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Re: Time to get off meds? » 49er

Posted by Racer on September 11, 2008, at 0:54:22

In reply to Re: Time to get off meds? » Racer, posted by 49er on September 10, 2008, at 17:04:16

> Hi Racer,
> > These days, some people are told flat out that if they ever go off meds, they're virtually certain to experience a recurrence of depression, and the recommendation is to stay on meds indefinitely as prophylaxis. >>
>
> That is totally incorrect as withdrawal symptoms are confused as a return of the illness. Joseph Glenmullen, who is not antimeds, discusses this in his book about withdrawing from ADs.
>

Actually, no -- I was talking about recurrence of depression, not rebound depression. (I didn't reread my post, but I thought I said something about mistaking rebound for recurrence? If I didn't, I meant to...)

Some people -- myself amongst the number -- have recurrent episodes of depression. I know that if I go off meds, even after an extended period of euthymia, at some point in the future I will have a recurrence of depression. I knew that last time I went off meds -- which were no longer working, and I hoped that I'd have a couple of years before the next episode hit -- and made the decision with my eyes very wide open. I tapered slowly -- Effexor, anything else wasn't an option -- over nearly eight months. The following episode began about eight months later, so not withdrawal, and not rebound. Just simple recurrence.

But you're absolutely right -- often even doctors don't know the best choices for tapering down. My husband was prescribed -- I think it might have been Effexor, come to think of it. Dr said to end his taper by taking one every other day -- which, as far as I can see, would actually make things worse. (He'd only been taking it a few weeks, so it wasn't a problem.)

Thanks for the reminder, though -- withdrawal can look like rebound depression at times.


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