re: Stepping down off meds (SSRIs)

Yes I believe it would. Everyone is different though. I remember I started having good days around a month into it. I would have good days and bad days until about the 12 week mark where it then started to be consistently good days. Just hang in there. I remember at week 6 wondering if I would need to up the dose or switch to another SSRI because I wasn't where I wanted to be. Don't expect some breakthrough where you wake up one morning and feel amazing or anything like that. It's very gradual and you may not even notice how much you've improved until someone else points it out. It took being in situations that used to give me anxiety for me to really see how much it worked. I'm not saying I had no anxiety, but I handled things much better and got over it much quicker without dwelling on it for very long.

Seriously, you should look into mj. I weaned myself of Percocet after neck surgery this fall. I hated being on them, and feel physically and mentally a LOT better.

I have a daily dose of mj and its done a great job not only significantly reducing pain, but reducing anxiety as well. Natural, non-addictive, and affordable.

I was on Paxil for a year for a major case of panic disorder and I quit cold turkey. I experienced a few brain zaps and some mild panic attack symptoms but it was not too bad. I was also exercising like crazy during this time so I'm sure it helped.

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What is a brain zap?

I have horrible anxiety when I travel overseas and a doc friend of mine prescribed me some Buoroprin to take for my trips. I normally start a cycle two weeks before I leave, and start cutting back when I return and stop altogether Two weeks post trip.

It works wonders but the last trip after I returned I noticed I was having the shortness of breath symptoms and started doing breathing exercises and it calms it down.

I'd lift weights, do yoga, find a meditation, and quit eating grains. Those will get the good hormones flowing and hopefully focus your mind to the positive.

Realize that life is tough and things are hard. And that's ok. Write down what you want to accomplish, break it down, and start chipping away so you start to feel accomplishments. Do what you can with what you have without going so far as to have negative consequences.

Favorite motivational video

Good luck to you!

SSRI's are easy to come off of. I've done it many times. The brain zaps are annoying and that's about it. Now opiates and benzo's are fricking hell. Especially benzo's, I can't get off them no matter what. frick my dumbass doctor for prescribing that shite to me. I'm 10 times worse than when I was on nothing.

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Yeah, I often wonder if I have have bouts of minor depression but I'm too scared of pharmaceuticals to go see anyone. I usually just try to play a frick ton of basketball and escape if I'm in a rut. That's works for me so far.