[Anonymous]

Hi everyone,

Long story short I'm in recovery from an eating disorder. When I went to see my Dr about it over a year ago now I just broke down in tears in his office, and he prescribed me some prozac. I still think it was just to get the crying woman out of his office, but I took them anyway, and afterwards found myself a therapist who helped me so much. I honestly can't even recognise the person I was a few months ago. The person who avoided going out in case I had to eat in front of people, and who broke down in tears outside my flat because I couldn't face going in through the kitchen, and who limited myself to around 100 calories a day.

Because I've been feeling mentally so much better these days, and because I've moved quite a distance to a new place I stopped taking my anti-depressants about two months ago. Over the last few days I've felt the depression (though thankfully not the disordered eating habits) creeping back in. I feel uncontrollably weepy, irritable, and over emotional. I don't know if it's an effect of coming off anti-depressants cold turkey, whether I'm just returning to baseline or if it is the depression coming back again.

Does anyone have similar experience of coming off SSRIs / anti-depressants, and did you find the same thing?

If it goes on longer I may have to go make an appointment with my new Dr. Just wanted to field some opinions first.

[Sabertooth]

It's recommended that you continue to take antidepressants for at least 6 months after feeling better to try and stop it coming back (longer if you were depressed for a long time), so it's perhaps not surprising that you're experiencing these feelings again. But at least the antidepressants worked for you so perhaps it's simply a case of taking them again until you feel better and then coming off them slowly after having felt good for quite a while. I don't know if you stopped cold turkey or if you tapered off them but the latter is recommended.

And well done on the recovery from the eating disorder

[Anonymous]

(Original post by Sabertooth)
It's recommended that you continue to take antidepressants for at least 6 months after feeling better to try and stop it coming back (longer if you were depressed for a long time), so it's perhaps not surprising that you're experiencing these feelings again. But at least the antidepressants worked for you so perhaps it's simply a case of taking them again until you feel better and then coming off them slowly after having felt good for quite a while. I don't know if you stopped cold turkey or if you tapered off them but the latter is recommended.

And well done on the recovery from the eating disorder

Thanks, even that "well done" got me feeling all emotional I did come off them cold turkey, mostly because after I moved I wasn't registered with a Dr and my prescription ran out, which meant I just never bothered to refill it because I was feeling much better.

I think I'll call my new doctor and make an appointment to discuss it and see what she says. I think I might need to reintroduce them for a while then slowly wean myself off them rather than come off them all at once.

Thanks for replying though, I really do appreciate it.

[broken_rose]

Hello,
Firstly well done for overcoming the eating issues! I'm sorry that your mood is lowered though. I had the same thing when I came off my antidepressents. I had always been reluctant to take them and as soon as my mood lifted, I didnt see the need to take them anymore so I just stopped. And sure enough, I wasnt ready and my mood plummeted.
Did your doctor say you could stop them? I think it's common for people to experience depression again if they stop cold turkey without the doctors consent. They would ususally take you off gradually so your body can adjust and to see if you're ready.
I would definatly recomment seeing your doc. Although you're not in as bad a place as you have been, don't let it get back there.
Good luck

[Anonymous]

(Original post by Anonymous)
Thanks, even that "well done" got me feeling all emotional I did come off them cold turkey, mostly because after I moved I wasn't registered with a Dr and my prescription ran out, which meant I just never bothered to refill it because I was feeling much better.

I think I'll call my new doctor and make an appointment to discuss it and see what she says. I think I might need to reintroduce them for a while then slowly wean myself off them rather than come off them all at once.

Thanks for replying though, I really do appreciate it.

Exactly. You shouldn't do cold turkey when coming off anti-depressants.

Anyway, good luck with things.

[Exopaladin]

It shouldn't be an effect of coming off the antidepressants cold turkey really, you would've probably had problems a lot sooner than two months if it was. It's probably more just that you need them for now and should probably take them for 6 months to a year after you feel better to reduce the chance of it coming back. You should also be prepared for the fact that it may just be that you need to take them for a long time, some people do need them permanently.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies.

I think it is just a case of needing to stay on them for a little longer. I do worry that if I stay in a low mood / depressed it may eventually lead to the feelings that precipitated my eating disorder in the first place. While I'm still in this frame of mind I'm going to get myself down to the doctor for a chat about meds I think. It makes me a little sad to have to go back on them, but I think it'll be for the best in the long run.

Anyone else just wish there was some sort of miracle cure for mental health?

[katebrighteyes]

I come off citalopram (40mg) by halving it and it was the worst thing I ever did. I went crazy. I was getting sick numerous times a day, I couldn't think straight and I spent two entire weeks in bed crying and barely eating. Don't go cold turkey. In fact, go to a doctor and let them taper you off it professionally. I'd never want anyone else to go through what I did. I felt awful. I never knew I could ever feel that low.