The Ethics of Antipsychotic Dose Reduction and Patient Rights

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New research highlights the ethical responsibilities of clinicians in supporting patients who choose to reduce or discontinue antipsychotic medication.

Study Highlights Difficulty of Antipsychotic Withdrawal

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New research finds insomnia, anxiety, and depression are common symptoms of antipsychotic withdrawal, highlighting difficulties of discontinuation.
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SSRI Withdrawal has Social, Cognitive, and Emotional Consequences

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New research finds that the non-physical aspects of withdrawal from SSRIs are often overlooked.

Mental Health Staff Reluctant to Support Service Users in Tapering Antipsychotics, Study Finds

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Study reveals schizophrenia patients find little support from mental health staff in reducing side effects-heavy drugs.
The young patient at the reception in the hospital

Patients Express Anger at Doctors’ Ignorance About Antidepressant Withdrawal Effects

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Antidepressant users share their frustrations towards a healthcare system that overprescribes but is ill-equipped to support with discontinuation and withdrawal symptoms.

Prescribers Often Fail to Support Patients Discontinuing Antidepressants, Study Finds

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Study reveals most patients are dissatisfied with prescribers' support when discontinuing antidepressants.
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Researchers Identify Factors to Predict Risk of Antidepressant Withdrawal

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Paroxetine, SNRIs, and MAOIs were associated with the highest risk of withdrawal, as was long duration of use and whether the person experienced withdrawal in the past.

Common Statistical Method Conflates Withdrawal with Relapse

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Researchers argue that common study methods for psychiatric drugs may inadvertently minimize withdrawal effects and inflate drug efficacy.
Picture of distressed man facing pills

What Helps Long-Term Users of Benzodiazepines and Z-Drugs Discontinue?

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Current long-term users of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs identify barriers and facilitators for discontinuation.

Researchers Provide Guidance for Reducing and Stopping Psychiatric Drugs

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New guidance on how to taper and discontinue from psychiatric drugs from leading researchers Mark Horowitz and David Taylor.

Tapered Antipsychotic Withdrawal Mitigates Risk of Psychotic Symptoms

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Research suggests that slowly tapering off an antipsychotic reduces the risk of withdrawal psychosis compared to abrupt discontinuation.

“Relapse” in Antidepressant Trials Likely Caused by Sudden Withdrawal

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A new study investigates how antidepressant withdrawal effects often get confounded with depression relapse in clinical trials.

Psychotherapy Can Prevent Relapse When Discontinuing Antidepressants

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“Short and simple psychological programs can prevent people from relapsing when they stop their antidepressants.”

Internet Forum for Tapering Psychiatric Drugs Provides Novel Insights

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After 15 years, the founder of SurvivingAntidepressants.org, Adele Framer, shares what she has learned about the science of withdrawing from psychiatric drugs.

Antidepressant Withdrawal Misdiagnosed as Functional Disorder

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Adverse physiological symptoms of antidepressant withdrawal are regularly mistaken to be other problems to the detriment of the patient.

Online Experts on Withdrawal

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Online communities are stepping in to help people facing withdrawal effects amass information and receive support for their withdrawal experiences.

Researchers Document Protracted Withdrawal from Antidepressants

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Protracted Withdrawal Syndrome characterized by long-term adverse experiences after coming off of antidepressants.

Facebook Groups Provide Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal Help When Doctors Don’t

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A new study looks at how online communities provide information and support for patients experiencing psychiatric drug withdrawal.

Listening to the Patient Voice: The Antidepressant Withdrawal Experience

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Patient advocates join with researchers and service users to present first-hand experiences of antidepressant withdrawal.
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Literally Indescribable: Are Antidepressants Addictive?

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“My life was very, very good.” That’s how Michael sums up how things were for him—prior to his suffering from devastating withdrawal effects after discontinuing GlaxoSmithKline’s blockbuster drug Paxil.

New FDA Study Shows Benzodiazepines Can Cause Long-Term Injury

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The FDA has finally acknowledged the adverse effects of benzodiazepines, the dangers of withdrawal, and that the current packaging does not sufficiently warn of these harms.

Surviving Antidepressants: An Interview with Adele Framer

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That is the truth about withdrawal syndrome: It’s like a 50-50 chance that you’re going to have a problem. If you’re in the unlucky half, you’re gonna be really unlucky.

Psychiatry’s Top Experts Acknowledge Lasting Harms of Antidepressant Withdrawal

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Royal College of Psychiatrists’ former president demands support for patients coming off antidepressants.

Tapering Strips Help People Stop Using Antidepressants, Study Finds

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A new study by Peter Groot and Jim van Os investigated whether tapering strips can help people stop using antidepressants.

Very Slow Taper Best for Antipsychotic Discontinuation

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An article in JAMA Psychiatry advises very slow tapering for best results when discontinuing antipsychotic drugs.