Withdrawal Symptoms Common for Those who Stop Taking Antidepressants

A new meta-analysis explores the frequency, typical symptoms, and predictors for antidepressant withdrawal syndrome in people who stop taking antidepressants.

4
1052

A new study, published in Molecular Psychiatry, investigates the prevalence and typical characteristics of antidepressant withdrawal syndrome (AWS) through analyzing available research. Researchers found that AWS is a common experience for individuals who discontinue antidepressants and identified potential risk factors and typical characteristics of AWS. The research team consisted of an interdisciplinary group of individuals from universities across China as well as the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom.

Antidepressants are the most commonly prescribed class of psychiatric medication worldwide, despite research evidence that they are no better than a placebo for most individuals. Concerns have been raised about withdrawal symptoms that occur for people who stop taking them. The authors of the current work write:

“Our results indicate that the occurrence of AWS (42.9%) is common, among which psychological expectation (nocebo) factors seem to play only a minor role. AWS occurrence is common whether drugs were abruptly stopped or were tapered over 2 to 4 weeks.”

You've landed on a MIA journalism article that is funded by MIA supporters. To read the full article, sign up as a MIA Supporter. All active donors get full access to all MIA content, and free passes to all Mad in America events.

Current MIA supporters can log in below.(If you can't afford to support MIA in this way, email us at [email protected] and we will provide you with access to all donor-supported content.)

Donate

4 COMMENTS

  1. Taper over 2 to 4 weeks is still abrupt. It would be more informative (and alarming) to reveal that even after tapers lasting 6 months or more there can still be terrible withdrawal effects. Many report that they manage okay until the last little bit and it’s that tiny drop that makes all the difference when they try to stop entirely.
    And it’s not just antidepressants of course.

    Report comment

  2. “Iatrogenic injuries”, as well. I learned that term from BeyondMeds and SurvivingAntiDepressants. Same with “informed consent” (which I never ever EVER gave ANY of the countless times since all the way back to 2012) and “Polydrugged”. Dr Joseph on Youtube is also a phenomenal resource. He’s a Psychiatrist who actually went on 1 of these “treatments” (Zoloft, I think) and has personal experience with both side-effects while on the “treatment” and acute and protracted withdrawal/discontinuation. If I had known that Prescribing Family Doctors/Walk-in Clinic Doctors and Psychiatrists haven’t experienced being on these Pharmaceuticals and experienced acute and protracted withdrawal/discontinuation, I would’ve never gotten involved with these Pharmaceuticals. I was raised to blindly trust medical professionals. Since 2014, my long-term partner has BEGGED me so many different times to stop blindly trusting and look at the facts/reality instead.

    Since 2012, Psychotropic Pharmaceuticals haven’t increased my quality of life whatsoever. They’ve done the exact opposite vis-a-vis side-effects and CREATING a chemical imbalance in my brain, nervous system, endocrine system, digestive system, etc while on the drug and in withdrawal/discontinuation.

    My “depression” and “anxiety” was 100% environmental due to modern-day society and inadequate parenting from generational trauma.

    I’ll be spending the last 1.5 years of my 30’s and probably my early 40’s getting off of all of this nonsense garbage. It’s not “treating” anything and has always wrecked havoc on my safety, wellness, health, quality of life, etc.

    ***Once again, I want to re-state the term “informed consent”.*** If a walk-in clinic doctor even gave the slightest of damns, he would’ve informed me about side-effects, withdrawal/discontinuation “when my life was going better”, etc. There’s a reason they always start getting coy and change body language when you start talking about side-effects, iatrogenic injuries, withdrawal/discontinuation (both acute and protracted/long-term, etc). In any other industry besides Psychotropic Pharmaceuticals, it’d be a legitimate liability, malpractice, and quite-frankly lawsuit.

    If we had known that the Chemical Imbalance theory isn’t actually evidence-based, then we wouldn’t have started this “treatment”. If we had known that it’s not clear how these drugs work, how they know what to do, the protective blood-brain barrier, that these drugs are not compatible with evolution (hence the side-effects and withdrawal/discontinuation), we would’ve never gotten involved with this “treatment” either.

    The relentless and intense medical gas-lighting we experience about side-effects and withdrawal/discontinuation is keeping the Counselling Industry alive as well.

    We’re the ones losing money, jobs, housing, etc from these Pharmaceuticals while on them and in withdrawal/discontinuation. Not them. There are consequences/repercussions for us; not them.

    Report comment

LEAVE A REPLY