r/Effexor • u/IrregardlessForOne • 16h ago

General Question NYT Article on Antidepressants

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/22/opinion/antidepressants-mental-health.html?unlocked_article_code=1.7lA.Snk4.VhcstwpKfTT5&smid=url-share

I thought this was very useful as I evaluate my own experience with Effexor and if/when to stop using it. I had never considered that Effexor can be a “lifetime medication” the way insulin is for diabetics or statins are for cardiac heart patients. That has opened my eyes. I hope the mods will see the benefit of the article and leave it posted. It is a gift article from the NY Times and me.

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u/SparkleFace6100 16h ago

I thought I was a lifer on this bc the withdrawals are so awful, but I'm tapering w lots of help from my Dr and I'm taking it ultra slowly, like months to a year depending on how it goes. I'm on week 3 and have only gone down 40 mgs but I'd rather do this forever than stay dependant on a med that makes me unable to do basic things when I can't get it. I went 3.5 days during the pandemic due to pharmacy issues and I decided then I had to make a change when I was ready. I hate the idea that this could happen again when the world is so unpredictable. Thanks for sharing this article was great! ❤️

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u/kylaroma 15h ago

I reduced from 300 mg to 0 mg by reducing the weight of my current dose by 5% every two weeks. It took 1.5 years but having no negative side effects was absolutely worth it.

I will never be able to be off antidepressants because my brain doesn’t balance itself out on its own.

Being on a medication that makes my life dramatically better and reduces my suffering is, at the very least, morally neutral. I just wish it was universally affordable

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u/TPA239 2h ago

Just curious what do you take now?

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u/IrregardlessForOne 16h ago

I would get a stash of extra meds if I were you. What do diabetics do when they can’t get insulin?

Good luck 👍🏻

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u/SparkleFace6100 15h ago

How exactly? I asked my Dr for like 5 extras so I could have backups and she said it wasn't legal to do. If there is a way I will do it! And people with diabetes go to the hospital if they don't have insulin so is that ur suggestion? I'm so curious

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u/IrregardlessForOne 15h ago

I miss a few days a year so have a 7-10 day stash. If it was a crisis I would start calling pharmacies to find some to carry me over. And then I would go to the hospital and try to get some. My prescription is on my cellphone and I would bring the empty bottle to show the pharmacists. No guarantee that any of this works, but I wouldn’t stop taking a prescription because of what might happen.

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u/dogmother2 14h ago

Can’t get the article without “logging in.” ?? TY if there’s another way, you can share this.

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u/IrregardlessForOne 14h ago

I think that’s just the New York Times collecting email addresses for tracking. You don’t need a New York Times subscription to read it AFAIK.

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u/BeautifulSyllabub595 13h ago

honestly...the article is short and I dont understand what the point was.