Why is it dangerous to stop taking antidepressants suddenly?
All of these people had great responses, but non of them answered the “why” part of your question. Most antidepressants such as the drugs you mentioned are SSRIs or Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors. The way neurons work is that the end of one neuron releases a neurotransmitter (serotonin in this case) onto the top of the next neuron. Receptors on the second neuron bind the serotonin and the cell perceives this as a signal to do whatever it is supposed to do (like make you happy). A short while after the serotonin has done its job, it is taken back up by the first neuron and stored so that the signal can be released again the next time it is needed. SSRIs work by blocking the first neuron from removing the serotonin (aka “inhibiting” its “re-uptake”) after it has been released, so as to allow it to stay on the second neuron and let it do what its supposed to do (make you happier than you usually are) for a longer period of time. After using these drugs for an extended period, th
I really hope you read all of my comment, everything here is first hand experience and I’d really like you to listen. I’ve been on mirtazapine (30mg)for about 6 months now, and I was on citalopram and fluoxetine for a few weeks each before that. I was taken off them because they made my anxiety problems unbearable. Mirtazapine has been the only one that was able to stabilise my mood, kill off the anxiety and allow me to actually function as a human being. I’ve had periods where I’ve been too broke to pay for my prescription, so two or three times I’ve been off mirtazapine for 7-14 days. I’ve never told my doctor. When I’ve been off it suddenly because I can’t get it, I find I get incredibly irritable, sometimes violent and very aggressive. I usually get horrendous headaches and even migraines, and begin to find even simple requests from work colleagues difficult to deal with. I tend to be tearful and difficult to deal with. I’ll go back to completely catastrophising everything. I will
