“Should my grandmother stop taking antidepressants? ”
My grandmother is getting older, and was taking antidepressants since my grandfather died 15 years ago. She's in her late seventies, and I feel like she should stop taking them because of her age and because she's taking a million other medications. If she's in her late 70s, do you think she should stop taking them?
1 Answer
Depends on many factors whether your grandmother should stop or continue the antidepressant medication.
If she has had multiple episodes of depression in the past (more than 3 documented episodes) she is at a significantly higher risk of a subsequent episode of depression. If the depression was secondary to your grandfathers death it may have been a prolonged bereavement lasting more than 3 months and this may or may not require continuation of the antidepressant at this point. There is no particular reason for her to stop the medication simply because of age or the fact that she is taking other medications. She should discuss this with the physician who is prescribing the antidepressant medication. If it is decided to stop the medication I suggest it not be discontinued suddenly but tapered over a period of months to see if she remains well or relapses into a more severe depression. You indicated that YOU feel she should stop the medication. Does your grandmother agree? Does she want to continue the medication? Is she feeling well at the present time? Is she continuing to have any signs and symptoms of depression? All of these questions need to be answered prior to simply stopping the medication because YOU feel she should stop taking them. Hope this helped
If she has had multiple episodes of depression in the past (more than 3 documented episodes) she is at a significantly higher risk of a subsequent episode of depression. If the depression was secondary to your grandfathers death it may have been a prolonged bereavement lasting more than 3 months and this may or may not require continuation of the antidepressant at this point. There is no particular reason for her to stop the medication simply because of age or the fact that she is taking other medications. She should discuss this with the physician who is prescribing the antidepressant medication. If it is decided to stop the medication I suggest it not be discontinued suddenly but tapered over a period of months to see if she remains well or relapses into a more severe depression. You indicated that YOU feel she should stop the medication. Does your grandmother agree? Does she want to continue the medication? Is she feeling well at the present time? Is she continuing to have any signs and symptoms of depression? All of these questions need to be answered prior to simply stopping the medication because YOU feel she should stop taking them. Hope this helped
