Antidepressants: New study sheds light on withdrawal symptoms

Around one in six people who stop antidepressants will experience withdrawal symptoms as a direct result of the medicine – lower than previous estimates, according to the largest study of its kind.

A new analysis published in The Lancet Psychiatry of randomised controlled trials found 15% of patients will experience one or more discontinuation symptoms that are directly caused by stopping the drugs, while around 2-3% will suffer severe symptoms.

Previous research has suggested much higher rates of withdrawal symptoms, with 56% of all patients affected, though experts have said this figure is not robust.

In 2022/23, 86 million antidepressants were prescribed to, figures show.