Stopping Antidepressant Poses Challenge

Q. I have been taking the antidepressant Pristiq and wanted to get off it. But stopping really was uncomfortable, with shivers, high blood pressure, rapid heart rate and dizziness.
My doctor said I needed to go back on it because of my low serotonin levels. I am taking it again now and wondering how I can ever get off of this drug. Is there a natural supplement to support my serotonin levels?
A. Getting off antidepressants like Paxil (paroxetine), Pristiq (desvenlafaxine) or Zoloft (sertraline) may require patience and persistence. The withdrawal side effects you experienced are not uncommon and sometimes last for weeks. Other symptoms that have been reported after stopping such drugs include nausea, sweating, headache, dizziness and “brain zaps.”
If your doctor is willing, you might switch to a longer-acting antidepressant and taper off it gradually, as this reader did: “By switching to Prozac for about two months I was able to reverse the ‘brain zaps’ I had when stopping Effexor XR, and then I came off the Prozac slowly with no withdrawal symptoms.”
Several non-drug approaches to depression may be effective. We discuss them in our Guide to Dealing with Depression, which we are sending you. It also describes strategies for getting off antidepressants.