I was on them for 8 months which I admit isnt as long as u have been but I was still on them for a while. I came off them when there was less stress. It was a while ago (last summer) but I dont remember it being hard I was a bit ratty but it wasnt seriously hard like people or anything. For me anyway it wasnt a big problem

Did you come off them cold turkey or did you do it gradually?

Gradually I think yeah its bringing back I think I was on a 15mg 2 times a day dose of (forgotten the drug) and then went down to 7.5mg for about a week then cold turkey

id ask who evers perscribing them for advise how to come off.

Well done for deciding to come off them I didnt like the idea that some drugs were changing the way that you think but they were v helpful in recovering from being suicidal

Do not come off them cold turkey, as it may initiate seizures or shock. Come of them gradually, usually over a 2-4 week period.

While i'm still currently on two anti-depressants, the best way is to get off of them gradually. It will give your body less of a shock than by doing it all at once.

You should also talk to your doctor (therapist and/or physician) before stopping your medication. Be aware if you experiance any kind of side effects and take it easy while coming off your medication. You should probably check on the web and see if there are any kind of withdrawl symtoms for you particular type of medication.

Sorry to sound like a mom (i'm 23; not a mom but yeah) and such, but looking out for people. Take care and good luck!

If you are comming off anti-depressants, which are most often an ssri/ssnri/maoi, you must come off them gradually, as I experienced this the hard way. You will faint, lose consciousness, become nauseaous, etc.

Thanks. Did any of you have to stop work while coming off their medication?

No. You will see almost no effect if you do it properly. The more gradually you lower your dose and the longer you extend the time yhou lower it over, the less effect you will see.

I too have not been feeling "myself" for quite some time now, and want to get off the meds. ALWAYS seek professional medical advice when trying to come off antidepressants!!!

I have been on Remeron (Mirtazapine) for about 12 months now. I was taking roughly 9mg nightly for stress and sleep. My life circumstance have chilled these days, so I ignorantly tried going cold turkey off the meds last November '06. Within 7-10 days I became increasingly debilitated, to the point where I experienced severe nausea, moderate body tremors, inability to concentrate, and much more. I managed to get back on my feet by Dec 4th by getting back on the meds at 7.5-8mg nightly. Since then I've tried to taper the dosage down to 5mg without succes, and now 6.5mg without success. Meaning, that my withdrawal symptoms become intollerable to the point of taking time off from work. I am now trying to stabilize myself at 6.8mg. I needed to purchase a milligram scale to measure by pill weight, rather than guesstimate cutting the sizes all the time.

For the life of me, I cannot imagine that the body wouldn't be able to adjust to a slow taper, it's just a matter of finding what's right for you based on your body's sensitivity to your medication. I expect my taper to take a year, possibly longer. That is, if I want to continue weaning while keeping my day job.

I am trying to come off of Cymbalta and I'm having bad side effects such as brain zaps and dizziness. I'm hot and then cold and sweat so much now which is very new to me. I did loose weight, but not I'm hungry all the time. HELP!!! Does anyone know how long this will continue? I just quit cold turkey.

You're not suppose to suddenly stop taking taking antidepressants. It's popular concensus that you should taper gradually off them. Ask your doctor about a method that's right for you.

I have been on anti-depressants for about 6 years due to post natal depression. I almost came off them successfully about 18 months ago, by weening very slowly over a few months ( I was taking nortriptolyne 75mg daily) however my marraige broke up and I needed to go back on them. Life is much less stressful now so I am trying again.
I have gone from 75mg to 50 mg, and have been finding it hard to get off to sleep, and a bit ratty.
Can anyone share their experience coming off this drug please, and anything that helped during that time?
Thanks

As suggested in doing it slowly, I also weaned off of my antidepressants that I'd been on for four years. I was very tired of the side effects and was ready to make a change. I was very scared because my doctor basically told me I was on them for life. I was diagnosed with severe depression due to a genetic disposition. Practically my whole family suffers from some sort of mental disorder. My mom is schizophrenic. A good friend from my church shared with me about a natural health product called Ageless Xtra and that it had given her more energy. I was up for that. I was actually on it for 3 months, noticing a signifiant difference in my energy level and managment of stress. The true test for me came when I was told it could also help me with my depression. I chose to wean off of my anti-depressants and did it in a month. WHile continuing to take the Agelss X-tra I was completely off of my meds in a months time. The amazing thing for me was that I did it the most stressful time of year for myself- Septemebr. I'm a teacher. That was 9 months ago! I've tested myself a couple times and went off of the natual product to see what would happen. Within a few days I started feeling the anxiety attacks and sadness. What my experience taught me to be more open inded to nutraceuticals , that God's Pharmacy actually has a place in medicine. This is all new to me - but I am personally living it and my life is so different without the side effects of drugs. You asked what has worked for otehr people. This has worked wonderfully for me!

