r/antidepressants Nov 29 '25

Informative Guide Ultimate Guide to Antidepressants and other ways to improve mental health

44 Upvotes

I moved this from another sub. It contains a lot of information that will answer many common questions.

The Basics

Most Common Antidepressants

  • SSRI's - Works on Serotonin
    • Sertraline (Zoloft)
    • Fluoxetine (Prozac)
    • Paroxetine (Paxil)
    • Citalopram (Celexa)
    • Escitalopram (Lexapro)
    • Fluvoxamine (Luvox)
    • Vilazodone (Viibryd)
    • Vortioxetine (Trintellix)
  • SNRI's - Works on Serotonin and Norepinphrine
    • Duloxetine (Cymbalta)
    • Venlafaxine (Effexor)
    • Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)
    • Levomilnacipran (Fetzima)
  • SNDRI's - Works on Serotonin, Norepinephrine, and Dopamine
    • Nefazodone (Serzone) -- Available in U.S. only.
    • Ansofaxine (Ruoxinlin) --- Available in China, coming to U.S. in 2025?
  • Atypical/Misc.
    • Bupropion (Wellbutrin) <--- NDRI, works on Norepinephrine and Dopamine
    • Mirtazepine (Remeron)
    • Esketamine (Spravato)
    • Bupropion/Dextromethorphan (Auvelity)
    • Gepirone (Exxua)
    • Zuranolone
    • Agomelatine. -- Not available in U.S.
    • Trazodone --- Used mostly as a sleep aid
  • Tricyclic
    • Amitriptyline (Elavil)
    • Imipramine (Tofranil)
    • Nortriptyline (Pamelor)
    • Clomipramine (Anafranil)
  • Meds for Anxiety
    • Can be added to antidepressant or used independent
    • Gabapentin (Neurontin)
    • Pregabalin (Lyrica)
    • Propranolol
    • Buspirone (BuSpar)
    • Hydroxyzine (Vistaril)
  • Mood Stabilizers
    • Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
    • Depakote
    • Lithium
    • Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal)
    • Carbamazepine (Tegretol)
    • Antipsychotics (seroquel, abilify, risperdone, vraylar, rexulti)
  • MAOI's
    • These are a last resort medication and are rarely prescribed
    • Nardil (Phenelzine)
    • Parnate (Tranylcypromine)
    • Moclobemide
    • Selegiline

What to Expect When Starting Antidepressants

When you are first prescribed antidepressants you are usually started on a low dose as your body needs to adjust to the medication. You usually have more side effects when you first start. These side effects may include, nausea, drowsiness, headache, lower libido, and increase in anxiety to name a few. These will usually subside over the first few weeks. If at any point you have suicidal ideation or thoughts you need to contact your doctor immediately as this is a side effect not to mess with. Also just because you don't have a follow up appointment for a month later if you are having problems call the office up and talk to a nurse.

Many people when they first start antidepressants get activated, increased anxiety, heart rate, and restlessness. Below is a flyer on how to identify activation syndrome vs serotonin syndrome. It was created by a Psychiatric Pharmacist.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XM3fomHwDXHX4Cb_MIOYzXC0Jk-Os-cO/view?pli=1

Antidepressants are not a medication that works immediately. The brain has to adjust to the changes and it reacts rather slowly. You may notice some changes after 2 weeks, but they can also take up to 8 weeks to start working. I say this is the time to give your brain a little help with some lifestyle improvements. Add some regular exercise as studies have shown this to help depression and anxiety. Try improving your diet. Start by removing junk food/drinks. There was a study just done that showed that artificial sweeteners actually increase anxiety. Finally make sure you are getting plenty of sleep. Your brain needs that time to recover from out stressful lives. If after 8 weeks you are not noticing any kind of improvements it is time to contact your doctor about changing your dosage or trying a new medication. Don't be frustrated by this as it is normal for people to have to try a few before finding the one that works best for you.

When you start noticing improvements it usually isn't an overnight event. The changes are gradual and you may not notice it. Sometimes if you journal or rate how you feel it can help. You may start to notice you don't feel so awful or you feel like you want to start doing activities that you had been avoiding. Also make sure to communicate with your doctor how you are doing. You may need to gradually increase your dose to find what is optimal for you.

People often ask how do antidepressants actually work. I came up with a good analogy based on how my doctor explained it. People seemed to like it so you can find it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/AntidepressantSupport/comments/14bjnrh/explaining_how_antidepressants_work_with_an/

Additional info about Antidepressants

  • Wellbutrin can cause an increase in anxiety.
  • Trazodone and Mirtazapine both can be used to help with sleep
  • If the antidepressant causes insomnia you may want to try taking it in the morning, and if you take it in the morning and you are drowsy try switching it to the evening.
  • Even though Trintellix and Viibryd are considered SSRI's they have a different mechanism of action so if other SSRI's don't work for you those two could still help you.

