07 Jul Myths about Antidepressants

Myth: Because I feel so much worse after stopping my antidepressants, I must have become addicted to them.

Fact: Unlike addictive medications such as sleeping pills and many pain medications, antidepressants do not require a higher dosage in order to achieve the same effect. That means your body will not crave them if you stop taking them. Antidepressants rebalance your brain chemistry in order to help relieve symptoms. Once you stop taking them, your brain chemistry becomes imbalanced again, which is why you start to experience worsened depressive symptoms again. Many people confuse this with addiction, but that’s not the case.

Your brain does not crave antidepressants because you are addicted; your brain is craving them because they make you feel better and that feeling is your new normal.