How dangerous is it to go cold turkey off Anti Depressants.

[fairyfly]

Stopped taking them after one month. Don't want them, hate them. How will i feel. Am i going to go mental?

No, but I think you should to back to your GP telling them why you don't like the ads and seeing if he/she will recommend an alternative?

Remember ff, depression is an illness that needs treating and if you don't treat it, it can come back. You DO need some form of support.

it's not what you want to hear, but it's a bad idea to stop them overnight. All the literature emphasises this bcs of danger of side effects and advises a slow phase-out. So why risk it?

with baked potato on this. i am a seasoned ad taker and you should NEVER stop taking cold turkey. you are likely to feel dizzy, sick and wierd. talk to gp and cut down slowly.

I did this - just stopped. Felt slightly sick for a couple of days - nothing else !
Felt the world better once they were out of my system. I was fine !

I stopped cold turkey and had hideous headaches, felt dizzy, shit and thought I was going round the bend. I wouldn't advise it at all

I felt very weird to varying degrees coming off all my different types of ads, and that was when I was doing the gradual cut down thing. I think if you go cold turkey, you'll feel shit. Talk to your gp about phasing them out and natural alternatives if you really feel you don't want them.

I just feel shit anyway..... so.......... not going to make any difference is it?

I've stopped taking them anyway. No more left and i don't want to go to the Doctors. I need to start feeling back in control. It's important to me.

I can totally understanding wanting to stop them if you feel they're not helping, but if its wanting to feel in control that's important, then a gradual weaning off is so so much better for you - otherwise you could be feeling sick and dizzy. I had wierd traces in my vision, felt awful for weeks. It only takes a couple of weeks to come off them gradually. Sounds like you've made up your mind, but if you do feel wobbly, talk to your dr.

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do not stop quickly..if they are not working for you, might need a change of dose and or a new tablet.....

you will most likely feel sick and / or throw u p, shaky, dizzy, light headed, migraine, very unwell, unsafe to drive, and generally ill

ADs affect your brain chemistry, a sudden stop is not a good idea at all

if you are depressed, good idea to tackle it somehow, even if you feel ADs are not the answer

It must depend to a certain extent on the dose and type you are taking. I took 10mg of Ciprolex, stopped cold turkey after 6 months and was absolutely fine.

I think it depends on how long you've been taking them, what you were taking them for and what dose you were on.

I was taking Fluoxetine for 3 years, but was on the smallest dose and stopped without any massive side effects. Yes I felt like sh*te and yes my moods were all over the place, but I'd lost a baby 4 months before and my father a fortnight before so I would probably have ben like that anyway.

I went to Drs, they offered me a double dose and that was the final straw for me. I decided I didn't want to be ont hem any longer, let alone a double dose so stopped. Not a wise thing to do, but physically I didn't suffer.

I'd advise speaking to GP and maybe cutting down to every other day and go from there.

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Dose and length of taking are relevant - I was on 20mg Citalopram and only for about 4 mths - I hated how I felt on them, and the dependency.

Like you I just stopped - I honestly felt fine after 3 days and only had mild nausea as a symptom. Best thing I ever did !

Hope you feel OK - the thing is - if you feel poorly you can go to the docs. Cold Turkey does work - even if it a bit yuck for a few days.

i see mellow......still seek medical advice tho! x

Dont do cold turkey. Its as much about your depression coming back with a vengeance as it is physical side effects.

I would double my dose if it would work! it's made me a selfish self indulgent cow...... my art is crap, i don't give two shits about anything..........but.......... i stopped crying, unable to.

I know if i stay on them though i will ruin my life.Which i feel like i am.

why would they ruin your life?

don;t really know your story, are you having any counselling, any support?

sounds like you are in a bad way....

because i don't care! I need to.

I think counselling would be the very best you could do for you and your children right now FF.

You never got back to me re msn. Mine is cheesy_pooff at hotmail dot com if you still need it xxx

definitely counselling......hope you get to be in a better place soon.....have been there..it is rough x

Well i want to be........ i suppose thats a good sign isn't it. I want to feel better. Thankyou x

wanting to feel better is really good..hang on in there !

Depends, as others have said, on dose and how long you have been taking them. DO NOT GO COLD TURKEY without consulting your doctor...you can experience seratonin storm, which is a life-threatening condition.

I WENT COLD TURKEY THE FIRST TIME AND FELT LIKE UTTER CRAP.I WAS ONLY TAKING 20MGS YET IT WAS LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF TRAINSPOTTING.I HAD HOT AND COLD SWEATS,HALLUCINATIONS,NAUSEA AND SICKNESS,IT WAS TERRIBLE.AFTER 2 DAYS OF THAT I HAD TO GO BACK ON THEM IT WAS LIKE I REALLY NEEDED THEM.

SECOND TIME I WENT COLD TURKEY WAS WHEN I FOUND OUT I WAS PREGNANT.THAT TIME I WAS FINE,NO SYMPTOMS AT ALL EVEN THOUGH IT WAS THE SAME DRUG AND DOSAGE AS BEFORE.

I REALLY WOULDN'T ADVISE IT DUE TO MY FIRST EXPERIENCE IT WAS HELL.