What it's used for
- Depression
- Seasonal affective disorder
- Smoking cessation
Read about: Depression, Seasonal affective disorder, ADHD
How it works: Blocks noradrenaline and dopamine reuptake; little effect on serotonin.
Common side effects
- Insomnia
- Dry mouth
- Headache
- Agitation
- Lowered seizure threshold
Tapering considerations
- Withdrawal is usually milder than with SSRIs, but irritability and low mood can occur.
- Tablet strengths limit how finely it can be reduced.
For prescribers & facilitators
- Contraindicated in seizure disorders and eating disorders.
Sources
- 01Incidence of antidepressant discontinuation symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Henssler et al., The Lancet Psychiatry, 2024
- 02Tapering of SSRI treatment to mitigate withdrawal symptoms
Horowitz & Taylor, The Lancet Psychiatry, 2019
- 03A systematic review into the incidence, severity and duration of antidepressant withdrawal effects
Davies & Read, Addictive Behaviors, 2019
- 04
- 05Stopping antidepressants
Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2020
- 06Newer-generation antidepressants and withdrawal effects: reconsidering the role of antidepressants and helping patients to stop
Hengartner, Davies & Read, Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin, 2020
- 07Approaches for discontinuation versus continuation of long-term antidepressant use
Van Leeuwen et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2021
- 08The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines
Horowitz & Taylor, Wiley-Blackwell, 2024