I do. A warning. An elderly (82) relative of mine was on a bunch of drugs like that and went to the hospital for a broken hip from a fall. In a rehab facility they accidentally overdosed her and she almost died of cardiac arrest or whatever it is that you get from a fentanyl overdose: incredibly weak she had rehab (at a much, much better place) and was on zero opioids and zero antipsychotics. Silver lining is that off all the drugs and with positive reinforcement from staff and many relatives, she was recovering much better and faster than expected, regaining strength daily, until another daughter stopped by and asked what happened to all her meds. She began pestering the staff to ask about her level of pain and to give her pain relievers from her stock of prescribed drugs, and encouraged her mother to focus on her pain instead of her recovery and to take the drugs liberally to help her cope. TLDR- 100% family support is needed to help a person overcome entrenched habits, even unhealthy ones. Anyway, be wary of family members who aren't onboard.

The fact that your mom desires the change is a huge first step, and the best way to start. Be prepared to remind her and reinforce this decision, as she may question it as difficulties arise. God bless!

She will have to slowly taper off. Stopping cold turkey can be dangerous and withdrawal symptoms can be bad. This is just from my observation with a family member.

Look into detoxifying and a carnivore diet. Dr. Ken Berry, Dr Shawn Baker. Shawn Bakers page has personal story after personal story on recovery from neurological issues among a whole host of ailments.

Don't stop them.

What you do is cut the dosage by 25% (take 75%) for a week or 2. (if no bad symptoms persist)

Then you cut it to 50% (take 50%) for a week or 2 (if no bad symptoms persist)

Then you cut it to 75% (take 25%) for a week or 2 (if no bad symptoms persist)

Then you cut it even more, you could cut it to 12.5% and 6% for a week or 2, or you could possibly cut it out (if no bad symptoms persist)

But you should definately check with a doctor. However this is what i would do if it were me (with no doctor). I have tapered off of medication this way before (to prove psychiatrists were fools). If tapering it down is too much, go back to the last level you were at and try it again in 2 weeks.

It must be done slowly, especially after years of taking those poisons. The withdrawal symptoms are horrible. Find a specialist at coming off of SSRIs. Cold turkey can be fatal.

There are special rehabs for nutritionally supported withdrawal from psyche meds. Not the same as the usual rehab for street drugs. If your mom could go to one that would be the safest way. The psyche med withdrawals can be very rough. But if she insists upon tapering off in a DIY withdrawal you have to lower doses by miniscule amounts over a long period of time. Looooong period. Don't rush it.

Thank you all so much for your input. It's going to be a battle, no doubt about it!

Finally, a topic I can speak on with some authority!

SSRI medications carry with them the side effect of suicidal ideation. Wild, isn't it?

To get off of them and avoid discontinuation syndrome, she will need to taper her dose for weeks. Discontinuation syndrome can have an effect of what some call "brain shivers". It's a sensation of all your nerves twitching at once. She may also suffer from mood swings as she gets off of the medication.

Now, if she really suffers from psychosis and psychotic episodes, you may consider consulting a psychiatrist. Not a family medicine doctor, not a therapist, not a social worker. An actual psychiatrist. Psychotic episodes are not the same as anxiety problems.

If it's anxiety that she suffers from, she'll do well with cognitive-behavioral therapy and exposure therapy. Do NOT get an "anxiety dog". Not only are they NOT service animals, they serve as a crutch to those with anxiety, making them dependent on an animal and never really treating their anxiety. "Anxiety dogs" are not allowed in grocery stores, etc. and those who take their animals into such places are taking advantage of laws in place to protect the truly disabled, and making life harder on those who actually need real service animals.

SSRI medications have the same effectiveness as placebos.

Dr. David Burns exposed the pharmaceutical companies in his book When Panic Attacks and describes how those afflicted can effectively treat themselves. After all, a cognitive disorder is treated with a cognitive solution.

My husband had been on SSRI's for 10 years after a breakdown 25 years ago. They kept increasing the dose and finally added another medication that caused a bad reaction. At that point, we decided to find someone to take a whole new look at his health. We found a doctor who was listed as "anti-aging" and used bio-identical hormones along with other supplements. There will be folks on here who will poo-poo these alternative practitioners, but he was a lifesaver for us. My husband lost 20 lbs. in the next six months, and within a year was completely off the SSRI's and feeling better than he had in years. We continue to follow their protocol and are going strong into our 70's. I highly recommend these doctors.

This was helpful for someone I knew

https://pointofreturn.com/

Personal experience with tapering SSRis I was on for anxiety and depression after my dad died. As with comments below - taper slowly. Even though not on the medication insert, lots of people get "brain zaps" like tinnitus when you move your head even slowly. Quite disconcerting for those who already have mental health issues. See https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/how-to-taper-off-your-antidepressant for advice on tapering.

If I ever needed something then I used St John's Wort with no side effects and equal efficacy for me. I don't need anything now.

Ironically I worked in big pharma at the time and sold the drug which helped me but then was so hard to get off. Sorry Frens - I have learnt so much since then my views are now quite awake.

But you also mention other meds, as per advice below, seek help from a doctor or mental health services as meds often have synergies or interactions and you don't want to stop everything at once as your mum may struggle.

When you say it hasn't done her good, no doubt you know your mum the best, but hard after many years to see what the 'benefits' are from the meds she is currently taking. By that I mean she may feel worse in some ways when coming off meds and for some time after. This hopefully will be balanced by less side effects, being more grounded and level plus clearer thought processes. There is plenty of commentary on the web about the misnomer " selective " when referring to these meds 🙂

Ideally mum needs a stress free period and lots of support when she is coming off meds. Good sleep, diet, exercise all help.

Good luck and I hope your mum feels better soon.