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Negative Effects of Antidepressants: Is There a Dark Side?

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Reviewed by Vanessa Wong, MD

Here’s a stunning fact about how common antidepressant drugs are: One in eight Americans, ages 12 and older, take an antidepressant, and the numbers seem to be on the rise. (1) These pharmaceuticals are prescribed not only for depression, but also for anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and even for off-label uses. (2)

negative effects of antidepressants
Antidepressants can cause negative side effects, and they may not always be effective at alleviating depression. iStock/kieferpix

Despite the widespread use of these prescription drugs (globally, this is a $14 billion business), antidepressants can have potentially negative effects on your health. (3) While they are life-saving for some, for others these medications can trigger side effects and symptoms that can disrupt normal routines, or they may be ineffective at alleviating depression. Keep reading to find out more about potential issues with antidepressants and learn how the Functional Medicine approach to psychiatry can help.

Antidepressants are life-saving for some; for others, they can cause negative side effects or fail to alleviate symptoms of depression. Check out this article for an updated look at antidepressants.

What Really Causes Depression (and What’s Wrong with the Chemical Imbalance Theory)?

Conventional medicine and the pharmaceutical companies have long maintained that depression is caused by an imbalance in brain chemicals. That’s why antidepressant meds are formulated to manipulate the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. There are several classes of these drugs, including:

  • Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
  • Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
  • Tricyclic antidepressants
  • Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
  • Atypical antidepressants

However, depression isn’t adequately characterized by “low serotonin” or “low epinephrine.” In fact, only about 25 percent of people diagnosed with depression have abnormally low levels of these neurotransmitters, while some have very high levels of them. (4) Although these facts don’t rule out chemical imbalance as a factor in depression, they do suggest that it’s not the only one. 

In reality, depression may be a symptom of one or more underlying issues. I discussed in a previous article how inflammation may be at the root of many cases of depression, (5) but other causes of mental health issues can include:

Any treatment plan that fails to address these underlying causes isn’t likely to be effective for someone who is suffering from depression. That’s why it’s so important to move beyond the default chemical imbalance explanation and understand what’s really driving the condition.

Antidepressants May Not Be as Effective as You Might Think

Important disclaimer: If you are currently taking an antidepressant, do not stop abruptly and do not taper off the meds without the guidance and support of your healthcare providers. I’ll discuss more about how to taper off of medication below, but it is crucial that you do not undertake any steps without consulting closely with your doctor.

Given the hype surrounding antidepressants, you may be surprised to learn initial treatment is effective at mitigating symptoms only about half the time. (12) Even after trying several treatments, up to 30 percent of those with depression never achieve remission. (13)

While a large meta-analysis published in 2018 in the prestigious journal, The Lancet, states that all antidepressants perform significantly better than placebo, (14) critics have pointed out that these differences are small and not clinically relevant. (15) The majority of high-quality research studies have shown that SSRIs have no benefit over placebo for mild and moderate depression. (16, 17, 18, 19)

One Problem: Clinical Trial Groups Are Not Representative of Real-World People

One major issue with the research on antidepressant efficacy is the selection process of clinical trial group participants. Because the selection process is not standardized or subject to any federal guidelines, patients with milder forms of depression, chronic depression, or other psychiatric or medical conditions in addition to short-term depression are excluded from studies. (20) In some cases, less than 20 percent of people who apply to be part of an antidepressant efficacy trial do not meet the requirements, meaning that study groups are not representative of a real-world population. (21)

Here is why such exclusions matter: In a normal, clinical setting, many patients with depression have other illnesses, such as diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, or irritable bowel syndrome. It’s not unusual for them to have anxiety and insomnia, as well. In fact, it’s quite possible that a person with depression might be suffering from other conditions that are either contributing to or caused by their illness. 

One study looked at the efficacy of antidepressants in those who did not meet phase III inclusion criteria (phase III clinical trials include and exclude participants based on stringent criteria that would actually exclude the majority of people who take the drugs in real life). Among participants who would not qualify under phase III criteria, researchers found that their outcomes were, unsurprisingly, much worse than those who did qualify for the trials. (22)

It’s important to note the wide variability in individual response to antidepressants. SSRIs and other antidepressants can be game changers for many people, but the reported average response rate in clinical trials won’t shed any light on how one person reacts to a medication versus another individual. However, what’s clear is that these drugs are not a panacea for global mental illness, and that this is a complex topic.

Two Drug-Free Treatments That Can Be as Effective as or More Effective Than Antidepressants

Another important detail to note is that non-pharmaceutical treatments can be as effective or even more effective than antidepressants. Evidence shows promising results for psychotherapy and exercise as effective interventions.

