Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, also called antidepressant withdrawal, is the set of physical and emotional symptoms that can appear when the brain and body have adapted to an antidepressant taken for a month or more and then get less of it, as after a sudden stop, a sharp cut or a missed dose. Common signs are dizziness, nausea, flu-like aches, tiredness, brain zaps, poor sleep, irritability, anxiety and low mood. For many people symptoms are mild and pass within a couple of weeks, but for some they are severe or last for months.
Also called: Antidepressant withdrawal, SSRI discontinuation syndrome.
Written by Alena Kozlova, PhD , from published studies and prescribing information.
Definition medically reviewed by Dr. Jason Tan , Consultant Psychiatrist, on October 28, 2026, this definition only. Next review: October 28, 2027.
How common is antidepressant discontinuation syndrome? About 3 in 10 people reported discontinuation symptoms after stopping an antidepressant, in a 2024 analysis of 79 studies with about 21,000 people in The Lancet Psychiatry. But about 1 in 6 people who stopped a placebo, a pill with no drug in it, reported symptoms too. Once that is taken into account, about 1 in 6 or 7 people get symptoms caused by the drug itself. Severe symptoms affected about 3 in 100 people after stopping an antidepressant, and fewer than 1 in 100 after stopping a placebo.
Other researchers put the share higher. A 2019 systematic review found withdrawal effects in 56% of people, and a 2025 reanalysis of the 2024 data that kept only the five studies asking about symptoms systematically found 55%. The estimates differ mostly in how studies counted symptoms, which is why both 15% and over 50% turn up online.
What are the symptoms of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome? The US prescribing information for SSRIs such as Lexapro and Zoloft lists dizziness, irritability, agitation, anxiety, low mood, headache, tiredness, poor sleep, confusion and electric shock sensations, and the Zoloft label adds nausea and sweating. Dizziness is the most common, and nausea, vertigo and nervousness are also more frequent after stopping an antidepressant than after stopping a placebo, according to a 2025 analysis in JAMA Psychiatry. UK guidance from NICE adds restlessness, palpitations and aching joints and muscles. Many of these feel new: people often say it does not feel like their depression, the Royal College of Psychiatrists notes. In the 2025 analysis, stopping was not linked to worse depression scores, so low mood that builds weeks later points more to the illness returning.
What people on Reddit say
In trials dizziness comes first; in these posts brain zaps do. Of 1,185 people who described coming off an SSRI or SNRI on Reddit, 194 named brain zaps, 142 each named nausea or flu-like aches and anxiety or panic, and 123 named dizziness; 129 said their symptoms were mild or absent. People who write about coming off are not typical of everyone who stops, so these counts show what happens, not how often.
From public Reddit posts, counted by withClaro. These are self-reports, not a clinical study.
Which antidepressant has the worst withdrawal symptoms? Among commonly prescribed antidepressants, paroxetine, venlafaxine, desvenlafaxine, duloxetine and mirtazapine are in the highest-risk group in the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ guidance on stopping antidepressants, along with the older MAOIs. The first four have half-lives of a day or less, so the level drops soon after a missed dose or a cut; mirtazapine lasts 20 to 40 hours, so a short half-life is not the whole story. Lists differ between sources: the 2024 Lancet Psychiatry analysis found symptoms more often after desvenlafaxine, venlafaxine, imipramine and escitalopram (Lexapro), which the college puts in its medium group. Fluoxetine stays in the body for weeks, which makes withdrawal from it less likely, though still possible. The table below compares the half-lives of five common antidepressants.
Half-life by antidepressant Half-lives of five common antidepressants, shortest first.
Half-lives of all antidepressants
How long does antidepressant discontinuation syndrome last? Usually one to two weeks. Symptoms may appear within a few days of a stop or a cut and usually go away within that time, UK guidance from NICE says. In some people they last several weeks, and occasionally several months, which is why its guidance asks for smaller reductions as the dose gets lower.
Is antidepressant discontinuation syndrome permanent? For most people, no. Symptoms usually ease within weeks. A smaller group has symptoms for months or longer, which is called protracted withdrawal. A 2020 study of a withdrawal forum picked out 69 people whose symptoms had already lasted more than six weeks after at least six months on an antidepressant, most of them for years: by their last post, symptoms had lasted a median of 26 months. So the figure describes people whose withdrawal had already dragged on and says little about the usual course; the forum’s founder was one of the authors.
Why does it matter whether it is withdrawal or a relapse? Withdrawal and a return of depression can feel alike, and the difference changes what you do next.
Withdrawal tends to start within days of a cut and includes physical symptoms, like brain zaps. It often eases soon after the previous dose is restarted. A relapse usually builds more slowly, over weeks.
If symptoms during a reduction are hard to bear, talk to your prescriber. The usual step, which your prescriber sets, is to go back to the last dose that felt stable, then reduce more slowly.
Is antidepressant discontinuation syndrome dangerous? Discontinuation symptoms are not known to damage the body, but they can be severe enough to disrupt sleep, work and daily life. If your mood drops during withdrawal, tell your prescriber rather than waiting for your next appointment. If you have thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988 in the US, or contact your local emergency number.
What to do Write down when each symptom started and which dose change came before it, then bring that list to your prescriber. It helps them tell withdrawal from relapse. The withClaro taper calculator shows what smaller steps could look like for your medication.
See smaller taper steps in the withClaro taper calculator
How withClaro helps Log how you feel each day, next to the dose you took See which dose change came before each symptom Share a PDF report with your prescriber before your appointment Get the withClaro app on the App Store
Related terms Sources Henssler J, Schmidt Y, Schmidt U, Schwarzer G, Bschor T, Baethge C. Incidence of antidepressant discontinuation symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry, 2024. Davies J, Read J. A systematic review into the incidence, severity and duration of antidepressant withdrawal effects. Addictive Behaviors, 2019. Moncrieff J, Hobday H, Sørensen A, Read J, Plöderl M, Hengartner MP. Evidence on antidepressant withdrawal: an appraisal and reanalysis of a recent systematic review. Psychological Medicine, 2025. Kalfas M, Tsapekos D, Butler M, McCutcheon R, Pillinger T, Strawbridge R. Incidence and Nature of Antidepressant Discontinuation Symptoms. JAMA Psychiatry, 2025. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Lexapro (escitalopram) tablets and oral solution: prescribing information. FDA / DailyMed, 2026. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Zoloft (sertraline) tablets and oral solution: prescribing information. FDA / DailyMed, 2025. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Depression in adults: treatment and management. NICE guideline [NG222]. NICE, 2022. Royal College of Psychiatrists. Stopping antidepressants — information for patients and carers. Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2024. Hengartner MP, Schulthess L, Sorensen A, Framer A. Protracted withdrawal syndrome after stopping antidepressants: a descriptive quantitative analysis of consumer narratives. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, 2020. Horowitz M, Taylor D. Distinguishing relapse from antidepressant withdrawal: clinical practice and antidepressant discontinuation studies. BJPsych Advances, 2022. All glossary terms