Strategies to minimize withdrawal symptoms include: People should not stop taking antidepressants abruptly, as it could cause severe withdrawal symptoms. Individuals who wish to come off antidepressants should discuss this with their doctor before making any medication changes. How to stop taking antidepressants safely Conversely, in a relapse, the depressive symptoms continue or get worse. Discontinuation symptoms reduce as the body adjusts to the removal of antidepressant medication. Discontinuation symptoms appear shortly after coming off antidepressants, whereas relapse symptoms develop gradually, sometimes several weeks later. To differentiate between withdrawal symptoms and relapse, a person should consider the following two things.įirst is the time of onset. If someone has mood-related symptoms following antidepressant withdrawal, it does not always mean a relapse. The longer a person has been taking the medication, the more likely they are to have withdrawal symptoms.Īll antidepressants can cause withdrawal issues if someone has taken them for longer than 6 weeks, particularly if they stop or rapidly reduce their dose. Some popular antidepressants, and their approximate half-lives, are:Īnother influencing factor is the length of time someone has been taking antidepressants. Drugs with a short half-life typically cause more withdrawal symptoms than those with a long half-life. This is a measurement of the time it takes for the drug’s active substance to reduce by half in the body. Several factors may influence the duration of symptoms, including the drug’s half-life. Some studies found that 40% of people had symptoms for 6 weeks, while 25% experienced symptoms for 12 weeks or more. In a 2019 review of existing research, the authors noted that it is not uncommon for people to have antidepressant withdrawal symptoms for many weeks or even months. Symptoms may appear within 2 days of stopping antidepressant use and persist for several weeks. People may also experience a return of depression and mood-related symptoms, including: a sensation that resembles an electric shock in the head (“brain zaps”) or other strange sensations (including “brain shivers”). flu-like symptoms, such as chills and muscle aches.Individuals may experience one or more of the following when coming off antidepressants:
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