Many people take antidepressants to manage depression or anxiety. These medicines can be very helpful. But what happens when someone wants to stop taking them?
A new study has looked into this and found that about one in six people who stop antidepressants may feel sick or uncomfortable for a while. These reactions are called withdrawal symptoms.
They might include feeling dizzy, having headaches, feeling sick in the stomach, having trouble sleeping, or feeling easily annoyed.
The study was done by researchers from several universities in the United States. It was published in a trusted medical journal called The Lancet Psychiatry.
The scientists studied information from 79 earlier studies, including data from more than 21,000 people. They wanted to find out how common withdrawal symptoms are when people stop using antidepressants.
Their results showed that around 15 out of every 100 people who stopped taking antidepressants had at least one withdrawal symptom. Most people said the symptoms were not too bad.
But about 3 out of every 100 people had symptoms that were quite strong. Some even had to start taking the medicine again because the symptoms were too hard to handle.
Dr. Jonathan Henssler, a doctor from Germany, explained that while these medicines help many people, they don’t work the same for everyone. Some people may also feel side effects when they take them or when they stop.
He said both doctors and patients need to understand that stopping antidepressants can sometimes lead to uncomfortable symptoms, and people should be prepared.
Antidepressants are usually given to people who feel very sad or anxious for a long time. Sometimes, they are used along with talking therapies. People may take them for months or even years. When someone feels better and wants to stop, it’s important to do so with the help of a doctor.
In the past, some reports said that more than half of people had withdrawal symptoms when stopping antidepressants. But those reports were not always based on strong scientific studies. This new study used a better method called randomized controlled trials.
In these trials, some people were given a real antidepressant, and some were given a fake pill (called a placebo). This helped the researchers see whether the symptoms were truly caused by the medicine.
The study found that about 31 out of 100 people who stopped taking antidepressants had at least one symptom. But 17 out of 100 people who stopped taking the placebo also had symptoms. This means that not all symptoms are caused by the medicine. Some may happen just because people expect to feel bad when stopping the medicine.
The researchers also found that some antidepressants were more likely to cause withdrawal problems. These included medicines like paroxetine, imipramine, and desvenlafaxine.
One surprising thing they discovered was that there wasn’t much difference between stopping the medicine suddenly and reducing the dose slowly. Still, some other studies suggest that tapering slowly might be better. More research is needed to know for sure.
Christopher Baethge, another expert from Germany, said that people need clear and helpful advice from their doctors when they want to stop taking antidepressants. Withdrawal symptoms are real, but they can usually be handled well with proper care.
This study gives hope. It shows that while some people do feel withdrawal symptoms, most people do not have very serious problems. It also shows that stopping these medicines can be done safely, especially when people talk to their doctors and plan carefully.
If you care about health, please read studies that scientists find a core feature of depression and this metal in the brain strongly linked to depression.
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