Many Patients Have Discontinuation Symptoms After Stopping Antidepressants
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, June 6, 2024 -- A considerable proportion of patients have discontinuation symptoms (e.g., dizziness, headache, nausea, insomnia, and irritability) after discontinuing antidepressants, according to a review published online June 5 in The Lancet Psychiatry.
Jonathan Henssler, M.D., from the University of Cologne in Germany, and colleagues conducted a systematic review to examine the incidence of antidepressant discontinuation symptoms in patients discontinuing both antidepressants and placebo. Studies investigated cessation or tapering of an established antidepressant drug or placebo among patients with mental, behavioral, or neurodevelopmental disorders. Data were included from 79 studies with 21,002 patients: 16,532 patients discontinued from an antidepressant and 4,470 discontinued from placebo.
The researchers found that the incidence of at least one antidepressant discontinuation symptom was 0.31 and 0.17 in 62 study groups after discontinuation of an antidepressant and 22 study groups after discontinuation of placebo, respectively. The summary difference in incidence was 0.08 between antidepressant and placebo groups of included randomized controlled trials. The incidence of severe antidepressant discontinuation symptoms was 0.028 and 0.006 after discontinuation of an antidepressant and placebo, respectively. Higher frequencies of discontinuation symptoms were seen in association with desvenlafaxine, venlafaxine, imipramine, and escitalopram, while higher severity of symptoms was seen in association with imipramine, paroxetine, and either desvenlafaxine or venlafaxine. Substantial heterogeneity was seen for the results.
"Evidence that about one in 35 patients suffers from severe antidepressant discontinuation symptoms must be considered preliminary at present, but caution towards severe antidepressant discontinuation symptoms seems to be warranted when discontinuing imipramine, paroxetine, or desvenlafaxine and venlafaxine," the authors write.
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted June 2024
Read this next
Recent Years Saw Increase in Youth With Anxiety, Depression
MONDAY, April 28, 2025 -- From 2016 to 2022, there was an increase in the proportion of youth who experienced anxiety or depression, according to a research letter published...
USPSTF Recommends Counseling to Prevent Perinatal Depression
FRIDAY, April 25, 2025 -- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends counseling for women at increased risk for perinatal depression (PND). This recommendation...
Medical Debt Tied to Higher Likelihood of Forgone Mental Health Care
FRIDAY, April 25, 2025 -- More than one in seven adults reported carrying medical debt in 2023, and of these, one in three forwent mental health care in the subsequent year...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.