For other meanings, see Withdrawal . Withdrawal, also known as withdrawal/abstinence syndrome, refers to the characteristic signs and symptoms that appear when a drug that causes physical dependence is regularly used for a long time and then suddenly discontinued or decreased in dosage. The term can also, less formally, refer to symptoms that appear after discontinuing a drug or other substance (unable to cause true physical dependence) that one has become psychologically dependent upon. Examples are: · delirium tremens · benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome · methadone withdrawal symptoms · SSRI discontinuation syndrome · neonatal abstinence syndrome Overview The sustained use of many kinds of drugs causes reversible adaptations within the body that tend to lessen the drug's original effects over time, a phenomenon known as drug tol