Can You Go Back on Antidepressants After Stopping?

If you’ve been asking yourself “Should I go back on antidepressants?”, you’re not alone. It’s far from uncommon to experience symptoms of depression and other mental health disorders again after you stop antidepressant treatment. And in many cases, restarting your medication (under the supervision of your healthcare provider, of course) is the most effective way to manage your symptoms and start feeling better again. 

Ahead, we’ll explain how and why depression can make an unwanted comeback in your life, as well as why restarting antidepressants after stopping is both common and normal. We’ll also discuss what you should be aware of if you start using antidepressants again after a period without medication.

When you start to experience the symptoms of depression again, it’s important to talk with your healthcare provider as soon as possible. If they think you’re at risk of relapse, they may suggest going back on antidepressants.

It’s very normal for depression symptoms to make a comeback, even after you stop taking your antidepressants or participating in psychotherapy. In fact, researchers estimate that 60% of people who recover from depression experience one or more depressive episodes later in life. Among those who experience two or more depressive episodes, the rate of recurrence is even higher, with 70% having another recurrence of clinical depression.

You may go back on the same antidepressant you were taking before you stopped, particularly if it was effective at reducing your symptoms and came with few side effects. Or, your prescriber may suggest a different antidepressant if your condition, health status, or treatment needs have changed.

Depending on how long it’s been since you stopped taking medication, treatment may be restarted at a low dose and gradually increased, as to minimize potential side effects and allow your body to readjust. Restarting antidepressants side effects will likely be similar to your first experience on antidepressants, especially if you’re taking the same type of antidepressant. 

Examples of common antidepressant side effects include: 

• Nausea and vomiting

• Diarrhea

• Sleepiness

• Weight gain

• Sexual dysfunction

Remember: Antidepressants work, but their effects aren’t immediate. If you’re prescribed an antidepressant to treat depression, anxiety symptoms, or a related issue, you might need to take your medication for several weeks before you feel any improvements.

 As your depression symptoms begin to fade and you make progress toward recovery, you might feel like it’s OK to stop taking your antidepressant. That may or may not be true. In order to prevent the depression from coming back, you should take it for at least six months, starting from the time you feel back to your normal self. If you’re not having any side effects, a year is even better. If you’ve experienced three or more depressive episodes in your lifetime, it’s best to take the medication long term. If you stop, the depression is very likely to come back. But if it’s your first episode, and you’ve been feeling well for at least six months, stopping is a reasonable thing to do.

However, this is something you should get medical advice on before doing. That’s because it’s important to gradually taper drugs like antidepressants to avoid antidepressant discontinuation syndrome. It’s estimated that around 20% of people experience antidepressant discontinuation symptoms after stopping antidepressants without properly tapering off of them first.

Antidepressant withdrawal symptoms can include: 

• Flu-like symptoms

• Trouble sleeping with vivid dreams

• Nausea and vomiting

• Dizziness, vertigo, or lightheadedness

• “Zaps,” or electric shock-like sensations

• Feeling agitated, irritable, or anxious

According to a 2022 review, some factors that may increase the risk of withdrawal effects include: 

• Using an antidepressant with a short half-life, such as paroxetine (Paxil^®) or venlafaxine.

• Being on antidepressants for a longer time

• Taking a higher dose of antidepressant

Antidepressants are prescription medications generally used to treat depression. They work by changing the activity levels of certain naturally-occurring chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters, which are involved in regulating moods, stress levels, and behavior.

Experts believe that by changing the activity levels of these chemicals, antidepressants can help reduce the severity of depressive symptoms and make recovery easier. 

As the name suggests, antidepressants are mostly used to treat major depression and similar depressive disorders. However, they’re also prescribed to treat other conditions, including anxiety disorders, chronic pain, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

There are numerous types of antidepressant medications. Types of antidepressants often prescribed include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and SSRI alternatives, such as serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants.

SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed type of antidepressant. Examples of SSRIs that you may have heard of include: 

• Citalopram (Celexa^®)

• Escitalopram (Lexapro^®)

• Fluoxetine (Prozac^®)

• Paroxetine (Paxil^®)

• Sertraline (Zoloft^®)

Other types of antidepressant drugs include:

• Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) like duloxetine (Cymbalta^®) and venlafaxine (Effexor^®)

• Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)

• Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)

• Atypical antidepressants 

Our guide to depression medications goes into more detail about the specific medications used to treat depression and how they work.

It’s common, normal, and often recommended to use antidepressants for several months at a time, particularly if you have episodes of depression that come back.

When you’re prescribed an antidepressant for use after your depression symptoms improve, it’s referred to as continuation therapy or maintenance therapy. The goal of this type of treatment is to prevent a relapse of depression in the future.

Many people continue using antidepressants for months, even after their physical and emotional symptoms of depression improve. In fact, research suggests that taking antidepressants for at least 10 to 12 months as part of continuation therapy can help to prevent depression from coming back again.

In other words, it’s absolutely fine to go back on antidepressants if you start to notice symptoms of depression again, especially if you have severe symptoms that have a negative effect on your quality of life and general well-being.

It’s also OK to continue antidepressant therapy after your depression symptoms improve, even when you feel like you’re physically and emotionally “normal” again.

For some people, depression is a one-off mood disorder that goes away with a mix of antidepressants and therapy. For others, chronic depression is an ongoing issue that can disappear and appear again.

If you’ve successfully treated depression before with antidepressants but notice your symptoms coming back after stopping your medication, it’s important to get help. You can do this by talking to your healthcare provider or using our online psychiatry service to connect with a provider online. 

If appropriate, you may be prescribed antidepressants again to help you control your symptoms and manage your depression for the long term.

We also offer a range of other mental health services, including online therapy and anonymous support groups, allowing you to access multiple types of help for depression and other mental health conditions.

Going back on antidepressants is fine, and it doesn’t mean you’ve “failed” to properly deal with depression. In fact, the reality is the opposite — with long-term treatment, you’ll gain more control over your symptoms and be better equipped to achieve remission.