• Question: Why should a person consult a doctor when trying to stop taking antidepressants?

    Asked by to Daren, Lynne, Phillip, Simon on 24 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Daren Fearon

      Daren Fearon answered on 24 Jun 2014:

      A person taking antidepressants may want to stop taking them for many reasons but these antidepressants usually just treat the symptoms and not the underlying cause of depression. Medical doctors are taught that they should “first do no harm” so would only give someone antidepressants if they believed it would help them. They would also take someone off antidepressants if they thought it was appropriate.

    • Photo: Lynne Thomas

      Lynne Thomas answered on 25 Jun 2014:

      Medical doctors have many years of training in identifying symptoms in their patients. With any illness, it is always wise to discuss the pros and cons with your medical doctor before changing the treatment. It is no different with antidepressants. The medical doctors are there to help and advise on the best course of action.

    • Photo: anon

      anon answered on 27 Jun 2014:

      As Daren says, antidepressants don’t actually cure you, they just make the symptoms easier to deal with. A bit like if you break your leg and take painkillers – the painkillers won’t mend the bone, but they’ll stop it from being as uncomfortable.
      It’s usually best to come off things like that slowly, so you get used to it and can deal with the problems one step at a time and get better far more effectively.

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