Safe Tapering Practices for Anti-Depressants with Dr. Mark Horowitz

[@BoredGirl11]

Thank you for this. More conversations on de-prescribing please.

[@nicolelaurentLMHC]

Can we please fund a study designed by Mark Horowitz to see if a medical ketogenic diet leads to less withdrawal symptoms?

[@metabolicmind]

Fantastic idea! Let's chat.....

[@jan_ellison_baszucki]

@@metabolicmind let's discuss.

[@BoredGirl11]

Have you noticed less withdrawal symptoms in your practice at all?

[@gavinsymes-wizardot]

100%

[@TE-7302-]

Unlikely. All the people in the groups eat so clean and they’re still suffering. Diet helps, but the CNS will do what it wants.

[@kata6966]

Thank you Metabolic Minds for having Dr. Horowitz on your channel. He is awesome!!

[@metabolicmind]

We agree!

[@ereyedoc]

Yes have you seen him interviewed elsewhere?

[@outrohealth]

Thanks for having Mark on, friends!

[@metabolicmind]

Our pleasure! He provides so much great information!

[@kata6966]

@@outrohealth Does your clinic provide help with tapering from antipsychotics, such as Clozapine? The Outro Health website says antidepressants taper.

[@metabolicmind]

They do not currently offer those services.

[@abidnessman]

Let me add another dimension to going off anti depressants after 20 years of usage. There are side effects, in my case appeared and impacted my life beyond benefits of anti depressant, at least I thought. Vision and insomnia. The original prescriber is no longer around and my PCP ignores my pleas for help. I managed a psychologist on video calls to help. In summary, this is not how I thought this would play out 20 years ago. Now retired, i am attempting to put things right re double vision, mega insomnia (no sleeping pill can touch), and as I ween off dosage of same drug (zoloft 25 mg now to 12.5 mg) i have depression knocking at my door. Thanks for letting me exhale on this undertaking.

[@MistyRane]

This was incredibly useful information. There are is so little support for patience safely tapering off these powerful drugs

[@BoredGirl11]

I love this guys analogies 😄❤️

[@metabolicmind]

We agree! His analogies were so helpful.

[@jiden77]

Love Dr. Horowitz. His information was crucial when I began my taper 2 years ago. I’ll be med-free for 1 year this December 2024. I’m still recovering but in a much better place these days.

[@metabolicmind]

Thank you for sharing your experience!!

[@garyjagoe9541]

I was on Prestiq for 10 years. With help from my doctor I weaned off over 3 months. It’s now over 8 months since my tapering off. I believe my emotions were frozen during taking of Prestiq and have been left with over reactive emotions. ie. I now cry/weep when I’m in an emotional situation. Damaged brain? I’m now seventy and I do feel better over all. Trying the carnivore diet to see if it can help.

[@metabolicmind]

Thanks for sharing!

[@wellinever1558]

How are you? Am also 71 started carnivore and started tapering a month ago.pls share your journey

[@annacourville4622]

Same with epilepsy drugs!!! I am doing a 10% taper to go off the last little bit. Thank you to the Baszuchi’s for that idea!!!

[@artvalencia6590]

Thank you Dr. Mark. I found this video quite encouraging and refreshing. I learned I could try tampering again. I had been on Venlafaxine for over 25 years. I went to a psyqiatrist last month to get off it because it doesn't work for anymore. He suggested to increase my meds. I don't think he heard me. The reason I made the appinitment was to tamper down the medication. My body is asking for sexual release my ED is depressing. My pipi doesn't work anymore. Sad. At any rate. Thank you for the education and the advocacy and courage to bring this topic forward. Greetings from Los Angeles, CA.

[@BeatrizHatfield-vc4ig]

Using Maudsleys Deprescribing Guidelines to taper multiple psychiatric drug cascade. Feeling hopeful

[@Zaeiouy_dB]

Outstanding interview...thank you. Very informative and now hopeful that there may be skilled help developing in Washington State.

[@yolandarojas9832]

Dr. Mark, thank you. 😊

[@janetgroves2220]

He is exactly right 👍

[@grahamXphillips]

Fascinating interview Bret. Here’s my thought experiment. If all the CNS drugs work on mitochondrial function. Assuming mitochondrial dysfunction is the root cause of most psychiatric disorder. It makes sense that medical keto should allow more rapid withdrawal. As Mark correctly stated there are no trials to support this. Maybe one for the Baszuki foundation. Kind regards. Graham

[@lifeAfterSSRIs]

I had horrible withdrawals the first seven times I tried to taper off of sertraline. The final time, I was exercising and I drastically reduced sugar. I had ZERO withdrawals that time, and I did it cold turkey. I've been off the medication for four years now.

