Millions of people around the world take antidepressants to treat depression.But as of recently bbc panorama Many people are unaware of the fact that antidepressants can cause withdrawal symptoms when stopped. For some people, these symptoms can be severe and long lasting.
Here’s what you should know:
What Causes Antidepressant Withdrawal?
Taking psychotropic drugs, such as antidepressants, can damage your brain and body over time. adapt to drugs. This adaptive process is often called ” physical dependence, which leads to tolerance (less effective over time) and withdrawal upon discontinuation. Addiction differs from addiction, which also involves craving and compulsive use. People don’t become addicted to antidepressants.
Most modern antidepressants send abnormally high levels of serotonin (a naturally occurring brain chemical that carries messages between nerve cells) into the brain. Serotonin is involved in many bodily processes such as learning, memory, sleep, and sexual function.Even after just a few weeks of antidepressant use, serotonin receptors become less sensitiveThat means you probably need more serotonin to get the same effect.
Therefore, the brain and body “miss” the drug when the dose is reduced or stopped. This causes withdrawal symptoms.
Withdrawals also occur when other psychotropic drugs Benzodiazepines (used to treat insomnia and seizures), nicotine, caffeine, etc.
What are your symptoms?
Because antidepressants affect multiple organ systems, they can cause a variety of withdrawal symptoms, both emotional and physical.
emotional withdrawal symptoms These include depression, anxiety, panic attacks, irritability, anger, crying and suicidal thoughts. They can occur even in people who have never experienced these symptoms before (for example, people who are prescribed antidepressants). treat symptomsis unrelated to mental health problems, such as menopause.
Because these symptoms overlap with symptoms of anxiety and depression, easy to mistake When someone’s underlying mental health condition returns. This may encourage people to continue taking their medication.
Physical withdrawal symptoms include dizziness, lightheadedness, feeling that things are not “real” (depersonalization/derealization), muscle spasms, headaches, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, nausea, and brain “zaps.” (a sensation of electric sensation popping out), etc. through the head). In severe cases, withdrawal can lead to akathisia, defined as “restlessness,” which can make the nervous system feel as if it is in a “restless state.”on fire”.
there are several ways Distinguish withdrawal from relapse – Recurrence of past mental health conditions. First, withdrawal symptoms often occur soon (usually days or even weeks) after the antidepressant dose is reduced. It tends to recur after a long period of time.
The physical withdrawal symptoms are different from the original state, and in some cases the mental symptoms can be significantly different from the initial experience. These physical and emotional symptoms usually resolve quickly when the antidepressant is taken again.
How long do withdrawal symptoms last?
Many people (including doctors) believe that withdrawal symptoms usually last only days to weeks before the drug is excreted from the body.
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However, the symptoms are caused by the difference between the amount of drug that the brain is accustomed to and the amount in the body. So they can last as long as needed. for the brain to readjust Decrease drug levels, perhaps until serotonin receptor sensitivity is restored.
Brain changes in response to antidepressants last for years. Clinical studies have shown that antidepressant withdrawal symptoms can last weeks or months, and in some people may also include: Year. A recent study showed that withdrawal symptoms persisted longer in patients who stopped antidepressants after two years of use. average 9 months.
Does withdrawal only occur with long-term use?
The longer you take an antidepressant, the more likely you are to experience withdrawal symptoms, and the more likely they are to be severe.
a patient survey It turns out that only a minority of people experienced withdrawal symptoms after taking the drug for several months. However, more than half of people who took antidepressants for three years or more experienced withdrawal symptoms, half of whom reported moderate or severe symptoms.
However, withdrawal symptoms have also been observed in people simply taking antidepressants. 4-6 weeks – More rarely, it may only be used for a few days.
How should I stop taking antidepressants?
For a long time, guidelines said that antidepressants could be discontinued after 4 weeks. The most common approach doctors use is to halve the dose for 2 weeks, then halve the dose again for 2 weeks (often taking a tablet every 2 days), then stop.
Some patients can tolerate this, but it has been found that for many long-term antidepressant users, this approach causes intolerable withdrawal symptoms and can lead to severe symptoms. . It is impossible to stop these drugs.
Latest guidance from Royal College of Psychiatry and National Institute of Healthcare Excellence (Nice) recommends that people experiencing withdrawal symptoms taper off gradually over months or even years. Please adjust according to the person and symptoms.
The latest guidance states:hyperbolic tapering”, the reduction is done little by little. The last few milligrams of these drugs are the hardest to drop, so they need to be reduced very carefully. To do this, the patient needs very small doses of the drug. Nice recommends the liquid version because it’s much less than most available tablets.
There are many reasons why a person chooses to start antidepressants. But make people aware of the risks of withdrawal effects, Informed decision.
