Tapering: other

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8 posts

españa

Hi, I'm Mone

July 1, 2026··

Hola, soy Mone, estoy tomando Rexulti (brexpripazol) desde hace un par de años, antes estaba con Abilify y no me dejaba pensar nada. Me preocupa estar medicada de por vida y los efectos a largo plazo. Tengo tendencia a preocuparme por los problemas globales (ecosociales) y no he podido expresarlo durante mi infancia y adolescencia, creo que eso, un cambio brusco de vida, el estrés y la maria fueron los desencadenantes de mi primer brote. Actualmente llevo dos años de terapia psicológica y lo más cerca que he estado de otro brote (quitando los anteriores años) fue porque me quité la medicación de golpe y me dió mucha ansiedad, también pude hablar de temas muy profundos de mi experiencia que anteriormente no había tratado con nadie, al final por miedo a la recaida se lo dije a mi psiquiatra y volvió a recetarme las pastillas, tuvimos una charla sobre los efectos a largo plazo y cuando estaría dispuesta a quitarme la medicación pero no hubo grandes explicaciones. Espero que a alguien le resuene esta historia, poder compartir parte del camino y que se nos haga más fácil con una guía la retirada. Gracias.

other — 4 — no se — researching taper | without clinician

11 Replies

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Catina2mo ago

Community AnchorEffexor

Hi Mone, and welcome! Your post came through in Spanish. Is there a way you can translate it to English? Thank you! 🙂

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.

Mone2mo ago

Welcomerother · researching

Hi, I'm Mone. I've been taking Rexulti (brexpripazole) for a couple of years now. Before that, I was on Abilify, and it made it impossible to think about anything. I'm worried about being medicated for life and the long-term effects. I tend to worry about global (ecosocial) problems, and I wasn't able to express that during my childhood and adolescence. I think that, along with a sudden change in my life, stress, and marijuana, triggered my first episode. I've been in therapy for two years now, and the closest I've come to another episode (excluding the previous years) was when I stopped taking the medication abruptly, which gave me a lot of anxiety. I was also able to talk about very deep aspects of my experience that I hadn't discussed with anyone before. In the end, out of fear of relapse, I told my psychiatrist, and he prescribed the pills again. We had a conversation about the long-term effects and when I was ready to stop taking the medication, but there weren't many explanations. I hope this story resonates with someone, that we can share part of the journey, and that with a guide, the retreat will be easier. Thank you.

other — 4 — no se — researching taper | without clinician

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Catina2mo ago

Community AnchorEffexor

Hi @Mone, and welcome! Thank you for translating that into English. Many people get to a point in their life when they wonder if they really need to be on these drugs their entire lives.

"triggered my first episode" — @Mone

What was this episode exactly?

"when I stopped taking the medication abruptly, which gave me a lot of anxiety" — @Mone

Yes, stopping any psychiatric drug abruptly (especially if you've been on it awhile) can cause severe withdrawal symptoms. It's always best to taper off safely.

"We had a conversation about the long-term effects and when I was ready to stop taking the medication, but there weren't many explanations" — @Mone

Doctors are more used to putting people on drugs and don't give much thought to getting them off. If you need help discussing the issue with your doctor, please let us know since we have information that can help you do this. If tapering off your drug is something you want to do, we will support you and give you the proper knowledge so you can do it safely and successfully. It's good that you're in therapy and finding ways to handle your worries and anxieties about life. You'll definitely need those skills while tapering your drug and beyond. You can use the Learn section to read about Hyperbolic tapering and use the My Taper function for check-ins to log your dose, mood, and symptoms. Do you have any specific questions? We'll be happy to help. Wishing you much success with your upcoming taper! Catina 🩷

Mone2mo ago

Welcomerother · researching

Hi, nice to meet you, I'll answer everything now. Before I do, I'd like to know what your role is within the community? Are you a therapist?

other — 4 — no se — researching taper | without clinician

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Catina2mo ago

Community AnchorEffexor

"I'd like to know what your role is within the community? Are you a therapist?" — @Mone

