The Dangers of Stopping Antidepressants Cold Turkey

Antidepressant medications can be extremely effective in helping people cope with potentially debilitating conditions. Often, these medications don’t make a person feel “good” so much as level out their emotions to make them feel normal or stable. Without such medications, many people experience something akin to a frightening roller coaster ride that fluctuates uncontrollably between differing levels of depression.

The key to ensuring a positive experience with antidepressants is knowing when and how to discontinue their use. If depression symptoms have diminished, a doctor may recommend that a patient begin the process of weaning themselves off a medication. This typically involves a gradual reduction in dosage until the patient is deemed fit to discontinue use of the drug altogether. Physicians rarely if ever have patients stop using a drug all at once — “cold turkey” — and with good reason.

What Are the Risks of Discontinuing Antidepressants Cold Turkey?

Antidepressant withdrawal, also known as antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, is a possible consequence of discontinuing an antidepressant too abruptly. If a patient experiences withdrawal related to antidepressants, it doesn’t indicate that they’ve become addicted to them. Rather, addiction-related withdrawal is typically accompanied by uncontrollable cravings for more of the drug and indicates that the brain has undergone a chemical change.

Quitting antidepressants suddenly can trigger a host of conditions equal to or worse than the condition they were intended to treat and can sometimes undo the real progress made toward conquering depression. Potential complications include:

Digestive system issues
Headaches
Fatigue
Insomnia
Flu-like symptoms
A return of severe depression and/or anxiety

Antidepressants are designed to remedy the imbalance of chemicals in the brain that can cause depression. The abrupt cessation of antidepressants can create a new kind of chemical imbalance, resulting side effects like the ones listed above. That’s why it’s always best to taper off an antidepressant dosage rather than stop using it cold turkey.

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Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/antidepressant-withdrawal/faq-20058133
https://www.prevention.com/life/a20509451/what-happens-when-you-stop-taking-antidepressants/
https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/dangers-of-stopping-antidepressants