The short answer is not on your own, and not suddenly. That is not an argument for staying on a medicine that is not working for you. It is that stopping badly is a separate harm from the side effect you are trying to escape, and it is avoidable.
Wanting to stop is a reasonable thing to raise, and a common one. The goal is to stop in a way that works.
Common side effects and early adjustment effects
Most people who consider stopping do so for one of a few reasons: early side effects before the benefit has appeared, sexual side effects, weight gain, emotional blunting, or simply feeling well and wondering whether the medicine is still needed.
Each of those has options short of stopping. Early effects often settle within a month. Sexual side effects and weight change may respond to a dose change or a switch. Feeling well may mean the treatment is working rather than that it is no longer needed, which is a genuinely difficult distinction and exactly what a prescriber is for. See mental health medication side effects.
Serious mood, behaviour or physical symptoms to take seriously
Get urgent help for new or worsening thoughts of self-harm, whether you are taking the medicine, changing the dose, or stopping. This risk is higher around any change, in either direction.
If you have already stopped abruptly and feel unwell, contact your prescriber the same day rather than waiting it out. Withdrawal effects are treatable and usually resolve faster with advice than without.
Also seek urgent help for seizures, severe confusion, high fever with muscle stiffness, or a fast or irregular heartbeat.
Sexual, sleep, weight and emotional side effects
These are the effects that most often drive people to stop quietly rather than discuss it, which is unfortunate because they are among the more fixable. Sexual side effects, weight gain and emotional flattening can all respond to a dose adjustment or a different medicine.
Being specific helps. Saying that a medicine has cost you your interest in sex for six months, or added a certain amount of weight, gives a prescriber something to work with in a way that saying you feel wrong on it does not.
Interactions, alcohol, pregnancy and other risk factors
What happens if you stop suddenly, by medicine group:
- Antidepressants. Discontinuation symptoms: dizziness, brief electric-shock sensations, irritability, nausea, vivid dreams, flu-like feelings. Worse with short-acting ones such as venlafaxine and paroxetine. See stopping antidepressants.
- Antipsychotics. Withdrawal effects and a real risk of relapse, sometimes weeks after stopping.
- Mood stabilisers, including lithium. Stopping abruptly carries a substantial relapse risk. See lithium side effects.
- Benzodiazepines and sleeping tablets. Withdrawal can be severe and, after prolonged regular use, can include seizures. These need the most careful reduction. See benzodiazepine withdrawal.
- Medicines also treating epilepsy, such as some mood stabilisers, where stopping can trigger seizures.
Discontinuation symptoms are not the same as relapse, and telling them apart matters. Discontinuation effects usually start within days of stopping, often include physical symptoms such as dizziness and electric-shock sensations, and ease over weeks. A relapse tends to come on later and looks like the original illness rather than a new physical syndrome. Mistaking one for the other leads people to conclude they cannot manage without the medicine when the real issue was the speed of stopping. See discontinuation symptoms.
Pregnancy is a common reason people stop suddenly, and one where doing so is particularly risky. Untreated illness carries its own risks in pregnancy. Contact your prescriber rather than stopping. See mental health medication in pregnancy.
What to ask your doctor before changing dose or stopping
- Is this side effect likely to settle, or is it one that persists?
- Could a lower dose, different timing, or a different medicine help?
- If we do stop, how slowly, and over what period?
- What should I expect while reducing, and what would worry you?
- How would we tell withdrawal apart from the illness returning?
- Is now a sensible time, given what else is happening in my life?
If you cannot get an appointment quickly and side effects are intolerable, a pharmacist can advise whether it is safe to wait. That is better than stopping while you wait.
Related mental health medication guides
- Mental health medication side effects
- Mental health medication withdrawal symptoms
- Changing mental health medication
- When to call a doctor
- Report a side effect in South Africa
Medical Disclaimer: This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical diagnosis, prescription, or professional advice. Always read the patient information leaflet and consult a qualified doctor or pharmacist regarding any medicine or health concern.