In recent decades, observations of the X-ray and radio continuum have been instrumental in studying the coupling between accretion and ejection processes in low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), with emphasis on systems harbouring black hole accretors. However, we have only recently begun to systematically study the evolution of their X-ray, optical and infrared spectral lines, and to extend these studies to both persistent and transient neutron star LMXBs. I will review the state of the field, focusing on systems with neutron star accretors. I will then describe the dramatic changes that we are observing in the optical and infrared spectra of LMXBs, using dedicated programmes with some of the world's largest telescopes. I will show how this variability in the spectral lines can, in most cases, be associated with the presence of massive outflows. This can be inferred from the detection of wind-related observational signatures, such as P-Cygni line profiles. I will discuss the implications of these lower ionisation winds for the accretion process and their apparently close relation with the hotter outflows detected in X-rays.