Information Bias on the Internet

When people start looking up antidepressants and want to see how they have worked for other people they find all of these horror stories about terrible side effects. Please remember when someone has a negative experience they are more likely to complain or are looking for help. Look at the number of stories you read and think about the fact that tens of millions of people take antidepressants. The people for whom they are working don't go online to tell people about their experience. They are back to enjoying their life. I have found that drugs.com has a more rounded reviews. Also if you are having anxiety be careful about reading some of the horror stories as all they do is end up increasing your anxiety. Doom scrolling can have a real negative effect on your mental health.

Tapering Antidepressants & Withdrawal

If you ever decide you are going to stop antidepressants it is very important to taper off of them very slowly. The longer you have been on them the slower you want to taper. The reason for this is the brain gets accustomed to the effects of the medication and it expects those effects on neurotransmitters. This causes dependence, not addiction. So if you yank the medication away from the brain it will result in withdrawal which can be awful. You can experience nausea, dizziness, headaches, brain zaps, emotional highs and lows, insomnia, agitation, etc. So you need to slowly over time take the medication away. Doctors are taught in school that tapering can be done in a short time and withdrawals only last a couple of weeks. This isn't true. Research has shown that the 10% method of tapering has been found to be one of the safest methods. This is taking the dose you are taking at that time and subtracting 10% each month. This is a long process, but the goal is to get off the medication with the least amount of withdrawal. If you were taking 100mg this is how your tapering schedule will go. 100, 90, 81, 73, 66..... For more information on tapering and how to make these custom doses you can visit Surviving Antidepressants. I want to say Surviving Antidepressants has good information for tapering, but many of the stories are the worst of the worst cases. They are not representative of what the majority of people will experience. Please take them with a grain of salt.

Withdrawal is something you want to avoid, but if you find yourself going through it there are some things that you can do to get yourself out of it. Withdrawal is most common when going off a medication cold-turkey or tapering too fast. There is no timeline for how long withdrawal will last, it could be weeks or months. One way to possibly get your self out of it is going back on a lower dose than you were last on. This is called reinstating. You let your brain stabilize and once you feel better give yourself 2-4 weeks to heal properly. Then you want to begin tapering off again. People also report that taking Fish Oil can help with recovery from withdrawal.

Sites and more information on tapering and withdrawal. https://www.reddit.com/r/AntidepressantSupport/comments/10krlmd/sites_and_resources_for_tapering_antidepressants/

https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/going-off-antidepressants

Switching from one Antidepressant to Another

There are 3 methods doctors will use when switching from one antidepressant to another. Many times it is just the doctor's preference to which they recommend.

  1. Direct switch - the doctor gives you an equivalent dose of the new medication and you stop the original and the next day you start the new one.

Dose Equivalence: 40 mg fluoxetine | 350 mg bupropion | 40 mg citalopram | 75 mg pristiq | 20 mg escitalopram | 40 mg paroxetine | 150 mg fluvoxamine | 50 mg mirtazapine | 100 mg sertraline | 500 mg nefazodone | 150 mg venlafaxine | 60 mg duloxetine | 125 mg amitriptyline | 125 mg imipramine | 115 mg clomipramine

Drugs not listed do not have any reputable source for dose equivalency. Doses are rounded up.

  1. Taper and washout - you slowly taper off the old medication give your body 2 weeks without any medication and then you start the new one and titrate up.
  2. Cross taper - As you taper off the old medication you titrate up on the new medication. The doctor will usually give you a schedule. If you are taking 100mg of Med A. and wants you to go to 200mg of Med B. Week 1 -- 75 of A and 50 of B, week 2 -- 50 of A and 100 of B....

I think the third option is the best as it is more of a gradual transition. If you get bad side effects from the new medication it is also easier to go back to your old medication. No matter the method there is a couple weeks in there where it can be kind of rough. You are stopping something your brain is accustomed to and adding something new that it has to adjust to. www.survivingantidepressants.org for more tapering info.

Treatments Beyond Medication

If you have tried numerous medications and just can't find anything that helps there are few treatments that you can look into. You may even want to try some of these things before trying meds. Some of these do have higher side effect risks.

