Abstract
To the Editor: In the 52-week trial of discontinuation of antidepressant medication conducted by Lewis et al. (Sept. 30 issue),1 relapse risk was significantly higher in the discontinuation group than in the maintenance group. We suggest that this finding may have been confounded by symptoms of antidepressant withdrawal. The effects of acute withdrawal can last 6 weeks, and the effects of postacute antidepressant withdrawal syndrome may last from several months to years.2,3 Because withdrawal symptoms may overlap with primary depression, patients who have these symptoms may have higher scores on depression-rating scales.2A meta-analysis has indicated that more than half of .
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