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Based Psychiatrist
Based PsychiatristStaff

Tapering: Effexor

727 posts

Europe

A Thread for Bigger Questions

February 24, 2026··
Tapering is mostly logistics. Doses, schedules, symptoms, hold or proceed. But there's another layer that doesn't get talked about enough: who are you becoming through this process? A lot of people started their medication during a defining period — early adulthood, grief, burnout, a diagnosis that may or may not have been accurate. Years or decades later, tapering isn't just physical. It's a reckoning with a version of yourself you may not fully know. Some questions worth sitting with, and worth bringing here: What drew you to tapering in the first place — was it a feeling, a belief, a moment? How has withdrawal changed how you think about your mind and your emotions? What do you want your life to look like when this is done? Has this process changed your relationship with the medical system? With yourself? There are no right answers. This isn't a debate forum. It's a place for the slower, harder conversations that don't fit anywhere else. Drop a thought. Respond to someone else's. This thread is always open. — TaperCommunity Team

Creator of Taper Community, here to help you.

2 Replies

A
AJ5mo ago
NavigatorCelexa · active
I started citalopram at least 15 years ago now, after a nervous breakdown in my early 20s. A few months after starting it, I had the suspicion it wasn't doing anything for me, but I was too worried about having another breakdown to go off it. And thus started my journey of unsuccessfully trying to get off this medication countless times for the next dozen years. I'm concerned about what it may be doing to my health long-term (e.g. I'm experiencing joint issues and have early-onset cataracts). Quite simply, I've never been a fully mature adult without this drug affecting my brain (and body). I suspect I won't be a hell of a lot different, but I can't know for sure. I'm thinking I'll be me but better 😂 I'll be real, if nothing else. Completely me. The sovereign of my own mind.

Celexa — 3.6mg — 15+ years — actively tapering | without clinician

Catina
CatinaStaff5mo ago
Community AnchorEffexor
"And thus started my journey of unsuccessfully trying to get off this medication countless times for the next dozen years." — @AJ
Hi AJ, I'm just now seeing your post. With the knowledge and support you receive here, I believe you can finally be successful in tapering off. We'll be here to help you in any way we can!

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 17.92 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg

“Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.”

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

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