Toby's Antidepressant Withdrawal on 'This Is Us' Affects Millions - Article Health

Last night’s notably low-key episode of This Is Us spent most of its hour focused on the Pearson siblings finding their places in the world—both in the present and in the immediate aftermath of Jack’s death.

Getting by in those first few months without Jack is particularly hard on Rebecca, who admits to Randall that she’s struggling to find the energy to get out of bed, let alone parent her teenage triplets.

But it’s present-day Toby who may be facing the most pressing mental health concern. After a fertility doctor mentioned that his antidepressants could be contributing to the difficulty he and Kate have had conceiving a child, Toby flushed his meds down the toilet, quitting cold turkey. We see Toby looking up “antidepressant withdrawal” on his phone as it becomes clear that it hasn’t taken long for him to see the ramifications of this brash action.

Throughout last night’s episode, we see a side of Toby we haven’t before. He’s jittery, constantly bouncing his leg up and down. He’s a little rougher around the edges, especially when the chatty Pearsons start arguing. “Everybody just shut up!” Toby shouts moments before the group is set to leave for Kevin’s movie premiere. “For the love of God, save the asinine commentary for the cheap seats.”

Antidepressant withdrawal—also called antidepressant discontinuation syndrome—can legitimately cause symptoms if people stop taking their meds abruptly. No one knows exactly why, explains Philip R. Muskin, MD, secretary of the American Psychiatric Association and professor of psychiatry at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. “But we think the body makes adjustments to the biological effect of the medication. If stopped suddenly, those adjustments now cause physical or psychological effects."

Antidepressant withdrawal symptoms can include irritability, anxiety, and feeling like you have the flu, he says. Some patients also describe feeling "electric shock" sensations and gastrointestinal issues, he adds. According to a recent UK review of 14 studies, as many as half of people taking antidepressants will have some withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking them or lower the dose of their meds. And half of those folks—amounting to millions, the BBC reported—will rate those symptoms as severe.

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