What to Know Before Stopping an Antidepressant
How to safely wean off antidepressants
What to Know Before Stopping an Antidepressant
How to safely wean off antidepressants
“Let’s slow down. Let’s do one thing at a time,” says Dr. Polly Watson. In this episode of Menopause Rescue, Dr. Polly Watson discusses the thoughtful planning required before discontinuing antidepressants. Drawing insights from Dr. James Greenblatt’s lecture on using functional medicine to moderate withdrawal symptoms, Dr. Watson emphasizes the importance of optimizing nutrition, stress management, and collaboration with healthcare providers to ensure a smooth transition.
“I absolutely celebrate that”
The episode delves into the complexities of antidepressant withdrawal, highlighting essential factors like serotonin precursors, such as tryptophan, and cofactors like B vitamins, zinc, and vitamin D. Dr. Watson sheds light on actionable strategies to prepare for weaning off medications, including personalized supplementation and dietary adjustments, while respecting the value of antidepressants to ensure a balanced approach to health and wellness.
Watch The Conversation!
“Let’s slow down. Let’s do one thing at a time,” says Dr. Polly Watson. In this episode of Menopause Rescue, Dr. Polly Watson discusses the thoughtful planning required before discontinuing antidepressants. Drawing insights from Dr. James Greenblatt’s lecture on using functional medicine to moderate withdrawal symptoms, Dr. Watson emphasizes the importance of optimizing nutrition, stress management, and collaboration with healthcare providers to ensure a smooth transition.
“We’re all on this journey to get better, and your version of good could look really different than my version of good. As long as we’re both moving towards our version of better, that’s all that you need.”
The episode delves into the complexities of antidepressant withdrawal, highlighting essential factors like serotonin precursors, such as tryptophan, and cofactors like B vitamins, zinc, and vitamin D. Dr. Watson sheds light on actionable strategies to prepare for weaning off medications, including personalized supplementation and dietary adjustments, while respecting the value of antidepressants to ensure a balanced approach to health and wellness.
Key Takeaways:
🌸 The importance of thoughtful planning before discontinuing antidepressants
🌸 Moderate withdrawal symptoms expectations
🌸 Personalized supplementation and dietary adjustments
Quotes:
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“If you are someone who’s benefited from antidepressants and they are working well for you, then I absolutely celebrate that.”
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“When you wean off the medication, your brain has not been reminded how to make serotonin and you can actually have some pretty significant withdrawal symptoms if your brain doesn’t have the precursors and the cofactors that it needs to make serotonin.”
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“I would argue very strongly that [holistic providers] should not de-prescribe anything without communicating with the person who recommended it.”
Resources:
Resources: https://hormonewellnessmd.com/podcast-resources
Disclaimer: https://hormonewellnessmd.com/podcast-disclaimer
Meet the host!
Dr. Polly Watson is a board certified OBGYN who has additional training in menopausal medicine, sexual medicine and functional medicine.
She looks forward to sharing her knowledge with you to help find a solution to address the imbalance in your system and restore your health.
In 2019 I left my job as an employed physician with a large organization and started Hormone Wellness MD. I started with no staff working out of a single room. Since then, my staff has grown to a team of 5 and we’ve helped over 1,100 people on their health journey.
Meet the host!
Dr. Polly Watson is a board certified OBGYN who has additional training in menopausal medicine, sexual medicine and functional medicine.
She looks forward to sharing her knowledge with you to help find a solution to address the imbalance in your system and restore your health.
In 2019 I left my job as an employed physician with a large organization and started Hormone Wellness MD. I started with no staff working out of a single room. Since then, my staff has grown to a team of 5 and we’ve helped over 1,100 people on their health journey.
