Abstract
Background:Stopping antidepressants is often difficult due to withdrawal. Taperingstrips were developed to facilitate antidepressant discontinuation according to the recently described Horowitz-Taylor method, allowing for personalised titration of discontinuation to the intensity of withdrawal. A taperingstrip consists of antidepressant or other medication, packaged in a 28-day roll of small daily pouches, each with the same or slightly lower dose than the one before it. We previously reported that the short-term success rate of antidepressant taperingstrips was 71%. Here, we examine longer-term outcome after 1–5 years.Methods:Patients whose doctor had ordered taperingstrips between January 2015 and December 2019 were sent a questionnaire for participation in anonymised research in January 2020. Of 1012, 483 participated, of whom 408 (85%) had attempted antidepressant tapering.Results:Of the 408 patients included, 192 (47%) had used strips for tapering venlafaxine, 142 (35%) for paroxetine and 74 (18%) for other antidepressants. Median length of antidepressant use was 4 years, and most (61%) had tried to come off without taperingstrips at least once. After 1–5 years, 270 patients (66%) remained off antidepressants after tapering their antidepressant, 6 (2%) had successfully reduced their medication, 87 (21%) had restarted due to (self-reported) relapse, 35 had restarted for another indication (9%), and 10 (3%) reported another outcome. People with more severe experience of withdrawal prior to tapering, and people who had been on antidepressants for a shorter period of time, were more likely to remain off medication after 1–5 years.Conclusion:The previously reported 71% short-term success rate of taperingstrips in the most severely affected group, was matched by a 68% rate after 1–5 years. The evidence-based approach of personal tapering to counter withdrawal, as used for drugs causing withdrawal, for example, benzodiazepines, may represent a simple solution for an important antidepressant-related public health problem, without extra costs.
Highlights
It is widely recognised that a significant proportion of users of modern selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) antidepressants experience difficulties coming off medication,[1,2] differences between studies make it difficult to give a precise summary estimate of incidence
It remains difficult to implement for antidepressants, given that virtually all medications come in dosages that do not allow for flexible and personal tapering.[8]
Median number of years of use of medication was 4, during which most had had previous attempts to stop without taperingstrips (61%), during which they had experienced a median of three withdrawal symptoms, compared with a median of one withdrawal symptom using taperingstrips in the entire sample (Table 3)
Summary
It is widely recognised that a significant proportion of users of modern selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) antidepressants experience difficulties coming off medication,[1,2] differences between studies make it difficult to give a precise summary estimate of incidence. We previously reported that the short-term success rate of antidepressant taperingstrips was 71%. After 1–5 years, 270 patients (66%) remained off antidepressants after tapering their antidepressant, 6 (2%) had successfully reduced their medication, 87 (21%) had restarted due to (self-reported) relapse, 35 had restarted for another indication (9%), and 10 (3%) reported another outcome. People with more severe experience of withdrawal prior to tapering, and people who had been on antidepressants for a shorter period of time, were more likely to remain off medication after 1–5 years. Conclusion: The previously reported 71% short-term success rate of taperingstrips in the most severely affected group, was matched by a 68% rate after 1–5 years. The evidencebased approach of personal tapering to counter withdrawal, as used for drugs causing withdrawal, for example, benzodiazepines, may represent a simple solution for an important antidepressant-related public health problem, without extra costs
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