Many people have difficulties stopping antidepressants. Especially if they have been taking these drugs for a long time, when they are at risk of suffering severe and long-lasting effects from withdrawal. I would know - I’ve been a GP for over 30 years with a specialist interest in mental health.
What does withdrawal feel like? ‘Prolonged agony’ says one campaigner, Stevie Lewis, who advocates for better recognition of the problem and support for sufferers. Carrie Clark writes that “antidepressant withdrawal is the single most terrifying and painful thing that has ever happened to me”. In a terrible tragedy, 25 year old Olivia Russell took her own life after suffering terrifying reactions from stopping an SSRI antidepressant. She was a constituent of my parliamentary colleague Esther McVey MP.
