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.
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.
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.
Those who took antidepressants in higher doses for a longer time have more intense symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms typically persist for up to three weeks. The symptoms gradually fade during this time. Most people who quit taking their antidepressants stop having symptoms after three weeks.
The discontinuation syndrome can be divided into six clusters of symptoms. Sensory symptoms, disequilibrium, general somatic symptoms, affective symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms, and sleep disturbance.
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.
Many people with depression continue taking antidepressant drugs for months or even years after their symptoms have resolved. This so-called maintenance therapy aims to reduce the risk of relapse.
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.
Quitting an antidepressant suddenly may cause symptoms within a day or two, such as: Anxiety. Insomnia or vivid dreams. Headaches.
During long-term SSRI therapy, the most troubling adverse effects are sexual dysfunction, weight gain, and sleep disturbance.
Exercise. Research suggests that regular exercise may be a more effective treatment for mild depression than antidepressants. Exercise helps boost levels of chemicals called serotonin and dopamine in the brain, which can lift your mood.
Initial symptoms appear in some individuals within 1-3 days following an abrupt discontinuation of the medication. 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.
Emotional blunting—inability to feel positive or negative emotions, detachment, or reduced emotional responsiveness—is common in people with depression. However, there is a paucity of studies comprehensively investigating this symptom and its functional impact.
There is new reason to be cautious about using popular antidepressants in people who are not really depressed. For the first time, research has shown that a widely used antidepressant may cause subtle changes in brain structure and function when taken by those who are not depressed.
Generally speaking, SSRIs and SNRIs are well-tolerated by most people. They also have good evidence supporting their long-term safety. Older antidepressants, like TCAs and MAOIs, tend to cause more side effects.
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.
Discontinuation symptoms can include anxiety and depression. Since these may be the reason you were prescribed antidepressants in the first place, their reappearance may suggest that you're having a relapse and need ongoing treatment.
Symptoms of Antidepressant Withdrawal
Symptoms of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome tend to be mild. They usually start within two to four days, and last just a week or two. 3 Symptoms include: Flu-like symptoms: such as fatigue, sweating, achiness, headache, and feeling sluggish.
Vitamin B-3 and Vitamin B-9 can help people with depression because B vitamins help the brain manage moods. Vitamin D, melatonin and St. John's Wort are recommended for seasonal depression. Omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium and vitamin C may also help with depression.
If you feel like your antidepressant has stopped working, you're not alone. It's common for a medication that once worked wonders to become ineffective, especially if you've been taking it for a long time. Symptoms return for up to 33% of people using antidepressants — it's called breakthrough depression.
Antidepressants interfere with serotonin, the neurotransmitter that regulates anxiety and mood while also controlling appetite. In particular, these changes may increase cravings for carbohydrate-rich foods, such as bread, pasta, and desserts.”
Weight gain is a possible side effect of nearly all antidepressants.