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Ever tried to stop an antidepressant such as an SSRI or SNRI (or other psychiatric drug) and found reductions harder as you approach zero? For example, you’re tapering Effexor and found little difference when you reduced it from 225mg to 150mg. But later, you tried to drop from 75mg to 37.5mg and felt worse (and in different ways) than before you started the Effexor? You’re not imagining it. Brain imaging studies show that the effect of these drugs on the brain is not linear — it’s hyperbolic. At higher doses, much of the drug’s effect is already in place, so a larger reduction may change relatively little. But much smaller doses have a substantial effect, which means even modest cuts can have a dramatically larger impact on the brain as you get closer to zero. That’s where hyperbolic tapering can help reduce the risk of withdrawal: as your overall dose gets progressively smaller, the amount you cut each time gets progressively smaller as well. Our founder Laura Delano (@LauraDelano) touches on this in her recent conversation with Blake Mycoskie (@BlakeMycoskie) on No Magic Pill. See link below to watch the full episode.