The BEST Tapering Speed... (to AVOID Withdrawal)

[@kareendeveraux1847]

I really have a problem with the "consult a doctor" part. In my region they are in complete denial that the drugs create dependency and therefore, they have no idea how to taper those drugs. As a matter of fact, they literally coldturkey people due to the lack of knowledge and collective denial. If patients experience seizures, also those are assigned to a patient's mental illness. It's beyond disgusting what those shrinks pull off over here. In some cases, they even withhold the drugs on purpose to get their psych wards crowded and the money flowing. (Can someone stop this insanity? People are dying...) Thank you for what you do.

[@opeyemiyusuf8965]

I swear😢

[@daveknight7957]

"Always consult your doctor" is a boiler plate message to avoid responsibility for causing damage. However, to be reasonable, no one can really know what a PT is really doing. So the caution must be stated essentially everywhere.,

[@vovautube]

Yeah, this applies to most shrinks unfortunately... It's best to just taper off very slowly if you can help it...

[@i.ehrenfest349]

That’s horrible. Where do you love?

[@4GSLmusic]

Those drs are morons because it’s been in the literature for decades.. there’s no possible way to deny it with the data.

[@DS-fi4hf]

Thanks for making this video. Maybe the wording can be changed to, “Consult with a doctor who knows what they’re doing.” Because most don’t.

[@marleneholik-ls9wr]

Yes!!!

[@krllr_sean]

100%

[@cxvzf]

Literally. This is no joke. For two years I asked for tapering advise and was told I had a chemical imbalance. It's infuriating.

[@SH3V3K_14]

Great advice but easyer said than done!

[@abelluciano]

We are victims of very bad system

[@deep6301]

I am currently following the Ashton Manual slow taper off 20mg valium daily for years. Tonight I am down to 1.5 mg. I had planned to reduce by 1mg every 1-2 weeks. However, withdrawal was too intense. It's unbelievable to me that I am so neurologically damaged. My take aways are: 1. Taper schedule is not cut in stone. Be flexible. 2. Don't suppose there will be no discomfort if taper is slow and gradual. That is magical thinking. Unrealistic. Setup for disappointment. Thank you for this channel and all who contribute. ❤

[@giorgiobalestrieri2235]

you did a great job, you got this!

[@punkroxgirl]

Yes, I absolutely agree. listen to your body and your intuition. I was on 3mg a day of klonopin for almost 20 years. I finally found a good psychiatrist that actually listens to me. I used to see him before, but I moved out of the area and came back and found him again. When I told him I wanted to go off the klonopin, he told me to do it very slowly. It’s taken me 3 years to get down to .5 mg a day. I can take .5 twice a day if I need and I was before but most days now I only take one .5 mg pill. I’ve seen so many other doctors and often left my appointments in tears. He’s the only one that gets it. I’m very grateful for him. He was the only doctor to ever tell me that he made a mistake. When I first saw him over 20 years ago, I had a manic reaction to Effexor that a different doctor gave me. It’s the only time in my life Ive ever felt mania and I’m now 49. Back then, he misdiagnosed me as bipolar. Effexor was fairly new then. I moved to a different state and all the doctors I saw kept putting me on so many meds for bipolar and I kept getting worse. None of them would listen to me. I had bad muscle spasms from any atypical antipsychotic I took in a very short amount of time so I started refusing those. When I found him again, decades later, he told me that he was wrong and I couldn’t be bipolar because you have to have at least one manic episode that is NOT caused by medications or drugs. He actually said “someone can smoke crack and get manic, but that doesn’t mean they are bipolar” lol He agreed that i should not take SSNRIs or Wellbutrin, but I was doing fine on Lexapro, just an SSRI. He also knows that I won’t take anything now until I thoroughly research it and he doesn’t use the term “mood stabilizer” because that really could be anything and you can’t look up mood stabilizer in the PDR. I want to start tapering the Lexapro too, now that I’m down to a small amount of Klonopin. He has already warned me that I will need to go slowly and be careful with that too. I have PTSD and then at 40, I was diagnosed with ADHD and that was the first time everything started making sense. That was after seeing a good psychologist for 10 years that helped me with the ptsd. He had suggested that maybe I had adhd too and many of my younger cousins are diagnosed with it. One of my worst issues is very vivid nightmares. I actually have CPTSD. The only thing that helped me with those before was cannabis. I always told my doctors that, even before it was legal in my state and he was the only psychiatrist that didn’t have an issue with it. He did give me a prescription for .1 mg of clonidine. It’s normally a blood pressure medication at higher doses, but they found at this tiny dose, it helps with nightmares. It’s helped me so much and that’s why I often don’t need the .5 mg of klonopin at night and the clonidine doesn’t cause dependency or any side effects for me but it definitely helps my nightmares. One thing that was frustrating for me was doctors that didn’t seem to understand the difference between addiction and dependency. I had many treat me like an addict because of the klonopin I was put on for so long before I understood how bad it was. It wasn’t this doctor that put me on it. I spent so much of my 20’s and 30’s struggling so bad from all these meds that I ended up on disability. The day he told me that he made a mistake and misdiagnosed me all those years ago, I knew i could trust him. I had tried to tell countless other doctors that bipolar didn’t fit and none of them listened. He did. When I told him I had reactions to atypical psychotics, he listened. Other doctors never did. He knows how bad the system can be. He used to be the chief of psychiatry at the local hospital, but when new administration took over they fired him along with many other of the highest paid doctors. They just made up a reason and then never told any of his patients where he was practicing after that. He is now suing that hospital. During the time before I found him again and had to see other doctors, I struggled so much again. When I found him, he told me that he had given all his new contact information to the office at the hospital to give to his patients but they never told any of us where he was. When I found him and we talked about all this, he asked me if I would testify to that if he needed me to in his case. I said I absolutely would. I asked so many people at that office and hospital where he was and they all lied and said they didn’t know. He had other patients that struggled too because of this. The whole system is so messed up. There are a few good ones out there though, like this doctor on this channel and the one I see, but I went through so many awful ones when I lived out of state.

