People who follow treatment with antidepressants cannot leave it as well: a protocol established by a doctor should be followed to be able to leave the medication and not suffer side effects.
In this article, we will discover how to leave antidepressants following the advice proposed by the medical community. However, it is important to go to your doctor to evaluate this decision and tell you the exact steps you should follow depending on your personal needs.
Tips for Quitting Antidepressants
People with anxiety or depression are often treated with antidepressants, an effective type of drug, and surely can only be taken by prescription. We are facing treatment that has to be supervised by a health professional, and, therefore, when starting or abandoning medication, we always have to do it gradually and without haste.
It is common for patients, over the months and improvement experienced, patients choose to leave antidepressants of their own free will. However, not doing so correctly can lead to the onset of some side effects that can be avoided if basic advice is followed. The effects that can be experienced if treatment is left suddenly:
- Symptoms of depression or anxiety may reappear.
- Increased apathy and discomfort at feeling the same emotion again after months.
- Dizziness or headache.
- Nervousness.
- Sleepiness and tiredness.
- Severe mood swings.
For all this, it is important to leave antidepressants following a few steps that help to get used to our body to being without them.
Steps to Leave Antidepressants
To successfully stop taking these medications, it’s best to gradually phase out the medication. The steps experts recommend are as follows:
1. Change the type of antidepressant. It is necessary to find out what type of anxiolytic is being taken and, in this sense, we must opt for a weaker drug.
2. Reduce daily intake. Also, daily doses should be started so that the body gets used to being without the medicine. This decline should be very progressive and always supervised by a doctor.
3. Always accompanied by a doctor. The doctor must be present at the moment of abandonment of the medicine, so that the symptoms that appear can be evaluated and the planning can be modified.
4. Transition from pill to liquid doses. Taking antidepressants in liquid format is indicated to reduce doses more gradually and without the body experiencing too many sudden changes.
5. Weekly changes. To leave antidepressants, these changes in medication must be made weekly. If the body’s response is not the right one, more days should be waited until the body has been balanced.
Even if antidepressants are left in this way, some symptoms or side effects may appear because of changes in the body. In this sense, the important thing is to remain calm, to understand that it is normal and, in case of doubt, always contact the doctor.
Bibliography
Heerlein, A. (2002). Antidepressant pharmacological treatments. Chilean journal of neuro-psychiatry, 40, 21-45.
Silva, H., & Martinez, J. C. (2007). Is it effective that antidepressants increase the risk of suicide? Medical Journal of Chile, 135(9), 1195-1201.
Wolf, A. O., & Serrano, C.-L. (2005). The increase in the prescription of antidepressants. Primary care, 35(3), 152-155.