WiserAD: A randomised trial of a structured online intervention to promote and support antidepressant de-prescribing in primary care
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Project Leader
Professor Jane Gunn
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.
WiserAD is currently recruiting. If your general practice clinic is interested in being a part of WiserAD please complete this online form.
Researchers
Prof Jane Gunn, Lead Investigator
The Department of General Practice, Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (University of Melbourne)
Dr Susan Fletcher
The Department of General Practice, Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (University of Melbourne)
Dr Catherine Kaylor-Hughes
The Department of General Practice, Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (University of Melbourne)
Professor Chee Ng
The Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. University of Melbourne
Dr Patty Chondros, Biostatistician
The Department of General Practice, Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. The University of Melbourne
Professor Derelie Mangin
Department of Family Practice, McMaster University
Ms Charne Froneman, Research Assistant
The Department of General Practice, Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. The University of Melbourne
Ms Kali Godbee, Research Assistant
The Department of General Practice, Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. The University of Melbourne
Ms Zoe Allnutt, Research Assistant
The Department of General Practice, Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. The University of Melbourne
Ms Amy Coe, Research Assistant and PhD Candidate
The Department of General Practice, Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. The University of Melbourne
Collaborators
Professor Cathrine Mihalopoulos
Deakin Health Economics Unit, Faculty of Health, Deakin University
Professor Daniel Hoyer
The Department of Pharmacology, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Melbourne
A/Prof Douglas Boyle
The Department of General Practice, Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. The University of Melbourne
Professor Jill Klein
Melbourne Business School, The University of Melbourne
Professor Malcolm Hopwood
The Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. The University of Melbourne
Professor Tony Kendrick
Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton
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)