[@annie711000]

You are extremely blessed to have him. I can’t find any that know how to do this .. the Dr in this video does but I’m not sure I can afford him.

[@mickalawyler3032]

Thank you, Dr. Josef, for the incredible work you’re doing! The impact of your efforts goes beyond what words or money can convey. By offering life-saving advice, you’re giving people the priceless gift of reclaiming their lives and well-being.

[@celestepiccolo6586]

Thank you so much for all your videos. I feel like your help will reach more and more people as the years go on.

[@margehernandez9220]

Thank you so much! I appreciate all your help. Please don’t stop 👍🏼

[@dinahsoar6982]

Great info . Knowing when to go slow and when to 'pull the band-aide off' is really helpful.

[@chrischandler6355]

if you ever need another guest to talk to. I successfully tapered off benzos, and had a horrible withdrawal

[@tideman989]

Thank you Doctor..

[@valeriefromoregon]

This is perfect. Thank you.

[@delaneythompson1161]

I’m tapering 5% every 3 weeks. it’s great! the first couple days of each drop are rough though. upset stomach, anxiety and irritability but then it levels out! it sucks but i’m getting there:) (zoloft)

[@daveknight7957]

This may look like slow, but slow is not the issue. There is a way to determine your personal optimal dosage cut. You won't find it by using percentages.

[@pcorp09]

How long were you on zoloft? Thanks.

[@delaneythompson1161]

@@pcorp09 about 5 years ago

[@Totallyking]

Thank you!

[@makemoneynow8690]

My daughter's nurse practioners both tell her to go every other day w/ the drug, then taper off in two weeks. Fortunately, I think my daughter is starting to listen to me, since I've learned from you, Dr. Peter Breggin & other experts on how to slowly taper off, and not miss a dose every other day.

[@joetesmer9071]

Great video!

[@CarolinePetrie]

In my experience side effects don’t always disappear or decrease as you taper and this is tough if you’re having to go slowly. I’m now on a couple of mgs of Mirtazapine & the soporific effects are still massive as are the cognitive issues sadly 😢

[@davidsplan4409]

Looking forward to more info soon.

[@oceanwave-rq6cl]

@Dr. Josef I am functioning "ok" on the alprazalom I have been on for 28 years...1 mg 4X day. Would this apply? (RE: the slow taper) I have built a tolerance and wow! does my body know when it's almost time to take med. I have never taken more then prescribed and I am only this drug. I went a day without and I could barely function. Thanks in advance and thank you for all you do ❤

[@constantinirinelgresita639]

Did you allways on this dose in this 28 years?

[@oceanwave-rq6cl]

@@constantinirinelgresita639 yes, Contast, same dose for 28+ years. Not sure how to taper. Everywhere I check it's a little differnt. Thank you for replying. How are you?

[@ellenkeeler9616]

He is saying if u have akathesia while tapering, to drop faster, but wouldn't that make aka worse? I ct so I went into aka and cause a wd major neurological injury. I wish I would of tapered slowly.

[@sk8n854]

Yeah I guess he means drug induced akathisia from the drug effect itself like an antipsychotic and not withdrawal induced akathisia. If it's withdrawal induced akathisia then you probably need to go super slowly. It's what I'm having to do with Val

[@drumancole]

@Dr. Josef First, I would like to thank you for taking the time to make your videos. They have really helped my mother and I'm hoping they will do the same for me. I am just starting to taper off of Xanax. I have been on it for nearly 20 years and my dose is 1mg 4 times a day (4mg daily). I see my doctor once every 3 months. We just discussed a taper schedule that he suggested that I am honestly not happy with. He suggested that I start by taking the following daily 0.50 mg, 0.50 mg, 0.25 mg, 0.50 mg. So his suggestion is a more than 50% change in my medication to start. I told him I wasn't comfortable with that and I suggested a 10%-20% taper to start. He got a tone with me that made me feel stupid. What kind of feedback could you give me about this? There is more to the situation, but I wanted to try and be simple. I would appreciate your feedback.

