I Stopped Taking My Antidepressants

Now I have all the brain zaps, irritability and all the random crying a girl could want.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

I have spent a lot of my time as someone who has depression, avoiding antidepressants. I had lots of friends on them, and the complaints about side effects were many and varied. When I did try them myself I often only gave them a short amount of time before abandoning them as the side effects were many and varied.
My least favourite were the ones that made me feel even madder than I was.
My favourite made me sleep for 12 hours at a time.
Either way, therapy, mindful meditation, good sleep hygiene, exercise and avoiding alcohol have been my preferred and generally successful way of handling my depression. I think there is a place for antidepressants, but I was able to manage without them. Mostly.

I recently became very stressed and anxious due to a situation beyond my control. It was affecting me physically and mentally. I wanted immediate relief; I was beside myself and spiralling out of control. So when my doctor prescribed something for the anxiety, I took it without question. It helped almost immediately, so I kept taking it. Then when the dust had settled, I researched the drug I was taking. It was just another antidepressant. I…