Antipsychotic withdrawal – an unrecognised and misdiagnosed problem

By Laura Lindsey, Lecturer, Pharmacy Practice, Newcastle University

It’s not withdrawal, it’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.

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.

In most countries, antipsychotics are licensed to…

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