1. Psychotherapy

Substantial evidence demonstrates that psychotherapies, like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), are just as effective as antidepressants for long-term maintenance, for first-line treatment, and even for treatment-resistant depression. (23, 24, 25, 26, 27) In some cases, psychotherapy has actually outperformed antidepressants or added additional benefit to medication. (28, 29, 30)

CBT also might reduce the risk of depression relapse, which is very common. (31, 32) If you’ve had depression once, your risk of developing depression again is about 50 percent. If you’ve had two episodes, you’re 80 percent likely to relapse. (33, 34)

CBT may offer unique skills for preventing relapse. As one review from 2017 states: (35)

“Residual symptoms and relapse risk would decrease if patients in partial or full remission can learn, first, to be more aware of negative thoughts and feelings at times of potential relapse/recurrence, and, second, to respond to those thoughts and feelings in ways that allow them to disengage from ruminative depressive processing.”

2. Exercise

Exercise may be powerful for preventing and alleviating depression. Exercise has mood-boosting effects and can decrease inflammation, improve vagal tone, and modulate neurotransmitters, all of which can help decrease depressive symptoms. (36, 37)

Although not all studies are in agreement, (38) many clinical trials and meta-analyses have determined that exercise can be helpful as an adjunct to antidepressants, or even by itself. (39, 40, 41, 42) Of note, people who already have depression may not have enough motivation and energy to start an exercise regimen, especially on their own. However, perhaps surprisingly, drop-out rates among those who participate in exercise groups generally aren’t higher than drop-out rates for other types of treatments. (43) As exercise boasts numerous health benefits beyond mood improvement, it’s worth considering.

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Negative Side Effects of Antidepressants

Side effects are quite common for people who take antidepressants. More than half of those beginning an antidepressant have one of the more common side effects: (44)

  • Nausea
  • Decreased libido (very common, especially among men: up to 40 percent taking antidepressants experience this side effect)
  • Tiredness and/or insomnia
  • Dry mouth
  • Constipation
  • Dizziness
  • Anxiety
  • Weight gain
  • Sweating

While some of the side effects listed above are manageable and won’t cause serious or long-term health complications, others, such as weight gain or anxiety, may—especially if they persist.

Jitteriness Syndrome, Anxiety, and Akathisia

In the first few months of beginning an antidepressant, “jitteriness syndrome” and anxiety are common side effects. Up to one in four people will experience jitteriness syndrome, and studies have reported a wide range of anxiety incidence related to beginning antidepressants, from 4 to 65 percent. (45) Frequently, those who show anxiety are then prescribed another medication, like a benzodiazepine, with its own risks.

In rare cases, a particular type of severe agitation called akathisia may occur. (46) Akathisia has been shown to increase aggression, violent behavior, and suicide.

Suicide

In 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a black-box warning that antidepressants may increase suicidal ideation and attempts in children. A couple years later, they extended the warning to include those up to age 25 and also stated that patients of all ages should be monitored for suicidal ideation, plans, and/or attempts. (47)

The studies surrounding suicide and antidepressants are mixed. Some studies have shown higher suicidal behavior in adults and children (48, 49, 50, 51), while others haven’t. (52, 53) Published FDA investigations state that those under age 25 taking antidepressants have about twice the rate of suicidal behavior compared to those taking placebo. (54, 55) SSRI users might be more at risk than users of other classes of antidepressants, and suicide risk seems highest in the first month starting and stopping the meds. (59)

In general, post-2000 studies show lower rates of suicide among antidepressant trials, despite the fact that suicides have increased since then. (60) Some claim that the earlier studies were flawed or that suicidal ideation is better monitored during trials, but others say that the lower rates in recent studies are due to “enhanced screening procedures and effective exclusion of suicidal patients in clinical trials for depression.” (61) To me, that explanation is far from reassuring. The fact remains that individuals who are actually suicidal will be prescribed antidepressants, but robust studies looking at the efficacy of meds in this population just don’t exist.

Other Side Effects

Other side effects can occur with antidepressants, though some still aren’t well-characterized and many are rare: (62, 63, 64, 65)

  • Numbness or anti-motivational syndrome
  • Interactions with other drugs (ibuprofen and SSRIs don’t mix, for example) (66)
  • Depletion of beneficial gut bacteria (antidepressants have antimicrobial properties)
  • Osteoporosis
  • Cardiovascular issues
  • Personality changes
  • Gastrointestinal symptoms including diarrhea, gastrointestinal bleeding, and dyspepsia (for which antacids may be prescribed)
  • Birth defects
  • Liver injury (very rare)
As with any medication, adequate risks/benefits must be taken into consideration. Even when experiencing side effects, stopping antidepressants needs to be done under the guidance of a healthcare provider.

