Q. After reading about the difficulties people have getting off certain antidepressant medications, I want to tell you about my success. I planned a weekend at home with no distractions or plans and took Dramamine all weekend to stay somewhat sedated.
By the time Monday rolled around, I was free of the sweating, the shock-like sensations in my brain and all the rest. My neurologist had told me I might just have to stay on the medication because of the withdrawal issues. Glad I didn’t!
A. Thanks for sharing your strategy. There is no data on the usefulness of Dramamine in withdrawing from an antidepressant.
For many people, a weekend is not long enough for phasing off an antidepressant like Paxil or Effexor. They may need to lower the dose gradually over weeks to reduce the risk of side effects such as electric shock-like sensations or a feeling of sloshing inside the head (also described as head-in-a-blender).
Symptoms such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, dizziness and insomnia can also be disconcerting. With careful medical supervision, however, most people can discontinue antidepressants successfully.
