(NewsNation) — Around 15% of people who stop taking antidepressant medications could experience withdrawal symptoms, a new study from the journal The Lancet Psychiatry found.
The study, which analyzed 21,002 adult participants with an average age of 45 using meta-analysis and placebos, aimed to quantify the likelihood of withdrawal symptoms after stopping antidepressant use.
The analysis found roughly one in every six to seven patients who discontinued their doses experienced symptoms of withdrawal.
Of the data sample, 16,532 patients stopped using antidepressants and 4,470 patients stopped taking a placebo. The participant population was 72% female and 28% male.
Though the methodology is effective at showing the potential for symptoms, the study’s authors acknowledged some of the research’s shortcomings.
“A limitation of the study is that no people with lived experience were formally involved in the conceptualization and realization of the study itself … Another limitation is that we found no studies on several widely used antidepressants, for example, mirtazapine, bupropion, or amitriptyline,” they wrote.
Symptoms of antidepressant withdrawal
Dizziness, headaches, nausea, insomnia and irritability are all common signs of substance withdrawal, according to the study and the American Addiction Centers.
While most of the participants who showed symptoms had relatively mild reactions, the study found that roughly one in 35 patients could have “severe” antidepressant discontinuation symptoms.
Which antidepressants have the worst withdrawal symptoms?
The study found medications that most frequently resulted in withdrawal symptoms were desvenlafaxine, venlafaxine, imipramine and escitalopram.
In cases of severe withdrawal symptoms, the medications most commonly used were desvenlafaxine or venlafaxine.
Medications fluoxetine and sertraline reported the lowest rates of symptoms.
How common is depression?
The World Health Organization estimates 5% of the world’s population has depression, making it an incredibly common mental disorder.
Both the disease and treatment by antidepressants are on the up in the United States, with the CDC reporting a notable spike in prescriptions in adults from 2015-2018.
Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic has raised mental health concerns across the board. People aged 12-25 reported a 64% increase in antidepressant prescriptions in December 2022, a mighty leap felt after the onset of the pandemic.
Is it worth starting antidepressants?
Though the idea of withdrawals and other adverse effects can be disconcerting, experts and patients alike acknowledge how some medications can help.
Dr. Jonathan Henssler, senior author of the study and senior physician at Charité — University Medicine in Berlin, shared a press release with CNN about the decision to medicate for depression.
“In patients who have recovered with the help of antidepressants, the decision from doctors and patients may be to stop taking them in time. Therefore, it’s important both doctors and patients have an accurate, evidence-based picture of what might happen,” Henssler said.
Henssler emphasized that it’s between a patient and their doctor to decide on the use of antidepressants.