Content
Free Mental Health Assessment
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.
Content
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.
Hims & Hers has strict sourcing guidelines to ensure our content is accurate and current. We rely on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We strive to use primary sources and refrain from using tertiary references. See a mistake? Let us know at [email protected]!
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment. Learn more about our editorial standards here.
Dr. Daniel Z. Lieberman is the senior vice president of mental health at Hims & Hers and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at George Washington University. Prior to joining Hims & Hers, Dr. Lieberman spent over 25 years as a full time academic, receiving multiple awards for teaching and research. While at George Washington, he served as the chairman of the university’s Institutional Review Board and the vice chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
Dr. Lieberman’s has focused on , , , and to increase access to scientifically-proven treatments. He served as the principal investigator at George Washington University for dozens of FDA trials of new medications and developed online programs to help people with , , and . In recognition of his contributions to the field of psychiatry, in 2015, Dr. Lieberman was designated a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He is board certified in psychiatry and addiction psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
As an expert in mental health, Dr. Lieberman has provided insight on psychiatric topics for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Office of Drug & Alcohol Policy.
Dr. Lieberman studied the Great Books at St. John’s College and attended medical school at New York University, where he also completed his psychiatry residency. He is the coauthor of the international bestseller , which has been translated into more than 20 languages and was selected as one of the “Must-Read Brain Books of 2018” by Forbes. He is also the author of . He has been on and to discuss the role of the in human behavior, , and .
1992: M.D., New York University School of Medicine
1985: B.A., St. John’s College, Annapolis, Maryland
2022–Present: Clinical Professor, George Washington University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
2013–2022: Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs, George Washington University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
2010–2022: Professor, George Washington University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
2008–2017: Chairman, George Washington University Institutional Review Board
2022: Distinguished Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association
2008–2020: Washingtonian Top Doctor award
2005: Caron Foundation Research Award
Lieberman, D. Z., Cioletti, A., Massey, S. H., Collantes, R. S., & Moore, B. B. (2014). Treatment preferences among problem drinkers in primary care. International journal of psychiatry in medicine, 47(3), 231–240. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.2190/PM.47.3.d?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed
Lieberman, D. Z., Swayze, S., & Goodwin, F. K. (2011). An automated Internet application to help patients with bipolar disorder track social rhythm stabilization. Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.), 62(11), 1267–1269. https://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/ps.62.11.pss6211_1267?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed
Lieberman, D. Z., Massey, S. H., & Goodwin, F. K. (2010). The role of gender in single vs married individuals with bipolar disorder. Comprehensive psychiatry, 51(4), 380–385. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0010440X0900128X?via%3Dihub
Lieberman, D. Z., Kolodner, G., Massey, S. H., & Williams, K. P. (2009). Antidepressant-induced mania with concomitant mood stabilizer in patients with comorbid substance abuse and bipolar disorder. Journal of addictive diseases, 28(4), 348–355. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20155604
Lieberman, D. Z., Montgomery, S. A., Tourian, K. A., Brisard, C., Rosas, G., Padmanabhan, K., Germain, J. M., & Pitrosky, B. (2008). A pooled analysis of two placebo-controlled trials of desvenlafaxine in major depressive disorder. International clinical psychopharmacology, 23(4), 188–197. https://journals.lww.com/intclinpsychopharm/abstract/2008/07000/a_pooled_analysis_of_two_placebo_controlled_trials.2.aspx