Antidepressant withdrawal affects 1 in 6 patients stopping treatment: review
The findings should reassure clinicians and patients concerned about discontinuation symptoms, researchers say.
One in six patients who stop taking antidepressants experience withdrawal symptoms, according to German psychiatrists who say the incidence rate is lower than previous estimates.
Their meta-analysis found that while a third of patients reported at least one symptom after stopping treatment — such as dizziness, nausea or insomnia — about half could be attributed to non-specific or ‘nocebo’ effects.
