Replacing SSRI with CBD oil
I'm currently on a prescription of 10mg Lexapro which has slightly reduced my anxiety and depression. However, I have some substantial side effects that have come with it such as extreme fatigue, lack of motivation and general lack of emotion.
I was wondering if replacing my subscription (gradually lowering the dose) and adding in CBD oil instead could have similar depression/anxiety reducing effects without the side effects of the SSRI?
Has anyone tried this? Any further help on this?
Posted Feb 14, 2019, 4:58 PM UTC
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You need to talk to a doctor. You can’t take yourself off of SSRI medication.
I have no idea why you’re getting so downvoted. I know reddit thinks it’s smarter than doctors but SSRIs aren’t Advil.
OP, clear it with your medical professional first. Even if they don’t agree with CBD, they’d rather have you go off of SSRIs safely than cold turkey. The last thing you want is to have your mental illness come roaring back.
While generally I agree, many, many doctors are 100% against CBD with no real basis. It can be a struggle to find one that thinks it’s okay.
The doctor doesn’t need to know you’re switching to CBD but you can not just stop taking an SSRI, you have to wean yourself off or you could make your problems astronomically worse.
Apologies if it came off that way but as I said in my post I would gradually lower the dose. Forgot to add I would obviously do this with my doctors supervision.
I'm also only on month three at a low dose.
No need to apologize at all; My firmness comes from a place of care, as someone who also struggles with mental health issues. Glad to hear you'll be doing it under supervision. That should make the transition a lot easier.
The doctor would be losing a customer, if a patient goes completely off their SSRI medication slowly, over time. It's like a conflict of interest. This could be the only source of info on this. And a patient is free to make their own choices. But... one must be very careful about it. Let someone check up on them, and other safety measures.
Do you have any idea what can happen to your brain if you halt taking an SSRI? I’m all for CBD over pharmaceuticals but you are clearly in no shape ready to give medical advice.
I know nothing happens to your brain (MANY HAVE DONE THIS ALREADY). SSRI does not cause any brain damage. I imagine some could get withdrawal symptoms or headaches, especially if on a high dosage (CBD should help). I've stopped SSRI and absolutely nothing happens... it was still in my system for two weeks. It's not even cold turkey. But I do recommend doing this slowly, maybe.. decrease only 25% per week. And to not do it alone. Tell a friend or family member.
There could be the risk of a bad CBD product and the depression returns.
You have to stop exaggerating. NO ONE HAS SAID THAT IT SHOULD BE STOPPED COLD TURKEY. THE OP SAYS HE PLANS TO DO IT GRADUALLY.
It doesn’t cause brain damage but for someone with mental health issues, the rapid upswing in negative symptoms can lead to suicidal thoughts, dizziness, manic behavior, etc. Like, yeah if your whole point is that it can’t directly kill you, then sure I concede to your outrageous point, but even you yourself is saying that you shouldn’t do it alone and that you should be careful, which is why they should just talk to a doctor about the dosage ratio they should take on if they want to wean themselves down. Your comments here on this thread are irresponsible as fuck.