Stopping an antidepressant is an important decision that should be made with the help of a doctor--not alone. Cessation can cause side effects including dizziness, headache and even tremors or psychosis, depending on the particular medication. A doctor can help figure out a plan for stopping a medication safely.
Step 1
Talk to your doctor about whether this is the right time to stop an antidepressant. Patients who've been taking this kind of medication for less than eight weeks may not yet feel the full effect yet. People who've been on it for less than six months may not be ready to test whether they still need it.
Step 2
Make a plan with your doctor. If stopping is a wise choice, she can help figure out a timetable for tapering off, which may involve gradually lowering the dosage.
Step 3
Understand the side effects. Stopping selective serotonic reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Prozac or serotonin-norepineephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSNIs) like Effexor can result in dizziness, headache and upset stomach, and in some cases, sleep difficulty, sadness and even suicidal thoughts. Cessation of tricyclic antidepressants can cause tremors, and stopping monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) can cause agitation, aggression and psychosis.
Step 4
Know that only 10 to 20 percent of patients have any side effects from antidepressant cessation, according to the American Medical Association. Stopping a drug that's quickly metabolized by the body, such as Paxil, will more likely cause symptoms than stopping one that is more slowly absorbed, such as Prozac.
Step 5
Realize that symptoms, if present, will be short-lived. Symptoms will usually appear within three days of stopping and disappear within two weeks.
Step 6
Prepare for a possible recurrence of depression. According to a publication by the American Family Physician, patients who continued their medication stood a much smaller chance of becoming depressed again.
Tips and Warnings
- Undergoing psychotherapy is advised to help ward off further depression after stopping antidepressants.
- Never stop taking an antidepressant cold turkey.
