Hey again guys, so you may have picked up on the fact that my antidepressants have stopped working since about... three weeks ago. I have a doctor's appointment on Monday and it goes without saying that I am going to ask to stop taking them. I know you have to lower your dosage of SSRIs when you come off them completely to avoid the withdrawal symptoms, but I just wanted to ask if you also have to do that if you're just switching from SSRIs to another antidepressant or can you just switch without any worry of SSRI withdrawal? Also, I'm honestly not sure given this experience that I want to stay on meds at all so could I please have a spectrum of opinions about whether or not I should stay on antidepressants? Thank you guys (&&&)
Whether or not you stay on antidepressants is largely up to you. If you felt the experience has been bad, then maybe you're less inclined to. Antidepressants are very hit-and-miss, so it could very well take a few tries to find something that works for you - that's just due to the complicated nature of the brain The use of meds can certainly be helpful, but I'd be wary of not using it as a crutch. Think of it as a tool (a stepping stone, if you will) to help get you back to a normal level of functioning in your daily life. From there you work on the underlying issues that were causing you struggles in the first place, and then is an appropriate place to discontinue medication use. That's a pretty ideal example of how things should go (and obviously they won't always go that way). If you do stop using antidepressants, definitely consult with your doctor/psychologist/etc. beforehand and come up with an alternative solution.
Has the SSRI lost its usefulness because you require a larger dosage? Or is your mood improved so you feel less of a need for it?? Effects of switching SSRIs .. I think this depends on the meds concerned and your doctor should tell you about this As for coming off altogether, you may find it interesting to see how you feel without any. It may have served its purpose. But you should work out a strategy with your doctor and agree - in advance - what to do should you want to go back on something again later on. i.e.: He/she might have an alternative med in mind .. if the last one seems to have lost its effectiveness. The other thing to think about is whether you are doing other things to change your life that should improve your mood... therapy, socialising, exercise, eating well, sleeping well etc .. Good luck !!
Usually if you're staying in the same class of drugs with antidepressants, you won't have the withdrawal symptoms that can happen when you come off drugs like SSRIs too quickly. If the doctor changes you to a different class, then you should also receive instructions about tapering off the old med while you increase the dose of the new med. As BudderMC mentioned, it takes some patience during the change process. Everyone has a slightly different response to antidepressant meds, so it may take a few tries to find one that both alleviates your depression and has tolerable side effects.
Hey, I'm currently taking myself off my anti-depressants. A bit of a run down: I was on Citalopram 50mg for about 4 months and they didn't help, in fact I think they made me feel worse. So I switched to Sertraline (Zoloft). I had to reduce the Citalopram dose to 25 and then 10mg and then start on 25mg of sertraline and work up again. I was on 100mg for about a year and I realised that I didn't want to be on them any longer. I missed a day, bad idea, felt horrible and was shocked at how strong the withdrawal is. So I've cut down gradually. I'm barely taking any at all now, but I do not advise doing this without the knowledge and guidance of your doctor and take it slowly.
I've never found a class of drugs that made me feel so horrible, both being on, and coming off from, than SSRIs. Not even Benzodiazepines. I think we all have different chemistries, but these drugs I feel are often over prescribed as 'safe, non-addictive' alternatives, that just happen to have some pretty horrific side effects and withdrawal symptoms. I know they help some, but they almost pushed me over the suicidal deep end. It's always a person's choice to stay on or go off, and evaluate the pros and cons, but I'm happy to be off these. Another that made me feel even worse was Wellbutrin. Ug.
I'm afraid I don't have any actual advice in relation to your question (I think those questions are better asked of your doctor anyway) but I would warn you to follow whatever directions you're given very closely and even then, proceed with caution. I came off a relatively low dose of SSRIs many years ago, but I just decided to do it one day and went cold turkey. It was, to say the least, no fun. I had nausea, the shakes, dizzy spells, insomnia and night sweats. It took a couple of months for my body to come good again. Good luck, Babe!
Thanks everyone (*hug*) I've got a doctor's appointment tomorrow so I'll let you know how it goes. It's just so frustrating for me that the pills really worked for about three months (maybe just placebo but still...) before I've taken this downhill turn. And now I'm even worse than I was when I started. I am a little concerned that I'm going on holiday at the end of the week so this may not be the best time for me to experiment with SSRI withdrawal/starting a new type of pill with all of the fun side effects. But I'll see what my doctor says anyway.
