Do You Take Antidepressants? Before You Stop There Is Something You Should Know

For some people battling depression or anxiety, antidepressants can really come to the rescue.

For others, it turns out not to be the salvation they had hoped for. Or they choose not to take them anymore for other reasons.

If you belong to the second group, there are a few things you should know before you stop taking this drug. It is important to think carefully about your decision and to discuss it with a doctor.

Remember that these types of drugs directly affect your brain and changes should be monitored.

Here are a few factors you should consider before you stop taking antidepressants:

Work with your doctor

If you’re thinking about stopping the antidepressants you’re taking, it’s important to first have an open conversation with your psychologist or psychiatrist about your expectations, fears, doubts, and hopes.

As a patient you have the right to decide for yourself when you take these medicines and when not. Still, these experts can explain to you what side effects you can expect during the process.

There are plenty of people who decide that they feel better again and no longer need medication. This is a common situation when an emotional balance has been re-established. Often this feeling of bliss is actually the result of the antidepressants.

Your doctor needs to know what you feel and how you feel. This way he can advise you on whether it is a good idea to stop the treatment or not.

You may not be sure if what you’re feeling is normal and if an adjustment is needed. The process usually takes quite a while and some people get tired of constantly trying new doses.

If your doctor agrees that it would be a good idea to stop treatment, you can work out a plan to gradually reduce the dose. This way the side effects can be controlled and you don’t have to go through this process alone.

If you want to stop taking antidepressants because you are not happy with the side effects, your psychologist or psychiatrist can offer some alternatives that work for your body. Explain any doubts or questions you may have and how you feel.

It may take longer than you might think

Some people go to their appointment with their psychiatrist or psychologist frustrated. Because they’ve been on antidepressants for months without seeing any change. Or maybe there are some changes, but they are negative.

Of course you want the sadness, lack of interest in everything, your insecurity and other situations that are why you started taking antidepressants to go away.

While your doctor would also like the antidepressants to be like a magic wand that you only have to wave once to make everything go away, it’s actually a little more complicated. You need to give your body time to adjust to the new dosage.

People often just want to be back to their old self after just a few days of treatment. However, it is important to understand that your doctor knows how much time it will take you to get better. He will tell you what you need.

So don’t get discouraged and don’t try to change your own dosage either. If you do, you put your own life in danger and uncontrollable side effects can occur. Your doctor will ask you to be the patient and you should really try to be.

Your mood will probably change temporarily

If you stop taking antidepressants without your doctor’s approval, you probably won’t take everything into account in order to properly monitor and maintain the consequences.

Therefore, several studies have shown that when people stop taking antidepressants on their own, their chance of committing suicide increases a lot. However, the relationship between having dangerous thoughts and stopping taking antidepressants has not been definitively confirmed.

When you stop taking your meds, you will feel weird at first

As we mentioned earlier in this article, antidepressants have a direct effect on your brain. This drug is intended to regulate the functioning of your brain. When you stop treatment, your brain will also become unregulated and you may experience one of the following symptoms:

• Shock sensations, the feeling of an electric shock going through your head
• Loss of concentration
• Abrupt mood swings
• Inability to perform simple tasks
• Holes in the memory

Everyone’s experience is different. You probably won’t even notice the difference for the first few days and then you won’t be able to think clearly for a few days after that.

This is absolutely normal and while it shouldn’t worry you, it’s still a good idea to have your doctor monitor the severity of your symptoms.

You have the right to decide for yourself whether or not you want to take antidepressants

People who suffer from depression struggle with a lot of things at once. Their emotions, which can feel like a whirlwind, all the medical options they have and all the outside suggestions.

It can be very confusing to hear all this and it may make you wonder how much control you have over your life and decisions in the first place.

However, remember that the choice of whether or not to take antidepressants is entirely up to you.