Everyone wants to feel their very best. And yet this can be a challenge. After all, life feels hard sometimes, making it tough to hold your head up high, keep a smile on your face, or to feel optimistic.

This is why the pharmaceutical business is such a profitable industry. Science has produced some amazing results with drugs that can help people feel more emotionally stable and less depressed.

But what happens if you want to go off your psych medications? Is this dangerous?

This article takes a look at the risks of stopping your mental health meds. Keep reading to discover insight into this subject and to decide what would be best for your personal situation.

1. You Might Feel Better, Then Worse

People decide to stop taking medications for a variety of reasons. Some don’t like the idea of putting drugs into their bodies. Others can no longer afford to pay for their prescriptions, while others don’t feel like they are getting any better and thus believe stopping the meds might help them feel normal again.

It’s important to keep in mind that stopping your meds won’t solve your problems. If you feel bad on your meds, going off them isn’t a permanent solution. In fact, it could end up making you feel worse.

People often feel better immediately after ceasing to take their meds. But this improvement doesn’t always last. Most of the time you’ll actually begin feeling even worse. This is because the drugs actually take time to flush out from your system, and then your body begins to crave the relief that it no longer has.

2. Your Meds Only Treats Symptoms

Another important thing to keep in mind is the fact that your meds aren’t a cure for your condition. They only treat the systems.

If you are a naturally depressed person or experience symptoms of bipolar disorder, meds simply help reduce the physical experience of the symptoms of those mental conditions.

This means that when you stop taking your meds, the symptoms will be able to quickly return.

If you want to permanently address a mental disorder for long term relief, you’ll likely need intense therapy with a clinical professional along with your prescribed meds. Thus it’s not a good idea to stop your meds cold turkey without professional guidance.

3. Significant Chance You’ll Get Sick

Taking drugs of any kind drastically alters your biochemistry. This is because your system becomes dependent on your meds in order to remain stable, healthy and happy.

When you suddenly go cold turkey, your system will likely react in a very severe way. After all, you body will no longer be receiving a drug that it has learned to depend on.

You can expect to experience a range of physical withdrawal symptoms, including dizziness, vomiting, and vertigo.

Again, this is why it’s crucial to never stop your psych meds without the guidance of a mental health professional.

4. You Might Experience Disturbing Thoughts and Imagery

You started taking medication for a reason. Perhaps you were depressed or needed something to help regulate your mood.

Whatever the reason, it’s important to be aware of the fact that your depression will likely return once the drugs have successfully flushed from your system.

This could include negative self-talk, disturbing thoughts, and a wide variety of unpleasant imagery. Thus you need to prepare yourself for this experience and take steps to deal with it in a healthy way.

5. Risk of Suicidal Thoughts

Psych meds are very helpful in reducing thoughts of suicide. After all, suicidal ideation is the product of a great deal of internal pain.

So you need to be aware that painful suicidal thoughts could return once you’ve ceased taking your meds.

A mental health professional can help you deal with suicidal thoughts, but this type of mental rumination won’t go away overnight. It’s important to have a strong network of family and friends to lean on for support before risking falling back into the grasp of deep depression that might come with stopping your meds.

6. You’ll Likely Experience Withdrawal Symptoms

Stopping any type of drug can cause your body to experience withdrawal systems. Again, your system has grown accustomed to these drugs and must reacclimate and learn to live without them. But this won’t happen immediately.

So you must be prepared for intense withdrawal symptoms, which are often painful and could continue for days or weeks.

Just be sure to drink plenty of water, get exercise, be socially active, and try not to isolate yourself.

7. Be Prepared for Anxiety

It’s also likely that you will experience a significant level of anxiety. This should come as no surprise when you consider the fact that your meds were designed to help control your anxiety.

Consulting a mental health professional will help you to be prepared and to better understand what to expect once the meds have been fully flushed from your system.

If the anxiety becomes too uncomfortable, you can always refill prescriptions to get you back on track.

8. Social Withdrawl

You might also experience the impulse to withdrawal from family and friends. This type of behavior is typical of depression. The key is to force yourself to be around people as much as possible, regardless of how strong the impulse is to be alone.

9. Insomnia

Many people experience insomnia when quitting psych meds cold turkey. This is another reason why it’s so important to maintain a healthy diet, get plenty of exercise and fresh air. All of these things can help contribute to a restful night’s sleep.

10. Lack of Energy

You might experience overall lethargy. This is another common symptom of depression. The key is to force yourself off the couch regardless of how unpleasant life might feel.

Once you are up and moving, you’ll be surprised at how much better you feel after an hour or so of fresh air and sunshine.

Things to Know Before You Go Off Your Meds

Before you go off your meds, think long and hard about the information contained in this article. And always consult a doctor about what’s best for your mental health condition.

Keep scrolling to see more tips and advice for living your best life.