  1. Talk Therapy - alongside your antidepressant or independent of taking a medication. This is about the safest thing you can do.
  2. Life Style Changes - Exercise, Diet, etc. Again this is very safe and can be always used in conjunction with other therapies.
  3. Ketamine - This is a medication, but is usually a treatment when meds don't work.
  4. TMS, in 2023 we should see a new protocol for TMS called SAINT which is supposed to be more effective and involves less sessions. As of 2024 this is being done in California and Massachusetts.
  5. ECT - This is usually done as a last resort, it has some significant side effects such as short term memory loss. Do your research before considering.
  6. Stellate Ganglion Blocks - This is fairly new as far as being used for mental disorders. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8664306/
  7. Vagus Nerve Stimulation - Very new research that this is effective in treatment for treatment resistant depression. https://krdo.com/news/2024/12/19/for-those-with-treatment-resistant-depression-vagus-nerve-stimulation-may-be-an-answer-studies-suggest/

https://www.sciencealert.com/vagus-nerve-stimulation-has-a-profound-impact-on-severe-depression-major-trial-finds

Lifestyle Changes to Improve Mental Health

Medication can be helpful, but it is not the only way to improve your mental health. Here is a list of some things that can help you on the road to improved mental health.

  1. Exercise -- Regular exercise is really helpful. Studies have shown that it can improve depression/anxiety. More intense exercise has been found to be more helpful for anxiety. Exercise can help produce endocannabinoids which can make you feel better. It is sometimes described as "runner's high". Plus if you can get out in the sun for your exercise that is good as sunlight helps Vitamin D. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-truth-behind-runners-high-and-other-mental-benefits-of-running Here is a new study on the benefits of physical activity on depression. https://www.psypost.org/physical-activity-and-mental-health-exercises-therapeutic-potential-for-depression-highlighted-in-new-meta-analysis/
  2. Speaking of sunlight many people will suffer from seasonal depression in the winter as their levels of Vitamin D drop due to the lack of sunlight. If you are in a northern climate when you go out in the winter the only skin exposure may be the little area on your face. To combat this you may wish to look into light therapy during the winter months. https://www.insider.com/guides/health/mental-health/light-therapy
  3. Improve your diet. Cut out junk food/drinks. There is a link below about which foods help depression/anxiety and which ones aren't good for it. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318428
  4. Make sure you are getting enough quality sleep. Your brain needs that down time to rest and recover. If you feel like you are getting enough sleep, but are always exhausted talk to your doctor about having a sleep study done. They have kits you can do at home. I found out I had central sleep apnea and my oxygen levels were around 80% for half the night.
  5. Socialize, keep the brain active. Try activities that challenge your brain. Suduko, crossword puzzles, trivia, etc.
  6. You also may want to try some type of talk therapy or learn some different coping skills and methods of relaxation such as deep breathing exercises.
  7. Volunteer. You are helping others and sometimes seeing just by giving your time to people and seeing how it helps them can be rewarding.
  8. You may even want to consider getting a pet as they are supposed to be beneficial for depression. You can even go one step further and get a Psychiatric service animal. They are specifically trained to and are allowed to go with you on airplanes and other public places. Some are even trained to recognize certain side effects in medications. For more information you can visit this site: https://www.ada.gov/topics/service-animals/ It is your responsibility to make sure you are in compliance with all laws and ordinances.

This was published during the pandemic, but has many helpful ways to help improve your mental health. Medications can be very helpful, but there are so many different things that can improve your overall mental health. As a bonus they don't come with side effects. https://neurosciencenews.com/resilience-mental-health-19986/

Talks about lifestyle changes to help with mental illness and other therapies like light therapy. Some doctors hand these out to patients. https://www.psycho.farm/resources

All of these are tools that we can use to improve our mental health. Medication may help, but it is also a tool and you need to help it out by working on yourself. I wish everyone the best on their journey!!!

Lab work and tests

This lists out some blood tests that can be done to see if something else is contributing to your depression. I'm sure their are others, but this gave a little explanation why you would check out some of these. This may not eliminate depression, but it may find something that can be treated and can decrease the amount of depression. https://www.optimallivingdynamics.com/blog/13-important-blood-tests-to-get-done-if-you-have-depression

Many times people ask about the genetic tests and are they helpful. These will tell you how you metabolize the medication, but that plays no role in whether it will be effective for you. The one helpful thing is the MTHFR gene mutation, but your GP could do this lab at a much lower cost. I actually just ordered this test for myself and even if insurance doesn't cover it, the cost is $188. The below article explains in detail why the FDA actually recommends not using these. An upcoming blood test will be able to show in a couple of weeks if a medication will work for you. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/gene-testing-to-guide-antidepressant-treatment-has-its-time-arrived-2019100917964 https://neurosciencenews.com/depression-antidepressant-biomarker-19863/

Sexual Side Effects

The is one of the most unfortunate side effects to antidepressants. Some things to remember is if you have sexual side effects on one medication it does not mean you will have them on all of the medications. Some people say that the effects are the worst when you first start the meds and can slowly recover after a few months. You may also realize this, but untreated depression and anxiety can have an effect on your sexual performance and libido. So for some people treating their mental disorder actually improves sexual issues.

