How long should I stay on antidepressants?

It's usually recommended that a course of antidepressants continues for at least 6 months after you feel better, to prevent your condition recurring when you stop. Some people with recurrent illness are advised to carry on taking medicine indefinitely.

Can you stay on antidepressants for life?

For people with chronic or severe depression, medication may be needed on a long-term basis. In these cases, antidepressants are often taken indefinitely. That is, in part, because depression is not an illness that can be cured.

How long is too long for antidepressants?

Clinicians generally recommend staying on the medication for six to nine months before considering going off antidepressants. If you've had three or more recurrences of depression, make that at least two years.

How do you know when to stop antidepressants?

Stopping antidepressants suddenly is not dangerous but you could get withdrawal symptoms or become unwell again if you make a sudden change. If you can, stop your antidepressant when you have felt better for the last six months on medication. Plan in advance to cut down your dose gradually.

Is it okay to be on antidepressants for years?

Long-term—even indefinite—use of antidepressants may be the best treatment for someone with multiple past episodes of depression, especially if they have a history of suicide attempts or have residual symptoms, like sleep problems, says Dr. Potash. Dr.

How Long Should You Use Antidepressants?

Does your brain go back to normal after antidepressants?

If the symptoms develop later or gradually, they may constitute a relapse of the depression. Ultimately, these withdrawal symptoms will improve with time, but they can be unpleasant for days and possibly even weeks. In time, the brain readjusts and people should experience a return to their normal state.

Are antidepressants meant to be permanent?

So do antidepressants work as a permanent cure for depression? No, they do not, and the reason for this lies in how they work. While they cause changes in brain chemistry, this effect is only temporary. When you stop taking the antidepressant, your brain chemistry will return to its previous state.

Do you feel better after stopping antidepressants?

Although you might expect to feel better after stopping an antidepressant (especially if it was causing unwanted side effects), many people have withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms can even be similar to what you experienced before you started the medication. Common antidepressant withdrawal symptoms include: dizziness.

When will I feel normal after stopping antidepressants?

While tapering Zoloft, people could experience discontinuation symptoms for up to 3 weeks. When stopping antidepressants, some symptoms may persist for up to 6 weeks and occasionally may continue for up to a year . Always speak with a doctor about any new symptoms that occur when tapering off an antidepressant.

Are all antidepressants hard to get off at?

Hardest-to-Stop Antidepressants

All depression drugs can potentially lead to discontinuation symptoms, but some are much more likely to do so than others. In fact, antidepressant labels often warn that stopping the medication too quickly may lead to bothersome symptoms.

What happens if you don't want to be on antidepressants forever?

If you decide to stop taking antidepressants, don't quit taking them on your own. And don't stop all at once. A major drop in medication levels can trigger a relapse or other harmful symptoms, such as suicidal thoughts. Work with your doctor to create a plan to gradually reduce your medication dose over time.

Can I take SSRI forever?

And luckily, as long as the benefits of the medication outweigh the potential side effects, there's no strong evidence that long-term use of SSRIs poses any major problems. “These medications have been around for decades,” says Dr. Jin Hee Yoon-Hudman, a psychiatrist and medical advisor at Minded.

Do antidepressants change you forever?

Some research has suggested this type of drug aids in neuroplasticity. In other words, these drugs can affect how our minds organize and form synaptic connections. Other researchers believe this type of medication has no long-term effects on our brains once the individual stops using the drug.

What is the long-term impact of antidepressants?

During long-term SSRI therapy, the most troubling adverse effects are sexual dysfunction, weight gain, and sleep disturbance.

Can you be happy after antidepressants?

Taking antidepressants may help to lift your mood. This can help you feel more able to do things that don't feel possible while you're depressed. This may include using other types of support for your mental health. See our page on treatments for depression to find other options which may help.

Can antidepressants mess up your memory?

Antidepressant drugs (Tricyclic antidepressants)

How they can cause memory loss: About 35 percent of adults taking TCAs report some degree of memory impairment and about 54 percent report having difficulty concentrating.

Are SSRIs hard to get off?

From the 14 studies that provided usable data, they calculated that 56% of antidepressant users experienced withdrawal symptoms when they discontinued the medication. Just four studies looked at the question of severity, they found, but of those, 46% of people experienced severe symptoms.

Do you have to take mental health meds forever?

A common myth is that you need to take antidepressants forever. Many people use antidepressants for a few months and then slowly wean their way off the medication. Others take antidepressants for years before they discontinue the medication.

What is the safest way to stop antidepressants?

It's important that you do not stop taking antidepressants suddenly. A dose of antidepressants should be slowly reduced, normally over 4 weeks, but sometimes longer. This is to prevent any withdrawal symptoms you might get as a reaction to coming off antidepressants suddenly.

What are the signs of low serotonin levels?

What vitamins increase serotonin?

What vitamin helps make serotonin?

Folic acid and vitamin B12 are involved in the synthesis of serotonin and other neurotransmitters. Vitamin B12 deficiency has been found in many patients who have depression or decreased attention, concentration, and memory.

How can I replace my antidepressant naturally?