Hello there, i’m new here

I tapered sertraline 48 days ago and lithium 19 days ago (overseen by my psychiatrist), in order to stop my anhedonia, emotional numbness and brain fog caused by 5 years of non-stop medication (I’ve tried SSRIs, SNRIs, TCAs, TMS, ECT, antipsychotic, Esketamine).

I’m actually suffering so much and i don’t know when this pain will end, i feel like my brain is in an air fryer lol (akathisia?). Not to mention my anger caused by intrusive thoughts, literally an endless psychological torture (to calm down the rushing memories i’m using 10 drops of xanax)

I’m trying my best to resist, I eat well, I do workout 4 times a week, not using social networks (only yt), i sleep well, i go out everyday and reading a bit of books (my concentration level is very low)

Hi @Argan

Welcome to the forum!

 

This is a volunteer-run, community forum aimed at helping those who are tapering and/or experiencing difficulties with psychiatric medications and withdrawl syndrome. We are not medical professionals and cannot offer medical advice. We simply offer support and opinions which you could use as talking points with a medical provider knowledgeable in withdrawing off psychiatric medications.

 

Please familiarise yourself with the forum rules and the disclaimer located here: Guidelines

 

Please make sure your signature is kept up to date with your drug history. This will allow members to see some basic information about your drug history and situation so that they may help you best. Information on how to do this is located in the FAQs section above, but here is a direct link: Update Signature

Once this is done, future posts made by you will have this signature turned on by default. For this reason please keep it clear but condensed as possible.

Please use the format outline here Preferred signature/drug history format

I'm so sorry to read about the tough time you've had recently you will find plenty of support here for sure.

12 hours ago, Argan said:

I tapered sertraline 48 days ago and lithium 19 days ago (overseen by my psychiatrist), in order to stop my anhedonia, emotional numbness and brain fog caused by 5 years of non-stop medication (I’ve tried SSRIs, SNRIs, TCAs, TMS, ECT, antipsychotic, Esketamine).

Would you be able to fill in your signature as requested above please? It would be good to know when you started taking Sertaline and Lithium? Also have you stopped them completely? and how long the taper took to complete?

It is very normal for people to want to come off their drugs due to emotional numbing, I think it might be one of the main reasons tbh!

It sounds like your nervous system is very destablised by having taken so many different drugs and tapering these two (probably too quickly) has been the final straw.

Could you please tell us a bit more about how you felt over your taper too? When did things get so bad for you?

12 hours ago, Argan said:

I’m actually suffering so much and i don’t know when this pain will end, i feel like my brain is in an air fryer lol (akathisia?). Not to mention my anger caused by intrusive thoughts, literally an endless psychological torture (to calm down the rushing memories i’m using 10 drops of xanax)

I am so very sorry to read this. It is not uncommon to feel as you do, your nervous system will recover from this. I would stop taking the Xanax if you have only been using it a short time and on and off. Adding in more Psych meds to treat this injury is like pouring fuel onto a fire.

12 hours ago, Argan said:

I’m trying my best to resist, I eat well, I do workout 4 times a week, not using social networks (only yt), i sleep well, i go out everyday and reading a bit of books (my concentration level is very low)

You sound like you have a good attitude to your health this is great to read, sleeping well is a huge plus, the body needs this to heal.

Head over to the symptoms & coping strategy section to read some more on coping skills. Acceptance and distraction are very important IMO.

 

In the mean time this is what I would do if I were you:

 

-Stay Hydrated 

 

-Eat a good clean whole food diet, avoiding processed foods and sugars.

 

-Stay away from caffeine, alcohol and antihistamines and any other psychoactive substances.

 

Supplements are to be avoided initially, as they often irritate our nervous systems. Try to get your nutrition through food.

 

Down the line, you may wish to introduce Fish Oil and Magnesium. Those who can tolerate them have found them calming to the nervous system. Be careful try one at a time and start low and see how you get on should you choose to try them.

 

A daily walk is very important as much as you can manage, if you can manage it. Gets you your fresh air and Vitamin D does wonders for your mind!

 

You are very welcome here and I hope you find the site supportive.

Chippy

Thank you for your response, i really appreciate your support!!

I stopped both sertraline and lithium.

I tapered off sertraline from 200 mg to 150 mg for two weeks, then from 150 mg to 100 mg for two weeks, then from 100 mg to 75 mg for one week, from 75 mg to 50 mg for one week, from 25 mg to 12.5 mg for one week, and then from 12.5 mg to 0 over about one week.

As for lithium, I tapered from 900 mg to 750 mg for two weeks, from 750 mg to 600 mg for two weeks, from 600 mg to 450 mg for one week, from 450 mg to 300 mg for one week, from 300 mg to 150 mg for one week, and finally from 150 mg to 0 over one week.

I have now been completely off sertraline for 49 days and off lithium for 20 days. I occasionally take xanax to manage my anger spikes and intrusive thoughts that do not leave me alone and torment me during this phase.

That is an immensely fast taper having been on these drugs for years.

Did you start experiencing symptoms after coming off of sertraline, or lithium?

For reference, most prescribed harm communities (and increasingly medical bodies) are starting to recommend tapering by no more than 10% of your last dose per month, this is far slower than the large cuts of multiple drugs you've been making every 1-2 weeks.

