The Withdrawal and Damage I Was Never Warned About
Prescribed Paxil at 31 for situational depression, injured twice by withdrawal and akathisia, now tapering Effexor 3–5% every 8–10 weeks after two decades.
Hyperbolic Tapering Stories
Patient experiences with tapering antidepressants and benzodiazepines slowly, in small reductions
82 patient accounts that describe tapering a psychiatric medication, including hyperbolic tapering: reducing the dose in progressively smaller steps so the final reductions are the smallest. People describe what worked, what went wrong with fast tapers, how long it took and what symptoms came up along the way. Tapering services and tools are listed on the resources page.
Related: Tapering services · Benzodiazepines · SSRIs · Hope & recovery · FAQ
More story collections: Akathisia Stories · PSSD Stories · All stories
SSNRI at 14 Years of Age
Put on venlafaxine at 14, stuck on 37.5 mg for a decade, tapered by removing three beads a week, then trapped again on escitalopram after PPD.
SSRI Turned on Me
On sertraline since high school. After years of tapers and reinstatements, a 2026 dose increase brought insomnia, mild akathisia, and adrenaline surges. Now stuck.
Iatrogenic Harm
Twenty years on Paxil, Cipralex, trazodone, and a benzodiazepine. Now fighting for a hyperbolic taper while prescribers ask, “What is a dynamic taper?”
How Am I Still Alive
A one-week Xanax taper sent me into akathisia and a psychiatric ward. 25 months into a slow taper, I don't know how I'm still alive.
6 Months of Hell
After 25 years on SSRIs I tapered off with my doctor's guidance. Six months of panic, akathisia, and suicidal ideation forced me back on.
Letting Go of Klonopin Nearly Killed Me
Prescribed 2 mg of Klonopin at sixteen, I lost two decades to tolerance, failed tapers, and terrifying withdrawal before rebuilding my life.
Blindsided
Five years on venlafaxine, numb and spellbound. When I tapered down, I woke up married to someone I was never in love with.
Went Through Hell and Am Here to Tell the Tale
A therapist with 10 years on meds, I tapered myself off in 6 weeks. All hell broke loose 5 months later. Two years on, I'm fully healed.
A Cocktail From Hell
Ten years on a cocktail of ten psychiatric drugs I couldn't function. Now tapering, walking five miles a day, and playing the organ again.
Gabapentin withdrawal
Prescribed 300 mg Gabapentin for anxiety. Tapering caused night seizures, plus emotional dysregulation. My prescriber called it 'very benign.' Lies.
Motherhood Interrupted
Postpartum panic from a copper IUD led to Zoloft, then Seroquel, Lamotrigine, Abilify. After 12 years and a brutal taper, I gave birth to a healthy boy in 2025.
Max's tapering off meds
Cancer remission in 2023, then I tapered off Abilify, Trintellix, and Buspirone. Genital numbness, vertigo, cognitive issues. Reinstated 5mg Trintellix.
My Venlafaxine withdrawal story
325mg of venlafaxine for over 5 years was an overdose. Six brutal months to taper off, every day feeling like the flu. My doctor won't prescribe it anymore.
Tapering and Drug Half-Life
Effexor for fibromyalgia. Brain zaps from missing one dose taught me the half-life truth. Counted hundreds of beads inside each capsule to taper myself off.
I Just Wanted to Sleep — A Poet and Fitness Coach's Life Unraveled by Medication
Lyme and mold illness led to insomnia, then mirtazapine, gabapentin, benzos. A 6-week taper has left me with severe akathisia, daily suicidality, and destroyed sleep.
Incorrect Diagnoses
Severe accident. Psychiatrist gave me a benzo. 10-month compounded liquid micro-taper. Two months off and I'm still on 3 hours of sleep a night.
A three-year journey through SSRI withdrawal
Five years on Citalopram, then a slow taper triggered visual snow, daily panic, tinnitus, and a four-year recovery. Eventually, our rainbow baby.
It hurts to think about that topic
Took escitalopram for 4 months at 21 in Germany. Tapered in two weeks. Now PSSD, dead emotions, visual snow. Some hope on Keto. I love you. - Paul
Effexor Survivor 12 years clean!
