Nearly half of antidepressant users could quit with the help of their GP, research shows

Nearly half of long-term users of antidepressants could stop taking the medication with help from their GP and access to the internet or telephone helplines, a study suggests.

Scientists said that more than 40% of people involved in the study who were healthy and not at risk of relapse managed to come off the drugs on the advice of their doctors.

They also found that patients who accessed online support and psychologists by phone experienced less depression, reported fewer withdrawal symptoms and better mental well-being.

The research was led by the Universities of Southampton and Liverpool and Hull York Medical School and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The findings have been published in the journal Jama Network Open.

In 2022-2023, the most recent year for which NHS figures were available, 86 million antidepressants were prescribed to an estimated 8.6 million patients in England.

Prof. Tony Kendrick, from the University of Southampton, who was the lead author of the study, said the findings were significant because they showed that large numbers of patients were withdrawing from the drugs without the need for expensive, intensive therapy sessions.

He said: “This approach could eliminate the risk of serious side effects in patients taking long-term antidepressants and concerned about withdrawal symptoms.

“Providing patients with internet access and telephone support from psychologists is also cost-effective for the NHS. Our findings show that support not only improves patient outcomes, but also reduces pressure on primary care as people taper off antidepressants.”

A total of 330 adults participated in the study who had been taking the medication for more than a year for a first episode of depression, or for more than two years for a recurrence of the disease.

Una Macleod, co-author and professor of primary care medicine at Hull York Medical School, said: “Many patients have been taking antidepressants for depression for more than two years when they probably no longer need them. The evidence in our study is clear and suggests that Britain should set up a national helpline, by telephone and online, to help people planning to come off the medication.”

The findings are the latest in a seven-year research program called Reduce, which examines the long-term effects of stopping antidepressants.

Mark Gabbay, co-author and professor of general medicine in Liverpool, said the research suggested many patients did not need intensive face-to-face therapy sessions while in withdrawal.

He said: “This is the first study to show that stopping inappropriate long-term antidepressant treatment on a large scale is possible without psychological therapy.

“Antidepressants are only recommended for up to two years in most cases, and people are at risk of increasing side effects as they age. Based on our findings, we call for the promotion of active GP reviews for discontinuation of antidepressants.”

Earlier this month, the largest study of its kind found that one in six people who stop taking antidepressants will experience withdrawal symptoms as a direct result of the drug, which was lower than previous estimates.

The Lancet Psychiatry reported that 15% of patients will experience one or more withdrawal symptoms caused directly by stopping the medication, and about 2-3% will have severe symptoms.

Previous research has shown that withdrawal symptoms are much more common, with 56% of all patients experiencing them, although experts have said this figure is not robust.

The Lancet study of 21,000 people found that the most commonly used antidepressants in Britain had the lowest withdrawal symptoms.

Stopping antidepressants can lead to a variety of symptoms, or no symptoms at all. The most commonly reported are dizziness, headache, nausea, insomnia and irritability.