Two risks: withdrawal symptoms within days - flu-like feelings, dizziness, sleep problems, irritability, sometimes electric "brain zaps" - and the depression itself returning, including increased suicide risk for some.
MedlinePlus is direct: do not stop suddenly; the safe way is lowering the dose over time with your prescriber. Withdrawal passes, but it is miserable enough to pull people back onto the medicine - a planned taper avoids both risks.
What to do
Common questions
What happens if I stop an SSRI suddenly?
Two separate risks, and both are avoidable. First, discontinuation symptoms: MedlinePlus lists what sudden stopping can produce within days - withdrawal symptoms that can feel like the flu, plus sleep problems, dizziness, headache, anxiety, and irritability; many people also report brief electric-shock sensations nicknamed brain zaps. They are unpleasant, not usually dangerous, and they pass - but they are miserable enough to make people restart the medicine just to stop them. Second, the bigger risk: the depression or anxiety itself returning, including increased suicide risk for some people, per MedlinePlus - the medicine was treating something, and removing the treatment suddenly removes the protection. The fix is boring and universal: never stop on your own - tell your prescriber you want to come off, and the two of you lower the dose gradually over weeks, watching for symptoms as you go. MedlinePlus even suggests writing down any symptoms and when they appear during the taper. If you are struggling, call or text 988 in the US, or your local crisis line. Pymander, a free AI doctor available 24/7 by text, can help you prepare for that conversation.