Guidance from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence recommends that antidepressants are used as 'maintenance' treatment for up to 2 years to prevent their depression returning (relapse). It also recommends cognitive-behavioural therapy to change habits of thought and behaviour.
Do I have to take antidepressants forever is a question that some ask as they struggle with depression. This is one of the more common myths associated with the condition. You do not need to take antidepressants forever nor do you need to get a prescription from a counselor or therapist.
Those who had used antidepressants for >3 years reported more severe side effects, including “weight gain”, “addiction”, “feeling not like myself ”, “withdrawal symptoms”, and “suicidality”, than those who had been on antidepressants for ≤2 years.
It's usually recommended that a course of antidepressants continues for at least 6 months after you feel better, to prevent your condition recurring when you stop. Some people with recurrent illness are advised to carry on taking medicine indefinitely.
If you decide to stop taking antidepressants, don't quit taking them on your own. And don't stop all at once. A major drop in medication levels can trigger a relapse or other harmful symptoms, such as suicidal thoughts. Work with your doctor to create a plan to gradually reduce your medication dose over time.
The best reason to stop taking your antidepressant is because you feel better and you and your doctor believe that you will stay well after you stop taking it. An antidepressant needs time to work. You may need to take it for 1 to 3 weeks before you start to feel better and for 6 to 8 weeks before you feel much better.
Researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 17 studies comparing people using antidepressants to those on placebo. They found that those taking antidepressants were 33% more likely to die during the study time frame and 14% more likely to have a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular event.
If the symptoms develop later or gradually, they may constitute a relapse of the depression. Ultimately, these withdrawal symptoms will improve with time, but they can be unpleasant for days and possibly even weeks. In time, the brain readjusts and people should experience a return to their normal state.
If you keep taking your medicine, there is a good chance that you will start to feel less depressed and that the side effects will decrease. Most people feel that the benefits of antidepressants are well worth the price of living with some side effects.
Do Antidepressants Permanently Alter Brain Chemistry? Antidepressants are designed to alter brain chemistry to alleviate symptoms—thus, they do so while you are taking them. They may promote potentially beneficial structural brain changes, as well.
Long-term antidepressant users are risking permanent damage to their bodies, according to leading medical experts. Dr Tony Kendrick, a professor of primary care at the University of Southampton, says more urgent action needs to be taken to encourage and support long-term users to come off the medication.
Antidepressants can cause dizziness and unsteadiness, increasing the risk of falls and bone fractures, especially in older people. Interactions with other medications can increase this risk. A very small number of people have had heart problems, epileptic fits or liver damage while taking antidepressants.
Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, has special importance as a precursor of serotonin and tryptophan and can also play a role in behavior and mood.
Despite these difficulties, we do know that short term use of antidepressants can cause irritability, anxiety and panic, emotional flattening, dyskinesias [9], sexual impairment [10, 11] and also suicidality and aggression [8], even in healthy adult volunteers [12].
Although this is beneficial for someone who's depressed, for someone who does not have depression, taking antidepressant medication can cause serotonin to build up in the body, resulting in serotonin syndrome. When serotonin levels are too high, the person may experience symptoms like: Agitation or restlessness.
When first starting antidepressants, some people have mild stomach upset, headache or fatigue, but these side effects often diminish in the first few weeks as the body adjusts. Some people gain weight, though many stay “weight neutral,” and some even lose weight, Dr. Cox says.
The majority of people taking the most commonly prescribed antidepressants—selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)—improve substantially. But sometimes, SSRIs go beyond improving mood and make a person feel too little emotion. "Some people feel like they've lost the richness of daily life," says Dr.
Taking antidepressants may help to lift your mood. This can help you feel more able to do things that don't feel possible while you're depressed. This may include using other types of support for your mental health.
It's thought that antidepressants work by increasing neurotransmitters. These are chemicals in the brain like serotonin and noradrenaline. They can improve mood and emotion, although this process isn't fully understood. Increasing levels of neurotransmitters can also disrupt pain signals sent by nerves.
Discontinuation symptoms often include physical complaints that aren't commonly found in depression, such as dizziness, flulike symptoms, and abnormal sensations. Discontinuation symptoms disappear quickly if you take a dose of the antidepressant, while drug treatment of depression itself takes weeks to work.
Cautions for specific antidepressants
a bleeding disorder. type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. epilepsy – SSRIs should only be taken if your epilepsy is well controlled, and the medicine should be stopped if your epilepsy gets worse. kidney disease.