The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines approach – the science of deprescribing psychiatric medicines’
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| Saturday, August 3, 2024 |
| 12:20 PM - 1:00 PM |
| Pyrmont Theatre |
Details
How to safely deprescribe psychiatric medicines has been relatively neglected in psychiatric teaching and guidelines. The major risks on stopping these medicines are relapse and withdrawal effects. Withdrawal effects from psychiatric medicines are more common, severe and long-lasting than previously recognised. Protracted withdrawal syndromes occur in some people who have stopped psychiatric medicines and can be debilitating. Poor recognition of these effects can lead to misdiagnosis as relapse of an underlying condition, a new physical or mental health condition.
Come to this session to listen to world renowned Dr Mark Horowitz, lead author of The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines and associate editor of the journal of Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology to discuss the latest guidance on deprescribing and reduction regimens for psychiatric medicines, including antidepressants, benzodiazepines, gabapentinoids and z-drugs.
This session will help you to better manage your patients when deprescribing psychiatric medicines, rationalise medication regimens and prevent some of the difficulties patients have when stopping these medicines.
Learning objectives:
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
1. Identify when, why and in whom to stop antidepressants and other psychiatric medicines.
2. Describe the risks of inappropriately stopping psychiatric medicines.
3. Recognise how to distinguish between the withdrawal effects from these medicines and relapse of an underlying condition.
4. Discuss the latest principles in safe tapering to stopping psychiatric medicines, individualised to the patient.
Competency standards: 1.4, 1.5, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.5
Speakers
Dr Mark Horowitz
Honorary Clinical Research Fellow
University College London
De-Prescribing
Biography
Dr Mark Horowitz MBBS PhD is Clinical Research Fellow in Psychiatry in the National Health Service (NHS) in London, Visiting Lecturer in Psychopharmacology at King’s College London, an Honorary Clinical Research Fellow at University College London and a trainee psychiatrist. He has a PhD from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London in the neurobiology of depression and antidepressant action. He is the lead author of the Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines and is an associate editor of the journal Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology.
He co-authored the recent Royal College of Psychiatry guidance on ‘Stopping Antidepressants’, and his work informed the recent NICE guidelines on safe tapering of psychiatric medications, including antidepressants, benzodiazepines and z-drugs. He has worked with the NHS to develop national guidance for safe deprescribing for clinicians and has been commissioned by Health Education England to prepare a teaching module on how to safely stop antidepressants.
He has written several papers about safe approaches to tapering psychiatric medications including publications in The Lancet Psychiatry, JAMA Psychiatry and Schizophrenia Bulletin. He has an interest in rational psychopharmacology and deprescribing psychiatric medication. He has experienced the difficulty of coming off psychiatric medications first hand which has informed much of his work.
