{"id":537935,"date":"2023-01-09T21:37:03","date_gmt":"2023-01-09T18:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/antipsychotic-withdrawal-an-unrecognized-and-misdiagnosed-problem\/"},"modified":"2023-01-09T21:37:03","modified_gmt":"2023-01-09T18:37:03","slug":"antipsychotic-withdrawal-an-unrecognized-and-misdiagnosed-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/antipsychotic-withdrawal-an-unrecognized-and-misdiagnosed-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"#Antipsychotic withdrawal\u2014an unrecognized and misdiagnosed problem"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3256684e5d4\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3256684e5d4\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/antipsychotic-withdrawal-an-unrecognized-and-misdiagnosed-problem\/#%E2%80%9CAntipsychotic_withdrawal%E2%80%94an_unrecognized_and_misdiagnosed_problem%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Antipsychotic withdrawal\u2014an unrecognized and misdiagnosed problem&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CAntipsychotic_withdrawal%E2%80%94an_unrecognized_and_misdiagnosed_problem%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Antipsychotic withdrawal\u2014an unrecognized and misdiagnosed problem&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2022\/drug.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2022\/drug.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Credit: Pixabay\/CC0 Public Domain\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2022\/drug.jpg\" alt=\"drug\" title=\"Credit: Pixabay\/CC0 Public Domain\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Credit: Pixabay\/CC0 Public Domain<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It&#8217;s not withdrawal, it&#8217;s a relapse of your illness. This is what many people trying to stop their antipsychotic drugs are told when seeking support to get off the medication.\n                                                <\/p>\n<p>                                                                                Antipsychotics are a group of drugs used to treat psychosis (when people lose some contact with reality). It is thought that high levels of a brain chemical called dopamine may cause the symptoms of psychosis, such as hearing voices or feeling paranoid. Antipsychotics help to reduce the intensity of these symptoms by blocking the effect of dopamine.<\/p>\n<p>In most countries, antipsychotics are licensed to treat people diagnosed with <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/mental-health\/conditions\/schizophrenia\/overview\/\">schizophrenia<\/a> or <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/mental-health\/conditions\/bipolar-disorder\/\">bipolar disorder<\/a>. There are also several off-label uses for antipsychotics. Off-label use is when a medication is used in a way that is different to what is described on the license. <\/p>\n<p>Off-label uses for antipsychotics include anxiety, depression, insomnia, eating disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder. They are also used for reducing dementia-related distress in older people. <\/p>\n<p>The drugs are sometimes prescribed for <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK260101\/\">prisoners<\/a> and teenagers thought to be at risk of developing psychosis. People on antipsychotics are also likely to be on one or more other types of psychiatric drugs.<\/p>\n<p>In the UK, the number of antipsychotic pre<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">script<\/a>ions is rising faster than <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.schres.2020.11.057\">the number of psychosis diagnoses<\/a>. From 2015 to 2020, there was <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nhsbsa-opendata.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com\/mumh\/mumh_annual_2020_21_v001.html#23_Antipsychotics\">an 18% increase<\/a> in the antipsychotic items that were prescribed. About 50% of the prescriptions are for people <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bmjopen.bmj.com\/content\/4\/12\/e006135\">without a diagnosis of psychosis or bipolar disorder<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>The side-effects of antipsychotic drugs can be severe. Tremors, muscle stiffness, restlessness and muscle spasms are common side-effects with older, first-generation antipsychotic drugs, which are still widely prescribed. Other side-effects with all generations of antipsychotics include constipation, bed wetting, sexual dysfunction and weight gain.<br \/>\n                                            <!-- Google middle Adsense block --><\/p>\n<p>There are also health-related side effects like heart problems, liver disorders, seizures and neuroleptic malignant syndrome (a rare but potentially life-threatening reaction to antipsychotic drugs). <\/p>\n<p>The <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/17522439.2022.2141841\">impact of the side-effects<\/a> on daily life is often the reason people decide to stop their medication. It is estimated that about three-quarters of people prescribed antipsychotics stop the drugs within 18 months, largely because of the severity of the adverse effects.<\/p>\n<p> <b>Lack of guidance on how to stop<\/b> <\/p>\n<p>There is a lack of guidance on how to stop taking these drugs safely. The guidance for antipsychotic prescribing, such as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nice.org.uk\/guidance\/cg178\">the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance<\/a> in the UK, gives detailed steps on how to start someone on the medication. No guidance is given on how to stop it. The expectation is, when prescribed for a licensed condition, that people would keep taking the medication indefinitely.<\/p>\n<p>Lack of guidance on stopping antipsychotics leaves prescribers reluctant to discuss stopping antipsychotics. Empowering the patient is a key concept in the antipsychotic prescribing guidance in the UK, yet people are rarely fully informed about the potential dangers of the medication. <\/p>\n<p>Prescribers are not encouraging people to have conversations on stopping antipsychotics, either at the point of starting the medication or when someone is considering the effect of antipsychotics on themselves and want to explore their options. This leaves many people with the only option of attempting to stop their antipsychotics on their own without the support of a healthcare professional who could advise them on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/schbul\/sbab017\">tapering<\/a> the medication slowly. <\/p>\n<p>Antipsychotic withdrawal symptoms are often ignored or treated as a relapse\u2014the return of the condition the drugs were prescribed for. Yet classical withdrawal effects, similar to other central nervous system medications, were reported by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.abrep.2022.100421\">72% of people who had tried to stop their antipsychotic medication<\/a> and more than 50% described these effects as severe. The withdrawal reactions from antipsychotics include <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1159\/000477313\">nausea, anxiety, headaches, tremors, aggression, sleep disturbances and reduced concentration<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Antipsychotic withdrawal affects people whether they have had antipsychotics for off-label use or psychosis. The longer someone has been on an antipsychotic the harder it seems to be to stop taking them. The longer a person is on antipsychotics, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.abrep.2022.100421\">the more severe and diverse the withdrawal symptoms are<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>For some people, stopping antipsychotics has been a positive experience and they feel like themselves again. For others, stopping antipsychotics has led them to experience withdrawal symptoms that have an effect on their daily lives that is more severe than the side-effects they wanted to escape. For everyone, having a prescriber who is willing to listen to what is important to the person is extremely important.<\/p>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium my-4\">\n                                                Provided by<br \/>\n                                                                                                    The Conversation<br \/>\n                                                                                                        <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\"><br \/>\n                                                        <svg><use href=\"https:\/\/medx.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/><\/svg><\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n                                                This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/antipsychotic-withdrawal-an-unrecognised-and-misdiagnosed-problem-196989\">original article<\/a>.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/196989\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>                                                 <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                 Antipsychotic withdrawal\u2014an unrecognized and misdiagnosed problem (2023, January 9)<br \/>\n                                                 retrieved 9 January 2023<br \/>\n                                                 from https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2023-01-antipsychotic-withdrawalan-unrecognized-misdiagnosed-problem.html<\/p>\n<p>                                            This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n                                            part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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This is what many people trying to stop their antipsychotic drugs are told when seeking support to get off the medication. Antipsychotics are a group of drugs used to treat psychosis (when people lose some contact&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":537936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2022\/drug.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-537935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=537935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537935\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/537936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=537935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=537935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=537935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}