Preventing a Relapse

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Preventing a Relapse

To prevent a relapse, it’s important to continue taking your medication even

after you feel better. A study from the Journal of the American Medical

Association divided into two groups 150 people with dysthymia or double

depression who had responded to treatment with sertraline (Zoloft). Some of

these people continued to take the drug, while the rest took a placebo. After 18

months, only 6% of the group taking sertraline had relapsed, compared with 23%

of the placebo group.

Most psychiatrists will recommend that you stay on your medication for about a

year after a first episode of depression. If you have had several episodes, your

doctor will probably recommend maintenance treatment indefinitely.

Is it a relapse or not?

When you stop taking an antidepressant, you may experience uncomfortable

symptoms as your body readjusts. These might include stomach upset, loss of

appetite, or diarrhea; flulike symptoms such as a runny nose, sweating, muscle

aches, or fever; and a variety of other symptoms such as tingling, restlessness,

trouble sleeping, vivid dreams, fatigue, dizziness, or lightheadedness.

Sometimes people also experience mood changes, such as irritability, sadness,

anxiety, agitation, or crying spells. It can be difficult to know whether this

is a result of stopping the medication or if the original depression is

returning. The best way to tell is to wait a short time. Symptoms linked to

coming off an antidepressant almost always disappear within several days or

weeks. If symptoms of depression continue, however, see your doctor about

restarting the antidepressant.

Tapering off your medicine slowly can help you avoid this problem. The

medications most likely to cause these symptoms are the ones that leave the body

rapidly — so your doctor may switch you to one that stays in your system longer

and then gradually ease you off that one.