You may wish to consider reinstatement, probably of sertraline but it depends which drug you feel coming off of caused the most symptoms. Reinstatement does not necessarily mean starting on a huge dose:

Reinstating an Antidepressant  - Tapering - The Antidepressant Harm and Recovery Forum

As for a starting dose, if you choose to do this, it can be difficult to choose, starting low and carefully is better. @LostinCanada do you have any thoughts on an appropriate RI dose to add to me and @Chippy 's thoughts?

Additionally, I wouldn't recommend intermittent benzo use, often that is trading short term symptom relief for prolonging suffering and making things worse.

12 hours ago, Argan said:

Thank you for your response, i really appreciate your support!!

It is a pleasure, I am so sorry you are suffering so much.

12 hours ago, Argan said:

I tapered off sertraline from 200 mg to 150 mg for two weeks, then from 150 mg to 100 mg for two weeks, then from 100 mg to 75 mg for one week, from 75 mg to 50 mg for one week, from 25 mg to 12.5 mg for one week, and then from 12.5 mg to 0 over about one week.

As @Luke has said this was way too fast a taper.

12 hours ago, Argan said:

As for lithium, I tapered from 900 mg to 750 mg for two weeks, from 750 mg to 600 mg for two weeks, from 600 mg to 450 mg for one week, from 450 mg to 300 mg for one week, from 300 mg to 150 mg for one week, and finally from 150 mg to 0 over one week.

And again here too.

12 hours ago, Argan said:

I have now been completely off sertraline for 49 days and off lithium for 20 days. I occasionally take xanax to manage my anger spikes and intrusive thoughts that do not leave me alone and torment me during this phase.

I would consider RI personally both drugs. Not sure if you agree @LostinCanada ? Obviously this is your choice and have a good read of the topic @Luke has linked to you.

You have been off Sertraline for a little while now, and 200mg is a huge dose and way more than the brain can take full effect from. So I would RI 20mg and see how you react, wait 7-14 days to assess the effect. If you want to be a bit more cautious try 10mg.

With the Lithium I would wait till you have RI a dose of Sertraline, if it doesn't worsen you add in 100mg Lithium and again wait 7-14 days to see how things are. Again if you want to be more cautious try 50mg.

Once you have established a dose on both drugs we can see if it is worth increasing either to help you. You might find that 20mg and 100mg (Or 10mg and 50mg) is enough to cushion things for you, it may be you need some more, but caution is best.

If you need help with RI, let us know and we can help you with the technicals of it.

Preparing Doses for Tapering - Weighing & DIY Liquids

Guys, seriously, you’re amazing. But I can endure this too. I can live in this state for another two months if I have to… I just want to get out of it as soon as possible, because even with antidepressants in my system I live badly — I’m slow, frustrated, permanently exhausted. The state I’m in right now is just an extra burden, something I’m still capable of enduring. I’m only asking: when will my body start rebuilding its own receptors, its own flora no longer contaminated by artificial molecules? I’m only 23 years old and I need to get better. I have no intention of waiting through more months of psychological torture. If this is the path I have to follow to get out of it, then I’ll follow it with my head held high.

2 minutes ago, Argan said:

Guys, seriously, you’re amazing. But I can endure this too. I can live in this state for another two months if I have to… I just want to get out of it as soon as possible, because even with antidepressants in my system I live badly — I’m slow, frustrated, permanently exhausted. The state I’m in right now is just an extra burden, something I’m still capable of enduring. I’m only asking: when will my body start rebuilding its own receptors, its own flora no longer contaminated by artificial molecules? I’m only 23 years old and I need to get better. I have no intention of waiting through more months of psychological torture. If this is the path I have to follow to get out of it, then I’ll follow it with my head held high.

It’s completely your choice if you should ri or not. Some find it helps a lot even a low dose, adverse effects are often lower at lower doses too. If you feel you can cope with the healing journey ahead that is completely fine. We can’t say how long it will be. It can take many months for some to settle to more bareable levels. Either way we are here and with you.

2 hours ago, Argan said:

But I can endure this too. I can live in this state for another two months if I have to

Hi @Argan I understand how you feel but this isn't going to last 2 months...it can last years. Reinstatement isn't perfect, but it takes the edge off and makes it bearable.

I thought like you and held on thinking just another week and at 3 months the SI and dp/dr was not sustainable....I wish I would have reinstated sooner and at a lower dose.

It is your choice but I think reinstating at the lower suggestion from @Chippy would be a good starting point. From there you can hold and stabilize or slowly increase if necessary. Once stable, tapering off the rest can be done much more slowly.

The sooner you reinstate, the better your chances at stabilizing quicker.

Sorry you are dealing with this. ❤️🙏

Hi @Argan It sounds like you'd benefit from practicing some coping and acceptance techniques. They let you accept that the symptoms will come, but you don't have to respond to them. As @Luke and @Chippy have said, you did a very fast taper, so the WD symptoms are hitting you harder than usual, but you are still functioning, which is a good sign! Here are a couple links to acceptance and coping stratgies:

Acceptance

CBT and ERP Resources

On 5/11/2026 at 7:58 PM, Argan said:

I’m trying my best to resist, I eat well, I do workout 4 times a week, not using social networks (only yt), i sleep well, i go out everyday and reading a bit of books (my concentration level is very low)

This is quite a high level of functioning.

However, there's really no telling how long this might last if you don't reinstate. Things may get better in weeks, or a couple of months, but it might be much, much longer.

If it is difficult, but you can function like this and tolerate it, then you may wish to push through, however you may find that things get harder before they get easier- if things to get worse and worse then it may well be time to look at reinstatement.