What happens when you stop taking your anti-depressant
For those of you who have taken anti-depressants and had success with it, what happens when you stop taking it? Doesn't your anxiety just come back again? I just don't see the point in taking one if it just covers it up for a while. Nor do i want to be on one for the rest of my life.
I was thinking it would be ideal if you could be on meds that help while you get therapy, then hopefully once you went off the meds you would have the skills to deal with it yourself.
Re: What happens when you stop taking your anti-depressant
Basically two things are known to happen. First, there is a withdrawal syndrome as the chemical leaves your body. After that's over, there is the possibility that your original disorder will come back. This is because once the SSRI is not blocking the reuptake of serotonin in your brain, its level is lower than what it was during the period when your brain was exposed to the drug. Unfortunately, no one knows how long it takes for your serotonin level to rebound back to predrug levels.
Re: What happens when you stop taking your anti-depressant
I got much help from antidepressants, more than I got from anything else, I eventually stopped them and the old problems didnt come back
sometimes the old problems return, sometimes not
it does help to also learn CBT and relaxation while on the antidepressants
quitting is usually simple, a gradual taper, expect strange and vivid dreams during this period
Re: What happens when you stop taking your anti-depressant
I was on Zoloft for Anxiety and Panic Disorder. After my life was stable and I had been on the meds for about 6 months, WITH DRS SUPERVISION (tried it without and I was a MESS....dumb mistake) he started decreasing my dose until eventually I stopped. I was fine. But, just recently (a few weeks ago) I made huge changes in my life, stressful changes, and my panic attacks returned. So, I'm back on Zoloft. But I think it's safe to say that depending on your level of anxiety and what triggered it, with a drs supervision, you can try and go without meds. What's the worst that can happen? You'd have to go back on. Try it!
Re: What happens when you stop taking your anti-depressant
Well I am not currently taking any anti-depressant. I have tried Zoloft and Effexor in the past but quit after about 6 or 8 weeks because I was still having to take Xanax fairly regulalry, so I just didn't see the point, plus I started thinking, is this really going to cure me? Probably not. Just one more chemical I am putting in my body. I am so back and forth about it, I don't know.
I just think there might be something else wrong with me and I would like to rule everything else out and try therapy before I go on an anti-depressant. I kind of feel like that is a last resort.
Re: What happens when you stop taking your anti-depressant
Hey mjewell- glad to get to talk with you again. Well, I have decided to try life without Xanax. From what I have learned during all this is that you have to be under a doctors supervision when coming off an antideppresant. The reason I say this is because I was supposed to be taking my Effexor XR along with my Xanax, and I was told absolutely DO NOT try to come off both at the same time. I was told there are withdrawal affects with both and both need to be monitored by a doctor when deciding to discontinue. If you jump over to Addicition and Recovery, you can see where alot of people have personal experience withdrawing off of medications. Good to talk to you again. I think you are heading in the right direction in looking for an underlying cause.
