The BBC discovered that nearly two million patients in England who are taking antidepressants have been doing so for five years.
Despite the fact that there is little proof that using the drugs for that long has any advantages, this is the case.
Withdrawal symptoms can make it difficult for some people to stop taking their medication, according to a doctor who runs an NHS clinic that helps people get off of pills.
Although withdrawal guidance was updated in 2019, little, in his opinion, has changed.
Antidepressants, which are prescribed for conditions like obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, and depression, are currently being taken by more than eight million people in England. According to data from the NHS, there are one million more people than there were five years ago.
The NHS responded to a Freedom of Information request by BBC Panorama by providing the updated long-term use statistics for the years 2018 to 2022. The data paints a broad picture, but it does not account for the specifics of each patient's situation, some of whom might be taking antidepressants for a valid reason for a long time.
The investigation also turned up proof of an effort made 27 years ago by a major pharmaceutical company to hide potential withdrawal effects that one drug might have.
Modern antidepressants, or SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Re-Uptake Inhibitors), like Prozac, first appeared in the late 1980s. They were quickly hailed as miracle drugs when compared to earlier drugs, some of which had severe side effects.
They were believed to treat depression by resolving a serotonin imbalance in the brain, which controls mood. The way that researchers currently operate is unclear. One theory holds that they merely alter your thoughts or emotions without addressing the root cause of the issue.
For more severe cases of depression, the NHS suggests antidepressants. In place of or in addition to the medication, talking therapy, exercise, and lifestyle changes may be advised.
Prof. Wendy Burn, a former president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said, "Throughout my long and extensive career, I have seen people benefit from antidepressants.". .
"I witness them at work in my clinical practice, changing lives. ".
But she continued: "People are using antidepressants for longer periods of time, and there aren't really any long-term studies to support that. ".
The effectiveness of antidepressants has long been a subject of discussion. The most thorough study, from the University of Oxford, suggests that antidepressants do, at least temporarily, assist some people.
According to the researcher who oversaw the study, however, their advantages are generally modest, and people's reactions differ, with some responding in no way at all.
Additionally, some evidence points to a possible connection between long-term antidepressant use and certain health risks, including diabetes and heart issues. Additionally, some people may be more susceptible to experiencing withdrawal symptoms as a result of long-term use.
Stopping a drug that your body has grown accustomed to can cause withdrawal symptoms.
Symptoms, such as low mood and anxiety, can result from abruptly stopping the drug before the brain has had time to adjust. The withdrawal process can occasionally be mistaken for relapse because some symptoms overlap with the primary condition the drug was prescribed for.
The symptoms vary depending on the person, the medication, and the duration of use. Antidepressant use is frequently discontinued by patients without any negative side effects.
You can find information about organizations that can help if any of the problems in this article affect you via the. The BBC Action Line.
A major pharmaceutical company that produced SSRI antidepressants may have become increasingly aware of a wide range of withdrawal symptoms starting in the mid-1990s, but it appears that it was reluctant to inform the public and regulatory bodies overseeing the pharmaceutical industry of this knowledge. Panorama has found evidence to support this theory.
Employees at Pfizer, which sold sertraline, the antidepressant that is now most popular in the UK, discussed what the pharmaceutical company would tell Norwegian regulators in a confidential memo from 1996.
According to the memo, we shouldn't volunteer to list the withdrawal symptoms but rather have a list ready in case they insist.
Sensory disturbances, sweating, nausea, insomnia, tremors, agitation, and anxiety are a few of the withdrawal symptoms mentioned in the memo.
Sertraline is not anymore produced by Pfizer. In response to the Panorama investigation, a company representative stated that the organization "monitored and reported all adverse event data" to licensing authorities, "in accordance with its legal and regulatory obligations," and updated the sertraline labeling as necessary. " .
Sertraline and other SSRIs have been acknowledged as the preferred treatment for adult depression by public health organizations and professional medical bodies around the globe, it was further stated. The manufacturer claimed that the drug's withdrawal warning had been updated on the label "as required.".
In 2019, under the direction of Prof. Burn, the Royal College of Psychiatrists' president at the time, updated information on withdrawal was published. She had heard patients' testimonies who had gone through severe withdrawal symptoms before making this decision.
Up until that point, the NHS and the college's guidelines maintained that withdrawal was typically mild and brief, lasting no longer than a week or so.
The NHS's current recommendations reflect the fact that for some people, withdrawal can be severe and last a long time.
details about stopping antidepressants.
- Patients who have questions about their medication should talk to their doctor. It can be risky to abruptly stop taking an antidepressant.
- According to medical professionals, it's crucial to seek guidance and treatment for mental health issues as well as to attempt to have any medications routinely reviewed.
- To learn more, go to the websites of Leap For PDD, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and the NHS.
According to a Royal College of Psychiatrists spokesperson, "Medicine and our understanding of treating mental illness both continuously evolve. As a result, when fresh information is discovered, the college updates its advice. ".
Even doctors who prescribe antidepressants have had trouble quitting the drugs themselves due to a lack of knowledge about withdrawal symptoms.
It caused complete havoc in my life, according to Dr. Mark Horowitz, who tried to stop taking the antidepressants he had been taking for 15 years in 2015. I used to have morning panic attacks and feel like I was being pursued by a dog. ".
He started running as a diversion because the panic he experienced would last well into the evenings.
Running gave me a brief reprieve from the panicky feeling, so I continued until my feet started to bleed. " .
He claimed the symptoms that initially motivated him to start taking antidepressants were worse than this.
The Story of Antidepressants.
The documentary series Panorama follows patients who have experienced severe side effects to determine whether the current generation of antidepressants has lived up to its promises.
Watch The Antidepressant Story on Monday, June 19 at 20:00 on BBC One (or at 20:30 in Wales and Northern Ireland). then, access BBC iPlayer. (Only for the UK).
He worries that much more research has been done on how to start patients on antidepressants than on how to stop them.
According to him, it would be the same as allowing automobiles to be sold without brakes.
"We ought to know how to start and stop the car. ".
The only NHS antidepressant deprescribing clinic in England is now run by Dr. Horowitz. It was established in London as a pilot project in 2021 to assist people who are having trouble stopping their medication. .
He is seeing about 25 patients right now.
Despite the fact that withdrawal advice has been updated, according to Dr. Horowitz, patients are still having trouble getting personalized guidance. The current advice for doctors suggests that patients gradually reduce the dosage of their medication, but it does not specify how long this process should last. For each person, it differs.
According to the Royal College of GPs, family physicians are "highly-trained to have frank and sensitive conversations" with patients about the advantages and disadvantages of antidepressants.
It was "increasingly difficult" to give patients the time they needed within the confines of a typical 10-minute consultation, the report claimed, "amid intense workload and workforce pressures.". " .
The manufacturers of the most popular antidepressants told Panorama that numerous studies and clinical trials, including those carried out by independent researchers, had validated the efficacy of their products.
Millions of people around the world, they claimed, had used the medications to treat potentially fatal and sometimes life-threatening conditions.
They claimed that antidepressants could have side effects, just like all medications, and that these side effects are specified in the prescribing information. Additionally, they noted that regulators, physicians, and patients all over the world view their medications as safe and having a favorable benefit-risk ratio.
