LAUSR.org creates dashboard-style pages of related content for over 1.5 million academic articles. Sign Up to like articles & get recommendations!

Should I, can I, dare I? Patients’ view on stopping long-term antidepressant use, a qualitative study

Photo from wikipedia

ABSTRACT Background and aim The rise in long-term antidepressant use is concerning. Long-term antidepressant (AD) use, much longer than recommended by guidelines, can result in risk of adverse events and… Click to show full abstract

ABSTRACT Background and aim The rise in long-term antidepressant use is concerning. Long-term antidepressant (AD) use, much longer than recommended by guidelines, can result in risk of adverse events and generate unnecessary costs. In order to mitigate these risks, patients views about their antidepressants and how to discontinue need to be taken into account. We aimed to explore patients’ experiences and views of discontinuing long-term AD, barriers and facilitators of discontinuation and required support. Methods Semi-structured face to face interviews were conducted with 14 patients with long-term AD use in primary care. Interviews were analysed thematically. Results Participants describe various perceptions about discontinuation. There is fear of returning to their depression, even in those who were ambivalent about the effectiveness and safety of AD continuation. Participants describe low confidence in their own coping resources, fear of stress, and previous negative experiences with stopping. This enhances their perception of AD dependence. Participants indicate the importance of the support of their GP and their social network to help them withdraw. Conclusion Discontinuation of long-term antidepressants is a complex issue for patients. More awareness of the lack of evidence and the potential risks of long-term AD continuation is required. By raising the issue and offering support during discontinuation GPs can help their patients stop AD. A greater focus on non-pharmacological approaches of depression in primary care is needed to reduce unnecessary AD use.

Keywords: long term; term; antidepressant use; term antidepressant

Journal Title: Acta Clinica Belgica
Year Published: 2022

Link to full text (if available)


Share on Social Media:                               Sign Up to like & get
recommendations!

Related content

More Information              News              Social Media              Video              Recommended



                Click one of the above tabs to view related content.