6.5 years on 225mg of Effexor. Tapered in 1.5 months. The first day fully off, I could see, smell and hear better and thought: what was I just on?
Pssd hell
20 years on Zoloft without issue. Doctor doubled the dose for GI issues. Then anhedonia. Tapered off, now 10 months in, no improvement. Genital numbness, ED.
SSRI medicine paroxetine withdrawal
Paroxetine for 18 months. Stopping brought brain zaps, low energy, depersonalization. The fear of withdrawal kept me on it. Now tapering myself.
What happened?
Doctor prescribed benzos for seizures I never had — the real cause was a stroke and spinal cord injury. Found the Ashton manual, tapered over a year.
Neighbor Bob's Benzo Success Story!
Klonopin for sleep after a chemical brain injury. 15 years on it, then a Valium taper. 2.5 years of brutal withdrawal. Then I woke up one morning, healed.
Clonazepam for 12 Years for Sleep
After 12 years on clonazepam for chronic insomnia, getting off was harder than coming off opioids and nerve pain meds combined. My doctor wanted to taper me too fast.
Lexapro Withdrawal: Seizures and Chronic Migraines
40mg of Lexapro for 15 years. My psychiatrist tapered me off in 3 weeks. Now I have epilepsy and chronic migraines, and she said "I think that caused your seizure."
Life Altering
I was prescribed Effexor and put on 25kg, drinking and smoking marijuana to cope. By day 4 of tapering 300mg over 3 months, I was sending psychotic emails. PTSD lasted years.
Sero-Hell
Injured by psych meds from 2000 to 2014 on a bipolar 2 misdiagnosis. Tapered off using a 10% schedule. Then thyroid cancer and amitriptyline brought everything back.
Benzo and Opioid Addiction
I was a secondary caretaker for my mother who was prescribed Valium for years, setting the stage for general antidepressant addiction going into her 80s. Any attempt to taper off caused severe withdrawals. Toward the end, she wanted to crawl out of her skin with anxiety and pain.
Neurological Injury (BIND or Protracted Withdrawal) from Xanax
I was prescribed a low dose of Xanax for depression, then the dose was increased to 3 mg. I developed interdose withdrawal, became suicidal, and when I tried to stop, an inadequate one-week Librium taper led to akathisia and an ER visit where I was treated as drug-seeking.
12 Years of Akathisia with No End in Sight
What started as Effexor for depression turned into a decade of protracted withdrawal misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia. After cold-turkeying Cymbalta brought homicidal thoughts, and a three-year bead-by-bead Effexor taper, I've had akathisia for 12 years and counting.
I Just Wanted to Sleep
What started as a short-term solution for severe insomnia turned into years of being polymedicated. A six-week taper off mirtazapine, far too fast, has left me with the most severe, life-altering insomnia imaginable, daily suicidality, and severe akathisia.
I Thought I Was Crazy
After tapering off SSRIs before trying to get pregnant, I kept blaming the angst on hormones. Then I heard Mikhaila's story and fireworks went off in my head. The fog, the dread, the light sensitivity, the vertigo — it all finally made sense.
Zoloft 15 Years
I was on Zoloft 100 mg for 15 years. I went off cold turkey and could not sleep for 8 days. Even after a slow taper, I still cannot read like I used to more than 10 years later. I was a voracious reader. Not anymore.
Living Hell
I was put on an SSRI as a teen and stayed on it for about 15 years. In 2023, my GP in the UK told me to “taper” over a week or two. What followed was hell on earth—I was unable to function, suicidal, with severe brain zaps and insomnia. I was getting about two hours of sleep a night. I ended up polydrugged on two more medications, then went through another cold turkey experience. I found Dr Mark Horowitz’s work, did my own research, and fought for liquid formulations so I could taper slowly. It’s going to take years.
Gabapentin and Never Got Back to “Normal”
In 2024, I admitted myself into treatment for alcohol use disorder. They prescribed me 300mg of gabapentin three times a day for anxiety. I took it for about six to seven months, then tapered off. What followed was severe insomnia where I couldn’t go to work, akathisia lasting over a year, panic attacks so bad I had to wear a heart monitor, severe tinnitus, and debilitating fatigue that still exists to this day. No one would believe me that gabapentin would do this, and they still don’t.
