Psychiatric medication

Explains what psychiatric drugs are, what to know before taking them, and information on side effects and coming off medication.

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What if I want to stop taking my medication?

See our pages on coming off psychiatric medication for lots of helpful information on coming off medication, including:

Avoid stopping medication suddenly

It's best to reduce your dose gradually. Stopping medications suddenly (going cold turkey) can make withdrawal symptoms worse, and for some medications can be dangerous. It's important to get more medication in advance so that you don't have to stop suddenly.

If you're running out of medication and need an urgent prescription:

contact NHS 111 (England) or NHS 111 (Wales), who may be able to arrange for you to see a doctor or collect an emergency prescription
contact your GP surgery and ask for an emergency appointment
contact your local crisis team (CRHT), if you're under their care.

See the NHS website for more information about getting an urgent prescription.

My experience coming off medication

What I really needed was a doctor to look at my history and help me through a gradual withdrawal.

Read Andy's story

Could I be forced to stay on medication?

Generally it’s your right to choose whether you come off medication, but there are some situations where your right to choose may be affected. For example, if:

you are sectioned (detained) under some sections of the Mental Health Act
you don’t have mental capacity to decide whether to have treatment, and the treatment is in your best interests

See our page on consent to treatment for more information, including advice on how to get help making your voice heard.

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This information was published in March 2021. We will revise it in 2024.

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