Treatment for Addiction to Antidepressants

Antidepressants are psychiatric medications that are used to alleviate various mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. Antidepressants are most commonly prescribed by psychiatrists and other physicians. Various types of antidepressants include MAOIs, TCAs, SNRIs and SSRIs.

Most antidepressants will take 2-6 weeks to begin showing positive results in the patient and they are usually prescribed for months or even years. In addition to treating depression, antidepressants are also used to treat anxiety, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, and chronic pain. Additionally, antidepressants are sometimes used in conjunction with other medications to treat substance abuse and ADHD.

The most commonly prescribed antidepressants include Zoloft, Lexapro and Prozac but other antidepressants that have been commonly prescribed include Wellbutrin, Paxil and Effexor. Most of the commonly prescribed antidepressants are considered SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. SSRIs do have addictive qualities that cause serious psychological withdrawal symptoms if the drug is abruptly stopped.

Treatment for addiction to antidepressants includes inpatient and outpatient rehab programs. The individual who is addicted to antidepressants must first be safely detoxed from the drugs and then counseling or therapy may begin to help the individual deal with the psychological symptoms of the addiction. In severe cases of antidepressant withdrawal from SSRI a condition known as SSRI discontinuation syndrome may occur in which the symptoms of withdrawal may last anywhere from 1-4 weeks.