because I couldn’t make an appointment due to my dr only starting to see people over 65+ and I couldn’t find a new dr right away. What I didn’t like about them was they made me completely emotionless and the “brain zaps” they’d give me. Recently my anxiety has been getting the best of me. I’ve been thinking about contacting my dr again to talk about getting back on something to help me.