Taper Down Slowly: A Beginners Guide to Psychiatric Drug Tapering (Part 1)
Psychiatric medications have become a standard of care for many mental illnesses. For some, these medications can be life-changing. For others, they may offer little relief, cause intolerable side effects, lose effectiveness over time, or even worsen symptoms.
Regardless, many individuals eventually seek to reduce or discontinue psychiatric medication use—often without adequate support. Unfortunately, most clinicians receive limited training in how to guide patients through safe, personalized tapering protocols and the existing guidelines often fail to reflect real-world experiences.
In part one of our new two-part series, Dr. Bret Scher and psychiatrist Dr. Georgia Ede delve into a critical yet under-discussed topic: how to taper psychiatric medications safely.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why people consider tapering (side effects, loss of benefit, life changes, etc.)
- Why safe psychiatric medication tapering is important
- How the brain adapts to meds (homeostasis) and how that impacts taper speed
- Why personalization in medication management is important
- How to tell the difference between withdrawal and a true relapse
- How to prepare: education, team support, and trusted resources
Almost everyone will need to adjust the dose of a medication at some point, even if only to try a different medication. Some will want to try to come off psychiatric meds entirely. It’s not a journey to take alone. Safe tapering is not a DIY process. We strongly encourage working with a knowledgeable healthcare provider who can help you personalize the approach, choosing the right pace, plan, and monitoring strategies to protect your health. In addition, we recommend resources below that can help.
The goal isn’t simply to stop a medication, it’s to feel and function at your best. And the safest route is the one that’s tailored to you.
📆 Stay tuned for episode 2 of our two-part series on psychiatric medication tapering—airing October 15.
Expert Featured:
Dr. Bret Scher
Dr. Georgia Ede
- Website: https://www.diagnosisdiet.com/
- Book: https://www.diagnosisdiet.com/change-your-diet-change-your-mind
- YouTube: @GeorgiaEdeMD
- X: https://x.com/GeorgiaEdeMD
- IG: https://www.instagram.com/georgiaedemd/
Resources Mentioned:
Medication Tapering Hub
- Coming Soon! Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know when new resources are available: https://www.metabolicmind.org/about-us/newsletter/
The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines
Crossing Zero: The Art and Science of Coming Off - and Staying Off - Psychiatric Drugs
Inner Compass Initiative
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