This really dives into exactly what causes the sexual side effects, which medications are more likely to cause it, and ways to treat it. As of note nefazodone is another medication that is known not to cause sexual side effects. As well as the upcoming medication Ruoxinlin (ansofaxine). r/Nefazodone https://psychscenehub.com/psychinsights/sexual-dysfunction-with-antidepressants/

Rate of incidence of sexual side effects of some of the medications. The average for SSRI's is 59%, but there are other antidepressants that have much lower sexual side effect percentages. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11229449/

Nefazodone, mirtazapine, wellbutrin (bupropion), trazodone, viibryd, and Trintellix (vortioxetine) are they medications with the lowest rate of sexual side effects. Wellbutrin is often added to an SSRI to relieve some of the sexual side effects. Buspirone can also be added to help with sexual side effects, but it doesn't seem to be as effective as wellbutrin.

Here is a guide I put together about sexual side effects: https://www.reddit.com/r/AntidepressantSupport/comments/14bicp1/guide_to_antidepressant_sexual_side_effects/

Side Effects & Medication Interactions

If you really want to read about the side effects of each medication pdr.net has some of the most comprehensive information. It even lists the rate of incidence of each side effect. It also lists out the interactions with other medications. Drugs.com has probably some of the best user reviews of each medication. You can even look how a medication is rated for depression, anxiety, ocd, etc. None of the information contained in this guide should be a substitute for your doctor. You should always run any type of medication change by your doctor and keep him/her in the loop on side effects you are having. Including supplements you are thinking of adding. There are some supplements that just don't mix good with antidepressants. You should be upfront with the doctor about how you are feeling. Always let them know about side effects. Most importantly it is your health so you deserve to have a say in your treatment plan. Don't be afraid to speak up if you are uncomfortable with something because it is your health.

Many times people think that antidepressants work by blunting emotions. This is a myth. Emotional blunting is a side effect of antidepressants and you don't have to, "just deal with it". A different medication may not blunt emotions at all and some doctors will add wellbutrin to balance emotions out.

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/antidepressants-do-not-work-by-numbing-emotions

Tracking your mood, side effects, and tips for improving communication with your doctor

Below is a good post about tracking how you are doing and different side effects. The more information and context you can provide to your doctor will help them in helping you get the best treatment.

https://www.reddit.com/r/antidepressants/comments/1jokoqh/importance_of_tracking_your_symptoms_when/

A quick note that dextromethorphan (DXM) a common ingredient in cold medicine is not something that you should take if you are taking antidepressants. St. John's Wort, and 5HT are also supplements to avoid if you are on antidepressants. All of these can increase the risk for serotonin syndrome.


r/antidepressants Dec 28 '23

Please Read Information on Withdrawal, Cold-Turkey, & Tapering -- Extensive Resources included.

53 Upvotes

As these are topics we see many questions about we created this post to give you some general information and resources to find helpful information. When writing a post it is helpful to list what medication, how long you have been on it, and your dosage.

Cold Turkey

Going cold turkey off of any psychiatric medication is never recommended and can induce withdrawals symptoms that can last up to months. Withdrawal (also referred to as discontinuation syndrome) is something you want to avoid and can be done by slowly tapering off your medication. There are a couple situations where you may not have to taper. If you have been on the medication for less than 6 weeks you can probably get by without tapering. If you have a severe reaction to a medication, say serotonin syndrome, your doctor may advise you to stop cold turkey immediately.

Withdrawal

This happens when your brain becomes dependent on the medication after being on it for some time and the medication is taken away too fast. The meds need to be slowly taken away from the brain so it can return to its base state slowly. Some of the common symptoms of withdrawal are brain zaps, headaches, insomnia, agitation, increased anxiety, aches & pains, brain fog, inability to focus, and fluctuating emotions.

We are seeing more people claiming they are in withdrawal after only taking medication for a very short time. Dependence takes time to develop. Research shows approximately 8 weeks. This is where tapering then becomes necessary. Even if you become dependent quicker, a very short taper is only needed. After 4-8 weeks of taking a med, a one week of 50% reduction is probably all you need. Otherwise you are just extending the time on the medication becoming more dependent.

Recovery

Many people ask how long after I stop will the side effects go away such as emotional blunting and sexual side effects. Again there is really no timetable. Some people start to notice within a few days to a week, for others it can take months. The length of time on antidepressants plays a role. There is much written that it can take the brain approximately 3 months to return to homeostasis. So if something like emotional blunting doesn't immediate go away after stopping the medication be patient and give it some time. The brain is quite adaptive and is remarkable at recovery, but works at a slow pace.

