What Happens If I Miss Multiple Days of My Antidepressant?

Missing multiple days of an antidepressant is a different situation from missing one dose. Royal College of Psychiatrists and NPS MedicineWise guidance advise contacting your prescriber for advice before simply restarting — because how you restart matters, and discontinuation symptoms may already be present.

What to expect after several days off

For shorter-half-life medications, discontinuation symptoms often appear within 48 to 72 hours — dizziness, brain zaps, flu-like feelings, or emotional volatility. For longer-half-life medications, symptoms may take a week or more to appear. The original symptoms of depression or anxiety may or may not return after a few days off; individual variation is significant.

Restarting: what your prescriber may advise

Short gap (a few days). Often restart at the previous dose. Your prescriber will confirm based on your specific medication and circumstances.

Longer gap (a week or more). Often restart at a lower dose and titrate back up — similar to starting treatment for the first time.

Fresh assessment. Sometimes a gap is an opportunity to reassess whether the medication is still the right choice for where you are now.

Call before restarting. A brief prescriber conversation clarifies what to expect and what to watch for — do not just restart and hope for the best.

Understanding how dose changes are managed helps you have a more informed conversation when you do call.

Why calling your prescriber matters

Restarting a full dose after a longer gap can produce nausea, jitters, and other early-treatment side effects. Discontinuation symptoms and re-initiation side effects can overlap in confusing ways — dizziness or nausea may be present from both simultaneously. A prescriber conversation ensures you know what you are experiencing and what to do if things worsen.

What to flag to your prescriber

Raise these urgently

Return of depression or anxiety symptoms.
Suicidal thoughts.
Discontinuation symptoms that are not settling.
Any uncertainty about whether to restart at all.

Frequently asked questions

Should I restart my antidepressant if I stopped for a week?

Contact your prescriber before restarting. How to restart depends on the medication and how long you were off — sometimes at the previous dose, sometimes at a lower dose with gradual titration back up.

How long after missing days will I feel discontinuation symptoms?

Typically 48 to 72 hours for shorter-half-life medications. For longer-half-life medications, symptoms may take a week or more to appear — or may not appear at all.

Can I just start taking my full dose again?

Sometimes, but a prescriber conversation is safer. Restarting can produce side effects similar to first-week symptoms, particularly if you were off for a week or more. Your prescriber can advise the safest approach for your specific medication.

Evidence and sources referenced

NICE Guideline NG222 — Depression in adults: treatment and management (United Kingdom).
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) — Clinical Practice Guidelines for Mood Disorders.
NPS MedicineWise — patient and prescriber resources on antidepressants (Australia).
Royal College of Psychiatrists — patient information on antidepressants.
TGA and FDA — product information for SSRI and SNRI classes.
Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines in Psychiatry.