[@nicknorwitzPhD]

Mark Horowitz is way too close to Nick Norwitz 😅

[@metabolicmind]

You would make a great rock band, The Orowitzes

[@hayleyprice8345]

I think support is also helpful

[@kimberlyf4888]

I believe , as he states, that your regular, neighborhood, psychiatrist is not taking money from pharmaceutical companies, but their educational institutions are funded by those companies.

[@theantiqueactionfigure]

I jumped up and down with my doctor over the side effects from the ssri they gave me for pain control. Quit wellbutrin the day after it hospitalized me. Cold turkey, it was easy for me.

[@hayleyprice8345]

Yeah all those problems I think I need to talk to my doctor

[@KimPsalm23]

Thank you for this. Would love to hear about tapering with ketogenic diet and therapies. It’s not just a supplement as suggested here. I’m currently experiencing potentiation effects and while I have reduced medication I don’t want to overdo it and suffer withdrawal effects. I know everyone is different but still some personal stories might be helpful. I’ve heard Matt’s 😊 Thank you again 🩵

[@metabolicmind]

Thank you for your comment. We are going to dig deeper into the topics of potentiation and deprescription. So there will be more to come.

[@KimPsalm23]

@@metabolicmind 💙

[@siobhan9815]

If the brain is getting the ideal fuel of ketones then it would go to say there are many reasons why/how this would produce a protective effect while discontinuing - NB protective effect.

[@ML-yf2dl]

What about Atomoxetine? This medication suddenly isn’t available anymore and we only have one dosis (60 mg, capsules) and need to come off it for obvious reasons. Any advice…? 😓

[@MickeyM-yg9ty]

Use Dr Horowitz's receptor occupancy data to cross-reference atomoxetine dosage with the dosage of a substitute?

[@hayleyprice8345]

Slower with exercise and support I recently tried but things got to hard

[@juliafisherlmmortalbeauty9119]

Just wrote a long comment in the reply to someone by mistake!!! It’s the comment with the most replies!! I have experience with keto and venlafaxine withdrawal and more 🤦🏼‍♀️🤣 xxx

[@MultiDimensionalWorldandBeyond]

I got brain damage from it . Even when tapering off .

[@mazymonroe8749]

Yes that is not surprising but fortunately through nueroplasticity and with time, it can recalibrate and heal!

[@MultiDimensionalWorldandBeyond]

@@mazymonroe8749 I did all that myself reversed symptoms etc . But now getting Alzheimer’s and the same symptoms returning . The damage and inflammation it causes never mind trauma and mental symptoms .

[@Iliketurtlezz]

same here😢

[@siobhan9815]

I would contend that a broken leg would heal better and maybe more quickly when the body is in therapeutic ketosis. At the very least there would be less pain.

[@hayleyprice8345]

I disagree with higher dose as of side affects

[@KimPsalm23]

How so Hayley, what has been your experience?

[@leo-us-i1r]

I am on caffeine, drink two cups of light roast coffee (high caffeine) every day and want to quit and don’t know how, all my attempts failed

[@jamescalifornia2964]

You are doomed ... 😒👉 `☕️

[@juliafisherlmmortalbeauty9119]

@@jamescalifornia2964 coffee is a health food great for brain function and gut health plus antioxidant. Just best not to drink it in the first 45 mins after waking as that interferes with the adenosine. But after that time it has been shown to have benefits for brain function. Just not too much or to late in the day so the caffeine doesn’t interfere with sleep 😊

[@jamescalifornia2964]

@juliafisherlmmortalbeauty9119 ~ I agree. I have mostly decaffeinated. ( Swiss water method ) I see the studies linking health benefits to the oil in coffee beans . 👍

[@TE-7302-]

Guess what? Thousands do it on their own without the help of doctors or pharmacists.

[@mazymonroe8749]

That's because most of them are clueless regarding SSRI withdrawal and the harm they do in longer term usage. If I'd followed my doctors advice , I would've been doing a 4 week taper after two decades of being on them. Fortunately, I did my own research and did a harm reduction taper !!

[@TE-7302-]

@@mazymonroe8749 agreed, but they said it should be done under supervision. Laughable.

[@mazymonroe8749]

@TE-7302- If I had done mine under my doc's 'supervision', it would've be a FOUR week taper after 20 years use ! 🤦‍♀️😬😪