I was taking antidepressants for about a year before I decide to come off them. I didn't know if the transition would be easy and I was a little worried too! I heard it helps to ease off of them instead of just stopping cold so I got some natural alternative supplements to take while I stopped with the prescrip stuff and it worked great. I didn't notice any side effects and besides the regular disorientation that comes with leaving a medication I felt really good again.

I recommend them to you because they worked so well with me and I know how scary it can be giving up on the meds that you have depended on for so long! Check out this link for the info: http://www.unapproved advertising spam.com/articles/depression-recommendatio ns.html. There is also some really great info there for dietary changes that you can try to ehlp the preocess as well.

Thankyou everyone for the great advice. I have been on 50mg daily instead of 75mg and really finding it hard to drift off to sleep. Trying to limit caffine and watch my sugar intake. Just feeling really tired due to not quite enough sleep, and trying to boost my happy feelings with yoga and a positive attitude. I am probably just tired but feeling a little low as well, hard to know if it coming off the pills as well. I am snapping at my 3 kids a little and although they are all under 8 they have some understanding of what I am doing. Just hoping I am doing the right thing.

my mum has been taking anti-depressants for about 5 or more years now, and she has been having severe pains in her abdomen area. she has been to a doc who has told her she is likely to be having liver dysfunctions. she is awaiting blood test results to confirm or deny liver disorder. she has had to have time off work.

she has tried 2 or 3 times over the past few years to wean off the meds, but has not been greatly successful. she ended up being able to switch to a different brand but it is still doing her body serious damage.
she has been to a naturopath who has given her B12 suppliments and another herbal extract to help, but they havnt worked for her.

I am very very disappointed with the doctor who prescribed it. what really annoys me is that majority of doctors who prescribe these drugs do not look at alternatives, be it natural, or therapy related. why do they force people to be at the mercy of large pharmaceutical companies? i would also like to put a question out there to them- would they be happy to take these anti-depressants that they so willingly supply to their patients, after seeing people return with severe side effects after ceasing to take them?

my mum needs to stop taking these drugs and she needs a lot of support to do so. last time she tried i remember her being off work for weeks and weeks and not leaving her room. she wouldnt let me get her food and she was crying all the time. i woke one day to the sound of her crying in the toilet.

if anyone has any suggestions for councellors in Perth (Australia) or ways in which they weaned off (other than loweing the dose slowly) I would be very appreciative. I do not want the meds to be the reason she dies - they were meant to help her, not give her liver disease. She is only 51.

I have taken 20mg of fluoxetine a day for eight year's. I was prescribed them by my doctor who diagnosed me as having circumstancial depression (unhappily married)
I have been seperated for six month's now and have recently stopped taking my medication, (so far, so good!)
I have eliminated the reason for my depression, so it will be interesting for me to see if it comes back.
I have stopped without first reducing my dose, and although i know this is not the correct way to go about it, i feel for me this is the right choice and the right time. I have not experienced to many side effects and am going to take some vitamin B complex to help with the nervous system.
Will update you in a month's time to review how it's all going.

I was on them for about a year. I went on vacation and started getting electric shock sensations for awhile because I forgot to bring the meds! Once I was over the hurdle I discovered that I was depressed because I was unhappy with my wife. I will never take meds again! I'm now going through a divorce and can only say this from my experience, if your not happy with your life change it! Never try and mask your true feelings unless you feel suicidal! Even then you should take therapy over drugs... the problem will always be there no matter how much you numb the pain! Good luck and remember, be true to yourself, if you can lie to yourself you can lie about anything!

I was on antidepressants for about 5 years and slowly came off them 5 months ago. It can be tough depending what meds you are on. My body would go nuts when I was at the tail-end, taking the low dose one day and then nothing the next. My head couldn't handle it and I would the worst headaches of my life, felt disoriented, all these awful things. But I had to come off them because I no longer needed them and the drug was actually doing more harm because I really didn't need them. It was tough but so worth it, I'm so happy I got through the tough times and I'm at a better place in my life. And it feels fantastic not having to be on medication. So push through, but do so gradually!