Tapering off antidepressants is the safest way to quit them

Stopping them suddenly can be jarring for the brain, says UCI Health expert

IN THE NEWS: Antidepressants can be effective for many people who experience depression, but there are times when people decide to stop taking the medication or decide to try another.

Dr. Bryan Shapiro a board-certified psychiatrist at UCI Health, recently told Parade that when you take antidepressants the brain adapts and it’s important to speak to your physician about tapering off the medication and not quitting at once.

“When the medication disappears suddenly, it is extremely jarring to the brain because not only are serotonin levels suddenly reduced, but the serotonin receptors are downregulated. [They] generally require several weeks to return to their baseline functioning.”

Shapiro says that medication tapering involves reductions to minimize the risk of physical withdrawal symptoms, such as dizziness, nausea or the sensation of jolts inside the head. When it comes to telling the difference between antidepressant withdrawal during tapering and a depression relapse, he says that the timeline is an important factor.

Shapiro is a psychiatrist at UCI Health Psychiatry Services who specializes in mood disorders. As an assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the UC Irvine School of Medicine, Shapiro’s research interests include antidepressant withdrawal and psychopharmacology.