cold turkey
The physiological effects of such a withdrawal.
Seen in the wild
I did unfollow someone yesterday I saw claiming antidepressants aren't addictive; this is false. Quitting these drugs cold turkey for example is definitely not recommended. Patients who decide to go off of them and wa…
Going cold turkey trying to get off coffee is no joke. Migraines for days. The good news is I don’t want to eat, so there’s that.
I love that, for months at a time I was drinking caffeine heavily every day and having pretty disrupted sleep patterns and then for the first time in a while I go cold turkey and now I can't sleep. I love that. and…
The "US postwar prosperity was about destruction elsewhere" meme is not only wrong but dangerous. America is still growing the whole 1970's. It has an inflation problem that requires Cold turkey (nasty). Reagan's fisc…
I was once forced to quit my Effexor cold turkey (full allowed dosage, no warning, thank god I don’t take it anymore). I almost had to go to the hospital. I actually probably should have. If yall haven’t experienced…
Definitions
The physiological effects of such a withdrawal.
“I did unfollow someone yesterday I saw claiming antidepressants aren't addictive; this is false. Quitting these drugs cold turkey for example is definitely not recommended. Patients who decide to go off of them and want to do so safely are usually recommended to taper.”
“Going cold turkey trying to get off coffee is no joke. Migraines for days. The good news is I don’t want to eat, so there’s that.”
“I was once forced to quit my Effexor cold turkey (full allowed dosage, no warning, thank god I don’t take it anymore). I almost had to go to the hospital. I actually probably should have. If yall haven’t experienced withdrawal like that, I envy you.”
“I did unfollow someone yesterday I saw claiming antidepressants aren't addictive; this is false. Quitting these drugs cold turkey for example is definitely not recommended. Patients who decide to go off of them and want to do so safely are usually recommended to taper.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Going cold turkey trying to get off coffee is no joke. Migraines for days. The good news is I don’t want to eat, so there’s that.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“I love that, for months at a time I was drinking caffeine heavily every day and having pretty disrupted sleep patterns and then for the first time in a while I go cold turkey and now I can't sleep. I love that. and definitely am not filled with immense frustration by it.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“The "US postwar prosperity was about destruction elsewhere" meme is not only wrong but dangerous. America is still growing the whole 1970's. It has an inflation problem that requires Cold turkey (nasty). Reagan's fiscal incontinence gets in the way of that.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“I was once forced to quit my Effexor cold turkey (full allowed dosage, no warning, thank god I don’t take it anymore). I almost had to go to the hospital. I actually probably should have. If yall haven’t experienced withdrawal like that, I envy you.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
(informal, idiomatic) A sudden and complete withdrawal from a dependent substance, especially a drug.
Comments
(US, _, military slang, WWI, _, –, _, WWII) Something exposed as a target due to surmountable defense.
“I remember when I wanted to quit taking Lexapro so I just stopped cold turkey because I didn’t know any better. Boy was that an interesting couple of weeks 😬”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Sure, and that’s a problem. But it’s still preferable to have a conversation with a physician instead of dropping it cold turkey or winging it”
— Bluesky· May 2026“I quit SSRIs cold turkey in undergrad just because I didn’t like how it felt. Was it pleasant? No. But I’ve seen serious alcoholics going through detox and opiate addicts experiencing withdrawals and it was nowhere near as bad.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“You know the plan is simply; "You no longer have access to mental health meds. Enjoy cold turkey"”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Going cold turkey on both is unpleasant in their own way. The big differences is that people are typically tapered off their antidepressants and that missing a dose or two of your antidepressant won’t make you sick”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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