Weaning off Antidepressants Is Difficult

Antidepressants were intended for short-term treatment of depression, but in actuality, people are taking them continuously for years on end. Half of American antidepressant users have been on them for more than five years, though long-term data on effectiveness and safety are sparse. (67) A review of 14 studies on long-term depression treatment indicated that patients who were treated with drugs fared no better than those who weren’t treated with drugs long-term. (68) In another study of people with depression and on antidepressants for over two years, the patients who did not take drugs after remission had a lower rate of remission compared to those who did. (69)

A big reason that people stay on antidepressants long-term is simply this: Withdrawal symptoms make it very difficult to stop. In a systematic review of patients trying to wean off antidepressants, 46 percent of the participants described withdrawal effects as “severe.” (70) Common withdrawal symptoms include:

  • Dizziness
  • Fatigue
  • Irritability
  • Confusion
  • Insomnia
  • Relapse of depression

Slowly Tapering off Antidepressants Is More Successful Than Current Recommendations

One major problem is that patients are weaning off antidepressants too quickly—often at their doctors’ orders. The prevailing recommendation is to wean off completely in a period of two to four weeks. (71) However, evidence demonstrates that decreasing the dose over a much longer period of time results in much lower rates of side effects and results in more consistent levels of neurotransmitters, as imaged by positron emission tomography scans. (72) Several studies have shown the benefits of tapering more slowly (73, 74, 75) including one study that found that patients who slowly came off an SSRI over an average of 38 weeks had only a 6 percent chance of withdrawal syndrome, compared to a 78 percent chance in the group who stopped quickly. (75)

Tapering slowly may take longer, but it’s much more likely to be effective. (76)

The Functional Psychiatry Solution

Do antidepressants have a place in treating depression? As I said above, for some people, they can be game changers. But they don’t work for everyone, and they will not address any underlying issues that are causing or contributing to depressive symptoms.

A better approach to depression and other mental health issues is the functional psychiatry solution, which treats the root cause of a disorder rather than masking symptoms with prescription drugs.

Using a holistic approach, a functional psychiatry approach to depression may involve interventions such as:

  • Metabolic testing
  • Psychotherapy
  • Dietary interventions
  • Stress management
  • And more

By addressing the true underlying causes of depression, the functional psychiatry approach can improve long-term outcomes for people with depression, giving them relief from their symptoms without the addition of any negative effects of antidepressants. 

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666 Comments

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  1. I can attest to the dangers of these drugs. I had a bad reaction to antibiotics last year, which made me feel suicidal for the first time ever. I started to recover but made the mistake of going to the doctor who prescribed citalopram. My life is now ruined. I became 24/7 suicidal, couldn’t sleep, cowered under the duvet in terror, had sweats, jerks, twitches, got adrenaline rushes, bruises, jaw locking, nausea, couldn’t keep still. I didn’t know what was happening. I spoke to a doctor who said the drugs could make people more anxious on start up. So I carried on taking them, waiting for them to kick in, which they never did. Things got worse. I night I was almost delirious. I started to develop cognitive impairment and parts of my body were numb. I was on them a total of eight weeks, including 3 weeks titrating off. I was then put on zoloft and seroquel and got worse. My heart was beating out my chest, I got a severe tremor and I was a mess. I attempted suicide. Ended up in hospital where my doses were upped and I got even worse. No one was picking up on my adverse reaction and the psychiatrists said I had severe anxiety. I got out of hospital where I did my own research and discovered I had severe akathisia. I had been completely unable to sit or lie still EVER since starting citalopram and akathisia comes with high suicidal ideation and is a major cause of suicide. I came off the drugs. I was on them for 1-2 months before titrating off. Early march, I was off the zoloft and withdrawal hit me hard. As well as the ongoing suicidal ideation and akathisia which I STILL have, I have frequent brain zaps, severe exhaustion, major crying spells (never had these before), blurred vision, double vision, dizziness, sweats, trouble focusing my eyes, trouble moving my eyes, memory issues, cognitive impairment, loss of feelings and inability to function. I’m mostly bedbound. I tried going back on the zoloft at a low dose to mop up withdrawal which helped a little but made the severe side effects worse so I came off again and got even worse withdrawal. Not a day goes by when I don’t wish I hadn’t gone to the doctor. I know I would have recovered by now without the drugs because I was recovering. This is all because I reacted to antibiotics. Before this, I was really happy and had a great life. Now every minute of every day is complete torture. Every day I wish I was dead. I never wanted to die before. I don’t get any relief at all, EVER, from these feelings. I’ve tried everything to help myself and nothing has worked because my brain is broken. Sorry this is such a strong post but I wanted to highlight the dangers of these mind destroying drugs in sensitive people. Think twice before taking pills and see if there is another way to work through things.

  2. Thank you for this article, dr. Cresser. I would be interested to know your views on how to come off an antidepressant that you have used for over 20 years and how to boost you brain function with natural alternatives.

  3. I believe that communing with God for a wonderful spiritual experience every morning can heal so much. God is so good.

  4. ​I’m miserable, and it’s all because I took the drug Celexa; I believe that it did permanent damage to me. After only three days of taking the drug, I was thrown into a panicked crisis that felt like a stroke. I’ve read online that SSRIs can cause brain bleeds and/or permanent brain damage. I immediately lost perception of things, I was thrown off balance as if my equilibrium was damaged because I couldn’t even walk straight for a long time (and still can’t to a point), I had slurred speech, I lost short and long term memory right away (I couldn’t even remember my own phone number), It’s like I had (and still have) amnesia, because I don’t recognize the world as I used to. It’s like I forgot everything that I was ever taught and lost the memory of everything I’ve ever experienced.