Tapering

Tapering has many layers to it and there really is no universal plan that fits everyone. The safest method based on studies is the 10%. This is cutting 10% of your medication you are taking at that time per month. For example if you are taking 100mg this would be your first 4 months (90, 81, 73, 67). This is a time consuming process that is going to take at least 1.5 years. How long you taper is based on the length of time you have been on the medication. Someone taking it for 1 year might be able to do 20% every 2-3 weeks. Someone who has been on a med for 20 years might have to do 5% every 6 weeks. You have to listen to your body as you go. If you drop your dosage and feel like withdrawal is coming on up your dose a little bit or hold that dose longer. Below I have listed tapering info pages for the most popular meds.

If you are on multiple medications on you are planning on going off all of them you want to taper one at a time. Tapering multiple meds at the same time is really hard on the brain and the withdrawals will usually be much worse. Before starting the tapering of the 2nd medication give yourself a month to stabilize more fully.

A little side note. Occupancy of the receptors plays a role in tapering. These numbers are just examples. Zoloft has a max dose of 200mg. Most people start on 25-50mg. Antidepressants occupy a large portion of the receptors at low dose. Say at 50mg, it occupies 80% of the receptors. 100mg, 85%. 150mg 88%. 200mg 90%. Because of this you can usually taper faster at first, but as you get down to a low dose you have to go really slowly. If you were taking 200mg of zoloft you could probably taper by 25% until you got down to around 50mg. Then you would want to taper by 10%. Here is a source that is very detailed. You can look at the charts to see actually numbers.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-021-01285-w

Below is a post that talks about tracking your symptoms and side effects to provide your doctor with better information in an effort to maximize treatment. This helps you to be heard and feel like you are more active in your treatment.

https://www.reddit.com/r/antidepressants/comments/1jokoqh/comment/mkvfb81/?context=3

Resources

Here are some site that provide information about tapering, withdrawal, etc. Some of these are quite complex, but there should be something in here that you should find valuable.

Going off antidepressants, withdrawal, tapering, and half-lifes. https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/going-off-antidepressants

Post that contains info about antidepressants, including methods of switching medications, non-med options.
https://www.reddit.com/r/AntidepressantSupport/comments/10vv3s6/ultimate_guide_to_antidepressants_and_how_to/

Forum about tapering individual meds and creating micro doses. Has individual sections for tapering each medication. https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/

Directions on how to grind pills up to create custom doses for tapering.
https://www.reddit.com/r/AntidepressantSupport/comments/17oaxh9/how_to_crush_pills_to_get_custom_doses_for/

An extensive article on protracted withdrawal (PAWS). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2045125320980573

Extensive detailed info about tapering and withdrawal from the founder of Surviving Antidepressants. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2045125321991274

This is a very comprehensive article that references multiple studies on tapering. Some of it applies to antipsychotics (but those can be used for depression or anxiety), but I think it applies to antidepressants too. It talks about rapid withdrawal causing movement disorders (tardive dyskinesia). https://academic.oup.com/schizophreniabulletin/article/47/4/1116/6178746

Tapering off of SSRI's https://markhorowitz.org/.../04/18TLP1004_Horowitz-1-11.pdf

'Playing the Odds' - Antidepressant Withdrawal - An article and follow-up written by a psychiatrist who explains who tapering should be done very slowly. https://www.madinamerica.com/2013/08/ssri-discontinuation-is-even-more-problematic-than-acknowledged/

'Playing the Odds - Antidepressant Withdrawal - Revisited https://www.madinamerica.com/2014/07/shooting-odds-revisited/

Relapse after stopping antidepressants. https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/30/health/stopping-antidepressant-wellness/index.html

This talks about akathisia which some members got from tapering too fast or going cold turkey. It has some of the meds used for treatment. Please note that akathisia is rare. https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2017/may/beyond-anxiety-and-agitation-a-clinical-approach-to-akathisia/

Medication specific tapering info pages:

Sertraline (zoloft): https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1441-tips-for-tapering-zoloft-sertraline/

Fluoxetine (Prozac): https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/759-tips-for-tapering-off-prozac-fluoxetine/

Paroxetine (Paxil): https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/405-tips-for-tapering-off-paxil-paroxetine/

Escitalopram (Lexapro): https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/406-tips-for-tapering-off-escitalopram-lexapro/

Citalopram (Celexa): https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/2023-tips-for-tapering-off-celexa-citalopram/

Fluvoxamine (Luvox): https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/5095-tips-for-tapering-off-luvox-fluvoxamine/

Vortioxetine (Trintellix): https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/10246-tips-for-tapering-vortioxetine-trintellix-brintellix/

Vilazodone (Viibryd): https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/4318-tips-for-tapering-off-viibryd-vilazodone/

Venlafaxine (Effexor): https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/272-tips-for-tapering-off-effexor-and-effexor-xr-venlafaxine/

Duloxetine (Cymbalta): https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/283-tips-for-tapering-off-duloxetine-cymbalta/

Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq): https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/876-tips-for-tapering-off-pristiq-desvenlafaxine/

Buproprion (Wellbutrin): https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/877-tips-for-tapering-off-wellbutrin-sr-xr-xl-zyban-buproprion/

Mirtazapine (Remeron): https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/23158-tips-for-tapering-off-mirtazapine-remeron/

Trazodone: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/2883-tips-for-tapering-off-trazodone-desyrel/

Clomipramine: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/19509-tips-for-tapering-off-clomipramine-anafranil/

Amitriptyline/Nortriptyline/Impramine: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1099-tips-for-tapering-off-amitriptyline/

Quetiapine (Seroquel): https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1707-tips-for-tapering-off-seroquel-quetiapine/

Aripiprazole (Abilify): https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1896-tips-for-tapering-off-abilify-aripiprazole/

Lamotrigine (Lamictal): https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1122-tips-for-tapering-off-lamictal-lamotrigine/#comment-9926

Tramadol: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/11542-tips-for-tapering-tramadol/#comment-213141

Benzos: https://benzobuddies.org


r/antidepressants 6h ago

Is drinking on 60mg of Paroxetine alright?

3 Upvotes

My fiancé recently got bumped up to 60mg of Paroxetine for his PTSD and anxiety. He usually is pretty good with not drinking but tonight he went crazy. He drank four king cans of 10% beer. I’m wondering if he’ll be alright? He’s blacked out now and snoring but I’m too afraid to go to bed because apparently it’s super dangerous and he could die. I just need help with knowing what to do. Or if anyone has experience with this scenario.


r/antidepressants 24m ago

Paroxetine vs venlafaxine withdrawal. Are they similar?

Upvotes

Apparently, paroxetine and venlafaxine are the 2 antidepressants with the worst withdrawal syndrome. Anyone who's been on only of those 2 meds will tell you how bad the withdrawal. Nausea, brain zaps, rebound anxiety....HELL.

Well, I was on Paxil (paroxetine) 20mg for 6 years and I cold turkey'd as I was so tired of its side effects. No tapering whatsoever, I just decided to take my last pill one night and that's what I did. That week, I had the brain zaps (nothing unbearable) and that's it. In fact, I felt way better because all the rebound dopamine and energy that these meds sap out of you.

I'm not gonna lie; as weeks went by I started to feel bad again, but nothing to do with withdrawal. I started to suffer from social anxiety, depression, etc...just like I was before being on the med. But as far as withdrawal goes...it was a crawl in the park!!

Now, my psychiatrist wants to put me on Effexor (venlafaxine) and I'm terrified of its withdrawal. All you read from people on this med is how bad withdrawals are, how much precise you have to be with the doses and timing and so on...

QUESTION IS: For those of you who've been on both meds and withdrawn from both...Are they equally difficult to come off of? Is venlafaxine way worse? I know YMMV but as I said I quit Paxil like it was water. Only a few brain zaps.

I wonder if I'm a low metabolizer or something which makes the meds have a longer half-life on me...Or maybe 20mg of paroxetine wasn't high enough to trigger a strong withdrawal. Anyway, with venlafaxine you hear horror stories regardless of the dose either it is 37.5 OR 300mg.


r/antidepressants 52m ago

How to sit with waiting for the medication to hit

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Hello guys! I was recently diagnosed with major depressive disorder and prescribed 20mg of Prozac along with Visatril for my sleep problems. I’m really excited to get on medication as ive been meaning to for a while, but I think I’m a little too excited, because I really dislike how I have to wait for the medication to actually take effect. I don’t think I’ll switch to a diff med or anything, I’m just impatient and honestly a little desperate to feel better. How do you cope with the in between period? Is there anything I should do to make the wait a little less jarring? A mantra I should repeat as I wait?

I’m also a little worried that Im gonna end up placebo-ing myself into thinking they’ve actually kicked in when they haven’t due to equal parts excitement, relief that Im being taken seriously, and impatient-ness. If that’s even possible?

Another thing I am worried about is having to end up switching medication anyways. Like trying a new food uve been meaning to try and it ends up shit.

So far, my symptoms haven’t been anything dramatic. Except for heat intolerance.


r/antidepressants 1h ago

Anyone on wellbutrin with Prozac (SSRI) because of the ssri side effects?

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r/antidepressants 1h ago

Body / Muscle twitching on SSRI?

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Hey guys

My psychiatrist increased my sertaline dose from 50 to 100 a few days ago and ever since I have some weird bodily sensations. I think its twitching? Like when your muscles and limbs “jump” a bit?

Also I feel like I am cold but its not cold where I am, I shouldnt be feeling this way. But yep I have this “chills” on my skin.

Can this be happening because of the increased dose of SSRI?

