About 12 percent of Americans take antidepressants. to treat depression, anxiety, and panic disorder, among other conditions. And, most Americans find antidepressants are effective. But, at some point, many people feel they no longer need them or don’t want to deal with their side effects. Getting off an antidepressant is not so simple. Harvard Health reports on how to get off antidepressants.
Side effects from taking antidepressants can be serious, including sexual dysfunction, poor sleep, dizziness and stomach problems. Pregnant women can pass along some side effects to their babies. That said, side effects from getting off antidepressants can be equally serious. Some people describe poor sleep, anxiety, mood swings, tremors, dizziness, and panic attacks that can last for hours, when they reduce their dose of antidepressants to a bare minimum.
When discontinuing an antidepressant, people can be confused as to whether they are suffering a relapse or experiencing discontinuation symptoms. It’s likely not a relapse if you experience symptoms from discontinuing or lowering the dose of antidepressants within a short period afterwards. A relapse will take longer to happen and happen gradually.
You might suffer physical symptoms from discontinuing antidepressants. After your body readjusts–within a month or so–your discontinuation symptoms should go away.
How to get off antidepressants? To minimize discontinuation symptoms, do it slowly. Over weeks or months lower your dose. If you’re on an antidepressant with a short half-life, your are more likely to have bad symptoms from withdrawal. Effexor, Zoloft, Paxil, and Celexa are common antidepressants with short half-lives. If you’re on fluoxetine, you should have fewer discontinuation symptoms.
Before you try lowering your antidepressant dose, speak with your doctor. One Harvard study found that people who tried to get off antidepressants in less than a week were more likely to relapse a few months later than people who slowly reduced the dose over two or more weeks.
If possible, exercise as much as possible. Exercise is a powerful antidepressant.
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- Medicare covers depression screenings
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- Psilocybin found to relieve depression for extended period
- Help spot depression in the men you love
- Who should take ketamine for depression?
