The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the United Kingdom (NICE), published last Tuesday (17/1) new guidelines that advise against stopping antidepressant drugs abruptly.
The guidance aims to reduce the risk of withdrawal symptoms and increase the number of people who are successful at the end of treatment with the medication.
Stopping prolonged use of antidepressants at once causes adverse effects that can last for months. Symptoms include headache, vertigo, irritability, anxiety, sweating and sleep problems.
According to the medical director of the Institute’s Guidelines Center, Paul Chrisp, in many cases, people experience withdrawal symptoms, and the time it takes to safely discontinue these drugs can vary.
In 2022, prescriptions for antidepressants increased by 5.1% in the UK for the sixth consecutive time. According to data from the country’s National Health System (NHS), last year around 21.4 million medicines were distributed between July and September, a record number.
The Institute’s new guidelines state that any withdrawal symptoms need to be considered tolerable or resolved before decreasing the dose again.
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