Psychotherapy initiation is associated with discontinuation of psychotropic medications without dose escalation: a ten-year real-world cohort study (2014-2024) - Takeaways - MDSpire

Psychotherapy initiation is associated with discontinuation of psychotropic medications without dose escalation: a ten-year real-world cohort study (2014-2024)

  • By

  • Teresa Dolores Pomares Carreres

  • Guillermo Martínez Conesa

  • Francisco Navarrete

  • June 22, 2026

  • 0 min

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  • 1

    The study analyzed anonymized pharmacy data from 86,502 patients over ten years to assess the impact of psychotherapy on psychotropic medication use.

  • 2

    Initiation of psychotherapy was associated with a decrease in the median number of psychotropic medications from 5 to 2 (p < 0.001) without increasing total medication dose.

  • 3

    Benzodiazepine use declined from 87.6% to 67.5% and antidepressant use from 81.8% to 68.8% following psychotherapy initiation (both p < 0.001).

  • 4

    Men were more likely than women to discontinue benzodiazepines, with an odds ratio of 1.27 (95% CI 1.13–1.43).

  • 5

    The largest reductions in benzodiazepine use were observed in patients with depressive, personality, and episodic mood disorders.

Original Source(s)

Psychotherapy initiation is associated with discontinuation of psychotropic medications without dose escalation: a ten-year real-world cohort study (2014-2024)

  • by Teresa Dolores Pomares Carreres, Guillermo Martínez Conesa, Francisco Navarrete

  • June 22, 2026

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