    Every day is horrible, I’m suicidally depressed to say the least, but I sure as hell don’t function normally, mentally or physically. I don’t have any kind of emotional responses to anything or anyone anymore; in other words I cannot feel emotion of any kind; if I feel anything at all, it’s obsessive misery and paranoia; I can’t feel any kind of good emotion, nothing ever feels good anymore; and it’s been this way ever since I took Celexa.​ ​ ​​When I try to move my body or exercise, it’s like lifting a three hundred​ ​ pound gorilla; I can’t walk up stairs or even walk around the block without my legs getting extremely tired and painful.

    ​​I’ve had therapy and been on every kind of medication available with no relief. I’ve been deteriorating ever since I took Celexa, and haven’t made any progress naturally or chemically since, so I don’t see myself ever making any kind of progress in the future. Nothing seems to work, and I just can’t take it anymore

    • Hey CG how’s it going dawg? I was reading your comments and I thought I had written them myself? Any progresses ma man?

  5. Hi there
    This is a very interesting topic and one that drug companies will not be happy with. Side effects of anti-depressants are not being researched. Why? Who funds research? Hmmmmm…. the ones who make money on drugs perhaps? Don’t get me started. 🙂
    Anyway, 12 years ago, I was put on an anti-depressant which I came to know afterwards was nicknamed “The suicide drug” by some friends in Ireland. I persevered through 9 months on this medication feeling a lot more suicidal than the depression was offering and also struggling with continuous sweating… perspiration is not a strong enough word so forgive my direct speech. Being an avid gardener and never having issues with really bad sweating in cooler Ireland, after I started these drugs, I began to have perspiration soaking my head and even dripping off my nose with the lightest of tasks. I was feeling so low at one point that I made my way to casualty to have an African psychiatrist tell me “Pick yourself up, you have a Masters degree. A lot of people are worse off than you.” My doctor at the time suggested I come off this medication but refused to acknowledge that loss of so much fluid in the body was a side effect. It was not in his MIMS so therefore not possible. I decided to check the pamphlet in the package (more detailed than the doctor’s MIMS I discovered) and there it was listed as a possible side effect. Coming off was hard and I could hardly make it down the stairs with dizziness. I phoned my doctor who told me the dizziness was all “in my head” and that “if you think you will be dizzy, you will feel dizzy.” This was BS and the last thing a doctor should say to a depressed person. Especially a doctor who didn’t know me and who had only seen me twice in one year. I boldly stood up to this “drug company pimp” and told him “Doctor, I am not anticipating this dizziness, I AM DIZZY and nearly falling down the stairs.” He then told me about an inner ear infection that was going around. Where? 150km away from where I was living and I told him so. That was the last encounter with that doctor and I decided to push through.
    A friend recommended a fantastic doctor to me and on our first consultancy he kept me in the office for an hour.. not a quick 5 minutes for €50. He listened and heard me. He realised I was closer than ever to ending things and got me started on another anti-depressant. This helped pull me back from the edge but also too having a member of the medical profession treat me with respect and dignity, giving me his mobile number in case the drug initially heightened suicidal ideation, was immense. The drug did help at that time but within a few months, I could hardly drive or walk with knee pain. I did not read the leaflet inside the box as there are so many side effects, to me, ignorance was bliss. I persevered through this medication for a year but noticing a sharpness in my personality and a lessening anger filter than what was naturally me. I was noticing a change in my personality that I didn’t like and said things to people that I deeply regretted after, which then heightened self-loathing and depression. I didn’t link the joint pain with the meds at the time but now, 7 years on, I am almost debilitated with arthritic pain in knees, hands, ankle and back. This has probably not been researched as it would affect the colossal sale of SSRIs but I am almost sure that this early onset of arthritis is linked with a number of years of too little moisture in my body, which when you think about it affects synovial fluid in the joints, cartilage, and joint health??? I am not a medical person but does this not make sense?? Anyone out there understand what I am going through. 35 years old and too young to have the body of a 70 year old. None of my siblings, my twin sister included have this problem.
    Really seeking help for this. Reluctant to consult a doctor and would rather try natural, nutritional remedies. Dee

    • It’s all in your head, right? I hate it when they say that. No it’s not purely psychological, it’s a real problem that is actually happening. Of course, no doctor can actually know what you’re experiencing unless they went through the same thing… there’s a major lack of doctors who can actually help people with these kinds of problems, we just don’t have the technology or know-how to deal with this shit, It’s fucking sad.

    • I was just browsing the site and saw your comment. Ive been on various meds on and off for over 10 years. I have endured many different side effects including the emense disgusting sweating that you mentioned. I also have early onset otsteoarthritis in my knees and have never put the two together – I am only 27 and have had to go on disability because it is so bad. This is something that I am going to look into more now because of your comment.

