Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCauses of Flu-Like SymptomsDiscontinuing an AntidepressantSymptoms of ADSMedications Associated With ADSPreventing ADS

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Causes of Flu-Like Symptoms

Discontinuing an Antidepressant

Symptoms of ADS

Medications Associated With ADS

Preventing ADS

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If you’ve recently discontinued an antidepressant, you might experience flu-like symptoms as part of withdrawal (known asantidepressant discontinuation syndrome, or ADS).You may have symptoms after missing only a single dose or taking it late. Or, symptoms may come on several days after you stop your medication, making it harder to connect the dots.

Symptoms such asfatigue, nausea, chills, and muscle aches can indicate the flu. If it is flu season (October through March), you may indeed have influenza. However, flu-like symptoms occur with many infections besides the flu.

You can have similar symptoms due to colds (rhinoviruses), COVID-19 or other coronaviruses, human respiratory syncytial virus, adenoviruses, human parainfluenza virus, viral and bacterial pneumonia, Legionella, measles, acute HIV infection, herpes, hepatitis C, Lyme disease, and many others.Withdrawal symptoms from opioidscan also mirror some of the symptoms of influenza.

Because any single antidepressant may be only 50% effective, you might think it isn’t working and that stopping it won’t have any effects.Or, you may not have refilled a prescription. You may simply have forgotten to take it.

However, even if you aren’t getting the desired effects, antidepressants change your body chemistry. Suddenly removing the drugs will result in a sudden change of chemical reactions, resulting inwithdrawal symptoms.

If you stop taking your antidepressant abruptly, withouttapering your dosage, you can experience symptoms that range from mild to severe. You can experience discontinuation syndrome a few daysor weeksafter you stop taking your medication, even when tapering your dose,missing a dose, or taking a dose late. You might experience these symptoms for a few weeks.

Some will experience only minor symptoms and miss the connection with their antidepressant. For others, the symptoms are so debilitating that they feel they cannot stop their antidepressant for fear of how it will interfere with their lives.

Symptoms of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome include:

Discontinuation syndrome is most common with those drugs that have ashort half-life, which is how long it takes for half the drug to clear from the body.

There are exceptions to the rule. For example,Prozac(fluoxetine) is the one SSRI that generally does not cause problems because it has a half-life of two to four days, and its primary metabolite (breakdown product) has a half-life of four to 16 days.This long half-life gives it a built-in tapering effect.

If you are planning to discontinue your antidepressant, seek your doctor’s approval and advice. When you stop your antidepressant, you run the risk of withdrawal symptoms as well as a possible return of the condition you are taking the antidepressant for. If your doctor has given you the green light to stop, discuss how you should proceed in gradually decreasing your dosage.

Tapering schedules can be quite variable. If your treatment has lasted less than six weeks, tapering is often done over one to two weeks. If you’ve been treated for six to eight months, tapering is done over six to eight weeks.

4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gabriel M, Sharma V.Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.CMAJ. 2017;189(21):E747. doi:10.1503/cmaj.160991Harvey BH, Slabbert FN.New insights on the antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.Hum Psychopharmacol. 2014;29(6):503-516. doi:10.1002/hup.2429Bhat V, Kennedy SH.Recognition and management of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2017;42(4):E7-E8. doi:10.1503/jpn.170022Gury C, Cousin F.Pharmacokinetics of SSRI antidepressants: Half-life and clinical applicability.Encephale. 1999;25(5):470-476.

4 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gabriel M, Sharma V.Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.CMAJ. 2017;189(21):E747. doi:10.1503/cmaj.160991Harvey BH, Slabbert FN.New insights on the antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.Hum Psychopharmacol. 2014;29(6):503-516. doi:10.1002/hup.2429Bhat V, Kennedy SH.Recognition and management of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2017;42(4):E7-E8. doi:10.1503/jpn.170022Gury C, Cousin F.Pharmacokinetics of SSRI antidepressants: Half-life and clinical applicability.Encephale. 1999;25(5):470-476.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Gabriel M, Sharma V.Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.CMAJ. 2017;189(21):E747. doi:10.1503/cmaj.160991Harvey BH, Slabbert FN.New insights on the antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.Hum Psychopharmacol. 2014;29(6):503-516. doi:10.1002/hup.2429Bhat V, Kennedy SH.Recognition and management of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2017;42(4):E7-E8. doi:10.1503/jpn.170022Gury C, Cousin F.Pharmacokinetics of SSRI antidepressants: Half-life and clinical applicability.Encephale. 1999;25(5):470-476.

Gabriel M, Sharma V.Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.CMAJ. 2017;189(21):E747. doi:10.1503/cmaj.160991

Harvey BH, Slabbert FN.New insights on the antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.Hum Psychopharmacol. 2014;29(6):503-516. doi:10.1002/hup.2429

Bhat V, Kennedy SH.Recognition and management of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2017;42(4):E7-E8. doi:10.1503/jpn.170022

Gury C, Cousin F.Pharmacokinetics of SSRI antidepressants: Half-life and clinical applicability.Encephale. 1999;25(5):470-476.

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