I think the change in/withdrawing from medicine experience is going to be different for everyone, but for me it was a very, very slow tapering process - I started in April and wasn't finished until August. The thing with the withdrawal, as I understand it, is that it will happen whether you taper or you don't, it's just a much bigger, more intense and horrible hit if you stop abruptly (I tried that once before and don't recommend it!) The withdrawal from tapering went on until a month or so after I finished altogether, but I can't say how much of it was also circumstantial - I had a change in job circumstances around that time, a death in the family, and other things that were impacting my moods there too.
A lot of it was an adjustment thing, just realising that I will feel things more intensely when I'm not taking the medicine - but that's fine as long as it's not overwhelming. At first it's too easy to say "oh well I cried for half a day so obviously I need to still be taking the drugs and shouldn't have come off them at all" - but actually that was just half a day, you know? I was fine, I just had a bad day and cried a lot. I didn't wake up the next day still crying about it.
I always think of it as a re-learning process, now - I had to relearn (am still relearning) how to feel things without the shock absorber of anti-depressants. It definitely feels weird to begin with that everything is so much bigger!
Advice wise, I would say: take it slowly - as slowly as you can and then maybe a bit slower than that :) Don't be frightened when feelings start to come back more vibrantly - sit with them a while, have a chat with them, feel them out a bit. Keep doctors informed, and if it helps you then make use of a psychiatrist/therapist/counsellor during the process - I didn't find I needed one but I knew where I could go for that sort of help if I did at any point. I also made sure the people I spend a lot of time around knew what was going on so they could look out for me - I trust my mum, my best friend, and some of the girls I worked with to tell me if they were worried about my moods or behaviour any time. Support networks are important!
One more thing - I found it really helpful to think of it as a trial and error process, a bit like finding the right medication was in the first place. I reminded myself regularly that I might not be completely stopping the medicine, I might just be cutting it down - or I might be stopping it for summer and starting a trickle dose again in winter when I always feel worse. Even now, I know that I may have to take it again in the future, and that's ok. It's really nice to be free of it at the moment and I'm proud of myself for getting here, but it wouldn't be a failure or a disaster if I hadn't done, or if I go back to it anytime.
I hope some of that was helpful! And good luck with yours - if you want to talk about it anymore or during the process then I am always happy to have discussions (or hear rants about side effects haha). We always hear about how hard it is to get prescription medicine right and the side effects of taking it or going cold-turkey but never how hard it is to stop sensibly or the side effects of that!
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A lot of it was an adjustment thing, just realising that I will feel things more intensely when I'm not taking the medicine - but that's fine as long as it's not overwhelming. At first it's too easy to say "oh well I cried for half a day so obviously I need to still be taking the drugs and shouldn't have come off them at all" - but actually that was just half a day, you know? I was fine, I just had a bad day and cried a lot. I didn't wake up the next day still crying about it.
I always think of it as a re-learning process, now - I had to relearn (am still relearning) how to feel things without the shock absorber of anti-depressants. It definitely feels weird to begin with that everything is so much bigger!
Advice wise, I would say: take it slowly - as slowly as you can and then maybe a bit slower than that :) Don't be frightened when feelings start to come back more vibrantly - sit with them a while, have a chat with them, feel them out a bit. Keep doctors informed, and if it helps you then make use of a psychiatrist/therapist/counsellor during the process - I didn't find I needed one but I knew where I could go for that sort of help if I did at any point. I also made sure the people I spend a lot of time around knew what was going on so they could look out for me - I trust my mum, my best friend, and some of the girls I worked with to tell me if they were worried about my moods or behaviour any time. Support networks are important!
One more thing - I found it really helpful to think of it as a trial and error process, a bit like finding the right medication was in the first place. I reminded myself regularly that I might not be completely stopping the medicine, I might just be cutting it down - or I might be stopping it for summer and starting a trickle dose again in winter when I always feel worse. Even now, I know that I may have to take it again in the future, and that's ok. It's really nice to be free of it at the moment and I'm proud of myself for getting here, but it wouldn't be a failure or a disaster if I hadn't done, or if I go back to it anytime.
I hope some of that was helpful! And good luck with yours - if you want to talk about it anymore or during the process then I am always happy to have discussions (or hear rants about side effects haha). We always hear about how hard it is to get prescription medicine right and the side effects of taking it or going cold-turkey but never how hard it is to stop sensibly or the side effects of that!