From the 14 studies that provided usable data, they calculated that 56% of antidepressant users experienced withdrawal symptoms when they discontinued the medication. Just four studies looked at the question of severity, they found, but of those, 46% of people experienced severe symptoms.
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.
Paroxetine has been associated with more frequent discontinuation symptoms than the other SSRIs. The rate of discontinuation with paroxetine has been reported at 34.5% compared to placebo at 13.5% in a 12 week double-blind placebo-controlled study (Haddad, 2001).
Prednisone is like cortisol, a hormone naturally made by your adrenal glands. If you take prednisone for more than a few weeks, your adrenal glands decrease cortisol production. A gradual reduction in prednisone dosage gives your adrenal glands time to resume their usual function.
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.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Health care providers often start by prescribing an SSRI . These antidepressants generally cause fewer bothersome side effects and are less likely to cause problems at higher therapeutic doses than other types of antidepressants.
Fluoxetine has a half-life of around 7 days, this makes it the SSRI with the lowest risk of this syndrome. How do we differentiate discontinuation symptoms from a depressive relapse? They have in common symptoms such as dysphoria, appetite changes, sleep problems and fatigue.
Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome Timeline
The symptoms typically last 1-3 weeks and will typically peak within the first week. Symptoms can be relieved within 24 hours by restarting the antidepressant 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.
Going off an antidepressant usually involves reducing your dose in increments, allowing two to six weeks between dose reductions. Your clinician can instruct you in tapering your dose and prescribe the appropriate dosage pills for making the change.
Withdrawal symptoms usually come on within 5 days of stopping the medicine and generally last 1 to 2 weeks. Some people have severe withdrawal symptoms that last for several months or more. See your doctor if you get severe withdrawal symptoms after you stop taking antidepressants.
Discontinuing an antidepressant medication usually involves reducing your dose in increments, allowing two to six weeks or longer between dose reductions. Your clinician can instruct you in tapering your dose and prescribe the appropriate dosage pills.
What are the most common antidepressants? Sertraline hydrochloride, used for multiple mental health and mood disorders, is the most prescribed antidepressant on the list with more than 18 million prescriptions in 2021.
Which antidepressants have the mildest side effects? In general, SSRIs are considered the most well-tolerated antidepressants, per the Mayo Clinic; they typically have fewer side effects than other types and can be safely used at higher doses.
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.
If you decrease your daily calorie intake as a result, you could potentially lose weight by stopping your antidepressants. On the other hand, if you experience loss of appetite with depression, and your depression comes back after stopping antidepressants, you may also lose weight.
Some research has suggested this type of drug aids in neuroplasticity. In other words, these drugs can affect how our minds organize and form synaptic connections. Other researchers believe this type of medication has no long-term effects on our brains once the individual stops using the drug.
A hard stop halts the progress of prescribing, dispensing, or administering a medication that would likely be dangerous to a patient. Further execution of the order is blocked.
Avoid stopping medication suddenly
It's best to reduce your dose gradually. Stopping medications suddenly (going cold turkey) can make withdrawal symptoms worse, and for some medications can be dangerous. It's important to get more medication in advance so that you don't have to stop suddenly.