Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Conversation
The Conversation
Colin Davidson, Professor of Neuropharmacology, University of Lancashire

Why antidepressants can stop working after initially helping

Depression Anxiety England
Symptoms can return despite continued antidepressant treatment, but this does not necessarily mean the body has become tolerant to the medicine. Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Shutterstock

Antidepressant use continues to rise. In England, 96 million antidepressant prescription items were dispensed to an estimated 9.1 million patients in 2025 to 2026. These medicines are prescribed for depression and other conditions, including anxiety and some forms of pain.

Antidepressants can take several weeks to work fully, can cause unwanted side effects and do not help everyone sufficiently. But there is another potential problem: a treatment that initially works can sometimes appear to lose its effect.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Does your sleep tracker get it right? A Pittsburgh neuroscientist weighs in
On a typical night, I go to bed wearing a tracking watch on one wrist and another type of tracker on the other wrist. Then I compare their sleep findings while I drink my morning coffee.
The Conversation
The Conversation
There's A Reason Taxi Cabs Are Almost Always Yellow
Yellow taxis are easy to spot in traffic, but the color's history goes far beyond simple visibility.
Motor1
Motor1
How ‘technoference’ can disrupt parent-child connections
Have you ever been telling someone a story when their phone lights up, and their eyes flicker toward their device?
The Conversation
The Conversation
Holding Lightning by Emily Lordi review – an intimate portrait of Whitney Houston
An empathetic biography of the the singer recasts her tumultuous later career as a triumph of self-expression
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Brian May says Queen are retiring from live tours: ‘Maybe 50 years is enough’
Rock guitarist suggested creating an interactive experience for fans similar to the ‘Abba Voyage’ show
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
"Lanterns" finds its power in fear
To fulfill his destiny, John Stewart embraces what he was trained to reject — and so should we
Salon
Salon
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play