Archive · 10 Oct 2026
Psychiatrists Warn Against Abruptly Stopping Mental Health Medication
When someone takes medicine for a mental health condition, feeling better may mean the medicine is helping.
It does not always mean the condition is gone.
Stopping some medicines suddenly can make a person feel unwell.
These effects can include nausea, dizziness, trouble sleeping or changes in mood.
Sometimes the original condition can also come back.
A doctor can help tell what may be happening.
If someone wants to stop or change medicine, they should talk to their psychiatrist first.
The doctor can help make a plan that fits that person.
Feeling better may mean psychiatric medication is working, not that treatment can safely end.
Suddenly stopping or reducing some medicines can cause symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, sleep problems, irritability or unusual sensations.
Withdrawal symptoms and relapse—the return of the underlying condition—can overlap and cannot always be distinguished without clinical assessment.
Whether and how to reduce medication depends on the medicine, dose, treatment duration, diagnosis and the patient's circumstances.
Psychiatrists advise discussing concerns and any possible tapering plan with the treating doctor, rather than changing doses independently.
- Who
- Psychiatrists Dr Shaunak Ajinkya and Dr G.R. Golecha explain risks and guidance for people taking psychiatric medication.
- What
- The article explains the possible effects of abruptly stopping medication, how discontinuation symptoms differ from relapse, and why changes should be medically supervised.
- When
- For World Mental Health Day; no specific date or year is stated.
- Where
- The psychiatrists are based in Mumbai and Noida, India.
- Why
- To explain that feeling better does not necessarily mean treatment can safely stop and to encourage patients to consult their psychiatrist before changing medication.
- Occasion
- World Mental Health Day
- Dr Shaunak Ajinkya
- Consultant Psychiatrist at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai
- Dr G.R. Golecha
- Senior Consultant Psychiatry at Kailash Hospital and Heart Institute, Noida
- Possible discontinuation symptoms
- Dizziness, nausea, headaches, sleep disturbances, irritability, anxiety, agitation, unusual sensory sensations or mood changes
- Withdrawal and relapse
- They are different, may overlap, and require clinical assessment to distinguish reliably.
- Medication changes
- Any dose reduction or discontinuation should be discussed with the treating psychiatrist; tapering plans are individual.
- If medication was stopped suddenly
- Contact the treating psychiatrist and do not restart, change the dose or take extra medication without medical guidance.