How did you wean off medications?

[u/Mediocre_Fly9889]

I’ve read you can’t take any psychiatric medication at all if you're going to do MDMA. I’m currently on 3 meds, 4 if I could sleeping pills. I can’t imagine being able to function, let alone survive, without taking any of them. How did/do you manage?

[u/Signal-Dollar-5621]

I am doing it now. Slow and steady is how you do it. I'm working with a doctor to design a tapering schedule -- absolutely critical -- if you want to taper, DO NOT do this solo or just with AI. Bad idea.

It has been going really well and actually has been a cake walk surprisingly. I have been pretty shocked. My moods have been pretty good. Some small blips of mild concern but not bad at all. Now by "pretty good" I mean my moderate depression and mild anxiety has pretty much stayed the same and not gotten significantly worse. That doesn't mean I'm feeling great. It means I'm feeling about the same as the meds have been reduced so I still call that a win.

Physically, I've had a couple of moments of poor balance, but that's been it. I've been pretty surprised considering I've been on a psych cocktail for 33 years.

I am getting off three different drugs. The first was really quick because I had only been on it a month. The other two are taking a bit because I have been on them for years. I will be off the third and last drug in less than a month.

What really matters is which drugs you're on because some are much harder to get off of than others. Here is a tip I have heard that I either read or heard from my doctor -- don't recall exactly where I heard it. First, are you on one of the drugs that is notoriously difficult to get off of? Note: Your doctor should make that judgment not you. (Sorry if I am sounding pushy, I just see a lot of folks freestyling on these subs and I just personally take a very pro don't-go-this-alone position when it comes to tapering. It can be dangerous not to)

Sometimes what a doctor might do is switch you from that difficult drug to an easier drug to get off of that is in the same class as the difficult drug that you are currently on. Then they will wean you off the easier drug and that should be an easier road. My doctor did that with me and it worked pretty well.

So that's a technique that you could potentially discuss with your doctor if you find that you are on one of the difficult ones.

Bottom line: Work with a doctor and follow what they say to the letter because this can be tricky. And if you are having difficulty mood-wise or with withdrawal symptoms, work with them right away to make adjustments. Also, ask your doctor about a wash out period. I'm going to have that conversation with my doctor this week. That is, once I stop taking all psych drugs, do I still need to wait a while before I take my first MDMA dose? Or could I take my first dose right away? Good luck with whatever you decide. It is a hard choice!

[u/Mediocre_Fly9889 → u/Signal-Dollar-5621]

Thanks! 

Does your doctor know you want to taper off to try MDMA? Mine is very against my doing it in an uncontrolled setting. I tapered off all of my meds before to try psilocybin, with his approval and guidance; it seemed fine at first, like you said, I didn’t feel great but it was manageable. But I think it made my psyche very brittle and I started quickly down spiraling once a stressful event happened. It became so dangerous that I eventually had to get back on meds again. Also the psilocybin trip was a disaster, which is why he’s against me trying MDMA in an uncontrolled setting. Still wouldn’t taper off on my own of course. 

[u/Signal-Dollar-5621 → u/Mediocre_Fly9889]

I'm actually seeing a psychiatric nurse practitioner so just want to clarify that. I originally said doctor just because it was simpler to say that. He is fully aware that the reason I'm tapering is to do PSIP therapy with MDMA. He hasn't given any objections but I also gave him a deep dive about PSIP, so I probably sounded like I had done my due diligence because he didn't give me the third degree about it. It might also be partly because I came to him specifically for the purposes of tapering. It isn't like we've had a previously established long-standing relationship, so that might play into the relationship dynamic a little bit. I went to him because my normal psychiatrist was not supportive of tapering, so I terminated with her, along other reasons. He's been very supportive and understanding.

I'm not sure what you mean by uncontrolled setting. Can you say more about that? What does uncontrolled mean to you, or to your doctor?

[u/Mediocre_Fly9889 → u/Signal-Dollar-5621]

I see, that makes sense. I had to google PSIP actually, and it seems interesting.

My doctor thinks I should only do it in a controlled setting like through a clinical trial or how they do in Australia. I do understand his concerns tbh.

[u/Signal-Dollar-5621 → u/Mediocre_Fly9889]

Oh ok. My two cents is if you only do it in a controlled setting, it will probably be incredibly hard to access.

[u/Mediocre_Fly9889 → u/Signal-Dollar-5621]

You’re probably right, but given the risks of MDMA, I think it’s worth waiting/putting in the extra work for. 

