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 Do Have to Take Antidepressants Forever, You Will Be OK. Some recent studies suggest long-term antidepressant use may come with side effects previously unknown to scientists. “These risks include an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, especially for SSRI users,” Dr.
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.
If you have been feeling better for 6 months or more, your doctor may suggest coming off escitalopram. Your doctor will probably recommend reducing your dose gradually over several weeks, or longer if you have been taking escitalopram for a long time.
If you are experiencing your first episode of depression or anxiety, you may take Lexapro for a defined period—such as between six months and one year. For individuals with a chronic mental health condition, it may be necessary to take Lexapro for an extended period (over many years).
And luckily, as long as the benefits of the medication outweigh the potential side effects, there's no strong evidence that long-term use of SSRIs poses any major problems.
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.
In time, the brain readjusts and people should experience a return to their normal state. If depressive symptoms do arise and gradually worsen, it's best to consult a psychiatrist or doctor, if they don't improve within a few weeks or if they become severe.
Antidepressant withdrawal is possible if you abruptly stop taking an antidepressant, particularly if you've been taking it longer than four to six weeks. Symptoms of antidepressant withdrawal are sometimes called antidepressant discontinuation syndrome and typically last for a few weeks.
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).
Two recent reviews of research in this area concluded that discontinuation effects, sexual dysfunction, weight gain, and sleep disturbance (multiple long-wake periods) are adverse effects of long-term SSRI use.
During long-term SSRI therapy, the most troubling adverse effects are sexual dysfunction, weight gain, and sleep disturbance.
SSRIs work by preventing cells from reabsorbing (reuptaking) serotonin. This means that the signals caused by serotonin are extended, lasting for a longer time. Using SSRI antidepressants long-term extends the time between erection and ejaculation.
You will just need to taper more slowly, with smaller reductions in dose, over a longer period of time. Only occasionally, where an antidepressant causes serious side-effects, should it be stopped suddenly, without tapering. If this does happen, see your doctor urgently.
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.
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.
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.
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.
There are several reasons why people decide to stop taking SSRIs like Lexapro. Some people may find the medication does not work, they experience unwanted side effects or they become immune to the medication.
Do not use escitalopram with buspirone (Buspar®), fentanyl (Abstral®, Duragesic®), lithium (Eskalith®, Lithobid®), tryptophan, St. John's wort, amphetamines, or some pain or migraine medicines (eg, rizatriptan, sumatriptan, tramadol, Frova®, Imitrex®, Maxalt®, Relpax®, Ultram®, Zomig®).
Dizziness, muscle tension, and chills are shown to occur in 44% of people who abruptly stop taking them rather than gradually wean off Lexapro. Confusion and difficulty concentrating are also common. Less common symptoms of Lexapro withdrawal include: Agitation.