The Journal of Addictive Behaviors has today published a new systematic review which shows that antidepressant withdrawal is much more widespread, severe and long-lasting than indicated by current guidelines, with millions of antidepressant users in the U.K. potentially affected. ‘A Systematic Review into the Incidence, Severity and Duration of Antidepressant Withdrawal Effects: Are Guidelines Evidence-Based?’ was undertaken by CEP members Dr James Davies, University of Roehampton and Professor John Read, University of East London, on behalf of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Prescribed Drug Dependence.
The review indicates that an average of 56% of patients who stop or reduce their antidepressants experience withdrawal symptoms, with 46% of these reporting their symptoms as severe. Furthermore, most of the studies reviewed on duration found that a significant proportion of patients experienced withdrawal symptoms for more than two weeks, and that it is not uncommon for patients to experience symptoms for several weeks, months, or longer. According to one study, 40% of patients experience symptoms for at least 6 weeks, and another indicates that 25% experience symptoms for at least 3 months.
Based on this data, the authors estimate that around 4 million people in England may experience symptoms when withdrawing from antidepressants, and around 1.8 million may experience these as severe. In all, these findings contradict current national clinical guidelines (issued by NICE – the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), which state that antidepressant withdrawal symptoms ‘are usually mild and self-limiting over about 1 week but can be severe’[1].
Dr James Davies said: ‘This new review of the research reveals what many patients have known for years – that withdrawal from antidepressants often causes severe, debilitating symptoms which can last for weeks, months or longer. Existing NICE guidelines fail to acknowledge how common withdrawal is and wrongly suggest that it usually resolves within one week. This leads many doctors to misdiagnose withdrawal symptoms, often as relapse, resulting in much unnecessary and harmful long-term prescribing.’
Sir Oliver Letwin MP, chair of the APPG for Prescribed Drug Dependence commented: ‘This systematic review provides important new data on antidepressant withdrawal which will be considered by Public Health England as part of their current review into prescribed drug dependence. The data suggests that existing medical guidelines in this area should be urgently updated to reflect the fact that antidepressant withdrawal is much more common, severe and long-lasting than previously stated. Furthermore, we hope that other medical bodies will take note of this new research, and update their own guidance accordingly.’
The full review can be found at http://prescribeddrug.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Davies-Read.pdf
Thankyou so much James for all the tremendous work you and the team do at CEP.
. Still feel the percentages and numbers are hugely understated.
The symptoms can last year’s a positive article but saying the symptoms can last 3 months in 25% worse cases is grossly underestimating the truth that a quarter off people can have withdrawal drug induced damage for years and alot don’t ever recover. But they wouldn’t report that because it might effect there sales.Give it 10 years from now the true extent off the damage these drugs cause will come out in the wash.mark my words
The most vital outcome from this piece of research is surely that patients need to be listened to more carefully, and not blamed for ill-effects, side-effects, adverse reactions instead of the drugs causing these. I have read repeatedly about psychiatrists always blaming the patient and not the drug when they report problems, only to then be given more of the same, or a different type of antidepressant – causing very long-term harm to the patient’s brain. It is this attitude in the medics which causes the dependence. This should be hammered home to all prescribing GPs and psychiatrists.
This is very welcome news to all of us who have suffered the terrible adverse effects of psychotropic drugs. Many unfortunately are no longer with us.
We have been told over and over again that we have faulty biology when in fact we have been severely damaged by people who have vested interests without any care for us.
Thanks to all those who have listened to our voices and work tirelessly to have them heard!
I am indebted to CEP for the work they’ve done trying to re-humanize Humanity after Psychiatry and Big Pharma has hijacked it. Here in America our internet, especially YouTube/Facebook has deleted over 800 personal accounts for reporting the ‘truth’ on every subject they don’t want exposed. And now I’m going to share with you just how they’re going to silence us Psychiatric ‘dissidents’ they don’t want talking.
They’re going to use ‘us’ against ‘ourselves’.
CDER Conversation: Monitoring Social Media to Better Understand Drug Use Trends – https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/NewsEvents
‘What can social media monitoring tell us in general about prescription drug use or abuse?
Social media monitoring is just one part of a broad research process CDER undertakes to understand how people may be using or abusing opioids and/or related substances as alternatives or adjuncts to prescription drugs. Because people often talk about these topics with others in online forums and on social media, exploring these conversations is one of the preliminary steps in our broader formative social science research strategy and is intended to help us gain the most expansive understanding possible. This data can help us identify the areas we want to explore in greater depth through more detailed and rigorous primary data collection efforts. When we monitor social media platforms, we are trying to get the broadest swath of information that we can about how people are talking about a particular issue.’
How many of us healed by connecting with other ‘sufferers’ via the internet? I know I would never had survived if I hadn’t. If anyone believes for a minute the FDA has our best interest at heart for doing this – please get your head out of the sand. Now they’ll know who to silence, where to silence and what to silence. This is diabolical in my eyes. I see nothing good resulting from this, at all. In fact, it’s the most horrifying article I’ve read to date.