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Jan 29, 2024 · Stress can increase your risk and symptoms of depression. If stress contributes to your depression symptoms, try some stress-management techniques. Stress-management techniques may help you bring awareness to stressful thoughts, feelings, and situations and respond calmly.
- Social Withdrawal. Social withdrawal is the most common telltale sign of depression. "When we're clinically depressed, there's a very strong urge to pull away from others and to shut down," says Stephen Ilardi, PhD, author of books including The Depression Cure and associate professor of psychology at the University of Kansas.
- Rumination. A major component of depression is rumination, which involves dwelling and brooding about themes like loss and failure that cause you to feel worse about yourself.
- Self-Medicating With Alcohol. Turning to alcohol or drugs to escape your woes is a pattern that can accompany depression, and it usually causes your depression to get worse.
- Skipping Exercise. If you're the type of person who likes to go the gym regularly, dropping a series of workouts could signal that something's amiss in your life.
- Overview
- Understanding Antidepressant Withdrawal
- Signs of Antidepressant Withdrawal
- Antidepressant Withdrawal Timeline
- Coping With Antidepressant Withdrawal
- Warnings for Antidepressant Withdrawal
- Antidepressant Withdrawal Treatment
Antidepressant withdrawal, also called discontinuation syndrome, is when you experience withdrawal symptoms after abruptly stopping or greatly reducing the dosage of an antidepressant medication.
Antidepressant withdrawal occurs in about 50% of people who have been taking an antidepressant, then suddenly quit taking it, or its dose is drastically lowered.
Antidepressants work by increasing the levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, some of which include serotonin and dopamine. When these neurotransmitter levels suddenly drop, whether by quitting a medication abruptly or greatly lowering its dosage, withdrawal symptoms can emerge.
Two types of antidepressant medications that can lead to withdrawal are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Although, quickly quitting other types of antidepressants may lead to symptoms too.
Antidepressants are not considered addictive in the sense that people generally don't take them in an attempt to get the "high" experienced with other drugs. However, it is possible to develop a physical dependence on these medications, particularly when they've been used for long periods of time.
Some antidepressants may have a greater potential for withdrawal effects. One review found that SNRIs and Paxil (paroxetine) were associated with a higher risk for withdrawal symptoms compared to other antidepressants.
How do you know if you might be experiencing antidepressant withdrawal? Symptoms of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome can be easily remembered using the mnemonic FINISH:
•Flu-like symptoms such as headaches, achiness, sweating, fatigue, and lethargy
•Insomnia, but when you do sleep, you experience nightmares and/or your dreams are more vivid
•Nausea, which may include vomiting
•Imbalance, such as feeling dizzy, lightheaded, or having vertigo
•Sensory disturbances, including feelings of burning, tingling, or "shock-like" sensations
The experience of antidepressant withdrawal can vary greatly from one person to the next. Factors affecting withdrawal—including how long symptoms last—include the type of antidepressant taken, its dosage, and the length of time the drug has been used.
Paxil (paroxetine) is the SSRI most associated with withdrawal while Proxac (fluoxetine) tends to have the fewest withdrawal symptoms.
The best way to cope with antidepressant withdrawal is to prevent it in the first place by never abruptly stopping or adjusting the dosage of your medication without first talking to your healthcare provider or a mental healthcare professional. These individuals can help you devise a plan for discontinuing your medication while limiting or avoiding the negative effects of withdrawal.
Here are a few more ways to prevent or cope with antidepressant withdrawal.
Although rare, some people have experienced severe reactions when discontinuing antidepressant medications. If you or someone you know has any of the following symptoms in response to reducing or discontinuing antidepressants, seek medical help immediately.
While these extreme reactions can be frightening to the person experiencing them and those around them, they can be treated.
•Delirium: A sudden disorientation in time and place, confusion, restlessness, agitation, and difficulties with working memory (remembering aspects of a current line of thought)
•Psychosis: Disconnection from reality, particularly involving delusions and/or hallucinations
•Suicidal feelings: While many people with depression report occasional or frequent suicidal feelings, it's important to seek help immediately if these feelings occur during antidepressant withdrawal.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
Tapering antidepressant doses over the course of several weeks (more than four) is often recommended to treat, if not prevent withdrawal symptoms. This requires working with your healthcare provider to reduce your dosage slowly versus stopping your medication abruptly.
It's also important to know that antidepressant withdrawal can be misdiagnosed, potentially increasing the amount of time you take this type of drug or taking it at higher-than-necessary doses. Working with a healthcare provider knowledgeable about the potential for withdrawal can help reduce the likelihood of this being missed.
If concern over antidepressant withdrawal makes you not want to take these medications to begin with, this also has consequences. Untreated depression is a major risk factor for suicide. Not to mention, you don't feel your best mentally or physically when living with depression.
Can Depression Go Away on Its Own?
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Self-help groups allow people with depression to provide, as well as receive, help. How to find depression support groups. Visit the Mind website for information about support groups in your area. If you're a carer and affected by depression, ring the Carers UK helpline on 0808 808 7777 to find out how to meet other carers.
Behavioural activation therapy focuses on identifying links between your activities and your mood, rather than focusing on thoughts and feelings. It can be useful if depression has led to you withdrawing from social activities. It helps you to make practical changes to your behaviour that may improve your mood.
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Health & Wellbeing. Conditions and illnesses. Depression and anxiety. We can all feel low or anxious from time to time, and it's not usually a cause for concern. But if these feelings aren't going away and they start to affect your daily life, you should seek help and support. What is depression? What is anxiety? What causes depression or anxiety?
