TaperCommunity
Sertraline/Zoloft:
▸1/2021>100mg, ▸11/22>50mg ▸6/23>25mg (Psychiatrist told me to take half the pills until I finished the box)
✘ Clean 3 Month till massive fall
▸9/23>100mg, ▸1/24>50mg, (I started tapering on my own, because the intention was to have me on 100mg for 5 years) ▸9/24>25mg, ▸7/25>12mg,(starting parabolic with tablet dissolution in water) ▸10/25>11,5mg, ▸11/25>10,3mg, ▸12/25>8,7mg, ▸1/26>8mg, ▸2/26>6,9mg ▸3/26>5,967mg ▸4/26>4,8mg ▸5/26>3,73mg ▸6/26>3,53mg
"I am currently quite traumatized. I cannot even get out of bed without my heart rate rising above 100 beats per minute. I had an appointment with a psychiatrist who recommended increasing sertraline back to 50 mg, which I found difficult to accept, and I ended the consultation." — @BettobenI'm so sorry you went through such a scary experience! You've been tapering pretty consistently for some months. An option would be to give your CNS a nice long hold. Perhaps the effects of the previous reductions caught up with you. That happened to me once. I'm so glad you held your ground and knew better than to go back to 50 mg! That would have been too much of an updose for your sensitive nervous system to handle. In the meantime, you can try some EFT Tapping and breathing/grounding exercises or anything else that can calm you down. I know splashing ice cold water on your face is good for panic and can immediately slow down our heart rate. Hang in there, you're going to be okay. Keep us updated on how you're doing.
Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 18.24 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg
“Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.”
Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 18.24 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg
“Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.”
Effexor · active
off Stimulants (2000-2013)
off Fluoxetine (2010-2013)
off Lamotrigine (2013-2016)
off Quetiapain (2016-2020)
currently Effexor — 33mg — 13 years (from 300mg) — actively tapering | with clinician
Sertraline/Zoloft:
▸1/2021>100mg, ▸11/22>50mg ▸6/23>25mg (Psychiatrist told me to take half the pills until I finished the box)
✘ Clean 3 Month till massive fall
▸9/23>100mg, ▸1/24>50mg, (I started tapering on my own, because the intention was to have me on 100mg for 5 years) ▸9/24>25mg, ▸7/25>12mg,(starting parabolic with tablet dissolution in water) ▸10/25>11,5mg, ▸11/25>10,3mg, ▸12/25>8,7mg, ▸1/26>8mg, ▸2/26>6,9mg ▸3/26>5,967mg ▸4/26>4,8mg ▸5/26>3,73mg ▸6/26>3,53mg
"I’ve been taking 0.25 mg of Rivotril three times a day" — @BettobenI'm sorry you're having such a hard time Bettoben. A benzo like Rivotril is highly addictive and can present its own separate issues with both side effects and withdrawal effects. I'm sure you're aware of this.
"I’ve called a few psychiatrists to see if they can help me with this, but the ones I’ve found have been quite unprofessional." — @BettobenDoesn't surprise me! They're not much help when you want to come off anything. How long have you been on the Rivotril now?
"There have been some improvements these days." — @BettobenThat's a great sign! You probably just need to give yourself time to stabilize from all the Sertraline reductions.
Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 18.24 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg
“Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.”
"How long have you been on the Rivotril now?" — @CatinaI haven’t been on it for long, I don’t think it’s even been a week, but I was given 7.5 mg of diazepam as an emergency measure. Then the next day I had another episode and I took 1 mg of Rivotril in an emergency. That’s when the emergency doctor came to my home and told me that to stop these crises we would need to prescribe Rivotril to keep things under control. That’s why I was put on 0.25 mg three times a day. I’ve been on it for about a week. According to the AI, it says that in the morning and at night—when I feel most exhausted—I could reduce the dose by half, taking 0.125 mg in the morning, 0.25 mg in the afternoon, and 0.125 mg at night. That way we would slightly reduce the total daily dose, making future withdrawal easier. It would also help address the issue of being sedated all day.
Sertraline/Zoloft:
▸1/2021>100mg, ▸11/22>50mg ▸6/23>25mg (Psychiatrist told me to take half the pills until I finished the box)
✘ Clean 3 Month till massive fall
▸9/23>100mg, ▸1/24>50mg, (I started tapering on my own, because the intention was to have me on 100mg for 5 years) ▸9/24>25mg, ▸7/25>12mg,(starting parabolic with tablet dissolution in water) ▸10/25>11,5mg, ▸11/25>10,3mg, ▸12/25>8,7mg, ▸1/26>8mg, ▸2/26>6,9mg ▸3/26>5,967mg ▸4/26>4,8mg ▸5/26>3,73mg ▸6/26>3,53mg
Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 18.24 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg
“Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.”
"Do you feel like the benefits are outweighing the risks right now?" — @CatinaIf I hadn’t started taking Rivotril, we wouldn’t have been able to stop the crisis, and once you start with one dose, the next day withdrawal symptoms kick in and you have to take another dose.
