Sorry to hear that. I've been on that rollercoaster, but by the sound of it not nearly that bad. On one hand, if you're happy now, why try to get off them? On the other hand, if you're determined to stop for whatever reason, talk to a psychiatrist or medical professional you trust, and discuss a plan to deal with than if it comes up again. Is it in any way similar to what caused you to start taking the meds in the first place? Has the root cause of that been addressed? Have you tried CBT, or any other therapy? Stoicism (which CBT is based on)? There might be done short term remedies to help through the withdrawl if it's just a short term thing - best to discuss these with a professional, but I've heard that sleep deprivation (skip one night of sleep; lessens depression for a week or so) is one possibility. If you can try to approach the problem with an external, interested perspective it might help; I was quite amazed at what my brain and body were doing in withdrawl despite feeling quite miserable - aside from the brain zaps, I had a funny effect on Effexor where if I looked up and to the left, I would hear a sound like two darts flying past my left ear. Hope it works out for you.
Thank you for the response. Yes - I have more tools in my mental arsenal now (meditation, stoicism). The problem is: when the dosage was lowered, it was not clear whether I was seeing a relapse or it was withdrawal. I am amazed by the sleep deprival note you mentioned (something I was not aware of at all) - thank you for that. Why stop? Because of sexual side effects (I don't want my partner to suffer my lack of drive) and weight gain. I am glad I am happy and stable now - the question is: is this my drug or am I recovered?