Hi Mone. I'm a fellow member who is on the Taper Community team. I am not a healthcare professional. I have been involved in the tapering and withdrawal community for over 5 years and served as a Peer Mentor on Surviving Antidepressants before it closed. Any advice given is based on my own personal experience or that of others that I've seen over the years. I'm passionate about supporting others during their own tapering and healing journey. Hope this helps! 🙂

Mone2mo ago

Welcomerother · researching

Thank you, I'm delighted. The first episode lasted almost a week and consisted of me speaking but being unintelligible until I almost stopped talking altogether. I was aware of where they were getting lost in the conversation, but I felt I couldn't explain myself because it was something that had already happened. I also had a lot of anxiety and felt like I had no self-esteem. I understand that stopping medication abruptly can be harmful. I would like to have more information in general. I know about the hyperbolic curve and the theory of reducing the medication by 10% at a time, although I'm afraid of relapsing after almost two years of improvement. Thank you very much.

other — 4 — no se — researching taper | without clinician

Mone2mo ago

Welcomerother · researching

I would like to know more about withdrawal syndrome and what to do if you don't have a psychiatrist to help you deal with it without going back to the initial dose.

other — 4 — no se — researching taper | without clinician

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Catina2mo ago

Community AnchorEffexor

"The first episode lasted almost a week and consisted of me speaking but being unintelligible until I almost stopped talking altogether. I was aware of where they were getting lost in the conversation, but I felt I couldn't explain myself because it was something that had alrea..." — @Mone

That sounds like it must have been very distressing! 😥 Was this an episode of psychosis?

"I would like to know more about withdrawal syndrome and what to do if you don't have a psychiatrist to help you deal with it without going back to the initial dose." — @Mone

If you click on Resources, you'll find the Learn section where you can read all about tapering and withdrawal. Unfortunately, most psychiatrists are not properly trained in tapering and withdrawal-related issues so their "solution" will always be to either increase the dose of a drug or add another one, which can oftentimes make things worse. The best way to deal with withdrawal symptoms is to find non-drug coping skills that can help assist you through the tapering process. Many people find that the skills they need to acquire during tapering are the very ones that they have needed all along, even before starting psychiatric drugs. Also, finding a good therapist that is knowledgable about childhood trauma and that can help you implement CBT and other therapy modalities might be helpful. I think if you take your taper slowly enough, then hopefully any withdrawal symptoms will be manageable. 💜

Mone2mo ago

Welcomerother · researching

"distressing" — @Catina

Yes it was

other — 4 — no se — researching taper | without clinician

Mone2mo ago

Welcomerother · researching

Hi, I finally had an appointment with my psychologist, not my psychiatrist, because she's on leave. I asked her about reducing my medication dosage to see if she thought it was feasible for me, and she said she'd talk to the psychiatrist about it. At that moment, I was happy, but also afraid of having another psychotic episode. I think I seem happier, and I can talk to myself more than before, but I'm still managing the stress poorly. I don't know when I'll be able to see the psychiatrist again, and I'm also hesitant to talk about reducing the dosage more slowly; in the end, they're supposed to be the ones who know best. These are just my thoughts, but I wanted to put them down on paper. I also wanted to ask where I can continue writing even if I don't lower the dosage.

other — 4 — no se — researching taper | without clinician

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Catina2mo ago

Community AnchorEffexor

"I asked her about reducing my medication dosage to see if she thought it was feasible for me, and she said she'd talk to the psychiatrist about it." — @Mone

Hi Mone, thanks for the update. I'm glad you had a conversation about it, but don't be surprised if they aren't supportive. Most mental health professionals are trained to view drugs as the only solution. However, some people are able to handle psychosis without the use of drugs:

"they're supposed to be the ones who know best"

Yes, they're supposed to be, but that's not always the case unfortunately.

"I also wanted to ask where I can continue writing even if I don't lower the dosage."

You're welcome to continue making posts here if you'd like. There are also some free online journals you can use too. 😊 P.S. Regarding supplementation for psychosis, extreme caution would be needed for anything used during tapering as this could have unexpected results.

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