Tapering: Trintellix

researching

63 posts

Spain

Hi, I'm Polly's Farm

April 8, 2026··

I was diagnosed with bipolar in 2014 and heavily medicated since then, through repeated mood episodes. I started risperidone in 2022 during a manic episode. I took 2mg a day until I decided to taper it in 2024 mostly due to side effects. I was nervous about the taper because I'd read that withdrawal from antipsychotics can be brutal. I reduced gradually to 0.5mg and stayed there for 16 months to let my brain adjust. I had no mood instability during that time, all the side effects (weight gain, emotional numbness, total apathy) were improving. In January 2026 I got liquid risperidone and started tapering again. Everything was going fine until mid-March when I had some hypomanic symptoms for five days or so. There was a lot going on at the time and it could've been caused by several things but of course I panicked that it was the taper and I was psychotic and I should rush to the psychiatrist and no doubt be started on a new antipsychotic... Anyway. It seems to have settled down and I feel fine but I paused the taper and joined here.

Trintellix — 15mg — 4 years, 9 months — researching taper | Risperdal — 0.25mg — 4 years, 9 months — actively tapering | Depakine — 1000mg — 12 years — supporting others | with clinician

8 Replies

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CatinaApr 8

Community AnchorEffexor

Hi @Polly's Farm, and welcome to Taper Community! Nice to have you here. I'm glad to hear you've been taking things slow with your taper, allowing your brain to adjust. That's so important! The side effects of antipsychotics can be brutal, so I'm glad you've had improvements. You were wise to pause your taper and reassess things. Nothing wrong with that! Please have a look at the section on Metabolic Health as there is a lot of helpful information about a ketogenic diet. Research has shown promising results with a keto diet helping those with Bipolar disorder. In your signature, it says you're taking 1,000 mg of something but it doesn't say what it is. Could you add that? Please let us know how we can be of help to you on your path to healing. 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.

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BasedStaffApr 9

Community AnchorEffexor

Hey Polly's Farm! Welcome. What a great job youve done so far! Youve come so far. What is one tip that you learned on your way that you would share with the community?

Creator of Taper Community, here to help you.

Polly's FarmApr 10

Trusted VoiceTrintellix · researching

Hi! Thank you for the welcome. The other drug I'm on is sodium valproate, 1000mg/day since 2014. I don't love it but I feel like I need it to avoid mood episodes. My top tip for anyone considering tapering a psychiatric drug is to be very patient. Accept that it will take a long time, slower is safer. I'm here because I'm nervous. I want to stop risperidone and vortioxetine. I started with risperidone because the side effects were getting worse. And because I was only on 2mg, I thought it would be quick and easy... Now I'm worried the antidepressant is pushing my mood too high and towards hypomania, when I've only got 0.35mg risperidone in my system. I'm basically overthinking everything and a bit overwhelmed. I haven't seen my psychiatrist since 2022 and I can't afford to see her now, but I have a feeling she wouldn't approve of what I've been up to. Sorry for venting, I don't usually talk about this stuff.

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CatinaApr 10

Community AnchorEffexor

"The other drug I'm on is sodium valproate" — @Polly's Farm

Thanks for letting us know. Could you go into your Signature and add the name of this drug? Appreciate it! It does get a bit tricky when we want to taper multiple drugs. Normally, it's best to taper the most activating one first or the one giving you the most difficulty. I guess at this point though you need to decide which one is more problematic for you.

"I haven't seen my psychiatrist since 2022 and I can't afford to see her now, but I have a feeling she wouldn't approve of what I've been up to." — @Polly's Farm

She most likely wouldn't be too crazy about you wanting off your drugs, but that's not surprising.

"Sorry for venting, I don't usually talk about this stuff." — @Polly's Farm

No apology needed! That's what this community is here for. We're here to listen and help, so feel free to reach out anytime! We understand how difficult it is to navigate psychiatric drug withdrawal, and we need to lean on one another. ❤️ 🤗 🌸 💜

Polly's FarmApr 10

Trusted VoiceTrintellix · researching

I can't figure out how to edit my signature but I'll keep trying!

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CatinaApr 10

Community AnchorEffexor

"I can't figure out how to edit my signature but I'll keep trying!" — @Polly's Farm

No worries! On the column to the left side of the screen under your profile pic you'll see Settings. Click on that and scroll down to where it says Drug Signature. You can then edit your information. Hope that helps!

Polly's FarmApr 24

Trusted VoiceTrintellix · researching

I'm not sure if I'm doing this in the right place. I don't usually post online. I have been tapering risperidone since January, from 0.5mg. I reduced to 0.35mg in March and about two weeks later had a few days when I was very talkative and distracted and maybe a little bit psychotic. It really freaked me out so I decided to stay on 0.35mg to let things settle down. My mood stabilised. I feel fine now. I'm thinking I need to reduce the antidepressant before I try going lower with the risperidone. Risperidone is probably helping a lot with sleep (I sleep very well) and if I taper off it first I think I'll become manic/psychotic because the antidepressant will push my mood too high. Does this make sense? My psychiatrist doesn't really believe in either side effects or withdrawal. If I said I want to get off the vortioxetine, she'd say cut it in half for a week and then stop. I haven't seen her in four years so maybe she's changed her position but it's not a chance I want to take. I'm overwhelmed and overthinking everything. I really can't have another manic episode and I just want to do the safest thing. If anyone read all that, I'd really appreciate your thoughts! What would you do?

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CatinaApr 24

Community AnchorEffexor

"I decided to stay on 0.35mg to let things settle down" — @Polly's Farm

That was a wise decision.

"Risperidone is probably helping a lot with sleep (I sleep very well)" — @Polly's Farm

Sometimes people like to taper the most activating drug first, especially if another drug is helping with sleep. Sleep is important to preserve since it helps with healing. I'm tapering Effexor first and Trazodone last because of that. Everyone is different of course.

"My psychiatrist doesn't really believe in either side effects or withdrawal. If I said I want to get off the vortioxetine, she'd say cut it in half for a week and then stop. I haven't seen her in four years so maybe she's changed her position but it's not a chance I want to take." — @Polly's Farm

Generally speaking, psychiatrists are not adequately trained in how to handle any negative aspect of the drugs they prescribe. In worst case scenarios, some people don't even tell their doctor they're tapering and just do it on their own with help from online withdrawal communities. It's a sad reality many are faced with. Hopefully that will change one day.

"I'm overwhelmed and overthinking everything. I really can't have another manic episode and I just want to do the safest thing." — @Polly's Farm

You're doing the right thing with approaching this with great forethought and care. If it were me, I would taper whichever drug was giving me the most problems and do it very slowly and hyperbolically. Keep us posted on how you're doing!

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