Current guidance suggests that most people should be able to withdraw from the drugs over four weeks.
But psychiatrists say some patients taking the pills long-term can experience serious side effects that can last much longer.
National clinical guidelines are currently being updated.
Wendy Burn, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said she wanted to see the guidelines "more in keeping with what we're hearing from some patients - and GPs - about the range of experiences of coming off antidepressants"....
Yep.. they r right..for me it took 6 years to get off an antidepressant I was on for 20 years.The docs didn't want to take me off of it per my head injuries and stroke and etc, and told me I couldn't do it myself.
Wrong.. I did it , on my own.. and survived..BUT with a lot of serious side effects and a incurable disorder from taking the med in the first place.AND tons of people still take this med and have no clue what it could do to them...very very sad.
NCBI (govt) FDA resports also give a lot of the info docs don't tell us.I found this out last year when someone posted the info in a forum on HU.IF I knew about these reports I would NEVER have been on the med even a day, much less 20 years.
Yes this is fine. I saw this in the news too and agree that it should be taken more seriously. I hear many stories about tapering off under a doctors supervision and still having an awful time. x
I have been off all meds for 27 months I was given no taper by my doctors all stopped c/t I have been suffering ever since deliberating depression insomnia sweating burning skin loss of appetite fatigue and apathy also since I was stopped pulsating tinnitus that has got so much worse my doctor has always insisted that there were no withdrawal and it was all in my head I am damaged beyond repair and struggle everyday to survive now we are being told there are serious withdrawals from these medication and they are being recognised it’s a bit late for those of us that have been harmed
I recently came across a video from someone that was *refused* tapering off of venlafaxine/Effexor. Utterly immoral behaviour from any doctors that act that way.
Extremely interesting article. I have been prescribed anti-depressants for more than 40 years. I am also on "mood stabilisers" (quietiapine) and sleeping tablets (zopiclone) which has also been prescribed for around 35 years.
It is very difficult for me to decide sometimes if the "symptoms" I have now are as a result of mental illness or to a certain extent the result of taking so much medication for so long. I tend to think that medication is overprescribed for some illnesses ( my problem is really that I had a mother with narcissistic personality disorder and I suffered emotional and psychological abuse ; it's well documented on here so no need for me to go into this all over again). I think meds have helped me in a way ( knocking me out and sleeping which has been a massive relief when all the feelings I have are negative ones) So they may have kept me alive in some ways; but in other ways I think they "mash your brain". Also as as far as i know I have no organic mental illness I do ask myself how appropriate they have really been though I aknowledge that they have sort of "seen me through the years" in many respects when I was particularly bad.
I have managed to reduce slightly and am on a stable dose but I have no idea if i'll ever be able to come off completely. It is now accepted that people should only be on zopiclone (the sleeping tablet) for example for a matter of days, not even usuallly weeks and certainly not years .
When I first starting having it the doctor told me it was completely non addictive and I could take it for as long as I wanted. It is only recently that they've realised it can cause all sorts of health problems like heart problems and problems with every organ in your body. A bit too late for me who is addicted?? !!!! I am on a low dose now (7.5 mg) At one point I was regularly taking 4 X 7.5 mg a day for several years. The quietiapine I have managed to reduce slightly and i've come off the benzodiazepene I was on. (lorazepam) ; well sort of . It is only for use "in extreme circumstances". So I do take one occasionally when nothing else will bring me down from a suicidal edge.
I've found another article of interest with regards to anti depressants and enclose the link for anyone who is interested.
Obviously it is important not to stop taking medication cold turkey and to slowly taper and in some cases medication really does make the difference between health and ill health mentally.
My advice to anyone just starting out is please do not become addicted to sleeping tablets. In the case of anti depressants don't stay on them for 20 , 30 , 40 years. Have regular reviews with your doctor and see if it's possible to try a period without them or at a lower dose if possible. In the case of benzo's like lorazepam, diazepam etc. they are life savers when used in the short term ( I or two days) but if used regularly they can cause more problems than they solve, so use wisely and don't just keep on taking meds year in year out with reviews or without questioning it.
(though they no longer prescribe benzos in this way thank God and many doctors will not prescribe them at all because of their known addictiveness.
I personally don't agree with not prescribing them at all as I think some people ( like me) do need them but if you are one of these people like myself you really do need to use them only when there is no other safe way to bring your anxiety down and all other options have been exhausted.
This should never apply to most people as there are other ways like yogic breathing, meditation, walking, calming music, colouring, mindfulness, art therapy, reiki, massage etc which can work in many instances. So try these first!!!
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