Knowing possible side effects of getting off your antidepressant can help you be prepared. Medications with a longer half-life such as fluoxetine may not require an extended tapering schedule. You may notice a rapid onset with some medications, such as paroxetine (Paxil), while other medications may take a few days for symptoms to arise.
If you’re thinking about stopping your antidepressant, talk to your doctor. They can help you taper your doses down to help you avoid or minimize symptoms. You may still have some symptoms, but they won’t be as uncomfortable if you taper your dose gradually. It’s not unusual to experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking antidepressants.
- Antidepressants such as monamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants also have a high risk of causing antidepressant withdrawal symptoms.
- Tapering antidepressant doses over the course of several weeks (more than four) is often recommended to treat, if not prevent withdrawal symptoms.
- All antidepressants can cause withdrawal issues if someone has taken them for longer than 6 weeks, particularly if they stop or rapidly reduce their dose.
- Alternative approaches can be used, such as reintroducing another antidepressant from the same group and reducing the dose more slowly, or stopping completely and managing your symptoms.
- However, a person should only do this under the guidance of a doctor.
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Scientists are not exactly sure why some people develop antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, while others do not. Antidepressant withdrawal, also sometimes called antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, refers to symptoms that appear when you stop taking prescription medication to treat your depression. Those who have been taking fluoxetine in the long term should work with a doctor to find treatments and strategies to minimize the potential withdrawal effects. It is also important to monitor for a return of depressive symptoms. Some research indicates that all antidepressants can cause withdrawal symptoms if a person takes them for longer than 6 weeks — particularly if they stop or rapidly reduce their dosage.
Some withdrawal symptoms can feel like the symptoms you had before you started the antidepressant. The low mood and difficulty in sleeping can feel like the symptoms of depression. Panicky feelings are a common symptom of withdrawal and can also happen in anxiety. You may need to increase your dose temporarily and then reduce your dose more gradually to reduce your withdrawal symptoms. For some people, discontinuation symptoms can make it feel as though their depression or anxiety is coming back, and indeed, stopping your antidepressant may increase your risk of relapse. Because of this, it’s important to distinguish between discontinuation syndrome and relapse.
Research shows that people who exercise at least three times per week are less likely to have a relapse. Keeping your lifestyle healthy also helps your body adjust while you transition off your medicine. Research suggests that people who go to therapy while they’re reducing their dose have less chance of having a relapse of depression or anxiety. Antidepressant medication can be an important tool for treating depression and some other mental health conditions.
Tips for Antidepressant Withdrawal Relief
Tapering refers to gradually lowering the dosage of the antidepressant that you take until you reach your goal dosage or are able to stop altogether. Tapering allows your body to get used to a new change instead of introducing an abrupt one. Symptoms are typically mild and will start within 2 to 4 days after you go off your medication. Consider talking with your doctor about switching antidepressants or trying a newer one. Try to research the possible effects of stopping the medication you’re taking. Prozac has an approximate half-life of 4 to 6 days, which is much longer than that of many other antidepressants.
Appendix 3: detailed tapering programme example 2
However, several strategies and treatments can reduce or prevent such discontinuation symptoms. These side effects may include sexual dysfunction, nausea, a loss of appetite, and sleep issues. These issues may cause some people to want to stop treatment with fluoxetine. Maybe you went on antidepressants after the death of a loved one, the loss of a job or the end of a relationship.
Another influencing factor is the length of time someone has been taking antidepressants. The longer a person has been taking the medication, the more likely they are to have withdrawal symptoms. This article discusses discontinuation symptoms and explains how people can reduce any symptoms they may experience while coming off antidepressants. By the time you stop taking the medication, your dose will be tiny. With discontinuation syndrome, the symptoms eventually go away, usually within one to three weeks. But if you’re having a relapse of your depression or anxiety, the symptoms don’t go away and may even get worse.
Their doctor may recommend switching to another drug or taking other medications to reduce adverse reactions. Discontinuation symptoms appear shortly after coming off antidepressants, whereas relapse symptoms develop gradually, sometimes several weeks later. If someone has mood-related symptoms following antidepressant withdrawal, it does not always mean a relapse.
This varies depending on the type of antidepressant you’re taking, your dose and how long you’ve been taking it for. Certain antidepressants, such as Effexor (venlafaxine), leave your system quickly and therefore are more likely to cause withdrawal symptoms. This can happen even when you’re simply a little late taking your regular dose. There’s some evidence that suggests that suddenly stopping antidepressants can result in depression symptoms — sometimes ones that are even worse than before. Because there are risks for rebound effects — where your depression symptoms worsen when you stop taking the medicine — it’s also important for your doctor to discuss these with you.
If you are worried about withdrawal, your provider may recommend tapering your dose versus quitting how to wean off prozac cold turkey. When you stop taking this medication, there is a chance that you may experience Prozac withdrawal for a couple of months after stopping this drug while your brain adjusts to lower levels of serotonin. This is because the higher the risk of withdrawal symptoms, the slower you will need to taper.