![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 2 of 2. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Cloud 9 on December 10, 2001, at 6:55:13
Why after a set amount of time can you stop taking anti-depressants?
I've heard of some people discontinuing their ads after a trial period of 6 months or 9 months or 2 years (second attempt) and some having to stay on them for their entire lives. What happens during this period that allows us to stop taking the meds and feel better? Does a light switch that was turned off somehow get turned and stay on? Won't our levels of seratonin, norepinephrine, dopamine or whatever the neurotransmitter may be fall back to the debilitating level they once were at? Do we learn coping strategies that stay with us afterwards?
I understand basically why ads work while we take them but not why they work in the long run. If anyone has any theories or experiences they can offer it would be wonderful.
Thanks,
Cloud 9
PS- how do i know when it's my time?
Posted by Elizabeth on December 10, 2001, at 11:31:13
In reply to Anti-depressants: Why do they work (or not)?, posted by Cloud 9 on December 10, 2001, at 6:55:13
> Why after a set amount of time can you stop taking anti-depressants?
You can't always (well, you *can*, but you might relapse). And it's hard to predict who will be able to stop them and who won't.
> I've heard of some people discontinuing their ads after a trial period of 6 months or 9 months or 2 years (second attempt) and some having to stay on them for their entire lives.
I think that if the depression is recurrent (more than 2 episodes) or chronic (more than 2 years) the advice is usually to stay on the AD "indefinitely." The thing is, you can't tell if it's going to be recurrent until you've already had multiple episodes. Now there's also some evidence that staying on the AD longer after a first episode can help prevent subsequent episodes (i.e., slow or halt the progression of the illness). So it's probably not as simple as either you have a single isolated episode or you have lifelong recurring depression.
> What happens during this period that allows us to stop taking the meds and feel better? Does a light switch that was turned off somehow get turned and stay on?
I think the hypothesis is that the AD has a stabilizing effect, getting things back to the way they were before the depression (pretty much), so that unless you are just generally predisposed to depression, you can stop once you've been well for a while. But the truth is no one really knows. I know it's frustrating (it is for me too), but right now we don't have any definitive answers to your questions.
-elizabeth
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.