In July, JAMA Psychiatry published an article stating that withdrawal symptoms were minimal in patients discontinuing antidepressants. When I read the abstract, I was surprised, because I had heard that antidepressants need to be discontinued slowly and
carefully.
The study was a meta-analysis, which combines data from many smaller studies to produce what would theoretically be a stronger conclusion.
This systematic review and meta-analysis indicated that the mean number of discontinuation symptoms at week 1 after stopping antidepressants was below the threshold for clinically significant discontinuation syndrome. Mood worsening was not associated with
discontinuation; therefore, later presentat…
In a recent post on the Substack Sensible Medicine, Dr. Wil Ward described why he thinks the results are not valid. He looked carefully at the studies included in the meta-analysis, by reviewing the supplementary material. Most practitioners would not dig that
hard.
Will Ward disagrees with my assessment of a JAMA-Psychiatry meta-analysis. His argument is persuasive and belongs on Sensible Medicine JMM
Almost all of the studies in the meta-analysis lasted for only 8-12 weeks. But in the community, anti-depressants are commonly taken for years. The JAMA Psychiatry article has little to nothing to do with the way antidepressants are actually
used.
Dr. Ward’s article goes on to discuss a number of other points about antidepressants. I think it’s well worth reading.
