Antidepressants are the most commonly dispensed mental health medication in Australia, where per capita usage of the medications is higher than all other OECD countries except Iceland.
In 2020 the antidepressant sertraline – sold under the brand name Zoloft – entered Australia’s top 10 list of the most commonly prescribed drugs for the first time. By 2023, it came in at No 7.
Despite this high use, there has been little high-quality evidence on safe and effective ways to stop treatment. This has led many patients to experience withdrawal symptoms and side effects which may be confused with a return of their depression.
The issue prompted Australian doctor Mark Horowitz to conduct research into the drugs and to coauthor landmark antidepressant deprescribing guidelines for clinicians that include the most evidence-based advice on stopping antidepressant use.
Titled the Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines, the instructions were officially endorsed by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) in August.
Antidepressants are described as an important, life-saving treatment by many people.
But, for others, the withdrawal symptoms they experience when trying to stop the drugs can be distressing, leading them to seek support online, or to keep taking a medication they want to stop and no longer need, despite antidepressants not being generally advised for use longer than six to 12 months.
Callout
In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
