You may be tempted to stop taking antidepressants as soon as your symptoms ease, but depression can return if you quit too soon. Clinicians generally recommend staying on the medication for six to nine months before considering going off antidepressants.
The researchers found that, once pre-existing risk factors had been taken into account, long-term antidepressant use was associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, and an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease and from any cause.
It can take several weeks to months for the brain to readjust, depending on factors such as the individual's brain chemistry, the type and duration of antidepressant use, and the presence of any underlying mental health conditions.
Quitting an antidepressant suddenly may cause symptoms within a day or two, such as: Anxiety. Insomnia or vivid dreams. Headaches.
You are feeling better, and you and the doctor agree that it is time to stop. You have been taking the medicine for at least 6 months after you feel better. You are having counselling to help you cope with problems and help change how you think and feel. You are not worried about the depression coming back.
If you stop taking an antidepressant because you're feeling better, your doctor may want to keep in touch to see how you're feeling once the med has left your system. It's possible that your symptoms might return when the antidepressant is no longer in your body. With Bezzy for Depression, you're never alone.
The return of depression or anxiety usually takes longer – typically weeks or months. Some antidepressants, like fluoxetine, take a lot longer to leave the body. So, with these, symptoms can start days or even weeks after stopping or reducing your dose.
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.
There are different reasons why you might want to stop taking antidepressants. You might not want to be on medication long term, or the side effects might be a problem for you. Or it could be other things like you've felt well for a while, or you've found other ways of coping.
Clinicians generally recommend staying on the medication for six to nine months before considering going off antidepressants.
Because SSRIs cause more serotonin to remain in circulation in the brain, the individual experiences less depressive symptoms. In fact, many people report feeling completely back to normal when taking these medications.
Benefits of natural remedies
When experiencing withdrawal symptoms or antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, increasing physical exercise or changing the diet to include more fresh food may help ease symptoms by making a person feel reinvigorated and less lethargic.
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.
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).
Clinicians usually recommend that people continue taking antidepressants for about six months after they begin feeling better. Although it is tempting to stop taking the medication as soon as you feel better, abruptly stopping will greatly increase your risk of relapse.
For people with chronic or severe depression, medication may be needed on a long-term basis. In these cases, antidepressants are often taken indefinitely. That is, in part, because depression is not an illness that can be cured.
Most antidepressants boost mood and reduce depression symptoms by elevating serotonin levels in the brain. 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.
SSRIs are usually the first choice medicine for depression because they generally have fewer side effects than most other types of antidepressant.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most prescribed type of antidepressant and include: Fluoxetine. Citalopram. Sertraline.
The discontinuation syndrome can be divided into six clusters of symptoms. Sensory symptoms, disequilibrium, general somatic symptoms, affective symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms, and sleep disturbance.
Different antidepressants will have different discontinuation side effects. Psychiatric symptoms of discontinuation such as anxiety and agitation, crying spells, or irritability are also sometimes misdiagnosed as a depressive relapse.
Your Mood or Energy Improve Too Much
If you're taking antidepressant medication and you either feel unusually elated, or you become very terse with your loved ones, feel noticeably more irritable, or have an uncharacteristic bout of rage, then it's likely that your antidepressant dose is too high.