Posted by Bill LL on August 9, 2004, at 9:28:50
In reply to Re: Going off of Effexor XR (225mg), posted by Isabella on August 5, 2004, at 15:37:11
A lot of people ask that same question about whether antidepressants can be discontinued. I have never seen a definitive answer and I suspect that there may not be one that fits everybody.
For example, antibiotics cure an infection, then you can stop taking them. Do antidepressants work this way? I don't know. The answer is more clear for someone who is anxious or depressed about a life event such as tremendous stress related to rape, other abuse, college courses, relationship problems, etc. For those people, the drugs would probably not be needed indefinitely.
But a lot of people, including myself, have been very anxious and depressed for as long as they can remember. It's not clear if these people will be able to discontinue medications in the future without having their symptoms return. I sort of doubt that I will ever be able to stop taking antidepressants without going back to how I use to feel. But there are a lot of people who take these drugs during rough times, and then are able to stop taking them.
poster:Bill LL
thread:374237
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040805/msgs/375571.html