Antidepressants Withdrawal and Detox

Antidepressants Info

• Antidepressants Addiction and Abuse
• Antidepressants Symptoms and Warning Signs
• Antidepressants Treatment and Rehab
• Antidepressants Withdrawal and Detox

When you suffer from depression, physicians may recommend antidepressant drugs as treatment, to correct chemical imbalances in the brain. Antidepressants function by balancing the chemicals in the brain responsible for sadness, anxiety and other emotions. However, if you take antidepressants for more than six weeks , there is a high chance that you’ll experience withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking them.

Withdrawal from antidepressants is often referred to by medical professionals as ‘discontinuation syndrome’ instead of the more common ‘withdrawal syndrome’. This is because antidepressants are considered non-addictive, whereas withdrawal syndrome implies an addiction is present. However, both terms describe the same effects, including the range of antidepressant withdrawal symptoms that result from quitting antidepressants.

It is never recommended for you to stop taking antidepressants ‘cold turkey’. Abrupt cessation can throw your brain into a state of imbalance, accompanied by physical and psychological consequences that could be worse than your initial symptoms. The safest way to quit antidepressants is to undergo a medically supervised withdrawal and detox. A medical detox can help to reduce any withdrawal symptoms that may occur.

Medical detox from antidepressants does not need to be a lonely or uncomfortable experience. So, whether it’s your first or hundredth attempt to quit, it’s never too late to turn your life around.

Antidepressant withdrawal and detox

Suddenly quitting antidepressants can lead to restlessness, fatigue and in some cases, crying spells. Your depression can even feel worse in some cases, leading you to take more doses of antidepressant medication. This means that instead of getting rid of the drugs in your system, you only add more. If this happens, you may need to seek help from an antidepressant detox centre.

Some of the withdrawal symptoms that can occur during withdrawal may include symptoms similar to the flu, aggression, tremors, suicidal thoughts, abdominal pain and cramping, dizziness and confusion, vertigo, nausea, confusion, sexual dysfunction, increased depression, sensations similar to an electric shock, insomnia and profuse sweating.

The first step towards finally being free from antidepressant usage is to overcome the fear of withdrawal and ask for help from medical professionals. Although you may not experience the full range of symptoms, it is crucial to be prepared for anything when you’re ready to stop taking antidepressants, as withdrawal can be unpleasant and fairly severe. Fortunately, there are top-rated residential facilities that provide medically trained staff, who can ensure your safety and comfort during withdrawal.

What is antidepressant withdrawal?

Antidepressant withdrawal is also referred to as Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome (ADS). It comprises a group of physical and mental symptoms that occur when you suddenly stop taking your antidepressant medication. According to research, the time it takes for the body to become dependent on antidepressants is around six weeks of consistent usage. After this initial period, it’s possible to experience withdrawal symptoms when you try to significantly reduce your dosage.

Causes of antidepressant withdrawal

The major causes of antidepressants withdrawal are related to the changes the drugs have caused to both your brain and body. Antidepressants work by changing the levels of neurotransmitters that the neurons in the brain become adapted to. When you suddenly quit, the change that occurs happens too fast, leading to withdrawal symptoms that range from mild to distressing.

After using antidepressants for a while, your body also adapts to the substance in your system as a way to create balance. If you severely decrease or stop your dosage, you can throw your system into shock and out of the balance it has created for itself. All the initial symptoms for which the antidepressants were being used will resurface during the process of withdrawal.

Therefore, antidepressant withdrawal is caused as your brain and body struggle to regain normal functioning. It is a way of physically manifesting the chemical consequences occurring inside you when you withdraw from antidepressants. In addition, many of the symptoms you may experience during this period are similar to your initial ones like depression, mood changes and anxiety.

Phases of antidepressant withdrawal

When trying to quit antidepressants, you may experience a range of withdrawal symptoms that can be categorised into two main phases. The initial phase lasts for about six weeks, and includes new symptoms and a reoccurrence or intensifying of symptoms you had before taking the medication. The withdrawal stage is known to involve symptoms such as headaches, insomnia, nausea, agitation and irritability.

During this stage, you may also experience electric zapping sensations washing across your entire body that feel like riding a roller coaster. The second stage may begin six weeks after you stopped using antidepressants. The withdrawal symptoms you may experience at this period rarely disappear on their own. In some cases, they could be so severe that they lead to a relapse.

