SSRS withdrawal syndrome occurs when, after consuming a drug for a certain time, it is abruptly discontinued Can’t the body adapt to this sudden drop in Serotonin in synaptic space and nausea, tremors, headaches, sleep disorders occur?
It should be mentioned, first of all, that this type of condition is not very common. Health professionals prescribe medications with a series of specific guidelines to prevent this type of side effects; however, sometimes withdrawal symptoms can appear even when the drug is not stopped abruptly. Some people experience this type of symptom when reducing drug doses.
- When a person experiences this situation.
- They think they are having a relapse.
- So ask their doctor to resume antidepressant treatment.
- So it’s important to know all the effects associated with psychopharmaceuticals and understand the relevance of following each expert’s advice and recommendations.
Let’s look at more data below
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRS) are currently the most commonly prescribed for the treatment of deep depression or anxiety disorders.
Before delving into withdrawal syndrome associated with these drugs, it is interesting to remember what SSRAs are, an acronym that refers to selective reuptake inhibitors, the most common type of medication to treat depression and anxiety disorders.
If prescribed as frequently is because their side effects are mild and transient, adverse symptoms of medications such as fluvoxamine, fluoxetine, sertraline and paroxetine are very low compared to tricyclic antidepressants, whose cardiovascular and anticholinergic symptoms can be very severe.
Therefore, knowing that they are effective in the treatment of these clinical conditions, there is one aspect that we cannot ignore: their mechanism of action will be beneficial at all times and when we take into account the correct administration and withdrawal of the drug.
Therefore, when you leave an antidepressant medication, it is important to do so gradually, and never abruptly, to avoid SSRS withdrawal syndrome.
Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that, in addition to facilitating communication between brain cells, interferes with well-being, motivation, social behavior, memory, etc. When a person suffers from depression, Serotonin levels in the synaptic space are particularly low. the brain is in hibernation with this chemical element.
The rarity of Serotonin that exists is instantly captured by posinaptic neurons, so, as explained by research conducted at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and published in the journal Mental Health, what different SSROs do is block this reuptake and promote the accumulation of serotonin in the synaptic space.
Symptoms associated with SSRS withdrawal syndrome generally vary considerably in each case, it should be noted that these effects appear between 1 and 10 days after discontinuation of administration of an SSRS, the most common effects are detailed below:
Finally, in more severe cases psychotic or catatonia outbreaks may occur (the person stops reacting to their environment), however, as we noted at first, this type of syndrome is not very common.
SSRS withdrawal symptoms can be treated by resuming the initial dose of SSRS or reducing them appropriately over a specific period of time; However, this is something doctors must decide taking into account each particular case.
All this will probably force us to remind ourselves once again of the importance of preventing such situations, although this does not happen very often, it should be emphasized that we should never make arbitrary and individual decisions about the administration or withdrawal of a prescribed one. Drug.
Typically, if SSRS treatment has lasted between four and eight weeks, it is ideal to gradually reduce the dose by one to two weeks until full withdrawal; if treatment lasted for months, withdrawal will be slower and more progressive. with a clearly unfavorable state.