While antidepressants can be a blessing for many people, a new study finds that a significant number of long-term users can experience potentially severe withdrawal when coming off these powerful drugs.
According to the new research, individuals who have been taking antidepressants for more than two years are much more likely to experience symptoms of withdrawal compared to short-term users when stopping the medication.
The study, led by Dr Mark Horowitz, a visiting clinical researcher at UCL Division of Psychiatry, found that long-term users increase the odds of withdrawal symptoms tenfold compared to those whose use is limited to six months. While short-term users mostly experienced little to no symptoms, 64% of long-term users encountered moderate or severe withdrawal.
“While coming off antidepressants can be easier for people who have only taken them for a short period of time, these drugs are commonly used for a long time,” said Horowitz, per Neuroscience News.
“Half of those in the UK who take antidepressants have taken the medication for at least a year, and the majority of US antidepressants users have been taking them for over two years.”
Last month, The Dallas Express reported that roughly one in eight Americans takes some form of antidepressants. A previous study found that the drugs are also linked to higher rates of sudden cardiac death, with the longer an individual takes the medication, the higher the risk.
The latest study examined responses from over 300 people in England. While the withdrawal symptoms are alarming, most participants in the study (62%) did report that the drugs were helpful.
Within the entire group of 310 participants, just under eight out of 10 reported at least one withdrawal symptom, and 45% experienced symptoms considered moderate or severe. Across the whole group, 38% said they were unable to stop using the drugs when they attempted to do so.
For long-term users, that rate jumped to 79%.
“Withdrawal symptoms are commonly experienced by people coming off antidepressants, so we would advise that people who want to stop taking the medication should do so in consultation with an informed health professional,” said the study’s senior author, Professor Joanna Moncrieff from the UCL Division of Psychiatry.