withdrawal symptoms

Cultural  

1. A wide range of physical or emotional disorders, including nervousness, headaches, and insomnia, that occur when an individual who is addicted to a substance (such as drugs or alcohol) stops using the substance.

---

Example Sentences

What’s confusing is that people who stop taking antidepressants can experience flulike withdrawal symptoms as the body adjusts to the absence of the medication, says Lenze.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025

Official health guidance is to reduce the dose of antidepressant medication in stages over time, rather than stopping it suddenly or missing doses, which could lead to withdrawal symptoms.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2024

In some people, stopping sleep medication abruptly after more than a month of use can trigger withdrawal symptoms, which can include heightened anxiety, restlessness or rebound insomnia, meaning your sleep is disrupted again.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 8, 2024

Some studies have indicated that instead of suffering withdrawal symptoms, people feel happier during a “digital detox,” whereas others have found no change.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 7, 2023

If so, she surmised, Hilda's mood was a combination of hormonal imbalances and withdrawal symptoms from dopamine not arriving in the pleasure receptors of her brain in quantities commensurate with that earlier experience.

From Tokyo to Tijuana: Gabriele Departing America by Sills, Steven (Steven David Justin)