Withdrawal is less common with medications that take longer for the body to clear, such as fluoxetine (Prozac) or vortioxetine (Trintellix). However, longer-acting antidepressants can still sometimes cause discontinuation symptoms.
Stopping antidepressants such as bupropion (Wellbutrin) that do not affect serotonin systems — dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors — seems less troublesome overall, although some patients develop extreme irritability. Having discontinuation symptoms doesn't mean you're addicted to your antidepressant.
Fluoxetine, which has the longest half-life of the SSRIs (see Table 1), appears to produce the fewest withdrawal symptoms, while paroxetine, which has the shortest half-life, produces the most pronounced discontinuation effects.
Of the SSRIs, paroxetine and fluvoxamine have the shortest half-lives and therefore are associated with the highest risk. Citalopram, escitalopram, and sertraline carry moderate risk, while fluoxetine carries the lowest risk due to the long half-life of its active metabolite (approximately 7 days).
SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressants. This is because they're effective and well-tolerated antidepressants with little side effects. With many SSRIs available as generic products, this medication class typically costs less. SNRIs and bupropion are also common choices for similar reasons.
What are the most common antidepressant medications? Sertraline, also known by the brand name Zoloft, used for multiple mental health and mood disorders, is the most prescribed antidepressant dispensed to U.S.
People taking Paxil and Effexor often have more intense withdrawal symptoms. These drugs have short half-lives and leave the body faster than drugs with long half-lives. The faster an antidepressant leaves the body, the worse the withdrawal symptoms. This is because of the sudden imbalance of chemicals in the brain.
Paroxetine and venlafaxine seem to be particularly difficult to discontinue, and prolonged withdrawal syndrome (post-acute-withdrawal syndrome, or PAWS) lasting over 18 months has been reported with paroxetine.
These antidepressants generally cause fewer bothersome side effects and are less likely to cause problems at higher therapeutic doses than other types of antidepressants. SSRIs include fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva), sertraline (Zoloft), citalopram (Celexa) and escitalopram (Lexapro).
Atypical antidepressants aren't considered addictive. However, stopping antidepressant treatment abruptly or missing several doses may cause withdrawal-like symptoms. Symptoms will vary depending on how the drug works.
Buspar® (Buspirone)
This non-addictive anxiety medication is similar to an SSRI in that it increases chemical messengers involving serotonin. Buspar only targets one subtype of the serotonin receptor, so it affects just one specific area of your brain.
The symptoms of SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome usually last for one to three weeks. The severity of the withdrawal symptoms will vary depending on how long a person had been taking Zoloft. In many cases, people will experience rebound depression or anxiety when they stop taking the medication.
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.
Symptoms are usually mild and may occur following treatment with any type of antidepressant. Symptoms occur within two to four days after drug cessation and usually last one to two weeks (occasionally may persist up to one year).
SSRIs are usually the first choice medicine for depression because they generally have fewer side effects than most other types of antidepressant.
“There are a lot of biochemical mechanisms in the body to keep our neurotransmitters stable,” he says. “Taking an SSRI perturbs that system.” Withdrawal symptoms might actually be the result of the body struggling to recover its natural serotonin balance, he adds, “desperately trying to get things back to normal.”
Prozac (fluoxetine) was most commonly linked to aggression, increasing violent behavior 10.9 times. Paxil (paroxetine), Luvox (fluvoxamine), Effexor (venlafaxine) and Pristiq (desvenlafaxine) were 10.3, 8.4, 8.3 and 7.9 times, respectively, more likely to be linked with violence.
SSRIs are: the most commonly prescribed antidepressants in Australia. often a doctor's first choice for most types of depression. often used for obsessive compulsive disorder.
The first-line medicine for patients with depression is generally a SSRI, e.g. citalopram, escitalopram, sertraline or fluoxetine (Tables 1 and 2).
Zoloft is the most common depression medication; nearly 17% of those surveyed in the 2017 antidepressant use study reported that they had taken this medication. 6. Paxil (paroxetine): You might be more likely to have sexual side effects if you choose Paxil over other antidepressants.