Antidepressant withdrawal how long do symptoms last

Antidepressant detox involves gradually stepping down doses until the user can safely stop taking them. So, it can take a month or six weeks or two months. But we just simply step the dose down slowly over time. Some people initially cut their dose in half and then reduce their dose by quarters. Some taper down in as little as a month while others taper down over several months.

Detox is the first step to quitting antidepressants. Treatment then can progress to involve therapy and counseling. Counselors can help users understand and move past the underlying causes of their depression.

Polydrug use like this can worsen symptoms of depression and increase the risk of addiction. If you need help giving up antidepressants or another substance, contact a treatment provider for rehab-related help today.

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If a person has concerns that depression is returning, they might wish to seek medical advice. In some cases, a doctor may prescribe medication to help with discontinuation symptoms. Discontinuation symptoms usually start within a few days. Research from says that they tend to last for 1—2 weeks , but it can be longer in some cases.

Some newer research has shown that, although it is uncommon, discontinuation symptoms can last up to 79 weeks. Having a good support network in place or someone understanding to talk to during this time can be beneficial. Getting sufficient rest, eating well, and exercising regularly can reduce symptoms for some people. A doctor will be able to offer information and advice. Being involved with the decision-making and planning at each stage of the treatment can help reduce the risk of an unpleasant experience.

It may also help if the person keeps a chart to track their progress. They can share this with their doctor.

A doctor will often advise an individual to stop taking antidepressants gradually, which is known as tapering. A person slowly reduces the dosage of medication over time until they are no longer taking it. The time that it takes to taper off antidepressants will depend on the drug and how long a person has been taking it.

A doctor can advise on this process and the best way to approach it. In some cases, a doctor may recommend switching to another medication as a step toward discontinuing the drug. They may suggest switching to a drug with a longer half-life and then gradually lowering the dosage. Family and friends can support a person while they stop taking antidepressants. Supportive psychotherapy may also help. Deciding to discontinue antidepressant use needs serious consideration. With appropriate support, many people stop safely, although they may experience uncomfortable adverse effects.

Withdrawal symptoms from certain medications can lead to suicidal thoughts. If this happens, it is vital to seek urgent support. People can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the United States on or visit their website for support and information. A recent study examined how air pollutants impact brain networks to mediate changes in cognitive function and enhance the risk of depression. A new study investigates whether or not regularly consuming mushrooms might reduce the risk of developing depression.

The authors conclude that it…. Sometimes an SRI will stop working — a phenomenon called "Prozac poop-out" — which may necessitate increasing the dose or adding another drug. Discontinuation symptoms can include anxiety and depression.

Since these may be the reason you were prescribed antidepressants in the first place, their reappearance may suggest that you're having a relapse and need ongoing treatment. Here's how to distinguish discontinuation symptoms from relapse:. Discontinuation symptoms emerge within days to weeks of stopping the medication or lowering the dose, whereas relapse symptoms develop later and more gradually.

Discontinuation symptoms often include physical complaints that aren't commonly found in depression, such as dizziness, flulike symptoms, and abnormal sensations.

Discontinuation symptoms disappear quickly if you take a dose of the antidepressant, while drug treatment of depression itself takes weeks to work. Discontinuation symptoms resolve as the body readjusts, while recurrent depression continues and may get worse.

If symptoms last more than a month and are worsening, it's worth considering whether you're having a relapse of depression. Neurotransmitters act throughout the body, and you may experience physical as well as mental effects when you stop taking antidepressants or lower the dose too fast.

Common complaints include the following:. As dire as some of these symptoms may sound, you shouldn't let them discourage you if you want to go off your antidepressant. Many of the symptoms of SRI discontinuation syndrome can be minimized or prevented by gradually lowering, or tapering, the dose over weeks to months, sometimes substituting longer-acting drugs such as fluoxetine Prozac for shorter-acting medications.

The antidepressants most likely to cause troublesome symptoms are those that have a short half-life — that is, they break down and leave the body quickly. See the chart "Antidepressant drugs and their half-lives. Extended-release versions of these drugs enter the body more slowly but leave it just as fast. Antidepressants with a longer half-life, chiefly fluoxetine, cause fewer problems on discontinuation. Besides easing the transition, tapering the dose decreases the risk that depression will recur.

In a Harvard Medical School study, nearly patients two-thirds of them women were followed for more than a year after they stopped taking antidepressants prescribed for mood and anxiety disorders. Participants who discontinued rapidly over one to seven days were more likely to relapse within a few months than those who reduced the dose gradually over two or more weeks.

Source: Adapted from Joseph Glenmullen, M. If you're thinking about stopping antidepressants, you should go step-by-step, and consider the following:. Take your time. You may be tempted to stop taking antidepressants as soon as your symptoms ease, but depression can return if you quit too soon. Clinicians generally recommend staying on the medication for six to nine months before considering going off antidepressants. If you've had three or more recurrences of depression, make that at least two years.

Talk to your clinician about the benefits and risks of antidepressants in your particular situation, and work with her or him in deciding whether and when to stop using them. Before discontinuing, you should feel confident that you're functioning well, that your life circumstances are stable, and that you can cope with any negative thoughts that might emerge. Don't try to quit while you're under stress or undergoing a significant change in your life, such as a new job or an illness.

Make a plan. Going off an antidepressant usually involves reducing your dose in increments, allowing two to six weeks between dose reductions. Your clinician can instruct you in tapering your dose and prescribe the appropriate dosage pills for making the change. The schedule will depend on which antidepressant you're taking, how long you've been on it, your current dose, and any symptoms you had during previous medication changes. It's also a good idea to keep a "mood calendar" on which you record your mood on a scale of one to 10 on a daily basis.