A Functional Medicine Model for Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome

Since the days of the “Psychopharm Revolution,” antidepressant medications such as SSRIs and SNRIs have been a foundation of modern psychiatric practice. Today, 40 million Americans take antidepressants, and global antidepressant prescribing is on the rise.

Simultaneously, however, a gap has emerged between pharmacologic innovation and methodology. Amidst patient reports of antidepressant side effects, evidence is mounting that antidepressant discontinuation often leads to withdrawal – which can be severe. And although today’s clinicians are trained how to prescribe antidepressants, they are not trained how to safely stop them.

In this class, Dr. James Greenblatt, will present an evidence-based, functional medicine model for the treatment of depression and antidepressant withdrawal syndrome. He will provide an objective overview of the outcomes of depression treatment and the limitations of the symptom-based, polypharmacy model, in favor of an integrated systems biology approach, informed by laboratory testing. 

Dr. Greenblatt will focus on nutrients that modulate neurotransmitter activity, such as amino acids, B vitamins, Vitamin D, and zinc. He will also discuss recommendations for testing and treatment, providing attendees with practical tools they can implement immediately in a clinical practice. His textbook for clinicians on this topic is available here. 

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss some of the possible side effects of withdrawing from antidepressant medications
• Describe recommended laboratory tests for patients with depression and antidepressant withdrawal syndrome.
• List three specific types of nutrients that help modulate neurotransmitters

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