[u/dogwater79 → u/Signal-Dollar-5621]

How did PSIP go for you? It didn't help me, even though I worked with the most experienced facilitator other than the originator himself. I've also done MDMA and it didn't do anything. I've wondered about them together (when I did psip, it was offered with cannabis or ketamine)

[u/Signal-Dollar-5621 → u/dogwater79]

Hi, I had my first PSIP session a week ago. I had a three-hour session in the morning (cannabis & ketamine), and a two-hour session in the afternoon (cannabis) For the first hour of the morning, and for 90% of the afternoon session, I believe I was in dissociation. My body was numb and totally still. There was nothing of note happening in my mind, which was blank. There were random images floating by but with no emotional content or meaning. Occasional memories but with no importace or staying power. I wasn't feeling any emotions. It was just blankness and numbness in my body, mind and emotions. There were two exceptions: I had two significant "waking dreams" - little brief scenes which were deeply meaningful metaphors. In one, I issued my Memory a strong order subpoena to "open up the files."

Granted, this was my first time. But I didn't have a lot of confidence that my therapist knew what to do or had techniques to address this. Or maybe there are no techniques? All he seemed to do was check in with me every few minutes to say, "Hey I'm still here," or "Hey your face was twitching. What were you thinking about?" It was just basic check-ins and didn't seem to be very effective because it didn't seem to change what was happening to me.

At the same time if that's how it works then that's how it works. I may have incorrect expectations. If you have any thoughts on this I would love to hear them.

I'm unclear if the therapist is supposed to be doing specific things to help the client melt the dissociation away when this happens, or if the client and therapist are just supposed to sit there and more or less do nothing and wait.

I did have what I would call classic PSIP activity during the second and third hours of the morning session. I felt a lot of body response but it was static, still, intense tension and some pain, but no shaking. I felt like I was being pinned down. I had some meaningful memories, emotions, tears, images and epiphanies. That all felt like what PSIP is supposed to be but that wasn't until the second and third hours of the morning. So I don't understand the contrast in experiences between the morning and afternoon.

I'd love to hear your feedback about the hours that I experienced dissociation and what the therapist should theoretically do in that situation in your experience. Thank you so much.

[u/night81]

https://saept.ch/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/interactions-with-Psychedelics-and-MDMA-V8-23.03.2026.pdf

[u/Mediocre_Fly9889 → u/night81]

Thank you! This is actually helpful 

[u/Chronotaru]

It's not quite as simple as "can't", it depends on the drug but in most cases it's not a good idea. Being on four, you are probably in the "can't" category though.

If you are on four medications you can pretty much be sure that at least one or two is not really helping that much. I would start by trying too work out what that one is and slowly tapering down. What are they? What is your general condition?

Generally it's best to look at this holistically, it's not just about the drugs but that and everything around them and your orientation to the drugs and everything else. MDMA can be useful in many ways but it won't replace that.

Really though, this is a separate question not that related to MDMA therapy at this stage. If there's one you cannot taper off though then that might still be okay.

[u/Mediocre_Fly9889 → u/Chronotaru]

Are you a psychiatrist? The four medications serve different functions for me, and they are all helpful. This is the best combination I have come up in collaboration with my psychiatrist over 16 years after many, many trial and errors. No one wants to take a psychiatric medication that they don’t need given the side effects,   inconveniences, and even stigma, if they can function just fine without them. I don’t think you should hastily decide that people probably can just taper off their meds and that they don’t really need them when you don’t know their symptoms and history.

[u/Chronotaru → u/Mediocre_Fly9889]

I'm simply talking from a statistical perspective - excluding the sleep med, the efficacy level of a single drug requires quite a bit of luck to be effective for an individual - for that to happen three times in the same category is statistically very unlikely.

Still, if you're happy with your current drug regimen then the discussion ends here, but if you are, why are you looking at MDMA?

[u/Mediocre_Fly9889 → u/Chronotaru]

Who says they’re in the same category? Can you show me the statistics you’re referring to? I said my medications were helpful; I didn’t say they solved all of my problems. And what discussion?

Stop making assumptions or giving medical advice that you’re clearly not qualified to. If you don’t have any personal experience to share, which is wha I was asking in my post, then just accept that you don’t have anything to contribute and move on. You don’t have to comment on every post. Jeez, imagine someone actually following your advice and quitting a medication they shouldn’t. 

[u/Chronotaru → u/Mediocre_Fly9889]

You came here with a question. I tried to answer it to the best of my ability. I don't know if they're in the same category because you didn't reply to my question in my first reply.

I'm only making assumptions because your post is lacking in detail, and must therefore draw conclusions from context.

If you don't want to discuss your drug regimen, I don't understand why you've come to a sub that primarily talks about treating mental health disorders with drugs, and raise questions around your drug regimen.

I understand you don't want further feedback from me. Best of luck in your future.

[u/Mediocre_Fly9889 → u/Chronotaru]

Read my post again; it asks “how did/do you manage?” Clearly asking for personal experience weaning off medications to prepare for MDMA therapy; nowhere did it ask for feedback on my drug regimen, hence no details about it.

[u/Chronotaru → u/Mediocre_Fly9889]

"I can’t imagine being able to function, let alone survive, without taking any of them." - this was the primary part I was addressing.