How to Quit Antidepressants—Very Slowly!

In this video, author and mental health educator Douglas Bloch talks about the difficulties people experience when they try to wean off their antidepressants. When they follow the traditional psychiatric advice of stopping their medications in 2-4 weeks, they can experience severe withdrawal symptoms. New research shows that people should come off their medications much more slowly, taking months and sometimes years to complete the taper.

[cliffordrheytrinidad]

Thanks it helps me a lot...I am now withdrawing my anti depressants that I am using for more than 15years...reducing gradually...I have symtoms like insomnia...but I believe by the help of God I will overcome this....

[chrisk]

I ground up tablets using a mortar and pestle then carefully measured each portion using a scale accurate to 0.001 grams. Put them in capsules and dropped the dosage 10% every two to four weeks. Such a gradual reduction I didn’t even notice!

[BeckyJusto]

You're the best Douglas. The world needs more people as beautiful as you. I hope you are recovering. I wasn't nothing more for you than a full recovery. You are a blessing.

[eduardamarques]

Hey Doug, I started with some accupuncture treatment and it helped me a lot, among other positive life style changes. I then decided to get off 25mg of sertraline, cold turkey. Omg, in 24 hrs, I started with the strongest migrain and nausea. That's how quickly the withdrawal symptoms started for me. I knew right way what the problem was and got back on it. I couldn't even think straight due to the migrain pain and overall stomach upset and sickening feeling. I am now researching on how to taper off the meds and came across your video. A God send. Thank you. 10 months, here I go. This will not hold me back. Good luck to all of us.

[solidair]

Antidepressants are their own trap and if the so called medical professionals I have dealt with over the years had their way I'd be still on antidepressants 20 years later. Antidepressants help some people and destroy many others and the medical profession in my opinion could careless. People are looking for help with their problems not to create even more problems for themselves.

[stevensalinas]

Just started feeling these insane "brain zaps" all over my body and have been researching why this is happening only after a few days of stopping my SSRI (Lexapro, Escitalopram). Never have had this issue. Im medically trained and educated and had no idea myself it would be SO bad. I will contact my doctor to work with him to stop these but I will NEVER go back on these due to how awful I feel on withdrawal. Thank you for making this video ive been doing extensive research and this seems to be the logical conclusion. Doctors should not be downplaying these side effects and should all be very well educated on it. Thank you.

[shermac]

Thank you for this wonderful video Douglas. I was treated with anti-depressants for 20 years and they made me sicker and always pooped out. I started getting panic attacks, which I never had in my long life, from the way the doc switched me cold turkey from ad to ad and at one desperate point a benzo
was added which nearly destroyed me. Please be careful and find safe prescribers. I was able to find a lovely nurse practitioner in Portland who helped me taper off all my medications and it took over 3 horrible years. But I did it and if I can, anyone can.

I’m finding myself depressed again, but I’m not sick from the anti-depressants which made me develop worsening mental health.

[garysimone]

Finally a video that puts a spot light on this issue

[garysimone]

Keep digging deeper on this topic You have creditbity in this field pls use it to help millions

[IAMSEYMOURMUSIC]

I bought some scales that measure in milligrams, and a nail file. Each week i shave down the weight of the pill by 3%. Its gonna take 18 months but so far it's been okay

[undeadtigerlily]

I have been on antidepressants for almost 7 years and I desperately want off. I take 25mg of Zoloft daily, I have tried to cut it in half and it was hell. I ended up going back on it and still feel so defeated.
I want to feel and heal more spiritually and I feel like it’s holding me back. I want to face my demons head on and be more creative.
Thank you for this so much.

[Carby.J]

These drugs are absolutely no joke trying to stop. It is insane that psychiatrists are not educated in the tapering process.

[josedelapaz]

I have been tapering lexapro from 10 mg into small dosages since 7 months ago and Ive been happy with the results. You can feel the symptoms of tapering down but very low compared to doing it abruptly and last for short time. Right now Im in 3.75 mg and Will continue tapering off slowly.

[MeLoNHeAd]

I was told with citlopram you go from 40-30, 30-20, 20-15, 15-10, 10-8 and down by 2 until 0. It takes around 6-8 months. The slower I went the better !!! You can get a pharmacy to liquid microdose it .

[michyrudy]

I’m weaning off lexapro right now. I was on 20mg now I’m on 2.5mg.
It has been a very long slow process. I easily went from 20mg to 15mg and then to 10mg. Once I got to 10mg I found it very difficult to go down.
Then I had to switch to liquid and go down .5mg every 2-4weeks. Once I got to 5mg I stayed on it for 10 month.
Once spring arrived I slowly went back to going down .5mg. I have been having luck with it so I easily got down to 2.5mg.
Now I’m just going stay on this dose for a month and then once I feel ok about it. I’ll slowly go down .5mg until I’m finished.

[dalesandbek]

Antidepressants or like the song hotel California anyone is welcome then but you can never leave

[chelseacarter]

I take my combo of magnesium, vitamin D3, and b-complex!😃 When I have stress during the day, I use kava kava, and at night, I use valerian root!😃

[psicologacarolinasaracho]

I am so happy to see this issue addressed. I have had a terrible time trying to come off zoloft. It seems like all psychiatrists seem to just make me feel like my response to discontinuing the medication are very exaggerated. And yes, i feel very VERY intense mood swings, brain zaps, lack of energy, digestion problems, insomnia, etc etc even though im not thrown into any psychological crisis, i can obvere the very clear and intense symptoms. I will now to try to wean off of them very slowly and also check out the book you mention. thank you so much :)

[middleofnowhere]

I became allergic to mine and had to stop abruptly. I had hot flashes and high anxiety. Decided to try ashwagandha. It's not magic but it made things less bad.

[Ghostdog]

I weaned myself off of 50 mg of Sertraline over 4 weeks...I felt fine for about three months then had a "zap" one day...I had no clue what was happening at the time, but went into instant depression. The worst of my life, I could not eat, sleep, I had to force myself to drink water....I got down to 104 pounds (looked anorexic). I tried for 3 months to push through until I felt another "zap" and it scared me so bad I called the pharmacist and got my prescription refilled. I started seeing a therapist, now over a year later I am trying to wean off again but I am going way slower this time. It may take me years, but whatever it takes to never experience that again.