Around one in six people who stop antidepressants will experience withdrawal symptoms as a direct result of the medicine, according to the largest study of its kind. An analysis of randomised controlled trials found 15 per cent of patients will experience one or more discontinuation symptoms that are directly caused by stopping the drugs – lower than previous estimates – while around 2-3 per cent will suffer severe symptoms. Previous research has suggested much higher rates of withdrawal symptoms, with 56 per cent of all patients affected, though experts have said this figure is not robust.
In the new research, published in The Lancet Psychiatry , the most commonly used antidepressants in the UK were found to have the lowest rates of withdrawal symptoms throughout the study. Stopping antidepressants can lead to various symptoms or none at all . Dizziness, headache, nausea, insomnia and irritability are most frequently reported discontinuation symptoms.
The symptoms typically occur within a few days, and the new study found they lasted up to 196 days. Researchers in Germany looked at a range of antidepressants for the work, which included data from 21,000 patients involved in 79 pieces of research. Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of those included were women and the average age was 45.
From a list of 11 separate antidepressants, citalopram, sertraline and fluoxetine – which are the most commonly used in the UK – had the lowest chances of suffering withdrawal sympto.