[@mel-ou8yh]

Anhedonia can be unbereable too, especially if endured for too long

[@MistyRane]

Can you do a video on tapering Latuda. And an interview with someone who has successfully tapered off Latuda. Thanks for making this channel.

[@TomArto-rg3cr]

Thank you for making this video!

[@ZaimBegic-qb6rk]

Ive been on 5mg of diazepam from 23 to now 27, not being on it every day. Somedays not even months. But recently 2 months i been on it not everyday but weekends and sometimes days. I even took 15mg like 4 times. I dont know if im addicted but got some ruff symtoms i never had before. Ive been on 4 different types of ssri and adhd meds. But i alwase ends of colf turkey. Im so lost rn. I dont know what to do. I Barley sleep and get cramps in my chest

[@sk8n854]

There is not always any tapering speed that will eliminate severe withdrawal. I'm tapering Val at like 1% every two weeks and still having severe withdrawal from it. And if I try to go any faster then I start having signs of akathisia.

[@Ann-l7x]

Where can we get more info on the systemic inflammation caused by Lamictal? Is it a side effect or a withdrawal effect?

[@jbs9051]

It's serious side effects, Lamictal rash

[@Ann-l7x]

@@jbs9051 No, that is Steven Johson Syndrome. I am referring to systemic inflammation.

[@kaninma7237]

If youi lose your insurance or otherwise lose access to your medicine, the supply you have left may be what sets your pace. Then you design the best you can, though it will likely be faster than you would have liked. That happened to me a few years ago, but then I was able to reinstate in time to greatly alleviate most of my symptoms. I may be about to temporarily lose access for a few months, but I should have enough supply to keep me at or near a half dose of my current daily regimen until my insurance would kick in.

[@Snowflake1374]

Im in severe WD after Cold turkey SSRI after 17 years. It feels like brain damage and neurological injury. Is it even possible to recover from a cold turkey after long term? A severe neurological injury I’ve heard you cant heal from. Scared.

[@TheDavveponken]

Stimulants such as ritalin can cause withdrawal as well, and systemic inflammation, at least that was my experience with ritalin. Lasted for 4-5 months. Ritalin (methylphenidatealso increase serototonin increase). Either way there was no option for me anyway.adverse efects were severe.

[@neilengel3715]

Hear hear!!!!!!

[@knowledgeos]

very nice

[@pjayadeep]

I tried couple of times getting off lithium and I realised I tapered it off too quickly and didn't put myself back on lithium quickly when a manic episode kicked in but waited for the depression cycle. Now wiser, and on a high fat diet, I'm taking it slowly and increasing the dosage whenever there's some doubts. But how do we adjust the dosage when below 200mg.. I take a slow release tablet

[@SimeonKirilovX]

I'm doing a moderate taper of Pregabalin by going at 15-20% per 2-3 weeks with barely any problems aside from some head pressure and sometimes messed up vision for a few minutes. But ironically the lower i go the less of my neuropathic pains remains ( I was on it for stabilisation and for the pains) which is strange. I don't even know why the chronic pain is going away after + 2,5 years. Can anyone who has tapered off Pregabalin give some tips for further tapering and such, please?

[@Kyra-Saskia]

Currently tapering pregablin, opiods(codine) and valium. Following😅

[@AnitaNaomi-gm6fd]

@@Kyra-Saskia does your pregabalin come in capsules or do you have tablets?

[@Kyra-Saskia]

@@AnitaNaomi-gm6fd capsules

[@Kyra-Saskia]

@@AnitaNaomi-gm6fd capsules

[@jasonjones3159]

Huh? If having severe withdrawal symptoms you move slow not fast!

[@robynwinter-blick9697]

Depends on the drug...definitely not fast with benzos.

[@kiwitraveller6451]

My son has gone cold turkey as he became tolerant from his medication and there is no help or support for him...we watch him closely but the withdrawals he is having from Oct 11th are changing from day to day...outbursts, weight gain up and down to what he is eating and cannot change this at the moment either...take aways, chocolate, choc milk, biscuits (cookies), etc...stressful is not the word sorry to say...he was taking Haldol and clonazepam small doses...it is the family that have to do the work to care and watch him...he has three monthly appointment only with the shrink and his care worker has never checked up on him since about Sept last year...or even before that??? Tired...🙃🥶😎🥸😮

[@primaryendo]

Anyone here trying to come off olanzapine or other antipsychotics?

[@lindasulistya9937]

i want to taper risperidone

[@theaustralianconundrum]

Doesn't work old chap. Try 30 years on Benzo's....... Now 65 & docs say will be on them for life. Cheers.