SSRI Dose Reduction: How to Safely Lower Your Antidepressant Dosage

When you're ready to stop or lower your SSRI, a class of antidepressants that increase serotonin in the brain to improve mood. Also known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, these drugs include fluoxetine, sertraline, and escitalopram—commonly prescribed for depression, anxiety, and OCD. Stopping them suddenly can trigger withdrawal symptoms like dizziness, brain zaps, nausea, and mood swings. That’s why SSRI dose reduction needs to be slow, planned, and guided by your doctor. It’s not about cutting pills in half and hoping for the best—it’s about giving your brain time to adjust after years of altered chemistry.

Many people don’t realize that SSRI withdrawal, a set of physical and emotional symptoms that occur when stopping or reducing antidepressants too quickly can last weeks or even months, especially with shorter-acting SSRIs like paroxetine. The longer you’ve been on the medication, the more careful you need to be. A drop of 10% every few weeks is often safer than big cuts. And it’s not just about the dose—serotonin syndrome, a rare but dangerous reaction from too much serotonin in the brain, often caused by mixing medications can happen if you switch too fast or add other drugs like St. John’s Wort or certain pain meds. That’s why you need to track your symptoms and know what’s normal versus what’s a red flag.

Some people feel better after reducing their dose and never go back. Others find their anxiety or low mood creeping back, meaning they need to hold at a lower dose longer—or even stay on it. There’s no universal timeline. Your body, your history, and your symptoms matter more than any chart. What you’ll find in these articles are real stories and science-backed tips on how to reduce SSRIs without crashing, how to spot early signs of withdrawal, what to do if symptoms get worse, and why some people need to switch to a longer-acting SSRI like fluoxetine before tapering. This isn’t about quitting antidepressants. It’s about doing it right—so you stay in control, not your symptoms.

8 Dec 2025
by Michael Brown
9 Comments

Managing SSRI Sexual Dysfunction: Dose Changes, Switches, and Adjuncts

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