Too fast tapering (Venlafaxine) and increase in aggressive behaviour

[zlatinb]

Hello,

 

I'm a 44 yr old male who has been on various combinations of ADs and APs for approximately 20 years.  In 2015 I was put on combination of 225mg Venlafaxine and 20mg Aripriazole, and stayed on this combination for about six years.  In the summer of 2022 I decided to stop, and spoke to my GP on the phone about it.  They recommended a 4-week tapering of the Venlafaxine followed by immediate tapering of the Aripiprazole.

 

So I did two weeks of 150mg followed by two weeks of 75mg and then nothing.  The Aripiprazole taper took about a month as well.  GIven the other tapering stories I read on this site I am now sure I tapered way too quickly, but hey, I was "following dr's orders".

 

I must say everything was fine and I had no adverse symptoms to speak of, but I did notice an increase in anger, aggressive behaviour and general impulsiveness which lasted about a year and a half.  My behaviour got me in trouble with the law and eventually I was forcibly put on Aripiprazole again, which I am now tapering as well.  The anger and aggression have subsided, and I'm starting to think I was mostly angry at myself for trusting psychiatrists for so many years.  The tendency to over-medicate people and especially to prescribe and then forget to un-prescribe is nothing short of criminal in my opinion.

[Erimus]

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