  6. I want to jump in here. 2 stories. First, my now ex wife’s. June 19, 2012 she started taking 20mg of Citalopram for CHEST PAINS! Dr. didn’t even order any tests, she said “I think it’s work anxiety, take these for a few months and see if it subsides” Wife of 11 years, best friend, lover, mother of my 2 yo daughter. Most beautiful, kind and sincere person in the world…. changed inside of 3 months of this medication. She was now lying, cheating, drinking and doing the “party life”. Midlife crisis? No, don’t think so. Drinking and partying came after her personality changed. Before the divorce she tells me “Baby, I’m so sorry, I don’t know why I’ve done these things or why I continue to do them. It’s like I have a split personality… I’m so scared, baby. I don’t want to lose you or my family” .. literally 5 min’s later, she retracted that conversation and was back to being a cold hearted monster. I literally saw the brain struggling with the personality.

    You nay-sayer’s will NEVER.. and I mean NEVER convince me that it wasn’t the medicine!

    During my divorce. I was struggling hard to deal with this sudden change in my wife / life… I’d started taking Citalopram myself, unaware at this time it was the meds. one night, I decided to drive my boss’ truck into a guard railing and into a ditch, trying to “end my suffering” I remembered feeling immediately afterwards “WTF am I doing?” I had a 2yo daughter at the time, and I’d never have considered suicide before, even during this mess.

    So please, spare me all your b/s some of you are spewing about the AD’s being great. It’s called medication spellbinding. And they work differently on each person. So many people THINK they’re doing so much better but if you were to ask their friends and family, they’d say otherwise! No, not on all cases, but too many for it to still be in use!!

    • Hay dewayne.
      Im bob i read your story and mine is the same, we where 2geter 12 years and are only seperated about a month now, 2years ago the luv of my life and mother to my 2 sons was put on 20mgs of citalopram i hate them tablets so much for wat they hav dun nearly overnite they turned a kind luving caring woman and great mother into cold shadow of herself, im not gonna get into details its all still to raw and painfull, but everything u said above was like you were talkin about my ex identicle i swear, i hate them tabs with a passion they came and destroyed everyting, but at least i no exactly how u feel and what ur talkn about, and that helpped me so much i really thought i was losin it till i stmbled ur message
      thanks bro
      Keep ur head up man like me we just got ripped off for no reason but lifes goes on man
      🙂

  7. I’ve been reading the article AND the comments. Every person is different! Chemicals affect different people in different ways. Some of us benefit from the use of drugs. I believe we would all be better off without them, IF that were possible. Who wants to take a med if they don’t need it, except a drug addict? I think drugs are over prescribed, especially anti-depressants. It seems to be the “cure all,” even prescribed for pain treatment. WOW! I’ve been taking anti-depressants most of my life, every kind out there. That’s a long time. I know I now have MANY side affects from using them!!! IF you feel they are helping you, that’s great. IF you are not sure, that’s another story. Proceed with caution and TRY to keep informed. AND REMEMBER-drug companies, hospitals, and even doctors are in business to make $$$. In life, there are NO INSTANT FIXES. Be careful what you put in your body, you can’t get in there and walk around to see what it’s doing to you.

  8. I am a long, long term user of psych meds – mostly antidepressants and I am sure one of the reasons I ended up on SSDI was not due to depression, but the longer term effects of being shuffled off of one drug and on to the next, being led to believe I needed this treatment for the rest of my life. At age 46, I finally hit the end of the road with it all. None of them worked and ones I had tried before now caused raging mania and suicidal feelings that were intensified beyond the usual. I had a very stupid psychiatrist who had me on Cymbalta, Adderall, Tramadol (because I have a chronic pain condition), and filled out the form so I could be legal medical marijuana user. My life went from bad to worse about three years after the cymbalta and adderall especially. I took a year to get off all of these things, except for a low dose of Tramadol for chronic pain and I know I have a long way to go, but I am already starting to feel like I can handle the depression better now. I am still having some bad days where my brain just goes numb and I can’t take in anymore input or think through anything. I also developed more severe depression and more severe SAD as a result of the meds especially. The cannabis came later, but that was another bad idea looking back on it all and I began overusing it to make up for the lack of mental energy I had on these medications. I don’t know if I will ever be the same, but I am working on a good yoga and meditation program and supplements such as Niacin, in particular. I don’t know if I will ever be a fully functioning adult, but I am doing my best and it’s still not good enough after a year of getting off these things, but I have heard from others that it often took two full years before some neruplacticity really kicked in.

  9. Its amazing to know that 1 out of 10 above the age of 12 in the US is on some anti-depressants. goes to show how pharmas are ruling. how can you vote them down when they are part of you?

  10. Never ever ever take sertraline. It is a dangerous medication that nearly cost me my life. In me, it induced a psychotic episode that cost thousands in losses to college. It cost me family, friends, and nearly my freedom. After patiently suffering through the consequences of my poor decision to seek help from quacks, I’m doing well. Everyday things get a little better. Some days I even feel like the strong confident person that I’ve known most of my life.

