Comment from Anonymous
AnonymousSupportIndividual
Summary: Sadie Torres supports the petition's request to update drug labeling to use the term "withdrawal" and provide clearer tapering instructions for doctors. However, she opposes the inclusion of a Boxed Warning, arguing that the current science does not justify such a severe warning for common medications.
I think the FDA should make some of the changes asked for in this petition. The word “withdrawal” should replace “discontinuation syndrome” on drug labels because it better describes what patients actually go through when they stop taking these medications. Doctors should also be given clearer instructions on how to slowly taper patients off SSRIs and SNRIs, and they should be warned that withdrawal symptoms can look like a return of depression or anxiety, which can lead to the wrong diagnosis. That said, I don’t think a Boxed Warning is the right move yet; that’s the strongest warning the FDA can put on a drug, and the science isn’t strong enough across the board to justify it. Putting that kind of warning on one of the most commonly prescribed medications could scare people away from treatment they really need.
Sincerely, Sadie Torres