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Community pharmacies could stock a patient card warning of the risk of suicidal behaviour associated with antidepressants before they are made more widely available in medicine packs, the government has said.
In late 2025, the Commission on Human Medicines advised the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) that the wording in antidepressant patient information leaflets (PILs) should be “strengthened” to provide greater clarity on the risk of suicidal behaviour.
Their review, which covered 28 antidepressants, came after patients and families raised concerns that the PILs did not clearly explain that suicidal behaviours and sexual dysfunction may continue after treatment is stopped.
In a written parliamentary response published on 12 October 2026, health minister James Frith, said that the revised PIL was expected to be available electronically from October 2026, with paper copies within packs of medicines to follow within three to six months.
The CHM also suggested that a patient card could be given to patients either by a healthcare professional — or in a medicine pack — to highlight the risk of suicidal behaviour.
This card would also be available electronically from October 2026, with paper copies expected in packs some months later, Frith said, adding that “as an interim measure” the MHRA was working with the manufacturers’ trade associations to look at earlier access to the hard copy for patients via pharmacies
He continued that a PIL to help patients discuss the risk with healthcare professionals — which was also suggested as a tool by the CHM — was “being developed with other healthcare system partners and should be available early in 2027”.
In a statement published on 15 October 2026, Alison Cave, chief safety officer at the MHRA, said that the measures were not intended to discourage use of antidepressants “but to improve the prominence and clarity of the existing warnings”.
“It’s imperative that patients do not stop taking these medicines without first speaking to their healthcare professional,” she added.
”These measures will help ensure patients, carers and healthcare professionals can have more informed conversations about the benefits and risks associated with antidepressant medicines, and better support people throughout their treatment.”
Chris Bird, programme manager for patient safety at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), said that the body would consider the implications of this advice on its published guidance and review its recommendations “if required”.
Emily Kennedy, head of professional standards, guidance and patient safety at the Royal College of Pharmacy, commented: “We welcome clearer safety information for patients taking antidepressants, including resources to support conversations between patients and healthcare professionals.
“Pharmacists can help patients understand the updated information, answer questions about side effects or changes in their mental health and advise them on when to seek further clinical support.
“It’s important that patients feel able to raise concerns and get the advice they need to take their medicines safely and make informed decisions about their care.”
Publishing their findings in Nature Health in June 2026, researchers revealed that in 2024, the antidepressant sertraline was the most common medication among men and women in their 20s and 30s.
In that age group, twice as many women as men were dispensed a sertraline prescription, with 4.4 million prescriptions dispensed to women, compared with 2.2 million prescriptions dispensed to men, the study results showed.
However, the results of the same study also highlighted that the number of new prescriptions for antidepressants in England were now lower than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic.
