He Stopped Treatment Cold Turkey

John's depression treatment—a combination of antidepressants and therapy—had him feeling so good that he took himself off his medication and stopped seeing his doctor. But he started slipping back into depression—and so he went back on antidepressants. There's no hard or fast rule for how long you should stay on medication. Besides a recurrence of the disease, abruptly stopping antidepressant medication can also result in withdrawal symptoms like dizziness, nausea, headache, and fatigue. Check with your doctor before you decide to take yourself off medication, and listen to your instincts if you feel your depression creeping back. In this video, John talks about his decision to restart his meds.