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.

📆 Check out episode 2 of our two-part series on psychiatric medication tapering:    • Go Slowly: A Beginners Guide to Psychiatri...  

Expert Featured:
Dr. Bret Scher
X: https://x.com/bschermd

Dr. Georgia Ede
Website: https://www.diagnosisdiet.com/
Book: https://www.diagnosisdiet.com/change-...
YouTube: ‪@GeorgiaEdeMD‬
X: https://x.com/GeorgiaEdeMD
IG:   / 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-u...

The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines
https://a.co/d/5WWskZs

Crossing Zero: The Art and Science of Coming Off - and Staying Off - Psychiatric Drugs
https://www.amazon.com/dp/8797625906?

Inner Compass Initiative
https://www.theinnercompass.org/

Surviving Antidepressants
https://www.survivingantidepressants....

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:
Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction to the two-part series on medication tapering/deprescription and Dr. Georgia Ede.
6:11 - What’s the difference between tapering and deprescription? Why does someone choose to taper or deprescribe medication?
9:05 - Which medical professionals can help with tapering/deprescribing?
11:51 - What are the main classes of psychiatric medications? How do these differ when it comes to deprescribing?
14:00 - Deprescribing and tapering psychiatric medication because of reduced (or non) effectiveness.
17:05 - Are psychiatric medications over-prescribed?
20:40 - Can psychiatric medication make somebody worse?
24:15 - What are the dangers of coming off psychiatric medication too quickly? Which medications are most likely to cause withdrawal issues?
27:20 - How to distinguish withdrawal symptoms from a return of symptoms?
30:45 - The studies around withdrawal and how they can be misleading.
34:00 - How to prepare to taper off psychiatric medications? What are some additional resources to help?