Discontinuing antidepressant treatment

Stopping antidepressant therapy can be associated with a risk of discontinuation symptoms.^1,3 Strategies to reduce the risk of discontinuation symptoms include tapering-down the medication instead of stopping, although tapering approaches have been criticized themselves.^1,2

References:

1.Henssler J, Schmidt Y, Schmidt U, et al. Incidence of antidepressant discontinuation symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Psychiatry 2024; 11 (7): 526–535.

2.Horowitz MA, Taylor D. Tapering of SSRI treatment to mitigate withdrawal symptoms. Lancet Psychiatry 2019; 6 (6): 538–546.

3.Severe J, Greden JF, Reddy P. Consequences of recurrence of major depressive disorder: is stopping effective antidepressant medications ever safe? Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ) 2020; 18 (2): 120–128.