Do symptoms return stronger when stopping ADs? or any mh meds for that matter..

Cedrus · 26-01-2011, 01:32 PM

I just wanted your personal experiences really. I guess this can relate to all types of meds for mental health though... I started taking sertraline at the start of 2010 and for some reason (I really don’t know where the logic was) I stopped it abruptly, I think I thought it wasn’t helping. I went through HELL after that; I was crying all the time and was really suicidal, it was extremely severe and felt like I had been picked up and transported back in time. It was only until I got through that when I was able to listen to the pharmacist and she side it was likely rebound depression.

I’m on citalopram at the moment but feel very sceptical about taking it let alone increasing the dose, I’ve known people that when they want to reduce their anti-depressant dose they just go off the rails. A similar thing has happened with my anti-psychotics in that without them i automatically start clenching my jaw and feel a lot of physical stress. I have been taking them since 2007 and every time I have stopped taking them things seem to get pretty stressful, but I still wonder to myself if I need them. I might have a bit of denial, maybe I do need tablets, but I've started to wonder whether it's the chemicals and stuff that is now causing the problems. To be honest, I don’t think this is all due to needing them, I think they must do something to our brains that makes you need them, if that makes sense. Like you’re brain becomes reliant on them. Has anyone successfully stopped taking meds after years of being on them?

Would like a discussion here, if possible.

sherlock holmes · 26-01-2011, 10:55 PM

I dont believe that most modern psychiatric drugs are addictive. But they do alter brain chemicals and that should not be taken lightly, so I think it should be expected that starting or stopping a medication will have some sort of effect.

I dont know to what extent the withdrawal of a drug causes mental health to go downhill. Instead of that showing one is addicted to the drug, maybe it shows the drug is simply needed to function better because the brain is lacking a certain chemical?

I'm coming off of my antidepressant slowly and I feel mostly okay, apart from not being able to get to sleep very quickly and some residual anxiety.

I would imagine your doctor or pharmacist would know a lot about this, too.

Sigma · 27-01-2011, 10:32 AM

It's best to discuss stopping with your Dr and do it gradually so your brain can adjust itself gradually. It also depends whether the underlying problems have been resolved - if not then the original symptoms will just come back.

Cedrus · 27-01-2011, 12:29 PM

Sorry, I was having one of my moments. Understand now from the replies why the dr said to take anti-psychotics for 6-7 years. Whenever I get to a stage where I feel well I start to think I don't need medicine. Sorry, I find it hard to get my head around actually needing medicine to be well. Thanks for the replies though. I wasn't really meaning they are addictive, just more that I seem to build a tolerance to them and now I can't live without taking something sedating otherwise my head goes messed up. But yeah, thanks.