Pandoro: New to the site. Need guidance to start my tapering journey

[Pandoro]

Hello to everybody. I am about to start my tapering journey. A little background about myself. I am 40 years old. I had my first panic attack in 2019. Starting going to therapy and was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Since we weren´t making much progress, my therapist recommended psychiatric medication. Back in 2020, the initial prescription was Lyrica 50 mg, half a tablet in the morning and full tablet at night, and since I was having insomnia I also took 5 drops of Liquid Clonazepam 2.5 mg/ml. At the beginning everything was great. My anxiety was under control. But as my brain became used to the dosages or the medications, I needed increases or changes for other medications. That is when SSRIs were introduced. There were several changes throughout the years. My current medications are:

Escitalopram 20 mg daily (used for 1 year)

Fluoxetine 20 mg daily (used for 2 years)

Liquid Clonazepam 2.5 mg/ml. 7 drops each night equivalent to 0.7 mg of clonazepam (used for 5 years)

Xanax 1 mg daily divided into three doses 0.25 mg morning, 0.25 mg noon, 0.50 mg night (used for 3 years)

 

I want to read everyone's opinion about the taper order. Which medication should I taper first? Another thing that I haven't been able to find is the jump-off point. Are there guidelines to determine the best jump-off point?

 

Thank you very much for all your help.

Edited November 15, 2024 by Pandoro
Mistake

[Jane318]

Greetings @Pandoro, and welcome to SA!  We are a community of volunteers providing peer support in the tapering of psychiatric medications and their associated withdrawal syndromes. 

 

Thank you for completing your signature.

 

I commend you on your decision to get off of psychoactive drugs and your commitment to preparing yourself before you begin tapering!  We are here to support you in a safe and successful journey to freedom from these drugs.   

 

Here are some important forums to read that address your questions.  Please let us know your questions after you read them.

Before you begin tapering - what you need to know

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Taking multiple psych drugs? Which drug to taper first?

 

Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ

 

Managing the Endgame Taper

 

This is your introduction topic.  Each member gets one intro topic- please post updates and questions here, in this thread.

 

Do explore the rest of the forum – there is a lot of great information here.  Be sure to read “About SurvivingAntidepressants.org,” which has good information about how to use / search the site: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/54-about-survivingantidepressantsorg.

 

I look forward to partnering with you in this - Best wishes.

[Pandoro]

Thank you @Jane318 for the welcome. I will make sure to read all the linked forums and if have any questions I will let you know. 

 

Have a great day