How do you decide that your anti-depressants have 'fixed' you?

[Suddengeekgirl]

I'm almost on to month 3 of fluoxetine for mild depression.

I feel like the cloud has lifted, I'm enjoying life again, I'm more patient and relaxed with the dcs, my anxiety has calmed down. Things are good. :)

So... Do I start to wean myself off?
I never wanted to take them for long, but now I'm feeling better I don't want to go back to depressed me. Almost like I need them.

How do you decide when to stop taking them?

The GP reckoned I would only need them for 3-6 months, I'm just not sure whether to stay on them for a bit longer, or wean myself off so I can get back to being the Un-medicated version of me.

I would speak to your GP as he/she may give you specific dose to move down to. glad you are feeling good.

My GP said to take them on alternate days when I want to come off. I'll definitely be ringing them to check though.

I'm just not sure how you know when you're well again, and can be well without the drugs.

Yeah that sounds pretty standard, I did alternate days. Just see how you get on reducing them, you may find doing it on alternate days for a while will be good and then see what happens. GP will give you the best advice.

A course of ADs would usually be for a minimum of 6 months.

In all honesty i think you are doing it too soon. I have always been told at least 6 months to a year for SSRIs to work and that you shouldn't come off them too quickly. I did this and came off my meds too soon - 5 years later.....................................

If you are not getting bad side effects i would probably just lower your dose and stay on that for a while.

Agree with Lem. My doc wanted to see a prolonged period of stable mood before reducing dosage. The danger is if you come off too soon the depressive mood can quickly come back and it starts over.

I knew I was getting better because my outlook was more positive. I wanted to get out and do things rather than mope in the house and do nothing. My sense of humor returned, I was patient (with dear son and wanted to play with him), and my aggression just wasn't there like it was when I was ill (it was always bubbling under the surface ready to erupt).

Also, my DH really noticed I 'was back' which gave me positive assurance, and I knew it wasn't just me wishing that I had recovered.

Is there a pressing need that makes you want to come off the ADs now - as in horrible side effects, weight gain etc?

Thanks all!

I'm not having awful side effects - just really tired and mad restless legs.

I just don't want to be medicated really.

I can totally see where you're coming from about a prolonged period of 'normal'. I guess I'm desperate to be back to normal and being free from drugs would mean I am iyswim. I've had a taste of happy me and want it to last! :)

I've had a taste of happy me and want it to last! stick with the happy pills another 3-6 months then :)
When I was thinking of goinoff them in march, my gp said that it's best to choose a time when everything in your life is stable. I did decrease at that point, but had to bump the dose back again as I back slid :(

I have been on and off ADs several times. Have now been off them nearly 6 years so feel that I may have got it right now :)

I have come off them much too quickly in the past and not stayed on them long enough. From my experience I needed to stay on them
6 months once I felt I was more me. And then I cut down really slowly. On citalopram I took 18 months to go down from 40mg - went down to 20mg quite quickly but then stayed on that dose for about 6 months maybe then cut back to 10mg for about 6 months and then started missing one tablet a week and stayed at that, then missed two days a week etc. Also I had CBT at some point in my 18 month withdrawal which really helped too.

I know how you feel - same here 6 months on with pnd for dc2 and meds: bloody marvellous! With dc1 I came off after a year extremely slowly - to the point where I would crush them and cut down my daily dosage each day by a few crumbs. It took maybe 6 months to come off that way and I didn't slide back into depression. So that's what I will do this time. But at the moment in loving being happy. So I will stay on them for the time being.

Thanks all!

I've been thinking hard about when I first started feeling down, I can't trace it back to an event as such but I think it's actually longer than January as I initially thought when I went to the GP. So 6 months of meds probably is much more sensible.

Fwiw the restless legs doesn't seem so bad in the last week or so jinx

I think my plan now is to get dd settled in reception in September and then start to wean off them. I'll be a SAHM with 2 school age dcs and will have time to myself to think about me again! (Possibly that's the root of the problem!)

I have been on sertraline a year and have dropped to half my dosage as I felt well . I then dropped it a bit more.anxietys come back a bit I think I've done it to soon x

Hi Sudden - just a though on the restless-legs.

I was driven mental [mental] by this when I was first depressed. I'd actually forgotten this (was 2009!) but at some point it did stop. I do remember I was on the ADs for quite a while before is sort of faded away. I'm fairly sure my RSL was linked to depression but may not be the case for other people.

As I still take ADs not sure on the RSL cause and effect thing, but I have never had it since.

RSL is a bloody awful thing, so I hope yours abates soon.

If you are happy then stick with them