Should I stop taking my meds?

I have been taking Fluoxetine for many years now, for what the doctors say is depression. I am currently waiting for my referral to be tested for ASD and I was wondering if I should come off the meds before? Fluoxetine helps me a lot with my anxiety and my patience with everybody around me. It takes twice as much to stress me out as it would usually, off the meds. I have tried stopping several times but every time I end up shouting at my kids and my husband feels like I shut him out even more than usual. I'm just thinking if it will have an impact on the test? Don't I need to be the real me to give them real answers? 

  • I'd only ever follow a doctor's advice on meds, however I would note that many of us either take or have tried antidepressent and anti anxiety medication. From what I've seen, these drugs work well for some people, but for me and others on the spectrum, the side effects have been intolerable and the positive effects minimal. For depression and anxiety, I woudn't be alone in contending that regular moderate-intensity aerobic exercise and a good clean diet is the best. Maybe we respond well to natural endorphins, but I've tried the SSRIs, SNRIs, & the  Tricyclics for depression, the Antipsychotics for BiPolar 2 and the Anxiolytics for the worries. Even at large doses, these were not as beneficial as regular exercise. All I take now is Concerta for ADHD and I feel good. 

  • Hi Lone,

    I would strongly advise against stopping medication without GP consent. Doing so carries a very high risk of relapse, which will make things much worse. Talk to your GP before taking any action!x

    Much love <3

  • Hi Lone,

    Just chiming in to say that I think lamme81 is quite right, it can be very dangerous to stop taking SSRIs without consultation from your doctor, especially if you've been on them for several years, as you say. The side effects of stopping cold can be unexpected and quite strong, so I think it would be best to consult your GP, and raise your concerns about the effects of Fluoxetine on your ASD assessment with them.

    Best wishes,

    Ross - mod

  • Good point! Thank you

  • I agree that citalopram is terrible for side effects.

    As long as you know and can talk about your sensory difficulties I think you should be okay. I am terrible at analogies and the only thing I could come up with is... If your foot hurts when you are standing, would you have to stand on it to tell your GP that your foot hurts?

  • I have been on Citalopram before but had to stop as it gave me crazy side effects. I actually don't think I would take a drug to "fix" it, it's who I am and who I have always been. What I mean is that my sensory disorder is much worse off the meds, so I feel like my answers wont be same as without the meds if that makes sense

  • You should probably best discuss this with your GP. It is generally not good to come off ongoing medication (especially mental health related ones like SSRIs) without discussing with a doctor first.

    I don't know much about fluoxetine except it is an antidepressant but do not think it would affect you sufficiently to not be the real you. I was on Citalopram (a similar SSRI) and it did not affect me beyond alleviating some anxiety symptoms.

    I am not the best at explaining ASD but if there was a drug that fixed it, many would be taking it. Personally I wouldn't worry, but I am sure they will want to know if you are on any medication.