    If you feel like garbage for whatever reason, do yourself a favor and take a break from whatever is causing you grief. Say no to ZOLOFT……. IT S-U-C-K-S

  11. Hi everyone,

    I was put on 75 mg of Dothiepin 5 years ago for migraines, I never had depression. Before Xmas I decided to come off the medication because of the weight I have gained and I had started a new epilepsy drug for migraines which seemed to be doing more than the Dothep. I am also on tamoxifen which does help with losing weight, so I told my Neurologist this who did not seemed pleased or even understand but he gave me a script for the 25mg so I could taper the medication. Well I thought I was doing really well with the tapering started at Xmas got to this last of two 37.5 and rest 25mg and then it started last weekend. At first I was happy because I could feel the sugar kick need had gone, and then it was down hill. I’ve had terrible crying sessions, insomnia, lack of appetite, agitation and am always having paranoid thoughts. My family are worried, I’ve scared my best friend off who’s got her emotional stresses and can’t deal with me. I’ve upped my dosage the last 2 days back to 75 because I’m can’t cope with being like this, I will try see my GP but by time I get an appointment I will be fixed. I am a Nurse and this has scared the s#⃣#⃣#⃣ out of me, I truly do have a new empathy for people who have depression now which I never understood before.

  12. I was on Celexa (Citalopram) for about 4 years then was switched to Cipralex (Escitalopram) for about 3 more years. I think this drug caused me to be less motivated over-all, and blunted out a lot of emotions. I found that I craved sweets a lot, and it was very hard not to overeat at mealtime. As a male, sexual dysfunction and erectile dysfunction was a problem, and the worse it got the more I tried to overcome it. This lead to me having sex more frequently with more partners while using condoms less often because of the perceived lack of sensitivity and sexual response. Thankfully, I did not get any STDs or get anyone pregnant.

    When I quit, I had a pretty significant withdrawal but it was managable because I tapered over a period of MONTHS (not weeks) and I gradually reduced the dosage. First thing I noticed is weight fell off (about 25 pounds without diet changes or exercise). I got my sex performance back – hooray! I also regained the ability to feel full after a reasonable amount of food was ingested. I think this, combined with restoration of my metabolic rate, was the reason for the weight loss.

    I got off this drug on the advice of a psychiatrist, who then diagnosed me as not “clinically depressed” per se, but cyclothymic with an underlying anxiety disorder (and some OCD/OCPD stuff going on too…). He gave me lamotrigine as a mood stabilizer and imipramine for anxiety. I am on a much more even keel on these medications and my anxiety attacks rarely, if ever, happen and when they do happen they are not the end of the world.

    I wonder sometimes: how many people who go on anti-depressants are doing the basics first? Basics like eating right, getting enough rest, exercising regularly and abstaining from street drugs and/or alcohol? Add to that talk therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy or support groups?

    How many times do people go to a family MD and he says “Check, check, check, check” down the depression checklist and then hand out a prescription without any additional knowledge of the patients history or lifestyle?

    Someone who abuses drugs/alcohol, smokes, stays inside with the curtains drawn, has no sleep schedule, has a bad diet… this person WILL become depressed. Someone who is going through a divorce, or a major loss, or job change or relationships change or change in health… this too can cause “depression”.

    The first person needs a major lifestyle change and possibly therapy to figure out what is motivating such poor self treatment. The second person needs support in the form of reaching out to friends and groups and mental health professionals.

    Until these methods are tried, why put either person on a drug that will cause lethargy, restlnessness/anxiety, weight gain, metabolic changes, cholesterol increase, sexual dysfunction… the list goes on.

    Poison was the cure?

    Let’s rethink this.

    • No offense dude but all you did was swap medications…and diagnoses…the point is that the drugs are not good for you period. Any of them.

  13. On the surface of it this is an interesting article. However… lots of problems and a lack of evidence underpinning it.

    1) Many of the side effects you mention (akathisia, increased anxiety) are known short term commencement effects which typically diminish after around 3 weeks of treatment. You imply they are common permanent side-effects.

    2) You mention that people who have been treated with antidepressant medications have poorer prognoses long-term. What is your control group?? Of course people with depression have poorer prognoses than people without depression. Did it not occur to you that people with the most severe depression (and poorer prognoses on account of their illness) are the most likely to have been prescribed antidepressants? Correlation is not causation.

    3) you say that antidepressants can cause rapid swings between depressed and manic states. It is true that SSRIs can worsen bipolar or cause rapid cycling. Consequently they are not usually recommended for bipolar patients. Mood stabilisers are usually used instead.

    5) What evidence do you have of mass, long-term concurrent prescribing of benzodiazepines with antidepressants? Short-term to help people over the initial commencement effects, maybe, but not long-term. Certainly not in the UK in any case.

