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NewDay

1 posts

Northwest U.S.

Hi, I'm NewDay

March 30, 2026ยทยท
I am a 47 year old male. I started taking SSRIs in 2003. After 3 separate, poorly planned attempts at tapering off Sertraline, I believe I'm in tachyphylaxis (poop-out). I am now researching hyperbolic tapering and working toward developing an effective tapering plan. I've come to the peer support community to learn, share, grow and support. I'm interested in a harm reduction approach for safe tapering from SSRI's. I'm particularly interested in researching nervous system regulation approaches in mitigating withdrawal symptoms.

2003 - Zoloft 50mg. CT'd about 6 months later. Suffered intolerable acute withdrawal symptoms. Reinstated shortly after. Sometime later switched to generic Sertraline.

2012 - Tapered down from 50mg to 0mg by skipping doses. I got hit with protracted withdrawal about a month after jumping off. I later reinstated and things settled down shortly after.

2013 - Did a direct switch from Sertraline 50mg to Fluoxetine 20mg for about 2 weeks. I became angry, agitated, aggressive, anxious, had trouble sleeping. I ended up going back to taking Sertraline without any issues.

2014 - Sertraline 100mg. Increased dose after therapist recommendation.

2016 - Tapered 100mg Sertraline for 6 months to 25mg by skipping doses. It caught up with me. I couldn't function. I had to reinstate.

2022 - Tapered 100mg Sertraline for 6 months to 50mg by skipping doses, but holding for 3 or 4 weeks. I ended up needing to go to the psych hospital due to debilitating withdrawal symptoms. I reinstated back to 100mg during psych hospital visit.

2025 - Bupropion 150mg XL for about 2 weeks. I became aggressive, agitated and mean. I stopped cold turkey. I had some low times after stopping but no major physical withdrawal symptoms.

Currently holding/ stabilizing 100mg Sertraline. I've seen some minor improvements over the last 2.5 years of stabilizing, but my nervous system is still very sensitive.

5 Replies

Based
โญ
BasedStaff5mo ago
Community AnchorEffexor
Hey NewDay! Thanks for joining us and welcome! Its a good idea to start researching hyperbolic tapering. @catina has some good regulation techniques im sure shell share with you. In the meantime check out the my taper and tracking function so you can take notes, share your progress and track mood vs dose. Looking forward to supporting you on your journey.

Creator of Taper Community, here to help you.

Catina
โญ
Catina5mo ago
Community AnchorEffexor
Hi NewDay, and welcome to Taper Community! ๐Ÿ™‚
"I am now researching hyperbolic tapering and working toward developing an effective tapering plan" โ€” @NewDay
You've come to the right place for this. The Learn section has some helpful information about Hyperbolic tapering.
"I'm particularly interested in researching nervous system regulation approaches in mitigating withdrawal symptoms." โ€” @NewDay
This is so important when it comes to healing. I hope you can find some helpful information here. We're also going to be adding more information as time goes on. Activating the Vagus Nerve is important, and there are so many things we can do to help regulate our nervous system. I personally find exercise and EFT Tapping helpful. Hopefully, we can all learn from each other!
"I've come to the peer support community to learn, share, grow and support." โ€” @NewDay
We're glad to have you with us! That's what this community is for. We're all in this together and need one another's advice and support. Reach out anytime! Catina โค๏ธ P.S. Just wanted to suggest you create a signature for yourself so we can see your drug and taper history. Thanks!

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

โ€œYour brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.โ€

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.

Catina
โญ
Catina5mo ago
Community AnchorEffexor
I just created this document about How to Regulate Our Nervous System. I hope it gives you some good tips on how best to do this! https://taper.community/thread/ec72f5e5-39fe-4f0e-b3c9-083b3e99d1c3

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

โ€œYour brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.โ€

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.

Jules
JulesStaff5mo ago
Community Anchor
Hi, NewDay, welcome to our community.
Steve
โญ
SteveStaff5mo ago
Community AnchorEffexor ยท active
Hello NewDay, great you found us! Catina has some great posts in general about withdrawl topics and also about regulation. Share your progress and thoughts with us about your process. Wishing you sucess for your taper journey and a smooth ride and taper slowly ๐Ÿค—

off Stimulants (2000-2013)
off Fluoxetine (2010-2013)
off Lamotrigine (2013-2016)
off Quetiapain (2016-2020)

currently Effexor โ€” 33mg โ€” 13 years (from 300mg) โ€” actively tapering | with clinician

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