Saturday 31st October 2026
Antidepressants are incredibly common, yet there’s still so much stigma and confusion surrounding them. For some people, they’re positively life-changing. For others, the side effects can be really difficult, and coming off them can be a challenge.
In England alone, approximately 8.89 million people were prescribed antidepressants in 2024/25. That’s roughly one in six people. They’re widely used worldwide, making them one of the most common treatments for mental health conditions.
Despite their name, antidepressants aren’t just used for depression. They’re also prescribed for anxiety, OCD, PTSD and certain types of chronic pain, among other conditions. They can be used alongside therapy and other treatments, depending on the individual’s needs.
Common antidepressants, such as SSRIs (including sertraline) and SNRIs, affect chemical messengers in the brain involved in mood and emotional regulation. However, depression and anxiety are complex, and scientists don’t fully understand exactly how antidepressants work. It’s not simply a case of correcting a chemical imbalance.
Research shows that antidepressants can help with depression, although the benefits vary between individuals. Some people experience significant improvements, while others notice little difference or find the side effects outweigh the benefits. There’s also debate around how large their average benefit is compared with a placebo, particularly in less severe depression.
Side effects can include nausea, changes in sleep, reduced libido and emotional blunting; feeling less connected to your emotions, whether positive or negative. Reducing or stopping antidepressants can also cause withdrawal symptoms, including dizziness, anxiety, irritability and mood changes. These can sometimes resemble the symptoms the medication was originally prescribed to treat. Some people take antidepressants for months, others for years. There’s no universal timeline, and stopping isn’t necessarily the goal for everyone.
Ultimately, antidepressants can be helpful, but they’re not a guaranteed solution for everyone.
There’s still an unfair stigma around antidepressants, with the implication that taking medication means you can’t cope with life on your own. But taking medication isn’t a weakness, just as choosing not to take it isn’t a measure of strength. It’s about finding what works for you.
Having taken antidepressants for the last three years, I’ve recently decided to start lowering my dose with the intention of eventually coming off them altogether. So, I wanted to share my experience.
I was first prescribed a high dose of sertraline in September 2023, shortly after my official DPDR diagnosis. We know there isn’t an established cure for DPDR, but I was advised that antidepressants might help improve my mood and make managing my symptoms easier. My concern was that I already experienced emotional numbness and feeling disconnected from the world. Knowing that antidepressants can cause emotional blunting, I worried they might make these symptoms worse.
Looking back, it’s difficult to know how much of my experience came from DPDR, how much may have been influenced by medication, and how much came from the anxiety surrounding my diagnosis.
As I’ve shared in previous blogs, I spent months obsessing over DPDR, analysing every symptom and searching for ways to fix it. The more attention I gave it, the more intense it seemed to become. I was feeding the monster so to speak. My life only began to improve when I made the decision to stop obsessing and start living. Over the last three years, I’ve reached a place where I can walk alongside my DPDR rather than letting it control me.
So about a year ago, I started considering coming off antidepressants altogether. Part of it was that I no longer felt as consumed by my DPDR. But I was also curious about who I might be without medication.
Around the time I started sertraline, I also came off the contraceptive pill, which I’d taken for six years prior. I’d spent a significant part of my adult life taking medication that can influence how I feel, and I found myself wondering how I might feel without it. Would my emotions be different? Would I feel more connected to myself? Would I even notice a difference? I didn’t want to assume I needed medication forever simply because I’d started taking it during a difficult period of my life. I wanted to reassess what was right for me now.
So, I’ve recently started lowering my dose.
Before I started, I spoke with my therapist about withdrawal and how its symptoms can overlap with depression and anxiety. This is something I’ve been mindful of because, since reducing my dose, I’ve experienced mood swings and found things more overwhelming than usual. It’s tempting to interpret these changes as evidence that I can’t cope without medication. However, withdrawal can cause genuine emotional difficulties, and these don’t automatically mean that the original condition is returning.
Of course, it’s important not to assume every difficult feeling is withdrawal either. It’s something I’m monitoring carefully and discussing with my GP as I navigate the process. For now, I’m trying to be patient with myself rather than analysing every change in how I feel. I don’t want coming off antidepressants to become another thing to obsess over.
I’m not trying to prove that I can manage without medication, and if I need to slow down, pause or reconsider my decision, that’s okay. My relationship with DPDR has changed enormously over the last three years, and I know that learning to stop fighting my symptoms has played a significant role. I can’t say exactly what part antidepressants have played in my journey, or whether I’ll feel better without them. I’m simply curious to find out, with appropriate support.
I also recognise that everyone’s experience is different. For some people, antidepressants are an important part of feeling well, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. The goal isn’t to be someone who takes antidepressants or someone who doesn’t. It’s to find what helps you feel more at home in yourself. If you’re considering reducing your medication, please speak with your prescriber and make a plan together.
As for me, I’m taking things one step at a time, without putting pressure on what the outcome should be. Because if there’s one thing DPDR has taught me, it’s that you don’t have to feel completely normal to start living your life.
With love,
Kate x
