Weekly Comment – 8 Feb 16 : Antidepressant discontinuation symptoms
February 8, 2016
DISCONTINUATION symptoms
can be experienced by any
patient taking an antidepressant,
particularly after reducing or
skipping a dose or stopping their
medication. Patients taking
antidepressants with a short
half-life, such as paroxetine or
venlafaxine, and taking higher
doses may be more likely to
experience discontinuation
symptoms. Those who have
been taking an antidepressant
for 8 weeks or longer are also
at increased risk, if treatment is
stopped abruptly.
Onset of discontinuation
symptoms can be within 5 days,
and usually depends on the halflife
of the antidepressant. Typical
discontinuation symptoms include
flu-like symptoms (chills, myalgia,
sweating), headache, nausea and
insomnia, depending on the type
of antidepressant.
At the point of dispensing,
pharmacists can play a key role
by educating patients about the
possibility of antidepressant
discontinuation symptoms and
how to minimise the risk of
symptoms developing. Advise
patients to avoid stopping their
antidepressant abruptly, unless
recommended by their prescribing
health professional.
The NPS MedicineWise
MedicineList+ smartphone app can
be used to set alarms for medicine
doses and record medicine and
health information.
nps.org.au/medicinelist-plus
This week’s contributor is Nerida Packham, Pharmacist and Phone Line Services Team Leader, NPS MedicineWise.
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