A new study has found that about one in six people may feel withdrawal symptoms after they stop taking antidepressants.
These symptoms, also called discontinuation symptoms, can include dizziness, headaches, nausea, trouble sleeping, and feeling easily annoyed or upset.
The study was published in the journal *The Lancet Psychiatry* and looked at data from 79 studies involving over 21,000 people. It was led by researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Virginia. The goal was to better understand what happens when people stop using antidepressants.
The results showed that about 15% of people reported at least one withdrawal symptom after stopping the medicine. Most of the time, these symptoms were mild. But about 3% of people had severe symptoms that were bad enough to make them start the medicine again or drop out of the study.
Dr. Jonathan Henssler, a researcher from Charité University Hospital in Berlin, said that while antidepressants can help many people, they don’t work for everyone and can sometimes cause side effects.
He said it’s important for doctors and patients to know that stopping antidepressants can cause withdrawal symptoms for some people, and these symptoms may be hard to deal with.
Antidepressants are commonly used to treat depression and anxiety. Some people take them for many months or even years, often along with therapy. But when they decide to stop, it’s important to do it the right way to lower the chance of withdrawal symptoms. Dr. Henssler recommends always speaking with a doctor before stopping the medication.
In the past, some reports suggested that more than half of patients had withdrawal symptoms. But many of those reports were not based on strong research. The new study used a better research method called randomized controlled trials.
These studies give a more accurate picture by comparing groups of people who took real medicine to those who took a placebo (a fake pill).
Interestingly, the study found that 31% of people who stopped antidepressants had at least one symptom. But 17% of those who took a placebo also reported symptoms. This means that not all symptoms are caused by the medicine itself. Some might be due to people expecting to feel bad, which is called the “nocebo effect.”
The study also found that some antidepressants are more likely to cause strong withdrawal symptoms. These include imipramine (Tofranil), paroxetine (Seroxat), and desvenlafaxine (Pristiq).
Another surprising finding was that there was no clear difference between stopping antidepressants all at once or slowly reducing the dose. Still, many experts believe that slowly lowering the dose might help prevent some symptoms, and more studies are needed to be sure.
Christopher Baethge from the University of Cologne said that people need clear and accurate advice from their doctors. He explained that while withdrawal symptoms are fairly common, they can usually be managed well with the right help.
This study helps show that while stopping antidepressants can sometimes cause withdrawal symptoms, they are usually not as serious or common as once thought. With the right support and medical advice, most people can stop their medication safely and without too much trouble.
If you care about mental health, please read studies about Middle-aged women with no kids may have this mental issue and findings of scientists find a cause of mental illnesses induced by childhood abuse.
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