Hi, I'm Adrian

August 30, 2026··

I wish I had found this community a year ago. After being on meds for 15 years, I decided to taper from FDA max dose on Fluvoxamine and did so under the supervision of a honestly terrible psych practitioner. I tapered way too fast because I didn’t know better. She then switched me to Pristiq, and then told me to stop it without even tapering at all. The withdrawal l went through was one of the worst things I have experienced in my life. I am struggling with no medication right now learning how my brain works without it. I’m going to stay the course and trust that things will even out—it’s only been a month since freedom for me. I am hoping for mutual support and community here.

Luvox — 3 years — completed taper | Pristiq — 1.5 months — completed taper | Ativan — 0.5mg — 8 months — down to as needed, haven't used in 4 weeks.

5 Replies

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Catina19d ago

Community AnchorEffexor

Hi @Adrian, welcome to Taper Community! I'm really sorry for your negative experience with being tapered incorrectly. Clinicians aren't trying to harm, but their training is sorely lacking when it comes to properly tapering people off the drugs they prescribe. Is your signature correct in saying you're on 10 mg of Ativan? What symptoms are you currently dealing with? Are you able to function pretty normally? If symptoms become unbearable, sometimes people can get relief with reinstating a very small dose, but the sooner it's done the better. If you can stay the course, then things will eventually improve with time though. We look forward to supporting you through this difficult time. Reach out anytime! Catina ❤️

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.

Adrian19d ago

WelcomerLuvox · completed

Hi @Catina !! Thanks so much for the welcome. My signature is right in that I do have Ativan, but I haven’t taken it for several weeks now because I am trying to learn how to do this without meds. Though during acute withdrawal ~4weeks after cold stopping Pristiq I took it almost every day. I carry it with me everywhere just in case though along with my Zofran. Makes me feel a little more secure. I am right now mostly mostly functional. As in, most of the time I can function mostly normally. I am able to go to work though some days it’s very hard. I cry a lot every day and most days I still wake up with sharp anxiety. I am in specialized therapy for coping with big emotions; I have never had to before because I have been on meds that numbed me emotionally for so long. I have thought extensively about trying a small dose and then redoing the taper, but since I feel I have made it through the worst of it, I don’t feel comfortable doing that. My goal is to stay strong and keep working on my health through supplement support, my support systems, and my therapist. One day at a time, as we say in recovery.

Luvox — 3 years — completed taper | Pristiq — 1.5 months — completed taper | Ativan — 0.5mg — 8 months — down to as needed, haven't used in 4 weeks.

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Catina19d ago

Community AnchorEffexor

You're welcome! When you did take the Ativan, how often did you take it? Was it on a regular basis? How long were you on it? I'm glad that for the most part you're functional, that's good to hear. Regarding supplements, please use caution, especially with things that can affect the nervous system: https://taper.community/thread/57d0fb51-6e6e-4517-9d3d-1dd2f2e3880c I'm glad that overall you have a good strong support system. Yes, taking things one day at a time is so important!

Adrian18d ago

WelcomerLuvox · completed

Thanks for that link!! My supplementation is thankfully very gentle - I don’t want to add anything that could upset the very delicate balance I have going right now. I take omega 3, vitamin D, coQ10, magnesium, couple other things. The hardest part of that list is avoiding big changes and stress! Life doesn’t like to stop for us. Lol.

Luvox — 3 years — completed taper | Pristiq — 1.5 months — completed taper | Ativan — 0.5mg — 8 months — down to as needed, haven't used in 4 weeks.

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Catina18d ago

Community AnchorEffexor

"The hardest part of that list is avoiding big changes and stress! Life doesn’t like to stop for us. Lol." — @Adrian

It's a challenge for sure. Life happens, and there are things that are out of our control sometimes. I'm fortunate that I'm able to keep my life pretty stress-free, but that isn't always the case at all times.

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