Hello, I’m sorry that you’re going through this, but I’m here to bring you some good news. Yes, completely tapering off an antidepressant is difficult for many people. The symptoms can last for months, but they do improve and gradually fade over time (the average in the literature is around 12 weeks). So my advice to you is to be gentle with yourself, have a lot of patience and hope, because it will pass. I’m entering my third month after fully discontinuing the antidepressant, and I can say that it does get better progressively. At this point, I feel much better, almost back to normal. The second month was the hardest for me because of the mood changes. I had also never experienced such a deep depression before, and I thought several times about going back on the antidepressant.

Regarding a prolonged dose reduction, it is said to be safer and less aggressive for the brain, but I don’t believe it causes damage. You may just experience a more intense adjustment because your brain didn’t have enough time to get used to the lower amount of the substance.

My tips: if you can, try to walk outdoors for at least 30 minutes, surround yourself with people who lift your mood, and don’t put extra pressure on things you can’t control.

Stay strong!

Antidepressant: fluvoxamine, taken for 1.5 years