Can I stop taking my antidepressant medication now that I feel better?

Edward L.

For the past 8 months I have been taking antidepressant medication to help with my depression and in the past 2 weeks I have felt amazing. I am very tempted to stop taking them because I feel that I am better and no longer want to rely on the medication. Is it okay for me to stop taking them without talking to my doctor?

Solved Mental Health

Answers ( 1 )

  1. Hugh K.

    Edward, I am very glad you are feeling better now! However, you should really not just stop taking your anti depressants. Anti depressants work by changing the chemical makeup of your brain, and as such need to be carefully managed by a healthcare professional. You should absolutely go talk to your doctor about other options, but they will probably recommend simply lowering your dosage and seeing how you react to that. Even if you are insistent on not taking the antidepressants anymore you cannot simply stop taking them, you need to be slowly weaned off of them in order for your brain to adjust to the different levels of chemicals and hormones.