Since antidepressants are not addictive, there is no need for treatment when the drugs are discontinued. However, when the drug is abruptly stopped, some users may experience discomfort — such as irritability, depressed mood, anxiety, and sleep disturbance — but these are not as severe as those of drugs that cause addiction. An ideal way of discontinuing the antidepressants is the “step-down method,” a gradual lowering of the dose until the patient is weaned off the drug. This way, the physician can observe whether the patient’s symptoms of depression return.