Withdrawing from antipsychotics may require months or even years, and patients need to gradually reduce to very low doses, according to a new analysis led by UCL and King’s College London academics.
The review, published in Schizophrenia Bulletin, is the first-ever scientific paper outlining how exactly antipsychotic medication should be reduced in order to minimize both withdrawal effects and the risk of relapse.
Withdrawal symptoms can be severe, and may include psychotic symptoms similar to the underlying condition, which can result in patients being advised to remain on the medication indefinitely, even though the new symptoms might have been avoidable with a carefully-managed withdrawal.
