Page 19 - Depression in adults: treatment and management

Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222)

• restlessness or agitation

• problems sleeping

• sweating

• abdominal symptoms (for example, nausea)

• palpitations, tiredness, headaches, and aches in joints and muscles. [2022] [2022]

1.4.15 Explain to people taking antidepressant medication that:

• withdrawal symptoms can be mild, may appear within a few days of reducing or

stopping antidepressant medication, and usually go away within 1 to 2 weeks

• withdrawal can sometimes be more difficult, with symptoms lasting longer (in some

cases several weeks, and occasionally several months)

• withdrawal symptoms can sometimes be severe, particularly if the antidepressant

medication is stopped suddenly. [2022] [2022]

1.4.16 Recognise that people may have fears and concerns about stopping their

antidepressant medication (for example, the withdrawal effects they may
experience, or that their depression will return) and may need support to
withdraw successfully, particularly if previous attempts have led to withdrawal

symptoms or have not been successful. This could include:

• details of online or written resources that may be helpful

• increased support from a clinician or therapist (for example, regular check-in phone
calls, seeing them more frequently, providing advice about sleep hygiene). [2022] [2022]

1.4.17 When stopping a person's antidepressant medication:

• take into account the pharmacokinetic profile (for example, the half-life of the
medication as antidepressants with a short half-life will need to be tapered more

slowly) and the duration of treatment

• slowly reduce the dose to zero in a step-wise fashion, at each step prescribing a

proportion of the previous dose (for example, 50% of previous dose)

• consider using smaller reductions (for example, 25%) as the dose becomes lower

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