Doctors are finally learning to manage antidepressant withdrawal
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
Withdrawal from SSRIs is more severe and common than previously acknowledged by doctors.
A 2026 New Scientist article reports growing evidence that antidepressant withdrawal symptoms, including panic attacks, terror, dizziness, and insomnia, are far more pervasive and serious than realized. Researcher Mark Horowitz, a psychiatry fellow and former long-term SSRI user, describes his own severe withdrawal after tapering escitalopram over months. Medical bodies are now rethinking how to stop these drugs. The article notes SSRIs are billed as safe but raise questions about over-reliance on medication for depression and anxiety.
What commenters are saying
Commenters strongly agree withdrawal is a serious problem, sharing personal experiences with SNRIs (e.g., "Side Effexor") and noting tricyclics and MAOIs are worse. One camp argues the real issue is overprescription: they cite research that antidepressants often fail to meet minimal clinically important difference thresholds and question the serotonin theory of depression. Others defend the drugs, reporting personal benefit and noting emotional blunting is the intended effect. Several call for upfront discussion of tapering plans when prescribing.