Royal Australian College of General Practitioners endorses ‘landmark’ safe deprescribing guide
The Wilson Foundation welcomes the decision by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) to endorse The Maudsley® Deprescribing Guidelines: Antidepressants, Benzodiazepines, Gabapentinoids and Z-drugs as an ‘Accepted Clinical Resource’.
The Guidelines are the latest clinical handbook in the leading series of psychiatric drug prescribing textbooks, widely used by psychiatrists in Australia and around the world. They provide a much-needed summary of evidence-based guidance on how to safely stop antidepressants, benzodiazepines, gabapentinoids and z-drugs. They are intended for GPs, pharmacists, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists and other clinicians for use in the clinic to minimise patient distress during the withdrawal process.
Co-Authors of the Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines, Dr Mark Horowitz and Professor David Taylor view the decision as a significant advancement for the safe deprescribing of antidepressants and other psychiatric medications in Australia.
Dr Mark Horowitz, Co-Author, The Maudsley® Deprescribing Guidelines said:
“Nearly four million people are taking antidepressants across Australia, and many are finding that getting on them is considerably easier than coming off them. To date there has been limited guidance for clinicians on how to safely stop antidepressants resulting in some patients suffering severe and traumatic withdrawal symptoms.
Without the correct guidance, doctors advise stopping drugs too quickly, are poor at recognising withdrawal effects and often perceive problems coming off (the medication) as due to an underlying disorder re-surfacing rather than withdrawal effects. In some cases, their advice is to recommend that their patients go back on the antidepressant and stay on it, sometimes (for life).
This is like telling someone who becomes anxious when they stop smoking that they need to continue smoking to prevent their anxiety returning. When really what they need to do is to stop the drug more carefully. Antidepressants and cigarettes are not the same sort of drug of course but the point is that withdrawal effects need to be considered.”
The Guidelines are currently being reviewed by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA).
The Wilson Foundation is championing the launch of these important and long awaited Guidelines and is providing 500 free e-books of the Guidelines for members of the RACGP.
You can read a recent article in the RACGP’s NewsGP here and watch a recent event featuring Dr Mark Horowitz co-hosted by the NSW Mental Health Commission and NSW & ACT branch of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners here.
In addition, the Wilson Foundation is engaged in a broader antidepressant deprescribing project including partnerships with:
Critical and Ethical Mental Health (CEMH) research group at the Robson Research Institute, University of Adelaide. CEMH are conducting a survey titled Stopping Antidepressants: Real-World Experiences of Australian People.
Lived Experience Leadership & Advocacy Network (LELAN) are facilitating a lived experience working group which will offer guidance on advocating for deprescribing protocols in Australia.