Delayed Withdrawal Reaction
Brain-Neuro-Psych Program
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Delayed Withdrawal Reaction (DWR) is a condition where the withdrawal of a medication or other agent (ie cigarettes) causes withdrawal symptoms months after the agent is reduced or stopped.
This can happen with many medications that are not considered addictive or dependency-causing. Examples include: SSRI’s, tramadol, some blood pressure medications, some antacids, and others.
Medications known to be addictive, such as benzodiazepams, sleep medications, stimulants, pain medications and others can also cause a DWR.
Peter Breggin has been writing this phenomenon for over 20 years, and yet is still unknown by most physicians including psychiatrists. Reducing medications by 25-50% per step over a few weeks can cause a DWR. Unless there is an urgent need to reduce a medication, it’s best to withdraw by no more than 5-10% per step.