This petition is endorsed by Mark Horowitz (researcher, trainee psychiatrist, MBBS, BSc, BA, MSc, PhD, UK), Adele Framer (founder of survivingantidepressants.org USA), IIPDW (International Institute for Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal, UK), Anne Guy (PsychD, UK), Anders Sørensen (researcher, DK), Ewout Kattouw/Stichting PILL (NL) and Vereniging Afbouwmedicatie (NL).

Millions of people worldwide use antidepressants, sleeping medication, tranquilizers, mood stabilizers and other psychotropic medications. Coming off this type of medication needs to be done slowly, to prevent withdrawal symptoms, which can be quite brutal. Some people manage to taper    successfully, but not everybody. Tapering too quickly can cause (sometimes irreversible) damage to physical and mental health. 

Sign this petition if you agree that we need:

• EASY ACCESS TO READY-MADE LOW DOSAGE MEDICATION

We want a wide range of medication for tapering all psychotropic drugs to be made available and accessible for free or at a very low cost to anyone tapering these medications. We are talking about:

·  Readymade (very) low dosage tablets/capsules that can easily be prescribed by GP's and psychiatrists

· Wide scale availability of low potency liquid preparations manufactured        specifically and especially for the purpose of tapering

· Made-to-measure dosages being made available to people who experience   difficulties tapering with low potency liquids or tablets

· Doctors should be able to prescribe dosages of 1 mg or even lower if necessary, to be prescribed for as long as necessary.

• A SERIOUS DISCUSSION ABOUT FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Change costs money. We would like to see a transparent discussion between national regulatory agencies, national healthcare agencies and the pharmaceutical industry and their shareholders and people with lived experience of tapering about who is going to pay for making the abovementioned products available.

The pharmaceutical industry and their shareholders should be reminded that they have made a lot of money off this medication; this gives them the moral obligation to take responsibility in helping to solve the problems these medications have caused.

• IMPROVED TAPERING GUIDELINES

The current ‘one-size-fits-all‘ tapering guidelines can lead to dangerous situations. Guidelines should recommend more a personalised approach and close monitoring. Read more

· New guidelines should incorporate all available evidence, including observational studies and case studies of people with lived experience of tapering. Read more 

·  New guidelines should recommend very gradual tapering, reducing the medication in smaller steps and more slowly as one approaches zero. This is why 

·  New guidelines should enable patients and medical professionals to decide together how slowly and over how long a period of time the taper is carried out.

·  Medical professionals who prescribe psychotropic medication should receive extra training on the subject of tapering.

For more information about why we need this petition and more research on the subject of tapering, please visit www.worldtaperingday.org

PLEASE DO NOT SPEND MONEY TO PROMOTE THE PETITION: IT DOES NOT YIELD SIGNIFICANT RESULTS.

IF YOU WANT TO PROMOTE THE PETITION, IT IS BETTER TO SHARE IT AMONG YOUR FRIENDS AND SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACTS.