thinking to reduce dose

Talk to your doctor about reducing slowly. They say a minimum of 6 months and by the time you are off it will probably be 10. Good luck. Oh and you'll probably have to diet to lose the weight ???

Can I ask you a question? If you were bad before starting medication and now you were on it and feel better why come off of it? I always looked at it like this, if I had high blood pressure and had to medication to lower it and it worked and everything was going good I wouldn't go off it because my blood pressure would most likly return to bad again, I understand how you feel and want to be free of it but personally I'm 28 and almost 6weeks into taking it, I had the best week I've had in months and now today i feel back to complete sh*t again so I feel like if this medicine gets me back to normal completely I'm gonna continue to take it to avoid ever coming back to this place wheee I am currently, I've read tons of people on this forum that have come off and really have been doing well so there's hope that you can too I'm just personally scared of it if I ever get back to a point that I feel good all the time again lol I do know that there's a women named katecogs on here that has come off and seems to have the method down pretty good so maybe try and contact her for better info

Stay on it til you comfortable with th advice you get from the forum mostly take a long time coming off if you decide to come off and you won't automatically lose the weight you gained

It can be diffiult to say how long we are all different

Make that appointment do not rush coming off this medication

Talk to your doctor, and make sure you slowly taper off. You may get a shock like sensation like I did for a while but it will go away, it's just the body readjusting, though it may be not as bad if you have been tapering over a longer period like I should have done. Nothing horrible, it just feels a bit annoying and strange. Also, you will lose the weight you gained. I changed my diet and exercised more which facilitated the process.

Best wishes!

Hi Roby

Hey, glad to hear you've come through it all and are better now!!

I've just come off this medication - took me a year to withdraw (that was my choice).  Apparently its best to stay on the meds a good year before thinking of withdrawing, but that's only what I've read.  I agree, best to see your doctor to discuss first.

The slower the reduction the better.  I withdrew by 5mg each time, with each dose lasting around 2 months before reducing again going from 20mg / 15mg / 10mg / 5mg / 2.5mg / 1.25 / stop.  Doing it this way I had no withdrawing symptoms at all unlike the first time years before when I reduced by a larger dose.

Don't be in a hurry to do it, take as long as you can.  If you reduce by a large drop each time and too quick, that's when you experience withdrawal.

Weight gain can be a problem on these meds for some, and yes it can reduce when you're off the meds.  I certainly feel less bloated.  

Don't give yourself a timescale - take each reduction as it comes.  Wait a couple of months on it and if you feel ok then reduce further and wait another couple of months.  If you feel not so good, then wait - its not such a huge drop if you do need to go back to the previous doseage.

There's nothing to be afraid of ........ do it slow and this should ease you back off gently.  Its only when its done too quick and too big a reduction that withdrawal happens.

Staying on the meds a good year apparently helps to stop the depresson from returning, but if you're ready now, then speak to your doctor and sort out a programme.  Some doctors do get patients to drop too quick too soon ....... but do go see him anyway and maybe discuss doing it this slow ie 5mg.

You're back to Saudi Arabia now aren't you?  Bet its warmer there than it is here now 

I'll message you too xx