Has anyone successfully taken antidepressants and then stopped once “feeling better”?

I was put on antidepressants during college. Tried to get off them a few different times but went back on them after a few months each time. I have now successfully been off them for a year and a half (after 10+ years on and off them) and don't feel any need for them anymore! Feel free to message me

Can I ask why it's a bad thing to be dependent on antidepressants? If your blood pressure is high and you take medicine and it works to bring your blood pressure down it's not being dependent on them it's just what your body needs to function properly. Long term depression is a chemical imbalance and antidepressants can help balance them so your brain can function properly.

@Cassie I guess personally in the long run I’d prefer to combat depression by creating healthy habits for myself… better diet and exercise, working on my personal relationships, better time management, eliminate negative self-talk etc. same way that if i had high blood pressure i’d prefer to combat it long term with healthy lifestyle changes as much as possible. the hard part is just getting started I guess… having an extremely hard time shifting my mindset to even start working toward those things :/

I get that. Short term use will definitely help you get in a better place to start working on those things. But I also guess it depends on what your definition of short term is too. My personal experience has been alot of trial and error with different meds because they take a few weeks to start working and even then they might not work for you the way they do for others. It took a while to find a combination of meds that helped me feel like i wasn't constantly at the end of my rope but it was definitely worth it because they truly make a difference that even 8+ years of behavioral therapy alone couldn't do for me. It's definitely a journey and there was a point when I resented the idea of being on meds permanently but I've done all the things and it always came back down to the chemical imbalance in my brain. My best advice is to try everything, stay open minded, practicr gratitude, accomplish small goals every day and eventually you'll get where you wanna be, AND BE KIND TO YOURSELF THIS SHIT IS HARD.

I went on antidepressants in June 2018 and the black fog lifted within 3 weeks, it was incredible. I waited until I felt I could cope without them before talking to the doctor about coming off them but she suggested that I wait until the clocks changed in March as this was something that suited my situation. I came off them in March 2019 and I've not been back on them since. Apparently this is how antidepressants are meant to be used, 6 months to a year and coming off then when you feel you can cope. I had depression for 18 months before going on them, I had tried to get myself out of it with exercise etc but that didn't work for me. Feel free to DM me if you had any questions.

I used it intermittently- a year after I first got married and six months after a separation. Important to ask doctor about safe withdrawal other than that no issues and not feeling like I need over the 10 year period.