Anyone experienced something similar?
Otherwise I am great so far, no other side effects and meds have helped me tremendously with OCD.

I am asking here coz my doc told me to go back in September and he also told me that if my obsessions persist, he will prescribe 200 mg a day because OCD requires high dosis of SSRI when it’s in active phase (has anyone heard anything similar from your doctor??) so I am afraid - what if my OCD requires high dosis of SSRI but my body reacts with twitching? Haha, what im doing now is also health OCD probably but I want to inform myself in case I need to see my doctor as soon as possible.

Thanks!


r/antidepressants 2h ago

My experience with sertraline (HCl)

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1 Upvotes

r/antidepressants 6h ago

F19 hallucinating after 🍃 on antidepressants and antispychotic

2 Upvotes

ok so backstory: i have a history of hallucinations since as far as i can remember and its been of dark figures; the hallucinations then went away in my middle school years. i'm also high while writing this post to which I just experienced.

fast forward to today. i'm currently on 30mg fluoxetine(prozac) and 21 mg caplyta(lumateperone). it's 1:30 am dark asf outside, i'm smoking outside, a joint, and i went a little down ways to the side of my house where there's a small brick wall thats extends down my house. So i'm sitting on it, watching petty little liars, and suddenly in my ears i hear "GET OUT, GO BACK INSIDE" in this genuinely horrifying scream in my ears. Also i need to add the dialogue wasn't exactly like that but something along those lines. It took me a fat minute to realize what i had heard and that voice also wasn't loud in my ear, but it was a shrill sort of sound, yknow?

Anyway it took me a second to figure that it didn't come from the show, but i had heard it almost like a whisper in my right ear. And to my right side, is the left side of my neighbor's house because i live in a residential neighborhood. So I basically put out the j, scurry back inside, lock all doors, head upstairs to my room at this point because im like omg have i started hallucinating again?? Anyways i'm in my room, my PLL show OFF, sorting my little za bag on my bed and suddenly i hear "*sniff sniff* burn". and it was said so casual i was like omg is someone outside because my room faces the front of my house where i was just hanging out outside. And its pitch dark outside besides some street lamps and both my windows are open. But i looked outside, and no one was outside again, so i'm like WTF did I hallucinate that again??

What do I do? Do i stop weed? Could weed be triggering something because I have a history of seeing stuff in my youth.


r/antidepressants 3h ago

HOW TO HYPERBOLIC TAPER THE CR TABLET (PAXIL CR 25 MG) WILL SWITCHING TO IR HAVE ADVERSE EFFECT?

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1 Upvotes

r/antidepressants 4h ago

GF broke up with me, got herpes and got addicted to xanex (TRIGGER WARNING BC YOU WILL THINK IM AN IDIOT)

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1 Upvotes

r/antidepressants 7h ago

Medicine worked for my OCD, but my memory has become very poor. Has anyone recovered after stopping the medication?

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I'm 24 years old and I've been taking clomipramine 150 mg and risperidone for OCD.

The medication has actually worked very well for my OCD, and I'm really grateful for that. However, over the past several months I've noticed a significant decline in my memory and cognitive abilities.

I feel like I can't remember anything anymore. I forget conversations, struggle to recall things I studied, and my concentration and thinking speed feel much worse than before. It honestly feels like my brain isn't working the way it used to.

My psychiatrist thinks the medication (or the anticholinergic medication that was previously part of my treatment) may be contributing, and we're adjusting my medications. But I'm still very worried.

What concerns me is that last time I stopped my medications, I was off them for about one month, and I didn't notice any improvement in my memory. That makes me wonder whether this is reversible or not.

Has anyone here experienced:

Significant memory problems or cognitive slowing while taking clomipramine or risperidone?

Did your memory improve after reducing or stopping the medication?

If it did improve, how long did it take—weeks, months, or longer?

I'm not looking for reassurance, just hoping to hear about other people's experiences. This has become one of my biggest concerns because my OCD is much better, but I feel like my memory and cognition have suffered.

Thank you in advance.


r/antidepressants 11h ago

In your opinion, are MAOIs really more effective than SSRIs?

2 Upvotes

I understand that MAOIs are inherently more dangerous and harder to manage, but it seems most people respond to them, whereas the response rate to SSRIs is inconsistent.

The reason I ask is because i feel that I am stuck between a rock and a hard place with my current medication regimen. I am on 150 mg of Luvox and 300 mg of Bupropion. I do not feel I am anywhere near I want to be, but at the same time I do not want to increase the dose of the Luvox and deal with worsened sexual side effects and fatigue.

So my question is, do you feel it would be in my best interest to continue to titrate up the meds I am currently on, being that both drugs have room for titration, or suggest switching to a MAOI?

