Stopping antidepressants

By birdie752 Wednesday, September 05, 2007

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I have been ill for over a week. During that time I have not taken any medications. I want to continue not taking them to see what effect it will have on me once I start feeling well. Is this a wise thing to do? I take 450mg of Wellbutrin and 20 mg of Lexapro. I have been seeing a psychologist but not since about a week before I became ill. Do I just take a wait and see attitude? So far I don't feel any side effects of not taking my meds.

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Susan Cagley

9/ 5/07 5:11pm

I would be afraid to stop taking my meds like that. but you are not me. Aren't you glad? My kids go nuts if they think I not taking my meds. I have been on my meds for over 4 years now. You haven't been on your as long so it might not affect you the same way. Just be careful and good luck. God bless you and have a great day.

Anonymous

9/ 5/07 9:51pm

I also take wellbutrin (300mg). I'm not sure exactly of what the half life is (how long it stays in your system), but I do know that I've missed a couple of days in a row before and seen little effect. I would be very careful about stopping them altogether though without consulting your psychiatrist. If you google search antidepressant withdrawl, you'll find some real horror stories about stopping abruptly. Those may not happen to you, but it would probably be good to know what to watch for. Good luck!

birdie752

9/ 6/07 12:57am

Thank you for your posts. I have been taking meds for around 15 years, if not longer. I have been on my current meds for about 7-8 years. My psychiatrist wanted me to talk to a psychologist which I have been doing for about 6 months now. Maybe that is helping me more than I realize. In the past if I miss a day of meds my family can tell. I can tell. Right now I don't feel bad as far as not taking my meds goes. What I'm wondering about is if after being on meds for so long do I really need them? How do I know that I still need to be on them? I know how bad it was before and don't want to be that way again, but is it possible to not have a need for them after all this time? I was wondering if anyone else stopped taking their meds and found out they didn't need them anymore.

hollyz

9/16/07 11:10am

Dear birdie752,

I want to notify you that your question has been answered in our new feature, Ask the Expert Patient. You can find the answer to your question here. I hope you find this helpful and thank you for posting your question on the DepressionConnection.

Best of luck!

Holly

Stopping antidepressants

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