Tapering Off Medication

How to safely come off your medication

Drug-by-drug guides to safely tapering off antidepressants and benzodiazepines. Each page covers the withdrawal pattern specific to that medication, evidence-based taper approaches (including hyperbolic tapering), and where mechanism-switch options like ketamine fit when staying on the same class no longer makes sense.

Never taper without prescriber coordination. Withdrawal can mimic relapse, and untreated relapse is more dangerous than withdrawal. These pages describe the landscape — your prescriber writes the plan.

SSRI

Lexapro (Escitalopram)

How tapering off Lexapro typically works — timeline expectations, hyperbolic vs linear approaches, common withdrawal symptoms, and where ketamine fits as a leave-the-class option.

Read the taper guide
SSRI

Zoloft (Sertraline)

How to taper off Zoloft — timeline, withdrawal pattern, hyperbolic-taper considerations, drug-specific notes for sertraline's 26-hour half-life.

Read the taper guide
SNRI

Effexor (Venlafaxine)

How to taper off Effexor — managing the famously difficult short-half-life withdrawal, hyperbolic taper, Prozac-bridge strategy, and where ketamine fits.

Read the taper guide
SNRI

Cymbalta (Duloxetine)

How to taper off Cymbalta — easier than Effexor but still challenging, with bead-counting strategies, hyperbolic tapering, and considerations for chronic pain patients.

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SSRI

Paxil (Paroxetine)

How to taper off Paxil — managing the toughest SSRI to discontinue, hyperbolic taper, liquid formulation, and where ketamine fits.

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NDRI

Wellbutrin (Bupropion)

How to taper off Wellbutrin — generally easier than SSRIs/SNRIs, with notes on what to watch for and where to go next.

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SSRI

Prozac (Fluoxetine)

How to taper off Prozac — the easiest SSRI to discontinue thanks to its long half-life, with notes on the unique self-tapering effect.

Read the taper guide
Benzodiazepine

Xanax (Alprazolam)

How to taper off Xanax safely — managing benzodiazepine withdrawal, slow tapers, equivalent-dose Valium switches, and where ketamine fits for underlying anxiety.

Read the taper guide
Benzodiazepine

Klonopin (Clonazepam)

How to taper off Klonopin — longer half-life makes it somewhat friendlier than Xanax, but still requires slow supervised tapering due to dependence and seizure risk.

Read the taper guide

Important: Benzodiazepine withdrawal (Xanax, Klonopin, Ativan, Valium) can produce seizures with abrupt discontinuation and requires medical supervision. Never stop benzodiazepines cold-turkey.

These pages describe medication tapering landscapes — they are not medical advice and don’t replace your prescriber. Bring options here to your next appointment for your prescriber to translate into your specific plan.