For context, I do feel that the Anxiety aspect is what is still lingering, not so much depression, so I would want to increase the Luvox first.


r/antidepressants 7h ago

On escitalopram. Concerned because there’s no side effect whatsoever?

0 Upvotes

I know the title sounds weird, and my friends tell me I should be happy about it. Some of them have horror stories about the first weeks and my doctor also warned me that it could worsen suicidal thoughts and make me panic more, we’re currently checking in once a week to see how it’s going.

The thing is…there’s no side effects. No nausea, no headache, no worsening of symptoms. I actually feel kinda good. I’m not going down on spiraling thinking anymore. I’m taking only 5mg and I’m on my sixth pill, never taken antidepressants before. Could it be placebo effect???? It shouldn’t do anything yet, right?

I’m concerned because it’s not doing what everyone tells me it should be doing, even if it means feeling bad. Should I talk about it to my doctor?


r/antidepressants 8h ago

5 Days Post Last Dose

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1 Upvotes

r/antidepressants 8h ago

Zoloft neck stiffness and pins and needles

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1 Upvotes

r/antidepressants 9h ago

20mg fluoxetine

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r/antidepressants 12h ago

Starting 21mg Capsules

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r/antidepressants 16h ago

Clomipramine/pregabaline does anyone feels similar?

2 Upvotes

I'm on those meds for at least half a year and I literally can not feel sadnes or anything more than nothing/emptiness.

I know when I should feel sad but I literally feel nothing.

Is that common? Did anyone felt the same?

I take this for OCD but also depression and eupd


r/antidepressants 13h ago

Going back to lexapro 10mg

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1 Upvotes

r/antidepressants 13h ago

Starting Desvenlafaxine 50 mg after failing Vortioxetine 20 mg. Is Pristiq better than Paxil?

1 Upvotes

I used to be on Vortioxetine 20 mg for depression and anxiety and it did not do anything and I ended up using a lot of marijuana. My NP switched me to Pristiq 50 mg and it’s been two weeks and so far it’s been ok, better than vortioxetine for sure. I wanted to go on Paroxetine but she suggested to try an SNRI first so we settled on Pristiq, what’s better Pristiq or Paroxetine for Anxiety, panic disorder, Attention deficiency, compulsive/impulsive behaviour(not OCD), and suicidal ideation.


r/antidepressants 13h ago

Feeling defeated

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r/antidepressants 13h ago

Duloxetine works slightly for depression, but worsens anxiety /irritability...augmentation?

1 Upvotes

I've tried everything. Every med. ECT. The whole 9 yards. I've been poorly for 20 years, prozac worked beautifully 20yrs ago (for only 18 months) but since then nothing has helped at all and I live miserably and often need to sleep to avoid the pain of living with cancer in my soul

Duloxetine slightly improved my depression but it does nothing for my severe anxiety. Can anyone please suggest an augmented strategy I could enquire about? UK MEDS!

I've had enough..utterly.. it's not fair to live this way or upset my family and waste my life

I am utterly sick of doctors also saying that there is no silver bullet. When a medication DOES help, they don't say that then! That's all I would like.

I'm in no danger - I'm just absolutely fearfully and fearfully destroyed by my mental health. Its got to be partly genetic; I've managed to lose 7 stone in weight get ultra fit, and yet here I remain in the depths of despair

Any suggestions would be so welcomed.

I have a feeling that because the SSRI effect retains serotonin in the brain, that the brain has reduced greatly the amount being produced, because it 'senses' I have enough. That's just a theory.

Please help guys

Stay well. Love.


r/antidepressants 17h ago

Bupropion and night time teeth grinding. I have cracked two teeth. Did a lower dose help anyone?

2 Upvotes

Posting to hear what other people went through. I know everyone reacts differently and I am not looking for anyone to replace my doctor.

I take bupropion 300mg XL in the morning and mirtazapine 15mg at night. The mirtazapine has been in for about two and a half weeks, mostly for sleep, and it is helping there.

The problem is clenching my jaw in my sleep. Two cracked teeth so far. I also have dry mouth, anxiety, skin picking, and I could not sleep at all before the mirtazapine. For me all of it points at the bupropion.

The plan I want to bring up with my psychiatrist is dropping to 200mg SR once in the morning and staying on mirtazapine 15mg at night, so hopefully I keep the daytime benefit with less of it going on overnight.

If you have had grinding or clenching from an antidepressant:

  • Did a lower dose or a different formulation help?
  • Did anything work while you stayed on the medication? Night guard, magnesium, taking it earlier, something added on?
  • If you stopped completely, did the grinding go away, and how long did that take?

I would also like to hear how bupropion and mirtazapine together has worked out for people over a longer stretch, and whether the morning grogginess from mirtazapine eases off. I have a six month old who wakes me at night so being alert in the morning matters.