If you've used anti-depressants, did you have a difficult time getting off them?!

If you've used anti-depressants, did you have a difficult time getting off them?

I'm curious how long people use anti-depressants, and if they had any difficulty getting off them, ... if they got off at all.

Also I'm curious what particular anti-depressants you were using.

You'll have withdrawal symptoms when getting off them in proportion to how quickly the individual drug is metabolized.

For example Prozac takes about 14 days to reach a blood level of 50% what it was when you stopped taking it. People never have withdrawal symptoms from Prozac.

Paxil on the other hand will probably reach that blood level in 14 hours.

Note, the withdrawal symptoms I'm referring to are different than the return of depression. It's basically your body adjusting to the absence of the chemical.

Whether the use of antidepressants fosters a dependency, and an inability to feel good without them is open for debate. Most doctors would say they do not foster dependency. There are others who would disagree.