    6) Increased suicidality. It is true that drug companies acted criminally when they hid the increased risk of suicidality in the early weeks of taking SSRI and other antidepressant drugs. However, please show us the evidence that long-term treatment with antidepressants actively causes more suicidality. Surely long-term treatment is more likely in cases that were initially severe to start with and inherently carried a higher risk of suicidal behaviour? Again, there is a massive failure to differentiate in your article between correlation and causality. And poor outcomes for those treated in inpatient settings you say? Well, is that really a surprise?! How can you imply this is anything necessarily to do with the drugs? It could just as well be because they are the most severely ill cohort.

    • You really have no idea what you’re talking about. The problem is that doctors like you don’t listen to patients when we’re telling you the drugs are causing us issues. I got Effexor prescribed for a mild depression caused by workplace stress. Let’s see : I got an adverse reaction, stopped after a couple days. Then withdrawal symptoms: Got almost psychotic, violent thoughts, self harming, akathisia for weeks, suicidal, stopped sleeping, muscle twitching and involuntary movements, brain zaps that still haven’t disappeared after three months, depression aggravated from mild to severe, life ruined, job lost, running out of money. And of course, I needed to change doctors several times because every doctor kept telling me what you say : This is all your depression, drugs can’t cause this.

      Nonsense, of course they can cause this. It’s even written in the leaflet.

      I was a functioning professional in a good job doing lots of sports. Now I’m a wreck, courtesy of Effexor.

      If you just drop your ignorance, open your mind and read some patient stories on the internet, you’ll know. People don’t go to the web in masses and invent the same type of story over and over again. It’s just ignorant doctors not believing patients.

  14. I type this from my bed on a day when I feel like I can go on no more. Having been put on paroxetine in 98 at the age of 24 (diagnosed panic attacks/disorder) I thought it was a wonder drug, purely benevolent, that would simply end my panic and let me get on with me life. To a certain extent it did. I started on a new career and for a while things went well. However after a period of time I started to notice the bad sides. Weight gain, apathy, lack of interest in sex. These issues started to affect my already battered and bruised self esteem and so I tried to come off the drugs and see if I was “better”. Obviously the tapered withdrawal each time was hellish. I did it all on my home with no help or guidance from docs and suffered in silence whilst my friends and family most probably thought I was just moody and anti social. Every time however the panic symptoms would return and I’d accept defeat and go back on. I should point out my dose was 20mg a day, reduced to 10mg over the long term. In 2004, after 10 year on the drug I was offered Citalopram as it was supposed to be easier to come off. I switched over and things were pretty similar with no huge differences. However, after around 6 months on the drug I started to notice a need to twitch my fingers and toes. It wasn’t much at first but it soon became quite uncomfortable and awkward. It also started to hit my self confidence even more. I went to see the doctor about this and the first thing she suggested was Tardive Dyskenisia from being on SSRIs for so long. She suggested I try a different one again. I did and it made me feel even worse so back to citalopram I went. I saw a Neurologist and he seemed to think, despite my protestations, that it was “just me'” and I should deal with it. I knew it wasn’t “just me”. The tics slowly became worse and now are all over my body including my shoulders, face, tongue and eyes. I spend my life trying to hide them and am in constant distress and pain. I have spent a small fortune (talking thousands of pounds) on supplements and alternative treatments as well as other psychiatrists and psychologists. I suffer from severe headaches and crippling muscle aches. I am now off the ssris and drug free (apart from constant pain killers) and have been for 18 months now but the symptoms are as bad as ever and show no sign of easing. I went to see the same neuro that I saw all those years ago recently and he said with a jolly face “oh yes I remember you “. I reminded him about the tics that were “just me” and how they had now ravaged my entire body. He rather nonchalantly said they were in all likelihood down to the Ssri use. So now I’m stuck. Doctors can’t help, I also seem to have developed OCD symptoms where I worry I will harm others ( I wouldn’t have a flea!) so it feels like my life is in freefall. My wife doesn’t want to know, my family don’t know, my friends don’t know and obviously I shield my two young daughters from it. In fact if it wasn’t for them I don’t think I’d still be here. The pain and distress is just too much and has been for far too long. I don’t know what to expect from writing this but I honestly don’t think I can get up today and go to work as normal, it feels like I’ve reached the end, so for some reason I thought it might help to write it down.

