“Are antidepressants addictive?”
I am a 23 year old male and I was put on antidepressants. Are antidepressants addictive?
5 Answers
They are not physically addictive as certain narcotic drugs. However, if they effectively treat depression and the depression returns when you go off the medication, there will be a strong incentive to stay on the medication. Psychotherapy can also help the depression.
In general, no but you can become somewhat dependent and have withdrawals if suddenly discontinued
No, antidepressants are not addictive in the clinical sense of the word. However, after being on daily antidepressant therapy for several weeks, you could possible experience discontinuation symptoms if you abruptly stopped taking them instead of weaning off of them gradually.
Antidepressants are not addictive; a person does not develop tolerance and need to keep increasing the dose. These medications should, however, be tapered very slowly both to look for a recurrence of depressive symptoms and to avoid a discontinuation syndrome. For a first depressive episode, antidepressants if effective should be continued for 9 months to a year and then slowly tapered.
Contrary to some peoples' beliefs, antidepressant medications are NOT addictive. Antidepressants are not abusable, nor do people develop a tolerance for them, unlike addictive substances such as alcohol, nicotine, opioid, etc. Unfortunately, the notion that antidepressant medication may be addictive has kept many people for receiving the proper mental health help they need by avoiding trying antidepressants.
