Antidepressants how long do i take them for? Advice/Help? Your experiences?

Ive been on antidepressants (Fluoxetine) for 4 weeks and have seen a significant improvement to how I feel, I have been back to the doctors today and i advised her that i feel as though i should begin to stop taking them to which she sternly replied NO and that everybody makes this mistake! She advised that I need to be on them for at least 4 - 6 months.


And Apparently after the 1st month people see a significant improvement to their health so they want to stop taking them, they do this and then their depression returns





Cany anybody help me with their experiences with this?





She said to ween myself off them when i have been on them for aprox 4-6months but I feel in myself as if i should be doing that now.Antidepressants how long do i take them for? Advice/Help? Your experiences?
You must continue taking them. I took then for a year once and I felt slightly better after about eight weeks but nothing compared to the way I felt after a year. They really do know what they are doing with depression.Antidepressants how long do i take them for? Advice/Help? Your experiences?
I was on Trazadon and that **** made me feel worse then how i started so i stop them.. My advice to you is if you feel you don't need them then stop, But keep them close just in case you start to feel sad...


GOOD LUCK
Your doctor's right - if you stop taking them this early you will fall into that depressive state again.





You may not want to take them for the time they have recommended but you should take them for a few months at least.





Go back to her after 3 months and see what she says then.





And you will have to wean yourself of them as the doctor stated.
I am a dispensing technician and i've seen people come off them too soon because like you they think they don't need them,but they always end up back at stage one again with their depression.Take the doctors advice,you can't just stop taking them.Good luck.
you should do what your doctor says, she knows whats best. also, i've heard of this happening to may people (becoming depressed again) if they stop taking their meds too soon. the meds produce chemicals in your brain that might otherwise not be there. the meds help your brain get used to producing these chemicals. that's why you have to be on them for so long. and you can't just stop taking them all of a sudden because you're brain will go back to the way it was before the meds. thats why you need to be weaned off them, because your brain has to get used to making them on its own.
you will be ok em!!! doctor knows bestxxxxxxx
I felt better on my tablets in about 2 weeks but I took them for about 6 months I just knew I was ok, I was naughty I just stopped taking them and I have been fine for three years now but I would say take them for at least the 6 months. Good Luck xxx
most anti depress courses are 6 months, 4 weeks isnt enough time to finish the job, they start working at 4 weeks, once they have kicked in thats when you need them for longer to help solve the problem, when it is time for you to come off your doctor will decrease the dosage weekly
i agree with the dr. they know best how long you should be


on the medication,i am on zoloft and will probabley never


get off it,it depends on the person taking it how long they should be on it,the dr. will tell you.
You can NOT stop taking them just because you feel better. That's the point of taking them!!!!!





If you stop your depression WILL return.





If you stop cold turkey you'll experience horrible withdrawl sypmtoms.





Trust me, I know this from first hand experience. I thought I knew better than the doctors and instead of listening to them and continuing the medication (I'd only been on them 5 or 6 weeks) I quit--cold turkey. The withdrawl was so bad after 3 days of not taking them I seriously thought I was going to die. Listen to your doctors, they know better than anyone on here, and better than you do at this point!





I was on Paxil CR.
This is only my opinion, I am in no way an expert on this. I do work in a doctor's office and what I have seen and learned over the years is......When ppl come in and complain about depression and are rx'ed a medication within a few weeks to a month they feel better and assume they can stop the meds....what usually happens is they get depressed again. Usually depression is caused by a deficiency of some kind in the body and the med replaces that. Sometimes a specific event can cause the depression and some medicinal help is needed to get through the event,.....but one should never just stop the meds cold turkey.