Some of the symptoms at this second stage last for years, and may include mood swings, disturbed mood, irritability, bipolar illness, persistent insomnia, impaired memory, impaired concentration, poor stress tolerance, major depression and anxiety disorders.

However, the length of time you can expect withdrawal to last will depend on different factors, including: your age, metabolism rate, level of tolerance, frequency of antidepressants use, longevity of usage and the existence of any co-occurring mental disorders.

In addition, certain antidepressants have a more significant risk of causing negative withdrawal symptoms. If you’re using Paxil or Effexor for instance, your withdrawal symptoms may be quite intense. This is because both drugs have short half-lives and are flushed out of the body faster than those with long half-lives, such as Prozac and Celexa.

Common symptoms of withdrawal include:

You may also experience a rebound of symptoms associated with depression.

Timeline of antidepressant withdrawal

The beginning and duration of withdrawal can differ markedly from one person to the next. For instance, you might not experience any symptoms until several weeks after you’ve quit your medication. For some people,  withdrawal may almost be completed within the same period. The key factor when it comes to the timeline for antidepressants withdrawal is how long you’ve been taking these drugs. If you’ve been on this medication for six months, your symptoms will significantly differ from someone who has been on antidepressants for two years.

The antidepressant withdrawal timeline may follow this outline:

Days 1 to 3: Depending on the medication used, you may begin to experience the initial withdrawal symptoms in the first few days after you quit. Mild symptoms can also appear, even if you taper off.

Days 4 to 5: Withdrawal symptoms increase in intensity, before starting to fade. During this time, you may experience fever, dizziness, nausea and shakiness.

Weeks 1 to 3: If you stop taking your antidepressants, symptoms might disappear after three weeks. Generally, the symptoms persist for up to three weeks, and gradually begin to fade away.

Weeks 4+: Different factors will determine how long your withdrawal lasts, and if you will experience symptoms that linger for months afterwards.

Home detox

Home detox – or trying to stop using antidepressants without the help of medical professionals – can be challenging. In some cases, it can even worsen your depression. If you’re thinking about a home detox, there are some things to take into consideration:

• You could become sick during home detox because of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome or antidepressant withdrawal. This occurs when you suddenly stop taking your medication, and you might feel like you have a stomach bug or the flu.
• You could set back your treatment goals, because you have no professional help. Home detox can actually worsen your symptoms or significantly increase the length of time it takes to feel better.
• There is also the risk of contemplating suicide, as the possibility of suicidal thoughts can occur during detox. Detoxing at home could increase the risk of you acting out these negative thoughts.
• Other symptoms associated with your depression such as insomnia, pains or headaches might worsen. In addition, depression can also make it difficult to manage other health problems, especially when left untreated.

Even though alcohol is the most dangerous substance from which to self-detox, other drugs can be risky too. You may think that detoxing from a medication on which you’ve become dependent is a simple and easy process. Sadly, this is quite far from the truth. No matter the drug, there are always going to be risks involved when detoxing. It is therefore best to choose inpatient or outpatient treatment for detox. This form of care provides the assistance of qualified caregivers, and reduces the chances of severe side effects.

Trying to detox from the comfort of your own home almost always results in negative consequences. Unlike simple diets to remove toxins from the body, detoxing from drugs like antidepressants should always be carried out with the approval and supervision of an addiction specialist.

Medically supervised antidepressant withdrawal detox

Medically supervised withdrawal detox involves the administration of medication to reduce the severity of side effects that occur when you stop using antidepressants. Such medication may be used to treat side effects such as insomnia and headaches. However, there is no medication specially designed to treat antidepressant withdrawal.

The main goal of medically-supervised withdrawal is to help you safely and successfully transition into medication-assisted treatment for antidepressant dependence. However, supervised withdrawal alone cannot provide the long-term abstinence from antidepressants you desire. Also, it doesn’t address the underlying physical and psychological reasons for using the drugs.

If you or someone you know is in need of antidepressant withdrawal detox treatment, you may want to explore the available options. Going ‘cold turkey’ on your own is never the answer and can be unsafe. A more intensive medically supervised withdrawal is essential, whereby you can have specialised professionals help you begin your recovery today.

