Withdrawal from antidepressants affects one in six people

A review of previous studies has revealed that a relatively small number of people still suffer symptoms after stopping antidepressants after they stop taking them, which is less than what was estimated earlier on.

The researchers believe their findings will help inform doctors and patients about the situation “without causing undue alarm”, according to their findings.

In a recent Lancet Psychiatry review, the Lancet Psychiatry review examined data from 79 trials that involved more than 20,000 patients.

In some cases, patients were given antidepressants, whereas in others they were given a dummy drug or a placebo, as a treatment. Scientists were able to measure the true impact of the drugs not being taken by using this method.

Some people experience unpleasant side effects when they stop taking antidepressants, including dizziness, nausea, headaches, and insomnia, when they stop taking antidepressant drugs. According to the researchers, this can result in considerable distress, which can lead to mental health problems.

According to the previous estimates, there has been an increase in the number of patients who have experienced antidepressant discontinuation symptoms (ADS), which is a significant number. The majority of these cases were classified as severe, with almost half being classified as moderate.

A more effective method of reducing the dose of antidepressant medication is to reduce it gradually over a period of time rather than stopping it suddenly or missing doses, which can result in withdrawal symptoms.

Additionally, the advice for stopping antidepressants added that most people are able to do so successfully, although some other research suggests that ADS lasts one to two weeks following stopping the medication.

According to Prof Christopher Baethge, professor of psychiatry and psychotherapy at the University of Cologne, the results are “quite robust”, which suggests that the findings are reliable. However, the fact that the review did not equate ADS with itself does not mean that the review did not make any sense.

Timenews1 provided that news.