Antipsychotic Drugs and Relapse

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Researchers from Germany, Greece and the U.S. reviewed the literature on relapse at 7 to 12 months following initiation of antipsychotic treatment. They conclude...

Antidepressant Use Climbs as Patients Find it Difficult to Discontinue

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Findings point to the role of withdrawal symptoms and prescriber practices in long-term antidepressant use.

Prescribing an Epidemic: A Veteran’s Story

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Had I known what I know now, I never would have taken any of these drugs, and I absolutely would not have taken a role in which my outreach efforts to get veterans into mental health treatment might place thousands of lives at risk.

New Study Examines User Experience of Discontinuing Psychiatric Medications

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Researchers find that support and self-care were helpful for users during discontinuation, but that mental health professionals were not very helpful.
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.

Study Shows Success With Reduced Antipsychotic Use

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People who reduced antipsychotic use by tapering were doing just as well after five years as those who continued using the drugs.

Existential Therapy Assists Patients Withdrawing From Psychiatric Drugs

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Confronting existential anxiety through “Basal Exposure Therapy” shows promising results in people withdrawing from psychotropic drugs.

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.”

Exploring Psychiatry’s “Black Hole”: The International Institute on Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal

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When Carina HĂĄkansson sent out an invitation for a symposium on "Pharmaceuticals: Risks and Alternatives," some of the world's top scientists, along with experts-by-experience, came from 13 countries to explore better ways to respond to people in crisis.

Service-User Knowledge Helps Researchers Develop Psychiatric Drug Tapering Approaches

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New strategies for tapering psychiatric drugs achieved by acknowledging withdrawal symptoms and valuing service-users’ first-hand knowledge.

Alarming Report on Antidepressant Side Effects

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Drawing on analysis of data from websites such as Paxilprogress.org, ehealthforum.com, depression forums.org, about.com, medhelp.org, drugLib.com, topic.com and survivingantidepressants.org, researchers from the University of...

New Clinical Guidelines on Deprescribing Benzodiazepines

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New guidelines recommend deprescribing benzodiazepine receptor agonists for adults.

Gradual Tapering is Most Successful for Withdrawal from Antipsychotics

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Mixed-Methods study explores the experiences of antipsychotic discontinuation among service users.

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.

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.

Tapering Strips Help People Discontinue Antidepressants

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A new study by Peter Groot and Jim van Os has found that tapering strips help people successfully discontinue antidepressant medications.

Researchers: Antidepressant Withdrawal, Not “Discontinuation Syndrome”

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Researchers suggest that the pharmaceutical industry had a vested interest in using the term “discontinuation” in order to hide the severity of physical dependence and withdrawal reactions many people experience from antidepressants.

Fear and Belief in “Chemical Imbalance” Prevent People from Coming Off Antidepressants

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Researchers interviewed people who were given medical advice to discontinue antidepressants.

Thoughtful Insight, Not Lack of It, Drives Some Patients to Quit Psychiatric Medications

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Rather than a "lack of insight," it is actually a thoughtful weighing of complex risks and benefits that ultimately drives some people diagnosed with bipolar disorder to eschew psychiatric medications, according to a qualitative study in the Journal of Affective Disorders. And these people often develop sophisticated strategies in their efforts to manage without medications.

Withdrawal from Antipsychotics

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A review of the scientific literature related to the withdrawal of antipsychotics: animal studies, withdrawal symptoms, tapering success rates, and consumer accounts of discontinuation.

Withdrawal from ADHD Medications

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This guide to the scientific literature on withdrawal from ADHD drugs provides a review of animal studies, withdrawal syndromes, and possible tapering protocols.

Study of Online Antidepressant Forums Reveals Long Lasting Withdrawal Effects

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Effects of discontinuing SSRIs and SNRIs reported on an online forum indicate significant and long-lasting withdrawal symptoms.

Activity-Based Therapies Reduce Antipsychotic Use

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Researchers from the University of North Carolina found that activity-based therapy and care reduced the use of antipsychotics in a study of 107 people...

Researchers Document Protracted Withdrawal from Antidepressants

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

FDA Safety Warning For Citalopram Did Not Improve Outcomes for Vets

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Instead of reducing risk, the dose reduction recommendation made by the FDA in their safety message was associated with an increase in hospitalizations.