Medications used during antidepressant detox

Antidepressant detox and the associated symptoms are not usually life-threatening. However, when you experience psychological symptoms of withdrawal such as depression, there is the possibility of self-harm. This can occur either intentionally or unintentionally, as the result of an accident or bad judgment. This is why it is strongly recommended to stop using antidepressant medications with the help of a doctor.

While there are no approved drugs to address antidepressant withdrawal, doctors utilise two strategies that have proven to be effective. Since discontinuation symptoms occur because of an abrupt cessation of your medication, a tapering strategy involving slowly reducing your antidepressant dosage is applied. In most cases, lowering dosage in successive intervals is effective in avoiding withdrawal symptoms.

Besides tapering, your physician may switch you to a different antidepressant with a longer half-life. This strategy is commonly used if you are still experiencing symptoms whilst tapering. The new antidepressant is then tapered down slowly to avoid the symptoms of antidepressant withdrawal.

Certain psychiatrists prescribe Fluoxetine in a single 20mg tablet, after the last dose of a shorter-acting antidepressant medication. The aim is to ease the final washout of the medication from your body.

It is essential to check-in with your doctor a month after you quit taking antidepressants altogether. During this follow-up meeting, your physician will check to ensure your discontinuation symptoms have disappeared, and there are no signs of rebound depression.

If you’re withdrawing from antidepressants, psychological counselling may also be needed to help you identify and deal with your fear of living without antidepressants. This type of psychological dependence can be treated using methods such as individual or group counselling. Generally, withdrawal from antidepressants is treated on an outpatient basis. However, you might be required to check into a clinic or hospital to be monitored for signs of depression or suicidal thoughts.

Guided antidepressant therapy

Your doctor may make the decision to put you on guided antidepressant therapy. Normally, you will be under the care of a psychiatrist. If you’ve had two or more previous (serious) episodes of depressive illness over a period of five years, this form of therapy may be required. It is considered a very effective method for treating cases of highly recurrent depression.

Sometimes, you may feel confident about ending your therapy or treatment, even when you have remained on maintenance therapy for a long time. However, the difficult decision to end guided therapy will depend on factors such as the difficulty of treatment for former depression episodes, the subsequent effects on your career, personal and family life, and if a future episode may involve the risk of suicide.

You, your doctor and a family member will need to consider these factors, in order to decide whether to continue with guided antidepressants therapy or if it can be safely discontinued. If the drug is withdrawn, you will need follow up, as this is the most efficient way to determine whether drug treatment needs to be continued.

Live a drug-free life again

If you’re abusing antidepressants or have developed a dependence on them, don’t delay seeking substance abuse treatment. In addition, you may be feeling better and think it’s time to stop using your medication. In such cases, the medication is usually responsible for such feelings, making you think that you no longer need antidepressants. It is always best to talk with your doctor to create a plan of action to help you adjust to living without the drugs. It is also essential to follow your doctor’s prescribed treatment.

Curiosity, pleasure and trying to deal with day-to-day stress are some of the different reasons to start abusing antidepressants. No matter why you started abusing antidepressants, it doesn’t have to stop you from getting better. If you’re willing to live a drug-free life again, you don’t have to go through withdrawal and treatment by yourself. There are qualified professionals who can help with the struggles you face. Dot let fear keep you from the treatment you deserve. It’s better to seek withdrawal at a professional treatment centre.

Preventing relapse

• Exercise: This stimulates mental processes and keeps cravings at bay. Swimming, walking, running and weight lifting are helpful activities for a positive mindset. According to studies, walking about 20 to 40 minutes, three times a week can relieve some depressive symptoms.
• Sleep: Unhealthy sleeping habits can result in giving in to cravings and relapsing into depression. Ideally, you should go to sleep at the same time each night, and aim for around eight hours of sleep per night.
• Eat healthily: Food can significantly affect the way you feel. Unhealthy food can lower your energy and contribute to a negative mood.
• Maintain healthy relationships: During difficult times, it is crucial to have a strong support network of family and friends. You should therefore make a conscious effort to have people around you who care about you and about your happiness. The people you socialise with should be positive-thinking individuals.
• Relaxation techniques: Frustration and stress can be powerful triggers for depression, and could cause cravings as well. Relaxation techniques which can effectively help you alleviate stress or frustration include yoga and meditation.

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