In Constant Pain
During COVID, my GP prescribed escitalopram for anxiety without referring me to a counsellor or psychiatrist, then invited me to experiment with my own dosage. A year and a half later, I realised it wasn’t working and tapered off quickly. About 2.5 weeks after my last dose, everything fell apart: an intense headache, brain zaps, dizziness, the ability to hear my eyes move, and irregular heartbeats. Then bladder symptoms were added to the growing list. Dr Mark Horowitz confirmed I had a neurological injury from cessation of the medication. For over 2.5 years now, I have had the same symptoms. Mould exposure later compounded the autonomic nervous system dysfunction.
SSRI Withdrawal Made Me Severely Suicidal
I was prescribed Lexapro at the age of 13 to treat anxiety, depression, and OCD. By 16 I was on the maximum dosage of Zoloft. I felt numb, stupid, had zero sex drive, and was extremely underweight because my appetite had disappeared. About two weeks into tapering off, I began to feel the worst dread, panic, and fear I had ever felt. I went from a straight-A student to someone who couldn’t sit through a single class. After a month of constant suffering, I made an attempt to take my life.
A Decade on Antipsychotics: Finding My Way Back
I was 21 when I was hospitalised during a time of distress and told I had schizophrenia. For over a decade I lived under that diagnosis, taking antipsychotic medication. Three years ago, my psychiatrist said words I never expected to hear: “I’m so sorry. I think you have OCD, not schizophrenia.” By then I had been on antipsychotics for so long that coming off them has felt almost impossible. In one appointment during tapering, my blood pressure surged to 190/145. I now live with metabolic syndrome and cognitive difficulties. I am still finding my way back to myself.
Stuck
I have been trying to get off benzodiazepines for years without success. I've noticed a decline in my cognitive function, my problem-solving ability feels slower, and overall I don't feel as sharp as I used to. Each time I attempt to taper, I experience severe panic attacks intense enough that I've called an ambulance multiple times.
Lamotrigine
Tapered off lamotrigine after five years. Very slow five-month taper. Every day since reaching zero has been terrible. I'm being told that my symptoms are proof that I need to be on a mood stabilizer and it's my fault for tapering off. Ultimately gaslighting. None of my symptoms were ever this bad.
Venlafaxine Protracted Withdrawal
I was prescribed Venlafaxine and was on it for almost ten years. As the years went on, I developed very low libido, sexual dysfunction, emotional blunting, GI issues, very poor sleep, major brain fog and was still depressed and anxious. After tapering off, I hit rock bottom. I'm now a complete shell of the person I used to be.
SSRIs Saved My Life, and Made It Hell
In January 2017 I was prescribed Paroxetine 20mg daily. It saved my life. But I had severe sexual dysfunction, complete lack of motivation, and anhedonia. I was a different man than before the treatment. It took around a year to regain sexual function. My libido never recovered to the original level. This all was ten years ago.
On the Frontlines of Medical Misinformation
I was first diagnosed with severe postpartum depression after my last child. Then, ten years later, my diagnosis changed to schizoaffective disorder because every time I try to taper, symptoms reoccur within about six months. I never dreamt this would be my life, constantly medicated and living under a stigma.
Our Once Cohesive Family Is Fractured
My loved one was prescribed an SNRI drug to help manage neuropathic pain due to fibromyalgia. After a 3.5 week taper, they surprisingly no longer had any of the original pain. But they tragically lost their love, empathy, and affection for me and other dear family members.
SSRI (Sertraline)
After a short talk with no tests, he prescribed me sertraline which I took for 2 years. After I tapered medications, my suicidal thoughts came back stronger than ever. My sex life has been ruined. I feel almost no joy in my life.
From Misery to Freedom
At age 38 my GP started me on Effexor. After 7 years I asked her to help me taper off. She boldly refused to help me at all. I fired her that day. It took 6 months to get off of them. I had joint pain, brain fog, loss of sexual feelings, and generalized apathy.
Benzos and My Recovery
I started with lorazepam and eventually switched to clonazepam to taper off. I took six months to taper from half a mg. I am now 22 months off clonazepam and still dealing with neurological damage. I am not healed.
10 Years Later: There Is Hope
My story began in the year 2000, at age 18. Over the years I was prescribed Zoloft, Lithium, Lamictal, Xanax, Paxil, and more. I was misdiagnosed with Bipolar Type II. By 2014 I was in hell tapering off. Now, over a decade later, I am finally free of the nightmare.
My Worst Experience Tapering Off an Anti-Epileptic Medication
When I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, I started Lyrica. I felt like a sleepwalker. I floated through a fog most days. I gained 40 pounds. Eventually, a headache specialist said I was overmedicated. Tapering off, I became anxious, depressed, and thought of committing suicide.
When Treatment Becomes the Illness
I was prescribed Sertraline for situational panic attacks following a house fire and remained on it for approximately 13 years. When I eventually came off through a rapid taper, what followed was not a return of my original symptoms but the onset of something far more severe. I developed over 30 debilitating symptoms including severe akathisia, widespread neurological disturbances, and prolonged insomnia. Instead of recognising withdrawal, I was cycled through 11 different psychiatric drugs in six months. I have lost my career, my house, my friends, and much of my independence.
My Seroxat Nightmare: Withdrawal, Rage, and Meetings with the MHRA
I was prescribed Seroxat (paroxetine) in the late 1990s for work-related stress and pain, and stayed on it for six years at 40mg. It never fixed the underlying problem—it numbed me emotionally, stole my empathy, and turned me into an agitated, angry version of myself. My 19-month taper was gruelling, and when I eventually went cold turkey, the withdrawal was absolute hell: brain zaps, violent urges, suicidal ideation, and sleep paralysis. I turned that pain into advocacy—a published book, a blog with nearly 4.5 million hits, and meetings with the MHRA that exposed how little regulators were willing to act.
Just a Little Adderall
At age 12, I was prescribed Adderall for being talkative and high-energy in school. Shortly after, I developed mood issues and depression. By 16, I was on Lexapro. In college, a psychiatrist diagnosed me as bipolar and added a mood stabiliser. Things got significantly worse—I became suicidal, started self-harming, and stopped making rational decisions. I stayed on these medications until I was 27. During my taper, I quit Lexapro and Lamictal simultaneously and had three seizures in my sleep. I lost 17 years of my life to these drugs.
50 Years of Prescribed Harm: Benzodiazepines and Antidepressants
In 1975, I was prescribed the benzodiazepine Nitrazepam for muscle spasms and brain zaps diagnosed as myoclonic epilepsy. My reaction was paradoxical—I became hyperactive, lost weight rapidly, and attempted suicide for the first time in my life. Rather than questioning the drug, I was referred to psychiatry and spent decades on multiple antidepressants without informed consent. I worked in NHS research, but everything was an enormous struggle. After tapering off Nitrazepam in 2013, delayed acute withdrawal left me mostly bedridden for years. I was misdiagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and functional neurological disorder. I finally know the truth: I did not have a depressive disorder. I was harmed by prescribed drugs.
Metabolic Recovery from Mental Illness
From 2016 to 2018, I had four hospitalisations for manic psychosis. I was on five medications at high doses and still could not get stable. In June 2021, I started a ketogenic diet based on the work of Dr. Chris Palmer at Harvard. Within months, my manic episodes stopped entirely. Over seven years I tapered off benzodiazepines, an antipsychotic, a mood stabiliser, and lithium. I suffered a serious withdrawal injury from an overly aggressive anticonvulsant taper, but the metabolic foundation I had built kept my bipolar symptoms from returning. Five years into a strict ketogenic and now carnivore diet, I have had no mood instability and no hospitalisations.
Cymbalta and Olanzapine Disaster
I was on Cymbalta for 5+ years. My doctor tapered me from 60 mg to zero in a month and then prescribed olanzapine for the resulting insomnia—without warning me of the side effects or checking for a drug interaction. I developed tremors, sexual dysfunction, emotional blunting, anhedonia, and cognitive impairment. I went from independent to barely functioning, and have had to go on disability.
