i was on zoloft for severe OCD for 3 years. I adjusted my supplementation (vitamin D & magnesium) and told my doctor I didn't want to take them anymore because I felt they are now unhelpful, we made a titration plan.
but then i actually had forgotten to include them in my weekly pill organizer and when i tried to reintroduce it, i felt *terrible*, so i just stopped taking them and kind of accidentally quit cold turkey. however, i had discussed this all with my PCP as I figured it out and he was fine with it (honestly not much he could do)!
I didn't have any side effects or brain zaps however I specifically treated the cause of my OCD and I believe I fixed an imbalance and didn't have a severe serotonin issue. i did have to allow my body to readjust to regulation (lotta gut stuff) but thats different than acute withdrawal. i was also on it for OCD, not for depression. i did not feel depressed
*i do NOT suggest quitting without doctor supervision!! do NOT stop taking your SSRI abruptly!! most SSRIs will give you brain zaps and make you feel bad if you just stop taking them because your body adjusts to the serotonin regulation.
*i am purposely oversharing some of this because i believe context for these things matters, every body is coded differently and also fed differently, you will likely have different results so again, pls dont quit cold turkey bc random girl on twitter didnt have a bad time with it -- i just want to share its possible for some people to get off of an SSRI*
it will be one year in august 2026
If you no longer wish to take SSRIs you can generally just say to your psychiatrist "I want to start tapering off of these" and as long as you're not suicidal they'll help you.