Q If I take herbal medicine, can't I just skip the antidepressant? Isn't natural better?
A Herbal medicine is not a substitute for antidepressants. If depression or anxiety is still present, stopping medication on your own carries a high risk of relapse and discontinuation syndrome, so whether to taper must be decided by your prescribing doctor. Korean medicine supports the process only after tapering has been decided.
Detailed Answer
The idea that "natural = safe, medication = bad" can be dangerous. Antidepressants are treatments for a real condition — depression and anxiety — and stopping them on your own while symptoms remain can bring both a relapse of depression and discontinuation syndrome at once. Herbal medicine cannot take over the antidepressant's role, and whether tapering is medically appropriate must be judged by your psychiatric doctor based on your progress.
Our Korean Medicine Clinic's Perspective
Dongjedang's detox and weight-management perspective isn't about "removing the medication" as a goal, but "reviving the body's own resilience to help it endure tapering." That's why we only buffer the insomnia, anxiety, and rebound symptoms of the tapering process after your doctor has decided to taper. We never recommend stopping a prescribed medication on your own because you're taking herbal medicine.
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If I get help from Korean medicine, is it really possible to stop the medication completely? I want an honest answer.
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