Sertraline/Zoloft:
▸1/2021>100mg, ▸11/22>50mg ▸6/23>25mg (Psychiatrist told me to take half the pills until I finished the box)
✘ Clean 3 Month till massive fall
▸9/23>100mg, ▸1/24>50mg, (I started tapering on my own, because the intention was to have me on 100mg for 5 years) ▸9/24>25mg, ▸7/25>12mg,(starting parabolic with tablet dissolution in water) ▸10/25>11,5mg, ▸11/25>10,3mg, ▸12/25>8,7mg, ▸1/26>8mg, ▸2/26>6,9mg ▸3/26>5,967mg ▸4/26>4,8mg ▸5/26>3,73mg ▸6/26>3,53mg
Effexor · active
off Stimulants (2000-2013)
off Fluoxetine (2010-2013)
off Lamotrigine (2013-2016)
off Quetiapain (2016-2020)
currently Effexor — 33mg — 13 years (from 300mg) — actively tapering | with clinician
"If I hadn’t started taking Rivotril, we wouldn’t have been able to stop the crisis, and once you start with one dose, the next day withdrawal symptoms kick in and you have to take another dose." — @BettobenI understand you were in a crisis situation. When I was in my own crisis situation I did take lorazepam short-term, but I didn't know better at the time. If you can find non-drug ways to manage these symptoms you'll be better off in the long run. My concern is coming from a good place, I hope you know that. ❤️
Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 18.24 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg
“Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.”
"better" — @WolfYes, I’m stable, but as I already suspected, I think I’m developing dependence on Rivotril. Every time it’s close to the time to take it, I become tense. Tomorrow I have an appointment with a psychiatrist who seems to be quite good. My hypothesis is that she will increase my sertraline dose so that I can first taper off the Rivotril, and then, once I’m off the Rivotril, gradually reduce the sertraline. I’ve calculated the percentage reductions I’ve made in my sertraline dose over the past few months, and in a single month I exceeded a 20% reduction. I think I’m paying the price for that now. At this point, I have to come off both Rivotril and sertraline. My advice would be: don’t rush the taper. However, the unexplained tachycardia episodes are no longer happening.
Sertraline/Zoloft:
▸1/2021>100mg, ▸11/22>50mg ▸6/23>25mg (Psychiatrist told me to take half the pills until I finished the box)
✘ Clean 3 Month till massive fall
▸9/23>100mg, ▸1/24>50mg, (I started tapering on my own, because the intention was to have me on 100mg for 5 years) ▸9/24>25mg, ▸7/25>12mg,(starting parabolic with tablet dissolution in water) ▸10/25>11,5mg, ▸11/25>10,3mg, ▸12/25>8,7mg, ▸1/26>8mg, ▸2/26>6,9mg ▸3/26>5,967mg ▸4/26>4,8mg ▸5/26>3,73mg ▸6/26>3,53mg
"My hypothesis is that she will increase my sertraline dose so that I can first taper off the Rivotril, and then, once I’m off the Rivotril, gradually reduce the sertraline." — @BettobenHi Bettoben, my advice to you would be to tread very carefully. You've already been making steady reductions of your Sertraline over many months, which your nervous system may still be adapting to. If you feel stable now, though, do you really see the benefit in increasing the Sertraline? The could put added stress on your nervous system, and if it doesn't go well then you'd have to allow time in order to stabilize before you could start reducing the benzo. I'm not saying this will definitely happen, but it's good to keep in mind. Things always get complicated when another drug is added. Most doctors are not properly trained in how to handle tapering and withdrawal issues. Whatever you decide, be careful and conservative in your approach. We're just looking out for you! I'm glad to know that your heart issues have improved though! Keep us updated on how things are going for you. ❤️
Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 18.24 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg
“Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.”
"Keep us update" — @CatinaI’m really on the verge of quitting, and I don’t want to go backwards. However, stopping Rivotril is going to be very difficult with how sensitized my nervous system is right now. I’m currently on 5 mg of sertraline and 0.75 mg of Rivotril. I’ve already contacted several psychiatrists. Some have suggested increasing the sertraline to 50 mg, others to 25 mg, but honestly, none of them have really asked much about my history or taken into account the progress that took me two years of hyperbolic tapering to achieve. Right now, I’m at the threshold of being able to stop, but without Rivotril my system completely derails. That’s why I’ve been giving it more time, hoping my body would adapt to 5 mg of sertraline. However, judging by how things are going, I’m not doing very well. I struggle to go outside, I struggle to walk, and even sitting for long periods of time is difficult. Tomorrow is my appointment, so we’ll see what they tell me. I’ll try to keep the situation updated. Thanks for being there guys <3
Sertraline/Zoloft:
▸1/2021>100mg, ▸11/22>50mg ▸6/23>25mg (Psychiatrist told me to take half the pills until I finished the box)
✘ Clean 3 Month till massive fall
▸9/23>100mg, ▸1/24>50mg, (I started tapering on my own, because the intention was to have me on 100mg for 5 years) ▸9/24>25mg, ▸7/25>12mg,(starting parabolic with tablet dissolution in water) ▸10/25>11,5mg, ▸11/25>10,3mg, ▸12/25>8,7mg, ▸1/26>8mg, ▸2/26>6,9mg ▸3/26>5,967mg ▸4/26>4,8mg ▸5/26>3,73mg ▸6/26>3,53mg
"I’ve already contacted several psychiatrists. Some have suggested increasing the sertraline to 50 mg, others to 25 mg, but honestly, none of them have really asked much about my history or taken into account the progress that took me two years of hyperbolic tapering to achieve." — @BettobenKeep in mind what I said about most psychiatrists being in the dark about tapering and withdrawal issues. If your nervous system is highly sensitized right now, any major changes in dose could have unexpected results. They do not know better than you in this instance. They think increasing the dose or adding more drugs is always the answer, when in reality it can make things much worse. More of something is not necessarily better. I'm sorry you're struggling right now. Please keep us updated on things! 💝
Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 18.24 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg
“Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.”
Sign in to share your experience and connect with others.
Browse our map of deprescribing-informed providers worldwide.
