- Deprescribing Medications for Mental Health in Australia
In this website I am only discussing deprescribing medications for your mental health.
In particular, the ones that are covered in “The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines” which was accepted as a reference text by Royal Australian College of General Practitioners in 2024.
[Interested in other medication? I recommend this Australian-based resource.]
One in six of all Australians are on antidepressant.
Unfortunately, although there is a lot of research into reasons for going on to these medications, there is far less research into coming off them.
Fortunately, the research is starting to build.
The first serious textbook to gather together the latest information and newer understandings came out in 2024 as “The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines” (MDG) written by two psychiatrists both with personal experience of coming off antidepressants.
That same year the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) endorsed it to their members.
Then in 2025 doctors at the University of Queensland turned the antidepressant information from the MDG into a patient friendly website – RELEASE Toolkit – that is also suitable for GPs and other prescribers.
As the second most commonly prescribed type of mental health medication, benzodiazepines have long been regarded as having the potential for dependence, tolerance, and even addiction.
As a result there has been more research and understanding of the need for withdrawal regimens.
Back in 1999 Professor Heather Ashton published “Benzodiazepines: How They Work and How to Withdraw” – which became better known as the “Ashton Manual”.
In 2024 “The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines” (MDG) brought together this information, and more recent research, to update the recommendations.
Although benzodiazepines are the most commonly prescribed medication for sleep and insomnia, the next most common are zopiclone and zolpidem.
Like the benzodiazepines, the Z-drugs are not always easy to reduce or stop, and some people will need to withdraw slowly and deliberately.
Not all medications for sleep and insomnia have the potential for tolerance and dependence, but all of them deserve at least as much planning for stopping as for starting.
