Thinking about going off an antidepressant? Here’s what experts want you to know about doing so safely
CBC
Winnipeg resident John Ruhland first began taking medication for his depression in 2000 when a period of enormous stress — both at work and in his personal life — landed him in the hospital.
"It took the antidepressants to bring me to a comfortable level of dealing with the overall situation," said Ruhland.
His condition improved, allowing him to stop taking medication for roughly a year before his symptoms returned.
When his condition improved again about 15 years later, Ruhland went off the medication under the supervision of his doctor.
However, Ruhland's symptoms returned once more, and it became clear that he needed to resume treatment.
"I just brought myself to the hospital and said, 'Here's what's going on and I'm pretty sure I need to get back on medication,'" he said.
Roughly 6.6 million Canadians filled prescriptions for antidepressants in 2023, up from 5.8 million in 2019, according to data from health research firm IQVIA.
These drugs — the most common of which are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) — are well established as treatments for depression.
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) recommends consulting a physician after experiencing “feelings of sadness, despair and hopelessness, or by excessive worry that is hard to control” for more than two weeks.
But it's not always clear how long patients should stay on these medications — and what role therapy can play in the process of going off them safely.
Although everyone’s case is different, and changes to medication should be handled under close supervision of a doctor, here’s what the experts CBC spoke to for The Dose want you to know about going off antidepressants.
According to CAMH, for patients experiencing their first depressive episode, an antidepressant is considered to be working if symptoms improve within two to four weeks, with full remission seen around six to 12 weeks.
If a patient’s symptoms don’t improve, physicians may recommend a different medication, or combinations of medication and therapy.
Psychiatrist Dr. Ishrat Husain is a senior scientist at CAMH in Toronto, who also leads the centre’s mood disorders service.
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