Permanently Disabled Because of a Doctor
I had tried and failed many antidepressants before a doctor used Cymbalta as a “diagnostic tool” for fibromyalgia—telling me that if it didn’t work, I didn’t have the condition. From the first dose it damaged my nervous system. Years later another SNRI sent my system over the edge. I now have dysautonomia and treatment-resistant migraines. I can’t work, I can’t shower, and I can’t have meaningful relationships.
‘A Powerful Embrace’
I was started on an SSRI nearly 30 years ago while training as an NHS psychiatrist. I have been unable to discontinue it, however slowly I taper. Severe withdrawal symptoms including akathisia and suicidality led to hospitalisation in 2005, multiple psychotropics, and eventually ECT—which caused severe biographical memory loss. I returned to work as an NHS psychiatrist for older adults, but have faced gaslighting and stigma from the profession I gave 25 years to for speaking publicly about these harms.
PSSD from Lexapro
In college I was prescribed Lexapro for anxiety. I stayed on it for many years, then successfully tapered off with therapy and lifestyle changes. Seven months later, when my anxiety rose again, a doctor (not my usual NP) suggested I go back on a low dose. After six days I stopped due to severe night sweats and insomnia, expecting things to return to normal. What followed was a total destruction of my life: my sexual functioning went to zero, my genitals went completely numb, my hair fell out, and I am virtually disabled. PSSD has destroyed my life.
“I Put Your Foot on This Path”
I had trialed over 20 psych meds during the 10 years prior to my iatrogenic injury. After a 4 month taper off my last med, I started vomiting every day and was admitted to a psych ward for severe suicidal ideation. For 2 years I lived homebound in a constant state of torture. 7 years later in 2026, I finally got granted full SSA Disability.
Akathisia — An Unimaginable Hell
I decided to go off 30 years on venlafaxine when I learned the “low serotonin myth” had been debunked. My med provider tapered me off in 6 weeks after 30 years. The brain zaps started within 24 hours. I ended up in the ER in horrific pain, unable to stand for more than 15 minutes at a time. I thought about suicide every day. I didn’t know it was humanly possible to feel that horrible.
Trapped on Olanzapine
I was told I’d only need olanzapine for 12 months and that getting off would be easy. After multiple failed abrupt tapers, I became stuck on the drug for 7–8 years. I was eventually diagnosed with a mild cognitive impairment and given a geriatrician referral at just 41 years old.
Citalopram Cold Turkey
I was given a prescription for citalopram after a miscarriage and redundancy. Six years later, when my chemist stopped opening on Saturdays, I ended up going cold turkey at Christmas. Three weeks later I was hit with severe anxiety, panic attacks, and activation syndrome. The NHS doesn’t have a clue about withdrawal or tapering.
Disabled by SNRI/SSRI and Medical Trauma
Before I took antidepressants I had some mild to moderate anxiety but I was very functional. I am now disabled, had to stop working, move back in with my parents and live in severe and chronic pain due to antidepressant withdrawal. The doctor tapered me off Pristiq in 2 weeks after being on it for almost a year.
Clomipramine Took My Youth and My Life
I was prescribed clomipramine for OCD when I was 20 years old. This drug ruined my life for eight years. When my psychiatrist took me off a very high dose with a three-month “taper,” I went into acute withdrawal. I’m now 90% bedridden with horrifying symptoms, at risk of homelessness—all because I wanted off this terrible drug.
20 Medications, 5 Years, and a Dog That Saved My Life
A 15-minute telehealth visit led to serotonin syndrome, 20 different medications, and a maximum adult dose of Xanax. Tapering off took 18 months of hallucinations, seizures, and suicidal thoughts. Five years later, I’m medication-free.
26 years and counting
Prescribed clonazepam in the late 90s for bladder pain, I took it only as prescribed for over 25 years. Now at 64, I’ve had to move away from my husband of 45 years because I can’t tolerate noise or stress while tapering.
