Medication Review · Private Psychiatry UK

Been on antidepressants
for years? It's worth asking why.

Many people stay on antidepressants far longer than they need to — not because the medication is still necessary, but because nobody has ever properly reviewed whether it is.

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GMC RegisteredConsultant Psychiatrists

FRCPsychRoyal College Fellows

CQC RegulatedRegistered Clinic

You might be wondering

Questions that deserve a proper clinical answer

"I started antidepressants five — or ten — years ago. Has anyone ever actually checked whether I still need them?"

"My GP just keeps renewing the prescription at each review. Nobody has ever really questioned whether the original reason I started still applies."

"I feel fine — but I don't know if that's me or the medication. And I don't know how to find out."

"I'd like to try stopping, but every time I've raised it, I've been told to stay on them without a clear clinical reason why."

The clinical reality

Why long-term antidepressant use deserves review

UK guidelines recommend that antidepressants are reviewed regularly — and that the question of whether to continue should be asked at least annually for people on long-term prescriptions. In practice, this review often does not happen in the depth it should. Repeat prescriptions are issued at ten-minute appointments without a proper reassessment of whether the original indication still applies.

Long-term antidepressant use carries real considerations that deserve a clinical conversation:

Side effects that accumulate over time — weight gain, sexual dysfunction, emotional blunting, cognitive effects — which many people simply accept as their new normal
The question of whether the medication is still doing anything — or whether stability now comes from life changes, therapy, or simply time
Dependence — not in the pejorative sense, but the physiological reality that stopping after long-term use requires careful planning
The possibility that a different approach — or a different understanding of what was happening originally — could open up better options

"I'd like to try stopping" is a legitimate clinical request — and it deserves a thoughtful response, not a reflexive "stay on it".

Take the question seriously

Your medication deserves
a proper review

A single consultation can give you clarity on whether continuing, reducing or stopping is the right clinical direction — and what that would look like in practice.

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Our approach

How we approach a long-term medication review

Understanding why you started

We review the original presentation — what was happening in your life and clinically when the prescription was first issued. The reason you started matters enormously to the question of whether you should continue.

Assessing what the medication is currently doing

We explore whether the medication is still actively treating a condition, providing a safety net, or has simply become habit. These are very different situations requiring very different clinical conversations.

An honest clinical recommendation

We give you our honest view — including, if appropriate, a plan for safe reduction if that is what we believe is clinically reasonable. We never recommend stopping without adequate support in place.

Common questions

Questions people often ask

Only if that is our honest clinical view — and only if the conditions are in place to do so safely. We never advocate stopping medication without proper support. Our goal is to give you a clear, honest assessment of your situation — and if stopping is appropriate, to help you do it safely and gradually.

Then we will tell you that too — and explain why. A review that concludes "continue the current prescription" is still valuable, because it gives you a reason rather than a default. Many people find clarity about why they are on medication just as important as a plan to stop.

In many cases, yes — but it requires careful planning and a much longer taper than most people expect. Long duration of use means the nervous system has adapted around the medication, and the reduction needs to account for that. We provide exactly this kind of structured, unhurried support. See our page on stopping antidepressants safely.

If you have doubts about that advice, a second opinion is entirely reasonable. "Stay on them indefinitely" may be the right clinical recommendation — but it should come with a clear explanation of why, based on your specific history. If it hasn't, you deserve one.

Been on antidepressantsfor years? It's worth asking why.