Stopping anti depressants alone?

I'm not sure if this is the right place but I don't know where else to ask.

It was discussed with my doctor that I needed to stop my anti depressants. I did not want to take them but was convinced to try 150mg of Wellbutrin, which is a small dose. It started making me have terrible mood swings weekly (worse then already), bad mania and worse depression. They realized I didn't need to be on them if I wasn't going to do mood stabilizers right now (personal, hard headed choice)....then I forgot to discuss how to stop.

I have two pills left and no refill. No way to contact a doctor, plus it's too nerve racking to call someone for me anyways. I figured I'd skip today, take tomorrow, skip the next and take the last...I've heard horror stories of stopping anti depressants. I've only been on them a few months and it's such a low dose and all it does is cause me to be worse then I was before I was on them...it shouldn't be that bad, right?

My SO won't be home from out of state until New Years which means I have to deal with myself for a week. I just want to know if I'm going to lose my mind or Not.

Hello MsAmbrosia: I have to say I was hesitant to even reply to this. It's really something that should be addressed with a medical professional. I've taken myself off of antidepressants numerous times & never had any problems. (Wellbutrin was not one of them.) But I do seem to be a person who's not much affected by this process. On the other hand, since you have so few pills left, there's really no way to taper down gradually. My personal experience would suggest you're not going to lose your mind. But you may well experience some challenging side effects for a while. I do wish you all the best with this process.

wellbutrin is usually easier to stop than many other antidepressants. I'm not saying it will be painless, but its supposed to be easier than stopping, say, Effexor.

I HAVE to say this. Sometimes, a person with bipolar disorder is negatively affected by antidepressants and should rather be treated with other medications. This was certainly the case with me, because when I started antidepressants on two different occasions, my moods were all over the place.

So IF you are bipolar (which I'm only assuming because you mentioned mania) , your doctor ought to know this risk.

As for the current antidepressants, you need to explain this to a doctor so he/she can help you taper off of them instead of stopping so abruptly.

Hi there,

I was prescribed Venlafaxine (Effexor) in June. As my mood deteriorated, my doctor prescribed more and then more venlafaxine. I had a bad feeling and so apart from about a week where I was taking 150mg I took myself back down. The last 8 weeks I was in a rapid cycling state, happy almost Moyer for first two hours, then angry and then deeply depressed, all with 4-5 hours. This would happen every three days and went on until 3 weeks ago when I was just in crisis. I asked for a mood stabiliser as it was really clear I needed one however, the Psychiatrists just told me to stop venlafaxine. I am sensitive to medication but withdrawal from Venlafaxine put me in actual hell. I've had to go back on a very small dose and will now somehow taper it down over the n ct 4 months.

Please take caution. Make sure your prepared and have all the info. I suspect I am bi-polar due to the way antidepressants have effected me. I won't know anything for sure until I'm clear of the SNRI withdrawal effects as many mimic psychological issues - depression, anxiety, irritation etc.

Don't be afraid.
Read materials over the internet about the medication, whether it be forums or articles.
Your feelings about stopping are right. Take things cautiously and slowly with tapering off, as it needs time.

She only has 2 pills left so tapering is not an option.

Oh, right.
Although time has passed since this thread was made, if that's the case, I'd go for last-resort tapering, such as in doses of 0.5, 0, 0.25, 0, 0.25, 0, 0.125... until all 2 are done.
MsAmbrosia - how are you feeling?

MsAmbrosia, I'm worried. Stopping cold turkey is Russian roulette. Especially if you'll be all alone. Please don't do this

This is a pretty sensitive topic - some people on some medications are fine stopping cold turkey. I had an experience recently with clomipramine where I realised it was the cause of my suddenly intensified anxiety, and stopped almost immediately, seeing as I'd already missed two doses. The withdrawal symptoms weren't exactly fun - I felt spaced out, completely unable to focus, could barely eat and my hands were shaking almost constantly - but they weren't terrible, either.

That being said, I have had worse reactions to coming off meds, even when done gradually. I remember one med (can't recall which one, sorry) which caused intense paranoia, I could barely sleep for three weeks and felt like crying almost constantly. Some people can also feel suicidal when coming off meds, too.

With coming off ANY medication, you will generally notice symptoms get worse before they get better. Coming off the medication gradually does lessen this, which is why it's not recommended to go cold turkey. I am not going to tell you that it's okay to go cold turkey, because I'd really recommend doing this gradually, but if you are going to do it anyway then I'd recommend you make sure you don't do it alone. If that means contacting friends or family and making sure you're with someone at all times, then do that.

Everyone's reactions to discontinuing meds are different, hence the horror stories. The best thing you can do is plan for the worst, so that you're prepared, even if you're unlikely to have an experience quite that intense.

If you go to the pharmacy and explain your situation they will give you enough to get by so you can talk to your doctor about a taper. You still have to pay for them.

You can get an emergency refill from your pharmacy if you ask. Just tell them you are running out and really need them, and they'll give you a few pills to get you through until you can see a doctor. There's always the emergency room too if things get way out of hand, sometimes they'll give you a seven day prescription. Tapering is the best way to go, and that is best done very, very gradually. For antipsychotics it's recommended to do about four weeks of taper, but I've heard of a year long taper before. I abruptly stopped my antipsychotic about a week and a half ago, and I'm having really bad anxiety issues and manic symptoms, but I haven't completely lost it. I'm making sure I make myself sleep, and I'm reaching out for support. It was probably impatient of me though, I should've tapered. I called a psychiatrist and am waiting for an appointment right now. But yeah, you'll probably want to taper and not isolate yourself, and make sure whoever is closest to you knows what's going on and what to watch for in case you need some help. And also I guess it helps to just try to keep your thoughts in check and watch for signs of needing immediate help. Sorry you're going through this, hang in there

How are you doing?