Health - What they didn't tell me about SSRIs

[Broshious]

I was given several different SSRIs when I was a kid, Paxil being the one I took the longest. My doctor was kind enough to tell me basically nothing other than it might help me. No withdrawal information, nada. Now, this was 7 years ago and the information wasn't quite as well known then as it is now, but considering what we now know I cannot understand that doctors are still giving this crap out. Yes, it helps some people, but at what cost? I just read this on Wikipedia and I'm a bit miffed:

"Although fluoxetine (Prozac), the prototypical SSRI, is classified as a reproductive toxin [10] by the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR), an expert panel at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences at the National Institutes of Health, it is currently not known what causes PSSD(Post SSRI Sexual Dysfunction)."

Mmmm, thanks for that.

"But experiments with rodents have shown that chronic treatment with SSRIs at a young age results in permanently decreased sexual behavior that persists into adulthood and is similar to PSSD."

Permanent? Greeeeeeat! I can attest to being messed up sexually now, had I not taken anti-depressants that still may have been the case, but I'll never know.

"At the cerebral molecular level there are profound and permanent reductions in both the rate-limiting serotonin synthetic enzyme, tryptophan hydroxylase, in dorsal raphe and in serotonin transporter (SERT) expression in cortex."

Wonderful, less Tryptophan Hydroxylase = less Serotonin.

"For example, chronic treatment with fluoxetine (Prozac) has been shown to cause persistent desensitization of 5HT1A receptors even after removal of the SSRI."

"Because described gene expression changes are complex, and can involve persistent modifications of chromatin structure, it has been suggested that SSRI use can result in persistently altered cerebral gene expression leading to compromisedcatecholaminergicneurotransmission and neuroendocrine disturbances,[6] such as decreased testosterone levels[27] and reduced sperm counts[28]. However, without detailed neuropsychopharmacological, pharmacogenomic and toxicogenomic[29] research, the definitive cause remains unknown."

Thanks again doc for giving me this lame excuse for a medication.

Reputation Comments on this post:

good post- in the same boat- poisoned by docs

[Egnarodude]

Hooray to the Western Medical philosophy! PILLS CAN FIX ANYTHING...


goddamnit.... ::barf::

[acolon_5]

Yeah, they are finding more and more problems with these SSRIs. I was given quite a few (serazone, prozac, paxil) but hated them (sexual dysfunction, horray!).....and stopped taking them within a few days of being on them. No on should ever be given these evil medications....THEY should be classified as Schedule I, no medical value!

Evil, evil big pharma!

[FuBai]

The other thing about SSRI's is thier ability to totaly kill creativity. You don't actualy realise it when you are on them, or at least I didn't, but when I came off them I returned to being able to come up with new ideas, crazy concepts and interesting thoughts, thoughts that you just don't seem to get on SSRIs. It's not like you try to think them but you can't, you just don't think them at all.

[KBLSD]

Originally Posted by FuBai

The other thing about SSRI's is thier ability to totaly kill creativity. You don't actualy realise it when you are on them, or at least I didn't, but when I came off them I returned to being able to come up with new ideas, crazy concepts and interesting thoughts, thoughts that you just don't seem to get on SSRIs. It's not like you try to think them but you can't, you just don't think them at all.

they are trying to brainwash us, feeding millions of people full of anti-depressants and pain killers each year, they tried to put swim on a ant-depressant recently but he never took them, although they did get him to take the pain killers. if they can get everyone on hooked on these drugs than they can finally control us and we will not fight backed because we'll all be doped up and give in. its one giant scheme by the goverment to take complete control of us man

[splish6]

Originally Posted by Broshious

I can attest to being messed up sexually now

How so?

[Broshious]

Originally Posted by splish6

How so?

Premature Ejaculation. Lack of desire most of the time.

[FuBai]

Originally Posted by Broshious

Premature Ejaculation. Lack of desire most of the time.

Bet you're glad this forum is anonymous. Sounds bad though. I was on them for only a few months but I've had no problems there.

[Nagognog2]

Yep, but 85 year old Republikans get Viagra and keep popping out their clones. I got to wonder (aspirin, please) if that Senator Craig - R. Idaho wasn't popping those. Or if he regularly offers hand-jobs to guys in men's rooms? That's it. I'll take my chances and pee in the bushes.

[Broshious]

Originally Posted by FuBai

Bet you're glad this forum is anonymous. Sounds bad though. I was on them for only a few months but I've had no problems there.

=P I actually have no shame at all. I posted a bulletin on my myspace a few days ago about the fact that I sharted.

I was on Paxil for around 3 years. Effexor for about a year I think. I think I tried two others but only for very short periods of time, and what I've found is that any drug that take a month to work is a PIECE OF SHIT and RUN far far away from it.

[Practical_Toker]

i find it offensive that people can completely disregard these drugs having any medical value whatsoever.
maybe you don't really have a mental illness. maybe you don't have a chemical imbalance. maybe you didn't eat a bunch of ecstasy and completely ravage your serotonin system. i did. it sucks. it really sucks to lose all interest in life. want to kill yourself. to not be able to enjoy anything, at all, t.v., video games, women...
it really sucks and i'm hoping prozac will fix it because if it doesn't i will surely be dead.
as of right now thank god for weed or i would be already...

[FuBai]

SSRIs are useful for a short term use period, say 6 months to a year, but it is better by far to try and resolve and channel what ever condition you have without medication. Medication of any sort, legal or illegal, will rarely help resolve those sorts of situation (things like LSD, Psilocybin etc have some ability to help people understand and cope with conditions, but only as a one of use). There are many draw backs to SSRIs and I think they should only ever be used to stabilise a patient so that non-medication based psychological therapy has time to work, and then the pills should be taken away. As for taking too much ecstasy - the most recent studies have shown that the ecstasy serotonin imbalance is only 5% different from those who don't use ecstasy (not the 40x difference that NIDA tried to suggest, which is a physical impossibility), and most of the evidence suggests that it is replenishable. You should only use SSRIs to re-equalise serotonin levels and get off it as quickly as possible. SSRIs have long term consequences just like any other drug, and constant use for extended period of time will ultimately yield negative results.

[KillroyMindless]

Originally Posted by Practical_Toker

i find it offensive that people can completely disregard these drugs having any medical value whatsoever.
maybe you don't really have a mental illness. maybe you don't have a chemical imbalance. maybe you didn't eat a bunch of ecstasy and completely ravage your serotonin system. i did. it sucks. it really sucks to lose all interest in life. want to kill yourself. to not be able to enjoy anything, at all, t.v., video games, women...
it really sucks and i'm hoping prozac will fix it because if it doesn't i will surely be dead.
as of right now thank god for weed or i would be already...

ok i agree with you in the fact they do have medicle value and they have saved me a number of times but the thing with ssri is that when stoped and other times they can just burn out, stop working, and make things worse. For many people the side effects heavily outweigh the benifets and they didnt for me but... eventually they did its something that should be monitered closely and taken great precauson in.
Once they start working and are going for a few months work on fixing your deppression with out a pill its hard but possible. and
THE MAIN REASON DOCTORS DONT SAY MUCH IS ITS A BUISNUESS I CANT EXPLAINE EXACTLY WHY BUT THEY FIND WAYS TO GET PROFIT IN IT AND IT IS ILLIEAGLE AND NOT ALL DOCTERS DO IT BUT IT STILL HAPPENS (happend to me .)so good luck and just becarful because putting things in your head will always have something that isnt expected