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On a related note, there's no good half-life calculator on the web for people tapering off SSRIs. The issue is that in order to actually have as gentle a taper

On a related note, there's no good half-life calculator on the web for people tapering off SSRIs. The issue is that in order to actually have as gentle a taper as possible, you need to halve your dose only every few weeks because of how long the half life of these drugs is. So ideally you'd want something where you would enter your starting dose and how much of the drug you plan on taking each day, and it would show you your projected concentration of the drug each day as well as the percent change. I made this in Excel for someone a few years ago, but it would make a good weekend project if someone wants to learn react or whatever.

ipunchghosts 10y ago
I second this. I was on zoloft for IBS. Getting off of it was terrible. I had to taper down 25% each step and each step lasted weeks. Overall, it took the same time to taper off of it as when I needed it. I quit taking it because my IBS was not really IBS, it was a defective gallbladder. It was removed and my symptoms went away.
- DenisM 10y ago
  IBS - irritable bowel syndrome?
DanBC 10y ago
> The issue is that in order to actually have as gentle a taper as possible, you need to halve your dose only every few weeks because of how long the half life of these drugs is. The meds with worst discontinuation effects are those with short half life. Those with longer half life tend to have gentler discontinuation effects. EG https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10855379/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10855379/ > Serotonin re-uptake inhibitor withdrawal syndrome generally begins within 24 to 48 hours after discontinuing the drug. Signs reach their maximum on day 5 and usually resolve within 2 to 3 weeks. Withdrawal syndrome is more common with short half-life drugs (paroxetine, fluvoxamine). The intensity of the clinical signs depends on the daily dose and how long the drug has been given.

ipunchghosts 10y ago

I second this. I was on zoloft for IBS. Getting off of it was terrible. I had to taper down 25% each step and each step lasted weeks. Overall, it took the same time to taper off of it as when I needed it. I quit taking it because my IBS was not really IBS, it was a defective gallbladder. It was removed and my symptoms went away.

DenisM 10y ago
IBS - irritable bowel syndrome?

DanBC 10y ago

> The issue is that in order to actually have as gentle a taper as possible, you need to halve your dose only every few weeks because of how long the half life of these drugs is. The meds with worst discontinuation effects are those with short half life. Those with longer half life tend to have gentler discontinuation effects. EG https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10855379/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10855379/ > Serotonin re-uptake inhibitor withdrawal syndrome generally begins within 24 to 48 hours after discontinuing the drug. Signs reach their maximum on day 5 and usually resolve within 2 to 3 weeks. Withdrawal syndrome is more common with short half-life drugs (paroxetine, fluvoxamine). The intensity of the clinical signs depends on the daily dose and how long the drug has been given.