Reasons to stop taking an SSRI

[Big]

Can anyone explain to me the reason why you would stop taking an SSRI like Cipralex.

The reason I ask is I'm wondering if it the drug can permanently restore
your brain chemistry to a more balanced level. Therefore when you wean off the pill, you will be a step ahead from before the day you started taking it.

What is the motive to stop using the SSRI's?



Cheers,

[Big]

Hmm, maybe the pill cannot achieve such results

[Jaco45er]

Hiya

SSRI's don't actually restore anything. The medical profession believe that anxiety/depression is caused when the synapes in the brain which carry the chemical messengers do not work effectively.

That is, when messages are transmitted through the brain, synapes release serotonin to allow the messages to be tranmitted. They believe that anxiety/depression is caused when the synapes "mopped up" the serotonin too quickly, not leaving adequate levels in the brain.

SSRI's (Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors) act to stop the serotonin being mopped up (Re-uptake) to quickly (inhibit).

That said, from what I have read in the past, they are not 100% on why this actually works, but for the mostpart SSRI's do seem to for a lot of people (not me, I was SSRI intolerant).

I am no Dr, far from it, but I would imagine a GP would advise that once a patient is back to normal, then SSRI's would not be needed, much the same way that if you broke your leg, once healed you would not need crutches any more.

Jaco

[Franz]

Can anyone explain to me the reason why you would stop taking an SSRI like Cipralex.

The reason I ask is I'm wondering if it the drug can permanently restore
your brain chemistry to a more balanced level. Therefore when you wean off the pill, you will be a step ahead from before the day you started taking it.

What is the motive to stop using the SSRI's?

Cheers,

If your anxiety was triggered by external stresses, such as losing your job or your marriage breaking up - the sorts of things that would make anybody depressed and anxious - and then things improve, I think there is a good chance that coming off antidepressants will have no ill effects, and may even make you feel better in the sense that you'll have more energy and your brain will work faster.

On the other hand, if you've always been the sort of person who "worries about nothing", no matter how good your circumstances are, then there is a fair chance that coming off SSRIs will land you back where you started. The process may take a few weeks or months, as your brain rediscovers all the things that there are to worry about. That's what happened to me when I came off clomipramine (a TCA, not an SSRI, but similar in how it works) - though admittedly my circumstances weren't great either.

I've read a fair bit about how the brain works and anxiety is basically self-reinforcing. In other words, it's a lot easier to "let it in" than to get rid of it. That's a basic survival mechanism: if you've been exposed to danger in a particular set of circumstances, even if only once, it makes sense for your subconscious to continue to associate those circumstances with danger, because the price of not doing may well be death.

So if you're temperamentally prone to anxiety, you might go through a period after coming off drugs - as I did - where you feel fine. But in my case the neuroses just took hold again and wouldn't shift. The brain isn't just a neutral arena for emotions, it develops. Just as we lay down memories, we lay down fears. We can't forget the fears, but only try to build on top of them with positive experiences.

[yor5150]

I stopped because of the sexual side effects and sure enough the depression came back. I've been depressed all my life. I'd be wealthy if I had a dollar for every time I heard "Why are you so sad?" growing up. I waited until I was in my late 30's to try AD's but nothing seemed to work. In my 40's I tried again and was prescribed Lexapro which seemed to help. At the time I was ending a relationship so any concerns about sexual issues were nil. I found a woman whom I really care about & wanted to see if the sexual issues were due to aging or the meds. It was mostly the latter as things improved quite dramatically after I stopped taking Lexapro. Unfortunately, after a month or two the deep depression came back. I've mentioned in other posts that I did not consult with my doctor because I had never experienced problems other than the sexual ones. Nothing like the feelings of despair occured with Paxel, Prozac or Effexor.

I've been in hell for the past two weeks and the only reason I haven't stopped is because my doctor has suggested I give it time to stabalize along with a prescription for Xanax to help with the overwhelming anxiety. If I ever achieve the "abnormalcy" of what I had before I went off the meds I'll consider myself a very fortunate soul. Imagine trying to go to work and deal with people when your brain is telling you you're going to hell for the sins you've committed and that God is not going to accept your request for forgiveness. Oh, and by the way, the End of the World is near and the suffering is about to begin. That is what my mind is telling me. I hope none of you experience this feeling of dread and despair that I have been feeling.