re: Stepping down off meds (SSRIs)

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Trazodone is not technically an SSRI because it's an old drug, but my doc put me on it for sleep after my divorce because I was depressed and could not sleep.

I still suck at sleep, but I can't sleep at all when I try to taper off. I still take a small dose (50 mg) because I need to sleep.

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Trazodone is an SARI, it's closer to TCAs than SSRIs; I also use it for sleep. I can't sleep without it, but do deal with sedation the next morning as a side effect.

It also helps with depression & anxiety, in particular. What kind of problems are you still having with sleep? You can try a higher dose but you're going to want to watch out for sedation the next day. If you're having trouble falling asleep you could try (if you haven't already) combining it with Ambien, if you have trouble staying asleep you could look into adding Restoril.

If sleep problems persist or get worse, and you try, or have tried, upping the dose but can't use a higher dose due to sedation or it's not effective, then you can also look into a med called Doxepin, a tricyclic antidepressant, or Remeron, an atypical antidepressant. I've used both and personally found that Doxepin didn't help, although success with meds will vary from person to person, and Remeron can be very effective (and can also be very good for depression), but you'll want to watch out for weight gain as it will give you a serious case of the munchies.

I once tried to cold turkey Effexor.

Never again.

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Does exercise help with your anxiety?

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It helps me.

I get what you are saying but weening off hardcore drugs takes nothing close to a month

Drop by 12.5 mg per month if you aren't in a hurry. 50, 37.5, 25, 12.5.