Anyone come off antidepressants?

[TaylorsLeftShoe]

Looking for some idea of how long it really takes to feel 'normal' again after stopping antidepressants. Have now been off them 2 weeks and have felt ill ever since with immediate and significant depression and hopelessness.

Crossing my fingers this is just a settling period and not a sign I can no longer function without them.

Would appreciate hearing other's stories.

Did you taper off under your GP's instructions? You need to get your body and mind used to not taking these meds. I came off anti-depressants under supervision from the nursing staff at my doctors surgery and it took a few months. To begin with it - it was dropping one tablet every other day and then progressed over a period of weeks always reducing downwards always at my own speed. If I wasn't ready to drop another tablet I carried on at the reduced dosages I had achieved until I was ready for the next step. There was never any pressure and I was still able to access repeat prescriptions while reducing dosages all the time. Doing it this way worked for me as there was no immediate drop off a cliff so the depression, crying, low moods etc never kicked in and eventually the dosage was so low that when I finally stopped I wouldn't have noticed that I felt any difference.
These are not meds that you can suddenly stop taking - it is a measured and slow process and is certainly not a reason for you to think you can't function without them. It is a measure of your success that you are even attempting to stop this medication so you can live your life happily without a crutch or meds. But make sure you do it under supervision and then it can be a permanent thing. Good luck!

I was only on a very low dose (10mg Citalopram daily) but I'm currently finding it quite manageable. On the advice of my GP surgery pharmacist 1/2 tablet per day at the moment (for 2 weeks) then I will drop to 1/2 every other day and so on.

I was on sertraline and I tapered off but in a somewhat haphazard way (basically I just sort of forgot them a lot for about 2 months) and then realised I hadn’t taken them for like 2 weeks. I didn’t have any side effects and I didn’t feel any sort of low mood. I think though that you have to be ready and it has to be the right time.