featured-image

Among folks who stop taking an antidepressant, 1 in 6 will experience symptoms Only 1 in 35 will have severe symptoms These numbers are far lower than previous estimates FRIDAY, June 7, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Roughly 1 in 6 people who stop taking an antidepressant will experience symptoms caused by discontinuing the drug, a new review finds. However, only 1 in 35 will experience severe symptoms after dropping their medication, researchers report June 5 in The Lancet Psychiatry journal. “Our study confirms that a number of patients coming off antidepressants will experience discontinuation symptoms, and for a few, these will be of a more severe extent,” said lead researcher Dr.

Jonathan Henssler , a psychiatrist with Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Germany. However, Henssler added in a journal news release that the findings “should also provide reassurance that rates of discontinuation symptoms are not as high as some previous single studies and reviews have suggested.” Previous studies have estimated that more than half of patients experience symptoms when stopping antidepressants, and that half the symptoms are severe, researchers said in background notes.



To get a more accurate picture, researchers reviewed data from 79 studies involving more than 21,000 patients. Looking at all the data, the researchers found that about a third (31%) of people who stopped taking an antidepressant experienced at least one symptom. These symptoms could include dizzine.

Back to Health Page