should i stop taking antidepressants?

raysputin

I was put on Z*****t after some time on other meds which were not doing any good. It turned me into a zombie - lowered my IQ by at least 30 points and made me so slow to react that I was a danger behind the wheel. It also made me prone to trips and stumbles. And it didn't seem to be doing any good. After tripping over my own feet on a smooth bitumen road I ditched the tabs and have never looked back. My symptoms? - Went away and haven't come back.

While I don't say cold turkey would suit everyone, a doctor supervised "time out" from the meds could be a revelation.

Hearts_2015

HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »

I have taken Prozac off and on -- mostly on -- since the early 1990s. When I have gone off to "reset," I've been warned to do it only slowly and under a doctor's direction. Do not go off it cold turkey!

OP's account has been disabled but this is too important not to respond anyway.

Just a quick note for anyone not aware... with the new updates not all in place.. if you click on a user it may say they've deactivated when in fact they are still a member. I don't know if the OP is still a member but I'll assume she is until the updates are settled and things get back to normal.

So if anyone is wondering why their friends have suddenly up and left, they probably haven't...likely just the bugs in the new update.

La5Vega5Girl

it's the zyprexa. wow that made me gain a ton of weight. sorry but you can't stop without help from your dr.

La5Vega5Girl

Hearts_2015 wrote: »

Rhazula wrote: »

I took myself off Trazadone, Zyprexa, Cymbalta and Klonopin 6 months ago, without a doctor's help and I haven't had ANY psychiatric symptoms...NONE. I told my doctors about my weight concerns and I was told that I'd have to count calories and eventually get gastric bypass. I said NO to both and started eating healthier a few months back. Since getting off my antidepressants, I feel fine. I got to the root of my depression...and it went away and hasn't returned. Everyone's situation is different. Most people couldn't do what I just did without some serious problems. Everyone's body chemistry is very different.

This is a very dangerous post to share with this many ppl. It may have worked for you, or at least you thought it had no effects but to share it with others may put them at huge risk if they do the same.

As another user above shared the OP is now gone but for you to recklessly post what you did about going cold turkey off all the meds up above.. incredibly irresponsible!! :grimacing:

i agree! very very dangerous. there are a TON Of side-effects of stopping meds.

fatcity66

I was on anti-depressants for a few years, and they did cause me to gain a good amount of weight. Before I went on them, I was so depressed that I didn't care to eat much of anything, so going on them, though it helped me feel better, triggered my appetite to the opposite extreme. There are some that cause more increased appetite than others, so you may be able to switch to a different one. Unfortunately for me, the ones that worked, also caused weight gain. About a year ago I was at my highest weight ever, and I decided to go off of them myself. It was pretty much by accident, as my doctor for some reason refused to refill my prescription. I was off them in less than a week, and luckily I didn't have any side effects (I was ultimately on Lexapro). Since being off them, I have managed to lose over 20 lbs, so I definitely think the meds had something to do with it.

nerdymathgrrl

Never take yourself off meds without a plan from your psychiatrist. Psych meds almost always need to have the dose tapered down to avoid negative side effects and rebound problems (depression, anxiety, insomnia, etc.). There are other options for antidepressants--for example, I take Wellbutrin, and it is not correlated with weight gain. But I agree with others who have said the other two meds are more likely the problem.

To those of you who advocate going off meds without a doctor's approval and are sharing anecdotes about how you have done so with no ill effects, shame on you. A chemical imbalance is not going to be cured with diet, exercise or positive thinking. And if the OP only needs meds temporarily, then it is up to his or her doctor to decide when to stop. But regardless, stopping cold turkey can be extremely dangerous.

elisa123gal

get a second opinion and maybe seek medical help from someone who cares about your weight issues. Maybe there is balance there someplace. But i do know that quitting antidepressants can have a very bad bad effect. So please don't do that without a good doctor overseeing you.

good luck.

Surfingbodi

I don't agree that a person sharing their experience about quitting cold turkey and being ok is wrong. What I hear ther is that they were probably incorrectly diagnosed and medicated incorrectly. I believe a team of professionals are needed to help manage potential mental illness including a good primary, a good prescribing psychiatrist, and a good therapist. All three are needed and the truth is meds tend to need to be tweaked and adjusted over years so this team is very important . Too many times I find my dr snot caring about my weight until I become medically over weight and that is really unfortunate as it has such a huge impact on my health as well as my mood and life. We all have to be our own advocate with our health. No doctor and no message board alone holds all the answers to out well being, especially mentally.

Liftng4Lis

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