Internet and Telephone Support for Discontinuing Long-Term Antidepressants: The REDUCE Cluster Randomized Trial

Internet and Telephone Support for Discontinuing Long-Term Antidepressants: The REDUCE Cluster Randomized Trial

ABSTRACT

There is concern about long-term antidepressant treatment, and this trial aimed to assess the safety and effectiveness of adding internet and telephone support to a family practitioner review for considering discontinuing long-term antidepressant treatment.

Participants were adults receiving antidepressants for more than 1 year for a first episode of depression or more than 2 years for recurrent depression, who were well enough to consider discontinuation and at low risk of relapse.

The intervention involved internet and telephone self-management support, and the primary outcome was depression at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included antidepressant discontinuation, anxiety, quality of life, antidepressant withdrawal symptoms, mental well-being, enablement, satisfaction, use of health care services, and adverse events.

The trial found that depression was slightly better with support, but the rate of antidepressant discontinuation did not significantly increase. However, improvements in antidepressant withdrawal symptoms and mental well-being were observed. The family practitioner review for discontinuation of antidepressants appeared safe and effective for over 40% of willing and well enough patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISRCTN registry Identifiers: ISRCTN15036829 (internal pilot trial) and ISRCTN12417565 (main trial).

PMID:38913372 | DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.18383

Clinical trials are key to developing safe and effective treatments. It’s important to extend their benefits into everyday medical practice. DocSym, our AI-driven platform, helps by consolidating ICD-11 standards, clinical protocols, and research into a single, easily accessible knowledge base for clinicians.

In today’s healthcare environment, streamlining operations is crucial. Our mobile apps support scheduling, monitoring treatments, and telemedicine, making it easier to manage patient care and expand services digitally.

By using AI, clinics can enhance their workflows and improve patient outcomes, reduce paper routine. Learn more about how we can help at aidevmd.com.

AI Products for Business or Try Custom Development

AI Sales Bot

Welcome AI Sales Bot, your 24/7 teammate! Engaging customers in natural language across all channels and learning from your materials, it’s a step towards efficient, enriched customer interactions and sales

AI Document Assistant

Unlock insights and drive decisions with our AI Insights Suite. Indexing your documents and data, it provides smart, AI-driven decision support, enhancing your productivity and decision-making.

AI Customer Support

Upgrade your support with our AI Assistant, reducing response times and personalizing interactions by analyzing documents and past engagements. Boost your team and customer satisfaction

AI Scrum Bot

Enhance agile management with our AI Scrum Bot, it helps to organize retrospectives. It answers queries and boosts collaboration and efficiency in your scrum processes.