Severity & Persistence: 25% of long-term users reported severe symptoms; 12% experienced symptoms lasting over a year.
For long-term users, 30% reported withdrawal symptoms lasting more than three months, with 12% experiencing such symptoms for more than a year, while only 10.5% of short-term users experienced withdrawal symptoms for more than three months.
Respondents may have been more motivated to answer the survey if they experienced withdrawal symptoms, although the survey was not solely focused on withdrawal.
43 % met the most stringent definition of a withdrawal syndrome, reporting 4 or more ‘non-emotional’ withdrawal symptoms.
20 % reported withdrawal symptoms lasting more than three months and 10 % for more than a year.
People who have been taking antidepressants for longer than two years are much more likely to experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking them, according to a recent study. The symptoms of antidepressants grew more severe and prolonged with time; 64% of long-term users reported moderate to severe withdrawal symptoms.
Short-term users, or those who took the drug for less than six months, on the other hand, tended to have no symptoms at all or very minor ones that lasted no more than four weeks. These results underline the significance of cautious prescription practices and the necessity of well-informed, gradual tapering techniques to assist people in safely stopping antidepressants.
Key Facts:.
Duration Matters: Compared to use for less than six months, the likelihood of experiencing withdrawal symptoms increases tenfold for prolonged use (more than two years).
In terms of severity and persistence, 12% of long-term users reported symptoms that lasted more than a year, and 25% reported severe symptoms.
Short-Term Advantage: Only 7% of short-term users reported severe side effects, and the majority of users experienced symptom resolution within four weeks.
UCL is the source.
According to a recent study conducted by researchers at UCL, people who have been taking antidepressants for more than two years are significantly more likely to experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking the drug than people who have only been taking it for a short time.
As per the findings published in Psychiatry Research, long-term users are less likely to be able to quit using the drug when they try to do so, and they also tend to experience worse withdrawal symptoms for a longer duration than short-term users.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Mark Horowitz, a visiting clinical researcher at the UCL Division of Psychiatry, stated: “Our results validate what many researchers have long suspected, which is that the length of time taking antidepressants greatly influences the likelihood of experiencing withdrawal symptoms when stopping them.
Although people who have taken antidepressants for a short time may find it easier to stop, these medications are frequently used for a long time.
Most Americans who take antidepressants have been doing so for more than two years, and half of those in the UK have been taking them for at least a year. “.”.
The study was based on survey responses from 310 people in England who had been receiving primary care therapy services from the NHS and had tried to stop taking their antidepressant at one point. Sixty-two percent of participants said that antidepressants had been beneficial to them.
In addition to self-reporting whether the symptoms were mild, moderate, or severe, respondents were questioned about a long list of potential withdrawal symptoms.
45 percent of the group reported moderate or severe withdrawal symptoms (30 percent and 15 percent, respectively), and 79 percent reported at least one withdrawal symptom.
In the group as a whole, 38% of respondents claimed they couldn’t quit taking antidepressants when they tried, and that number rose to 79% among those who had been taking them for two years or longer.
76 percent of respondents reported at least one non-emotional withdrawal symptom, such as headache, nausea, dizziness, or nausea, while 43 percent reported four or more non-emotional symptoms. This was because some withdrawal symptoms, like anxiety, worsened mood, agitation, and fatigue, overlap with depression and anxiety symptoms and may indicate relapse.
Researchers in the UCL Division of Psychology & Language Sciences conducted an analysis and discovered that the length of time taken on an antidepressant was the primary determinant of the frequency, intensity, and duration of withdrawal symptoms as well as the ability to stop taking the drug.
There was no correlation between the severity of the underlying anxiety or depression and the differences between short-term and long-term users.
In comparison to those who had been taking antidepressants for less than six months, the researchers discovered that those who had been taking them for more than two years had a tenfold higher chance of experiencing any withdrawal symptoms.
Seven percent of those who had been taking antidepressants for six months or less reported severe withdrawal symptoms, while the majority (73 percent) reported either no withdrawal effects or only mild ones. Of those who had been taking antidepressants for two years or longer, 64 percent reported moderate or severe withdrawal effects (25 percent reported severe effects).
Compared to just 10–5% of short-term users, 30% of long-term users reported withdrawal symptoms that lasted longer than three months, with 12% reporting symptoms that lasted longer than a year. Withdrawal symptoms went away in less than four weeks for the majority of short-term users.
It may be more difficult to quit taking antidepressants later on, so it’s important to use them for no longer than absolutely necessary, according to Dr. Horowitz. “.”.
The survey response rate was less than one in five (18 percent), according to the researchers, which is one of the study’s limitations. Although withdrawal symptoms were not the only focus of the survey, respondents might have been more inclined to complete it if they had experienced them.
The results were inconclusive because not enough participants had been tapering for more than four weeks, even though the researchers asked if participants had been gradually weaning themselves off antidepressants using a tapering technique or had stopped abruptly.
According to the researchers, more research is required to determine the most effective way to taper off antidepressants and how it can lessen withdrawal symptoms, even though other studies have indicated that tapering is advantageous.
“People who want to stop taking antidepressants should do so in consultation with an informed health professional,” stated senior author Professor Joanna Moncrieff of the UCL Division of Psychiatry. “Withdrawal symptoms are common among people coming off antidepressants,” she said. “”.
About this research news in psychopharmacology and mental health.
Chris Lane wrote this.
UCL serves as the source.
Chris Lane of UCL can be reached.
Image: Neuroscience News is the source of the image.
Open access to original research.
Mark Horowitz et al. conducted a survey of patients enrolled in primary care psychotherapy services regarding the duration of use and withdrawal effects of antidepressants. Research in psychiatry.
Abstract.
A survey of patients receiving primary care psychotherapy services on the duration of use and withdrawal symptoms of antidepressants.
Background.
Short drug exposure times or self-selected samples have limited previous research on antidepressant withdrawal. Estimating the effects of withdrawal in standard clinical practice was the goal of our study.
Techniques.
We surveyed people who had ever tried to stop taking an antidepressant from NHS primary care psychological treatment services. In order to investigate the relationship between withdrawal and personal and medication characteristics, regression models were built.
Results.
Among the 310 respondents, the majority were white (75 percent), female (78 percent), and had an average age of 38 to 79 (SD 12 to 4). Out of the eligible patients, 18% responded. Sixty-two percent said antidepressants had been beneficial.
Seventy-nine percent reported having some form of withdrawal symptoms. 45 percent said their symptoms were severe or somewhat so. With four or more “non-emotional” withdrawal symptoms, 43% of respondents satisfied the strictest criteria for a withdrawal syndrome. When participants tried to stop taking their antidepressant, 38% said they were unable to do so. 10% of respondents said their withdrawal symptoms lasted longer than a year, and 20% said they lasted longer than three months.
Compared to those who used antidepressants for less than six months, those who used them for more than 24 months before stopping were more likely to experience a withdrawal syndrome (OR(95 percentCI)=10.41(2.88;37.67)), report severe withdrawal effects (OR(95 percentCI) = 5.16(2.75;9.70)), report longer-lasting symptoms (Beta(95 percentCI)=18.11(3.85;32.38), and be less likely to be able to stop (OR(95 percentCI)=27.55(10.29;73.81).
In conclusion.
A significant percentage of users experienced severe and protracted antidepressant withdrawal symptoms. More severe and prolonged symptoms as well as a lower likelihood of quitting were linked to longer use duration. This study’s low response rate is one of its limitations.
