What happens if you suddenly come off Anti Depressants?

Answer 1

i will tell you exactly what happens if you stop suddenly first you will feel really knackered your emotions are all over the shop vomitting and all kinds of ill sh1t because you need to be weaned off it as you are having cold turkey just stopping suddenly

Answer 2

Think of it this way. You are driving steadily at 25 miles p/hour on a straight and steady road. Then all of a sudden you lose your brakes downhill. The anti-depressants keep you steady. If you suddenly come off of them, the chemicals in your brain will go out of control which might cause the person to behave irrationally and even psychotically then prior to taking the anti-depressants in the first place. The best way to cease anti-depressant medication is to wean off slowly.

Answer 3

Comming off anti-depressants does not automatically mean you will become depressed again. I am not a doctor but have experince of taking and withdrawing anti depressants for an anxiety disorder.

Firstly however it must be said you should never just stop taking your meds as you can have more severe withdrawal symptoms. Every anti depressant is different, but in all cases withdrawal should be tapered, and done slowly.

Common withdrawal symptoms include,
Stomach problems, loss of appetite, sleep problems, discomfort, mood swings, panic & anxiety,

IN SSRIs dizziness, lightheadedness and 'electric shcok' sensations are common.

You should always get advice from your doctor before stopping any medication.

Answer 4

sometimes, there are no problems at all. some people can come off them suddenly and have no relapses.

more common is to have a relapse. its better to come off them slowly - perhaps go from taking one a day to one every two days, then one every 3, then one a week...etc etc and come off them slowly.

a lot also depends on the make of anti-depressant. some have less side-effects than others.

Answer 5

At first nothing happens because the drug is still in your system. But after a few days as the drug passes through your body your old syptoms return and are normally far worse than when you started the drug. Doctors often call this "crashing" and if you are ever put back onto the drug you are never put back on at the same dosage you left they wing you back onto it just like you started at a smaller dosage so your body can get used to it again. Doctors do not recommend coming off of an anti-depressant without their knowledge. If your doctor determines that you can come off of them they will normally wind you down from your dosage so that the effects are less tramatic. Often times just quiting cold turkey can even make you sick, more prone to colds, stomach aches etc because your body is returning to a feeling of misery so your body reacts in the ways that it knows how to cope.

Answer 6

If you stop taking SSRI's sporadically after they've reached their theraputic efficacy, you will experience SSRI discontinuation syndrome, which is just a nasty withdrawal that can make you want to end your life.

Read up;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ssri_discontinuation_syndrome

The amount of time it takes to kick in and the severity of the withdrawal depend on the elimination half life of the drug. This is the amount of time it takes for your body to get the drug out of your system.

If you're taking Paxil, you can begin experiencing discontinuation effects that day, because of the incredibly short elimination half life, as opposed to Prozac, which has an incredibly long elimination half life, they may take effect in 7 - 14 days.

For certain SSRI's if you stop cold turkey and then start again, chances are they won't work.

It's never a good idea to stop any psychotropic drug cold turkey when it's at peak efficacy. You're brain has adapted to the process in which the drug is designed to modulate neurotrasmitters. There are healthy ways to discontinue these meds, where you won't experience nasty side effects, but you have to be monitored and you have to follow your Dr's instructions based on the discontinuation schedule for the drug you are taking.


Please be safe!

Cheers

Answer 7

Nothing immediately, but you would probably go into a gradual decline. It takes around 2 weeks for the anti depressants to get in your system, and longer to get out of it.

Answer 8

I have a relative that takes them. I really don't think she needs them. Anyways, when the hurricane Katrina hit and they were stuck there and she had no anti depressants for at least a month, she handled it better than anyone Elise, I heard her laughing and happy! Anyways, I'm not sure if that's normal to be off your meds! She handled Katrina better than my other relatives.

Answer 9

Depends if your depression has lifted. Research suggests you remain on medication for 6 months after you're better to minimise chance of relapse. Stopping quickly is unwise, particularly with Seroxat, you'll get dizzy and sick, and feel "weird". You should come off gradually to decrease the chances of side effects, but not till you're better and on the advice of your GP. Good Luck

Answer 10

Withdrawal. You will feel more depressed than ever. If you don't, you probably weren't depressed in the first place, just hungry for attention. Or - tada! you got better. Not likely if your depression is legit.