Discontinuation and withdrawal syndromes of psychotropic drugs

What it is

Some drugs often provoke a withdrawal syndrome when they are stopped abruptly. The same thing is also called discontinuation syndrome. Which drug does it is set by how long the drug stays in the body: a long half-life makes withdrawal symptoms less likely, a short one does not.

Lorazepam is a short acting benzodiazepine used as an anxiolytic, a hypnotic and for other clinical uses. It is the one among Lorazepam, Fluoxetine, Venlafaxine XR and Olanzapine that most often provokes a withdrawal syndrome when stopped abruptly.

At the other end, Fluoxetine is the least likely medication to cause withdrawal symptoms among all selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor drugs, because of its long half-life.