From PsyBlog 08/06/25
The longer a person takes antidepressants, the more likely they are to experience withdrawal symptoms when coming off them.
People who have taken them for more than two years are at a 10 times higher risk of experiencing withdrawal symptoms compared to short-term users (less than six months).
For long-term users, those symptoms are likely to be more severe and take longer to resolve.
Around half may suffer withdrawal symptoms when coming off antidepressants (although some think the true rate is nearer 15 percent).
Withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, dizziness, headaches, nausea, depression and suicidal thoughts.
It has been my experience after 56 years of practice as a psychiatric social worker that anti-depressant in some situations can be helpful but they are not a panacea for what too easily is diagnosed as "depression." There are many different types of depression and multiple factors that contribute to it. Studies show that in general counseling is more helpful in the long run than medications. In general anyone started on an anti- depressant should also obtain an evaluation of the depression by a qualified mental health clinician.
I have been on citalopram 20 mg on and off for about 20 years. I have taken myself off it 3 times. Based on my experience it should be done slowly over several weeks or even a few months. I restarted it when I was sleeping poorly, had an impending sense of doom I couldn't shake, and night time anxiety for no reason I could identify. At his point in my life, 79, I consider it like taking my vitamins. I don't see any point in trying to go off it again. It really helped me when I started taking it in the 00s.
ReplyDelete