Stopping antidepressants can trigger withdrawal symptoms

Stopping antidepressants can trigger withdrawal symptoms Keystone-SDA

People who stop taking antidepressants and feel unwell often do not suffer a relapse. A study with Swiss involvement shows that these are usually withdrawal symptoms, which disappear again after a while.

According to the researchers, the findings are of great clinical significance. If withdrawal symptoms were mistakenly interpreted as a relapse of a mental health condition, this could lead to the erroneous conclusion that long-term treatment with antidepressants is necessary, they write in the study published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.

For the study, the research team, led by the private Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences, monitored 32 adults over a period of 26 weeks as they tapered off an antidepressant. The Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), the University of Zurich (UZH) and King’s College London were also involved in the study.

The study revealed a clear pattern: during phases in which the dose of an antidepressant was reduced, symptoms such as nervousness, irritability or mood swings increased significantly. When the dose remained stable, however, these symptoms subsided again. The researchers described this pattern as “wave-like”.

The researchers emphasised that this pattern is characteristic of withdrawal symptoms and not of a relapse into depression or an anxiety disorder, which typically develop more slowly. A relapse of a mental health disorder typically develops more slowly.

The study authors have derived a practical recommendation from these findings. “Anyone who rapidly develops emotional symptoms following a dose reduction does not, in most cases, need more medication, but should taper off more slowly with smaller dose reductions,” said study lead Michael Hengartner in a press release from the Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences regarding the study.

According to the press release, around 400,000 people in Switzerland take antidepressants every day.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.