According to the scientists, this is a question that concerns many patients and practitioners, while hardly any research has been done into it. “That is actually quite strange when you consider how many people use this medication”, says Eric Ruhé, psychiatrist at Radboudumc in Nijmegen.
Withdrawal symptoms
In the study, university hospitals will compare two phasing out methods. “We compare the usual and slower tapering off with paroxetine and venlafaxine. These two commonly used antidepressants are the most difficult to tap off. For example, we are investigating whether one way of tapering produces more withdrawal symptoms than the other,” Ruhé explains.
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It is also examined whether there is a greater chance that with one of the two taper strategies the depression will return in the longer term. “We also look at effectiveness, quality of life and cost-effectiveness,” says the researcher.
Million users
In the Netherlands, more than a million people are prescribed antidepressants every year. Not everyone has to take these drugs for a long time. A large number of patients therefore stop taking it at some point.
For some of the patients who want to taper off, this is not without problems. Especially at lower doses, patients develop withdrawal symptoms that resemble a relapse of depression.
The hospitals will receive a subsidy of 1.5 million euros from ZonMw, the financier of healthcare research.
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