Discontinuing antidepressants: no QALY gain, no cost savings in the short term in the UK.

The trial included patients from 150 primary-care practices in the UK who were taking oral antidepressants (citalopram, fluoxetine, mirtazapine or sertraline) for at least 9 months and were well enough to consider stopping medication. Discontinuation of antidepressants is unlikely to be cost effective compared with maintenance, according to a cost-utility analysis (CUA) based on a randomised controlled trial conducted in the UK. [Extracted from the article]