Posted by SLS on September 28, 2006, at 15:07:29
In reply to Long Term Antidepressant Withdrawal Success, posted by Philip N. on September 27, 2006, at 18:43:54
> This is my first time to post. I am wondering desperately if there are many success stories out there of people successfully coming off of antidepressants after several years (9).
Yes. However, some people have a more recurrent subtype of depressive disorder that requires them to remain on medication indefinitely.
> I have been trying for 9 months and am spiralling downhill.
> Now the answer is that it's been long enough and that any discontinuation syndrome would have been long gone.
Yes.
> My suspicians are otherwise.
I am curious to know what your rationale is.
> I want to participate in life again and I'm wondering at this point if I'm holding out with false pretenses.
I believe that you have been relapsing. It is the original depressive disorder that is re-emerging. It is not any type of residual withdrawal rebound depression. The depression that sometimes comes from the withdrawal from antidepressants occurs during the first weeks following discontinuation and disappear shortly afterwards.
For how many months did you feel absolutely well after you discontinued medication?
> I now have agorophobia and return of depression with escalating anxiety.
What do you mean by agoraphobia? Is this new? What do you experience? How about the anxiety? Is this new also?
How old are you? How old were you when you began to notice depressive symptoms or excessive anxiety?
You can go for second opinions to confirm that you have a recurrent major depressive disorder or decide to trust your doctor's judgment. Don't trust absolutely anyone's opinion here. Do some other research on the Internet. Use the word "recurrent" in your searches.
I know I would have wanted to come off of antidepressants if I were in your situation. Of course, I would have tapered the dosage gradually if my doctor were smart enough to tell me to. You were performing an experiment. Now you have the results. How will you interpret them? Can you accept your own logical conclusions? What course of action do these conclusions indicate? What, if anything, would prevent you from taking it?
Do the research in order to more confidently interpret the results of your experiment. My opinion is that you have a recurrent affective disorder that will need long-term treatment.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:689687
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060927/msgs/689973.html