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You have probably heard of how difficult it is to stop smoking and the horrible withdrawal effects people experience when they are trying to quit....
You have probably heard of how difficult it is to stop smoking and the horrible withdrawal effects people experience when they are trying to quit. So it may surprise you to know that stopping prescription medication suddenly without medical guidance can also bring about uncomfortable symptoms. In this article we explore some common examples of symptoms of withdrawal from prescription drugs, what drugs might carry a higher risk of withdrawal symptoms, and what sort of symptoms to look out for and seek emergency medical attention.
Prescription drug withdrawal refers to the effect of stopping or reducing the dose of a medication too quickly. Actually, getting off prescription drugs too quickly can lead to uncomfortable or even dangerous physical and psychological symptoms. For example, effects of suddenly stopping/reducing medication without medical guidance can range from sweating and nausea to heart palpitations and muscle aches. Certain medications like antidepressants, insulin, opioids, and benzodiazepines can be particularly harmful if withdrawn suddenly.
So why is stopping a prescription medication potentially dangerous? Is it not just stopping the impact of the prescription drug you are taking? No, when you start a medication as part of your treatment plan, your body gradually gets used to the medication over time and establishes a sort of new ‘balance’. By stopping a prescription drug suddenly, this can significantly disrupt the balance and lead to withdrawal symptoms from prescription drugs including uncomfortable symptoms or health risks. This applies to both General Health Medicines and specialist medicines. In fact, sudden withdrawal of a medication may even make the symptoms of a health condition you have worse.
A fairly common example of this is someone with Type 1 diabetes stopping their regular insulin medication. This can mean you then experience symptoms like nausea and excessive thirst. However, on the more severe end of things, stopping medication like insulin could have rapid and dangerous complications most crucially something called diabetic ketoacidosis that requires emergency treatment in hospital.
Let’s go through some effects of withdrawal from prescription drugs to give you a better idea of what symptoms to look out for or why it is important to consult a medical professional before stopping medication on your own. Some common physical and psychological symptoms you could get from a sudden withdrawal from prescription drugs include:
Suddenly stopping your prescribed medication can bring about some uncomfortable or even dangerous symptoms. Some common physical side effects of prescription drug withdrawal include:
It may be surprising to you that there can actually also be psychological symptoms due to suddenly stopping prescribed medication, especially if it is psychiatric medication. Some common psychological withdrawal symptoms include:
In addition to thinking about the effects of withdrawal from prescription drugs in terms of physical versus psychological symptoms, it is equally important to be aware that there can be short term and long term effects. Let’s go through some more common examples of short term and long term symptoms of withdrawal from prescribed medication.
Usually the physical or psychological effects of suddenly stopping prescribed medication are short term. Some short term effects of suddenly stopping prescribed medication include:
While withdrawal effects from coming off prescription medication suddenly are usually short term, there are some potential long term effects of suddenly stopping prescribed medication. For example, some long term effects include:
It may be helpful to know that there are certain factors that affect the severity of the withdrawal from a prescription drug. Some examples include:
As you can see there are many factors that have to be considered to assess if and how a medication should be stopped. Here at Meds For Less, we strongly believe in supporting people to be advocates for themselves and their own health. However, it is still important to balance this with safety recommendations from clinical guidelines as well as patient-specific medical advice. Thus, it is strongly advised that you only stop or reduce a medication you have been prescribed with the advice and potentially monitoring by a medical professional. They can assess your individual situation and evaluate the different factors to discuss how to proceed or modify your treatment plan safely.
There are many reasons why you might want to come off medication. For example, you might feel you have gotten better and no longer need the medication. Or maybe you feel like the prescription drug is not working. These are all valid questions and concerns. So how do you get off a prescription drug safely?
Crucially, you should first consult your healthcare provider about wanting to stop medication. Your doctor can then assess if it is safe to come off current treatment or maybe explain to you how the medication works if they believe you still need to be on the prescription drug.
However, let’s assume that your doctor agrees to start stepping down a particular medication. Current clinical guidelines suggest a personalised and gradual step down approach to “weaning off” or stopping prescription drugs. Let’s go through an outline of what the experience of weaning off with the help of a medical professional might look like:
Coming off or weaning down medication can come with a risk of developing withdrawal effects. Sometimes, these withdrawal symptoms require urgent medical attention. If you notice any of the below examples of potentially dangerous withdrawal symptoms after stopping prescribed medication, please seek medical advice urgently. These symptoms include:
The key takeaway is that you should not suddenly stop prescribed medication. It is always advised that you consult your healthcare provider before stopping or even reducing your prescribed medication. This is because withdrawing medication without your doctor’s guidance could lead to uncomfortable or even dangerous physical and psychological withdrawal effects ranging from nausea to seizures. If you have any concerns about symptoms after stopping medication, please consult your healthcare provider urgently. Otherwise, follow your doctor’s plan for gradually reducing or withdrawing medication.