Withdrawing From Antidepressants: An Overview
Antidepressants can cause withdrawal symptoms if they are stopped too quickly. This is more likely to occur if you have been taking the medication for a while (six weeks or more) and if you are taking a medication that leaves your body rapidly.
Symptoms of Antidepressant Withdrawal
Certain signs and symptoms of withdrawal from antidepressants include but are not limited to:
- Fatigue
- Lethargy
- A general ill feeling (malaise)
- Muscle pain
- Headaches
- Diarrhea
- Insomnia
- Nausea
- Loss of balance or difficulty walking
- Dizziness, lightheadedness, or a spinning sensation (vertigo)
- Unusual sensations, such as burning, pricking, or tingling
- Vision changes
- Hyperactivity
- Anxiety or agitation.
In most people, these symptoms improve with time, without the need for any treatment.
Understanding the Half-Life of Medications
The half-life of a medication is the time it takes for half of the drug to leave the body.
Antidepressants with short half-lives are more likely to cause withdrawal symptoms, compared to antidepressants with long half-lives.
This makes sense, since stopping a medication with a long half-life causes a gradual decrease in blood levels of the antidepressant, while stopping a medication with a short half-life causes a rapid drop in blood levels of the medication.
Most people can stop taking an antidepressant with a long half-life "cold turkey" without any problems. However, it is usually best to stop an antidepressant with a short-half life gradually by slowly decreasing the dose, "weaning off" the medication. Your healthcare provider will take into account the half-life of your particular antidepressant when helping you decide how exactly to stop taking it.
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