WiserAD: A randomised trial of a structured online intervention to promote and support antidepressant de-prescribing in primary care
Project Details
Australians take more antidepressants than almost anyone else in the world, and the number of prescriptions continues to rise. This increase stems largely from rising long-term use of antidepressants, which is costly and may pose a number of health risks. Clinical guidelines recommend ceasing antidepressants when they are no longer required, however in practice this is difficult for a range of reasons (e.g., fears of relapse) and both patients and GPs require support to navigate the de-prescribing process. Our team has developed a structured, web-based intervention to address this need. The intervention has been developed and refined with input from GPs and people who have been on long-term antidepressant medication.
The WiserAD (previously STOPS) trial is testing whether this intervention is more effective than usual care in helping long-term antidepressant users to cease their medication while maintaining good mental health. The results of this trial have the potential to assist the growing number of Australians who take antidepressants unnecessarily to safely and successfully cease their antidepressant with the help of their doctor, when the timing is right for them.
For more information on this project please email: wiserad-enquiries@unimelb.edu.au
Researchers
Prof Jane Gunn, Lead Investigator
Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne
Dr Susan Fletcher
Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne
Dr Catherine Kaylor-Hughes
Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne
Prof Chee Ng
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne
A/Prof Patty Chondros, Biostatistician
Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne
Professor Derelie Mangin
Department of Family Practice, McMaster University
Ms Zoe Allnutt, Research Nurse
Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne
Dr Amy Coe, Research Assistant
Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne
Mr Luke Spencer, Research Assistant
Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne
Ms Emily Knight, Research Nurse
Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne
Collaborators
Professor Cathrine Mihalopoulos
Monash University Health Economics Group, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University
Professor Daniel Hoyer
Department of Pharmacology, The University of Melbourne
A/Prof Douglas Boyle
Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne
Professor Jill Klein
Melbourne Business School, The University of Melbourne
Professor Malcolm Hopwood
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne
Professor Tony Kendrick
Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton
Dr Mary-Lou Chatteron
Monash University Health Economics Group, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University
Funding
The WiserAD Trial is funded by a NHMRC Project Grant (2019)
This RCT builds on pilot research that was supported by the following funding schemes:
Therapeutic Guidelines Ltd (TGL)/RACGP Research Grant 2016 and
https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/professional/ongoing-research-aims-to-reduce-antidepressant-use
2018 Melbourne Research Grant Support Scheme (University of Melbourne)