Tapering and withdrawing from benzodiazepenes and SSRIs/SSNRIs is no joke. No joke at all. If you decide to proceed, then you are a brave adventurer! I’m pulling for you!
It is possible that you may be able to do a slow taper over several months and have relatively few difficulties. Or you may develop quite extreme and severe problems that last for many years as your body and brain and nervous system attempt to adapt, rewire, and rebuild from the changes and potential damage that has been done. I don’t want to scare you without reason, but it is really important to understand the risks. If you decide that you are going to do it, it would be wise to give it very careful consideration.
For some reason it made me think of this scene above. If you are going into battle, you need to know that your rifle (support system) is solid. You need to have a plan of attack(tapering schedules and resources). But sometimes your plans fail big time. Trust me. It happens. “Everybody’s got a plan until they’ve been hit.” So be prepared for the possibility of getting hit. If you are, then “Getting up. That’s up to you.”
Are you prepared for the possibility of becoming chronically ill and being unable to continue working?
Are you prepared for the possibility of developing severe nervous system dysregulation and all the difficulties that come from that?
If you are currently using benzos and SSRIs/SSNRIs for symptoms that are actually symptoms of past trauma, then are you prepared for the possibility of your past trauma and attachment wounds coming up to the surface and into awareness? Do you have the support to work through this?
Do you have a solid support system already in place before you start tapering? Can someone be there for you consistently to help with day-to-day tasks if necessary? Have you informed your doctors, therapists, friends, family, and others of what you are doing and the potential risks?
I recommend taking a good amount of time to become familiar with the following resources and discussing this with your support system in detail before even deciding if you are going to taper and withdrawal or not. You do not want to wait and try to figure this all out when you are in the middle of severe symptoms and fatigue and brain fog and cannot focus or you realize that you should have proceeded tapering at a much slower pace.
beyondmeds.com/how-to-use-the-site/
beyondmeds.com/links-to-blogs-and-resources/
