Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

News of frustrating and sometimes serious side effects to antidepressants can be enough to motivate one to wean oneself off the medication. New reports show SSRIs have been linked to suicidal thoughts, a Parkinsons-like condition known as Tardive Dyskinesia, and serious birth defects in infants born to women who took SSRIs during pregnancy. But coming off antidepressants is not always easy and if done improperly can cause uncomfortable withdrawal effects, also known as SSRI discontinuation syndrome.

SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are antidepressants that affect serotonin levels in the brain. It’s not fully understood how they work but it is thought they provide higher levels of serotonin at the brain receptor site. SSRI discontinuation syndrome can occur during or following interruption or the lowering of dosage or the discontinuation of an SSRI or SNRI (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) antidepressant.

Side effects can occur between 24 hours to one week after reduction or stoppage of dosage and they can be overwhelming. Side effects may include dizziness, electric shock-like sensations or “zaps,” sweating, nausea, insomnia, tremor, confusion, and vertigo.

If you are considering coming off your antidepressant, Summer Beretsky on PsychCentral.com offers some tips on how to make the process in a blog that details her challenges when she came off Paxil. Her weaning process was a months long ordeal that involved tapering down her dosage by splitting or shaving pills over the course of seven months. During that time of weaning off she says she suffered from side effects headaches, lethargy, depression, dizziness, the “zaps,” and nausea, to name a few. Read her personal story and tips on gradually weaning off SSRIs on the site’s blog.

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