Stories from Hundreds of Cymbalta Tapering Group Members
A compilation of testimonials from over 45,000 members of the Facebook Group “Cymbalta Hurts Worse” over the last 13 years — documenting bad tapers, cold turkey experiences, and the devastating symptoms that follow.
A polypharmacy Nightmare, Medical Gaslighting reality, to taking things to my own hands and using whatever resources I have to try and claim the 18 year old kid back.
A cold-turkey withdrawal from Flupentixol/Melitracen led to 30 days of total insomnia and constant DPDR. What followed was a polypharmacy nightmare of Clonazepam, antipsychotics, and paradoxical reactions — still tapering years later.
From Paxil to Forced Electroshock: The Prescribing Cascade Nobody Warned Me About
Put on Paxil at 19, I tapered off and became suicidal — no one recognized it as withdrawal. What followed was two suicide attempts, forced ECT 16 times, years on disability, and decades lost. I finished tapering in 2024, now in my 40s.
When Antidepressants Took My Life Away & How I Took It Back
Prescribed paroxetine in 2008 after a few-minute consultation, I spent a decade on over a dozen drugs. Six years of protracted withdrawal and PSSD followed. Eight years later, I’ve fully regained myself and now help others.
My descent into hell and back again
Ten years on antidepressants, three failed tapers, a psychiatrist who threatened me with death if I stopped. I developed my own protocol and tapered over 56 weeks. Twenty years medication-free, I now guide others through the same battle.
Severely Harmed by Effexor Withdrawal
I missed one dose of Effexor and experienced severe headaches, dizziness, and nausea for three months. During a hyperbolic taper, my nervous system destabilized causing terror-level anxiety, akathisia, and insomnia. I almost took my life.
SSRI Medicine Paroxetine Withdrawal
I was on paroxetine for 18 months but when I wanted to stop I faced a lot of withdrawal symptoms like brain zaps, low energy, depersonalization, derealization, and brain fog. The worst part was the anxiety that came with stopping. I am now tapering by myself.
Tapering for 8 Years and Still Going
In the early 2000’s I was prescribed an SSRI for panic attacks. In 2022, stopping at what doctors think is crumbs at 2mg, I went into severe akathisia. I was bedridden, agoraphobic and lived in sheer terror. Psychiatrists said it was anxiety and kept prescribing more pills. I am still tapering.
Life, Unfiltered
I was put on Prozac at 12 and stayed on it for 13 years. There was no informed consent, no honest conversation about what it could mean for my developing mind, body, emotions, or sense of self. It wasn’t until I tapered off that things started to come into focus.
Sexuality Eliminated After SSRI Use. Seven Years and Counting.
I was prescribed citalopram for moderate depression in my late teens. Two weeks into tapering, I woke up and immediately knew something was wrong. I’d been stripped of all sexual sensation and my cognition was negatively impacted. These symptoms have remained static for seven years.
Living with BIND
I was on a benzo for 15 years, rapid tapered then cold turkey extremely fast. It almost killed me with a grand mal seizure and a plethora of other horrible things. I’ve been off for 7 years now but still struggle with horrible symptoms.
Paroxetine Withdrawal Hell
I was prescribed paroxetine over 27 years ago. My GP advised me to miss doses to taper. Shortly after, my blood pressure rose to 235—a hypertensive crisis. I developed burning skin, limb jerks, nerve pain, and akathisia. I have totally lost faith in the medical profession.
RN Experiencing Severe Lexapro Withdrawal
I started Lexapro at 22 after one panic attack as a new ICU nurse. Years later I was losing my memory, couldn’t focus, and felt nothing. Three years into tapering, my entire life has been derailed — and I still have two years to go.
SSRI Since Childhood
Started on an SSRI at 12 for anxiety and was never told when or how to stop. Every attempt to quit as an adult failed due to severe withdrawal. Now trapped trying to taper off amitriptyline with akathisia, insomnia, and suicidal ideation.
SSRI/SNRI Toxicity Induced Brain Injury
Put on citalopram at 18 for 9 years, then switched to Effexor. Cold turkey led to an electrical neurological brain injury. Reinstating and tapering caused even more harm. 9 years taken by iatrogenic drug damage.