Community Rules & Guidelines

TaperCommunity is a peer support space for people tapering psychiatric medications. These guidelines exist to keep it safe, honest, and useful for everyone here. 1. This is peer support, not medical advice Members share personal experience, not clinical guidance. Nothing posted here — by members or staff — should be taken as a substitute for advice from your prescriber. If you are in a medical emergency, contact emergency services immediately. When sharing what worked for you, frame it as your experience: "I found that..." not "You should..." This distinction matters enormously in a community dealing with withdrawal. 2. Use the My Taper function as a personal diary. Be specific about your own taper. Be careful about prescribing someone else's. Psychiatric medication withdrawal is highly individual. What worked on your taper may not for someone on a different drug, dose, or schedule. Respond with curiosity and support — not certainty. 3. No promotion of cold turkey or rapid discontinuation Advocating for abrupt discontinuation of psychiatric medications is not permitted. The evidence is clear that rapid tapers cause unnecessary harm. If you disagree with a member's pace, express concern gently — do not pressure. 4. Respect lived experience Many members arrive here after being dismissed, disbelieved, or misdiagnosed by the medical system. That history is valid and deserves respect. Do not minimise symptoms, question whether withdrawal is real, or suggest someone's experience is psychological rather than physiological. Both can be true and neither cancels the other. 5. Keep it constructive Disagreement is welcome. Contempt is not. Challenge ideas, not people. No personal attacks, no public callouts, no pile-ons. If you have a concern about another member, use the Direct Message or Contact Staff function. 6. Privacy Do not share identifying information about other members — in posts, DMs, or anywhere outside this platform. What's shared here stays here. 7. No spam, no solicitation Do not promote products, services, clinicians, or other communities without prior discussion with staff. This includes supplement brands, telehealth services, and affiliate links. 8. Flag, don't engage If you see a post that violates these guidelines, message staff. Do not respond to or escalate it publicly — that tends to make things worse. 9. Staff have final say We will enforce these guidelines with context and good faith. Repeated or serious violations may result in restricted posting or removal. If you believe a moderation decision was wrong, contact staff directly. These guidelines will evolve as the community grows.