Antidepressant withdrawal symptoms severe, says new report

[helvella]

The article below highlights an issue we have seen mentioned here many times.

In itself, it might appear to be off topic, however given the number who feel their issue really were thyroid-based, it becomes rather more relevant.

Antidepressant withdrawal symptoms severe, says new report

Existing guidance that symptoms are minimal leads to misdiagnosis and ‘harmful long-term prescribing’

Half of all those taking antidepressants experience withdrawal problems when they try to give them up and for millions of people in England, these are severe, according to a new review of the evidence commissioned by MPs.

Guidance from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice), which says withdrawal symptoms “are usually mild and self-limiting over about one week” urgently needs to be changed, say the review authors.

Rest of article available here:

theguardian.com/society/201...

[Ari3]

I developed hypothyroidism and autoimmune thyroiditis from going off from antidepressants I regret single day I took them ever

[Sabine_es in reply to Ari3]

Same situation. I was on SSRI and and other psychiatric drugs for 6 years, took me one year to get off them. It has been 7 years since I stopped and still suffer with side effects - pre-diabetes, hypothyroid (had also autoimmune thyroiditis), bone loss and other metabolic issues that are now very hard to reverse. I was desperate that is why I took them and at some point had no choice, but wish someone told me how dangerous those drugs are...

[Reemfali in reply to Sabine_es]

Hi Sabine

Do you mean to say you developed pre diabetes from the SSRI ?

[Ari3]

It took me a year to go off from them it was severely hard I can’t describe I have lost my life now

[Hidden in reply to Ari3]

Ari3, are you feeling better now?

[TSH110]

Thank goodness I left those behind. I was lucky - stopping them never caused me any issues. Pity I was not correctly treated for hypothyroidism I might have avoided them altogether.

[Naomi8]

yes,a friend on prozac who has been on it for 20 years,now takes pregabalin for neuropathic pain & I believe the drug has caused pre-diabetes.I guess she may become diabetic...

[Naomi8]

Another male friend using Prozac long-term experienced a total urinary stoppage,requiring hospital treatment-he was told it is a side effect

[Naomi8]

I have been on Sertraline for 18 months,albeit a very low dose.My GP said not to bother with tapering!However I used a tapering forum to find out how to do it safely & have been tapering at 10% reduction per month.The "Mind" website explains that each medication has a "half-life"if this is short,side effects can be severe.

After 65 years of acute & chronic anxiety with periodic depressions caused by complex PTSD(childhood stress & a sensitive nature)I have found enormous relief from Sertraline,where T4+T3 & T3 only,LDN & SAMe didn't help.

I am now almost at zero,but have gained weight.Hoping NDT will keep my mood stable & hoping it hasn't contributed to the weight gain.

[sweetsusie]

I have been on and off antidepressants for years and I can tell you that the withdrawal symptoms are HORRIBLE!! Paxil is the absolutely worst! Electric "zaps" going through my whole body and brain for MONTHS after tapering off under doctor's care. Prozac..bad; Zoloft was the easiest to come off of, but still had to taper for weeks and felt very, very depressed after I was finally off of it completely. Articles say this is normal...that you feel like you're depressed again, so you go back on them. I held strong and am fine now..no depression. I would NEVER take any off these drugs again.

[Hidden in reply to sweetsusie]

I have been tapering Zoloft for three years with likely two more to go. I wouldn’t call it easy.

[sweetsusie in reply to Hidden]

I meant easiest to come off of...but they're all terrible..

[Hidden in reply to sweetsusie]

It's hard to say. I tried a rapid taper off another drug and the ride down was much easier, but the crash later was appalling. I think the fact that they'e so hard to stop is why so many people are on them these days - they just can't stop. I have been, more or less, trying to get off them for a decade. This time I'm doing it better, with minimal suffering, my mood is great and it looks as though I might eventually be successful. But nobody warned me it would be years to get off them. We need full disclosure or we cannot give informed consent.

[Inana]

I have lived this. I am pretty sure that I became hypo from quitting antidepressants (or quitting made things worse). It's going to be 2 years in December since quitting. It has been the most awful thing I have ever experienced, and I thought quitting Benzos was hard. I don't know if I will ever recover from taking ADs.

[victoria99]

Dear Helvella - This topic might have been made for me as I have just recently withdrawn from Sertraine (Prof Toft in his wee book highlights it as contra-indicated) alongside Levothyroxine; the other thing which revealed itself to me was stains which I had been taking for quite some time. I told my GP that I would like to withdraw from both so I did! Like "Sweet Susie" I have been "on and off" SSRIs for a while - like this brave lady I will never ever resort to them again. I must apologise to the other members in this great forum about not taking on board what they tried hard to act on their posts to me. Enough said. Sorry everyone! Thanks for bringing up this article to put before us.

[helvella in reply to victoria99]

I am so very pleased that you have found it of interest/use.

However, there is no need to apologise. We need accept people as they are.

[victoria99 in reply to helvella]

Acceptance of one another is a true and wonderful gift. For some people it is difficult in respect of some life experiences; one step forward is all we need. Kindest regards

[Hidden]

I was hypo long before I started antidepressants. We should also bear in mind that depression and anxiety are also thyroid symptoms.

[Hidden]

Not sure if it is appropriate, but I am a participant in a forum that helps people get safely off these meds. Unfortunately, a lot of the time we see people when they have already started a rapid taper and are suffering, but if people knew how to do it more safely (ie, likely much slower than you ever imagined) a lot of suffering could be averted.

If anyone is interested, I'm happy to share details by PM.

[Reemfali in reply to Hidden]

Hi I would love to know pls share

[Hidden in reply to Reemfali]

Happy to chat by private message