Less common symptoms are:
What Causes ADS?
There are several different causes of discontinuation syndrome.
Here is an overview of the most common causes of your symptoms.
Emma Kim/Getty Images
Treatment for ADS
Treatment for discontinuation syndrome may involve restarting the medication and then slowly tapering.
The most severe symptoms often begin to improve within one to three days.
During this time, supportive self-care can help people manage symptoms until they recover.
Prevention of ADS
So how can you prevent discontinuation symptoms from happening?
First, if you do miss a dose of your antidepressant, don’t panic.
It happens to the best of us.
Here are some other ways to prevent discontinuation syndrome.
Taking your medication as prescribed also makes it as effective as possible in treating your depression symptoms.
This means that the likelihood of having discontinuation symptoms if you miss a dose is pretty low.
Missing a dose of Prozac would result in fewer symptoms than missing a dose of Zoloft or Effexor.
Don’t ever stop your antidepressant without your doctor’s knowledge.
Am I Addicted to Antidepressants?
Gabriel M, Sharma V.Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.CMAJ.
2017;189(21):E747.
doi:10.1503/cmaj.160991
Bhat V, Kennedy SH.Recognition and management of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.J Psychiatry Neurosci.
2017;42(4):E7-E8.
doi:10.1503/jpn.170022
Warner CH, Bobo W, Warner C, Reid S, Rachal J.Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.Am Fam Physician.
2006;74(3):449-456.
Wilson E, Lader M.A review of the management of antidepressant discontinuation symptoms.Ther Adv Psychopharmacol.
2015;5(6):357-368. doi:10.1177/2045125315612334
Harvard Health Publishing.Going off antidepressants.
Hirsch M, Birnbaum RJ.Discontinuing antidepressant medications in adults.UpToDate.