Coming off anti depressants......Advice please??

Question

I have been on them for about 8 months, I have gained weight and feel tired & drained daily.....I put this down to the medication...I no longer feel down and haven't taken my pill for 2 days now, will I have side effects coming off, I was only on 20mg a day and I was prescribed them once before and I just stopped when I found out I was pregnant....I didn't have side effects that time.

Answer 1

There is a way though but a lot to do.
Need natural brain food, vitamins, minerals & exercise.
Sunflowerseeds heaped1 table spoon/d (vit E, Zinc & omega 6)
Flax seeds (ground) heaped desert spoon/d(omegar & 23% fiber!)
Lecithin granules heaped1 table spoon/d get rid of all the debris in you arteries veins & joints, also breaks up fat & makes it available for use, providing you exercise.
- I mix all 3 above with muslie every morning.
Vitamin C need to start @500mg and move to 1000mg twice a day. Need to increase water consumption by >2 glasses of water/day.
Magnesium easiest & cheapest is 250mg Epsom salts/ day
depressed folks can often have a slight shortage, excess is removed by kidneys, & inhibits any stones forming.
Then the final vital bit exercise any type at least 3X a week heart rate >100 but less than 130 for 30 mins continuously. That is the oly way to get the fat burned up & start an endorphine kick from starting in your system- Once you get into exercise you will start to get this natural "high kick" that you need.

Answer 2

Hi. I think it really depends on several factors that are very important to keep in mind. The first factor is your state of mind. Research has shown that brain chemistry is a crucial determinent in how we process information and experience emotions. Hence, medication. If you are feeling good right now, it may be the time to scale back or perhaps stop taking a medication altogether. On the other hand, it is important to understand that most people who relapse into depressive episodes--myself included--have done so in part because they have stopped taking medication. Therefore, a doctor should be consulted. Weight gain is a normal side effect of some SSRIs and is certainly a bigger case with more "serious" psychiatric medications. The second factor in your withdrawal is of course the medication you are no longer taking itself. This is why a doctor is important to speak to. Check out what the medication says on the container. I know from personal experience that I don't notice the side effects for weeks or even months, but a priest friend of mine does within days of switching or altogether stopping a medicine. Dosage is crucial too. 60 mg for depression and OCD is a lot different than 20 for depression. The third factor is how you will manage yourself after the medication. Keep in mind that sometimes the effects of depression are mistaken as the effects of medication. Depression causes a marked lack of motivation. Since developing depression six years ago, I have gained considerable weight and not until now have I started to make progress at getting it off. Life changes, stress and other factors are very important as the chemical make up of the brain. Depression is an awful illness. I wish you the best of luck on your journey back to the other side.

Answer 3

OHHHH NOOO!

I hope you discussed this with the Dr. who prescribed the anti-depressants. If you haven't I think you've made a bad decision. You tell us that you were "no longer feeling down". Did you ever think that might because the meds were working?
The biggest problem people have with depression is stopping their meds because they don't feel depressed anymore. Some, stop because they say they don't like the way they make them feel...I think that is what you are saying.
If so, then you should be working with your Dr. in trying a different strength or a different medication totally. You can't self prescribe and that's what you are doing when you stop.
20 mg. might not seem like a lot to you but you're not telling us the average doseage. What if its 10 mg then 20 is alot.
So, please re-think this whole thing. You don't want to be so low and depressed again that the cycle will start all over. That could be the worst side effect for you.

Answer 4

It depends upon the medication you are taking. 20mg may not be enough to really deal with your depression. In my particular medication 20mg would be a placebo dose. I hope you are under medical supervision. It is very unwise to stop taking antidepressants cold-turkey. The fact that you were able to do so without sensing any ill side effects also suggests you were on more of a placebo dose than one that would have significant effect. Also, you may need to try another antidepressant. The older ones can make you drowsy, but the newer ones do just the opposite. Normally you will have definite side effects coming off of antidepressants all at once - you're supposed to wean off of them. The fact that you feel tired and drained suggests that you are still depressed (depression has many more symptoms than just feeling "down") OR that you need to get moving and start exercising consistently.

Answer 5

Received wisdom is you should tail off so your brain chemistry doesn't go into recoil.

I did a sudden stop from a larger does some years ago, and I was great for a week or so, then went into the biggest down ever .. chemical bounce. You may not have had the effect before because of the changes from pregnancy anyway.

How about stepping down to a half does for a few weeks, so your body can adjust more gradually - or talking to your doctor.

Congratulations by the way on using them sensibly for "a holiday" rather than as a life crutch.

Answer 6

You shouldnt stop anti depressants unless you are being supervised by a medical practitioner. Even though you were on a low dose and side effects are unlikely you still need to be careful. Remember too, that you probably feel good because of the medication and your body may not be ready to have you remove that support. If you are feeling overly tired, have your iron levels checked, depression and iron deficiency/anaemia often go hand in hand

Answer 7

You may feel better now while the antidepressants are still in your system, but if you do want to come off them, then you should do it over a period of time under your doctors supervision. Antidepressants stay in your system for quite a while depending on which one it is. You should not go cold turkey. By 20mgms a day I presume you are talking about prozac. This stays in your system for at least 3-4 weeks.

Answer 8

at such a low dose you really shouldn't have any side effects but you may very well start feeling depressed again within a couple of weeks just keep an eye on things and if you start feeling down then start taking them again as prescribed before you get to depressed.

Answer 9

Always consult your Dr when coming off any medication. If you just suddenly stop, your depression may come back full force and worse than before. Even if it's 20mg's a day, Dr's usually want you to stop slowly. Maybe cutting down to 10mg's for 2 weeks, and then stop. Please check with your DR :)

Answer 10

In my opinion, i think u shud consult ur doctor first and see about gettin sum sort of support like a counsellor etc. It may seem as though things are getting easy but a mind can be a wonderful unexpecting thing. Just be careful and do whatever you think is best but always be aware of anythin that could go wrong. Take care xx