    • JH,
      I don’t know if you profess any faith, but I’m glad you wrote what you did. I don’t know what my prayers for you are worth to you, but I have to believe they’ll make a difference somehow. Only God knows perfectly all that you’ve been going through, and I know from my own experience that doctors (including neurologists) are little or no help when it comes to withdrawing from and recovering from SSRIs. I’ve never had to deal with tardive dyskinesia, though I did have akathisia, especially during the tapering periods that were even just a little too fast-paced. I took Celexa (citalopram) only for a few weeks, before my doctor switched me to Lexapro (escitalopram), because the former made me nauseated all the time. Before Celexa, I had tried Effexor XR (venlafaxine; first) and Zoloft (sertraline; second). I took Lexapro for only two and a half years, though, and while I thought at first it was helping some, the side-effects nullified any perceived benefit to taking them.
      I wish I could say with certainty that your physical symptoms will fade with time, but I don’t know that they will. All I can say is that my heart aches for you and for your family, and I’ll be praying for you. I have four kids here at home, and while under the influence of Lexapro, I actually attacked my oldest, who remembers and understandably resents me for it. He also remembers knocking on our bedroom door and calling for me but only hearing my screams. I don’t remember that, though it was probably during one of my unsuccessful tapering periods.
      Please don’t give up. I remember finding it easy to believe that my husband and my kids would be better off with me dead. I didn’t really want to die, though, and I didn’t want to leave my kids without their mom.
      The only One who helped me out of that hell, and Who continues to help me one day at a time even now, is Jesus. I hope you will draw nearer to Him and entrust yourself to Him. No guarantees that life will get easier, but He won’t allow you to suffer more than He can help you handle. May God help, bless and protect you, your wife and your precious kids.
      May God help us all.

    • JH
      I’m praying for you in this difficult time. Know that you have a Creator/Higher Power that loves you immensely and only wants the best for you ultimately in life. I’ve learned that when I came to points when I said “Okay, that’s it! Are you kidding me God! I’m out of here.”. The response to me (from God through many means/methods if one is really “listening”) was “your life is not your own, but a gift for learning and growing”. So, I reconciled that I would not go where I was not invited yet, if you know what I mean. If you can hold on through the pain and be comforted knowing that God/HigherPower/Universe/Your Creator is all loving and loves you deeply, like no earthly being can. Praying for you, CSC

      • Zoe, Sarah

        Thanks so much for your response. It means a lot to know other people are somewhere out there thinking of me. I don’t have any faith but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the sentiment and maybe somehow it will help keep me strong. Happy to share personal emails, if there is a secure way of doing this on this site, if anybody would like a personal email confidante that both parties can lean on for support. I made it through today in the end so will keep going….

        • Hang in there, JH. It’s a one-day-at-a-time thing, and I’ll keep praying for you–soul, mind and body–and for all your family. God bless and help you today and each day after.

        • Hi JH, Ditto Sarah’s comment and I’ll keep you in my prayers for God to bring extra blessings into your life and peace of mind. Understood as to having “no faith” as I was there at one time as well..but just to share my experience (as I have in earlier posts), my spiritual journey was the key that unlocked the door to healing my mental pain. Years of psychology/therapy were helpful but at the end I thought, okay is that it…because that is NOT enough for me….eventually starting on a spiritual quest. Once I started investigating spiritual paths and actually experimenting with prayer I was amazed to see unbelievable “coincidences” and serendipitous events and as my faith in a Higher Power increased I have seen more amazing “signs” over the years. When we cannot love ourselves and can find no human help I discovered that God/Universe/Source/Higher Power is there if you seek to find. My motto now is Pain equals Spiritual Gain(or Knowledge). I’ve learned that Love is the most important thing in this life: love of self/others/Higher Power. Keep striving and focus on positive thoughts as others are praying for you. CSC

    • I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression most of my adult life… and I’ve been down the road a few times with the wrong drugs. Here are some harmless lifestyle things you can try that will definately not hurt and probably only help.

      1. Drink more water. Sounds silly because it’s so easy, but my brain does seem to get quirky when I am dehydrated. Carry a water bottle to work and when you go out.
      2. Avoid caffeine, nicotine and other stimulants, including drugs containing pseudoephedrine.
      3. Exercise as often and as regularly as you can. Brisk walks are great – if you can add some weight training even better.
      4. Cut back as much as you can on salt. Watch all package labels for sodium content. Prepared soups, instant noodles – anything that is processed – can have insane amounts of salt.
      5. Increase intake of fresh vegetables – especially green leafy stuff. If you like spinach, have a spinach salad with every meal.
      6. Eat less fatty food, burgers, fried foods, and red meat. Eat more chicken, fish and pork. Steamed or broiled fish is the healthiest protein source for me that I also happen to love.
      7. Sleep as consistently as you can. Get to know your circadian rhythm. My best sleep (for me) is when I sleep in 90 minute chunks – so 6, 7.5 or 9 hours. Not 7 or 8. If I get up in the wrong part of my cleep cycle, I am wrecked for the whole day.
      8. Snore? Get a sleep study done. If you have sleep apnea it’s a big stressor on your mind and body.
      9. Find something that you enjoy doing that is soothing or relaxing and set a time to do that once or twice per week. Reading something inspiring or light hearted, meditation, listen to music, journalling – anything that helps you get a sense of peace or wellbeing.
      10. Reach out as much as you can. Play with your kids, be playful with your spouse… try as much as you can to not brood and make a decision to say something funny, or ask for a hug, or start a sentence with “Hey, why don’t we all…..” (get in the car and go for iced cream, go to that great pizza place, go watch the fireworks display…) A big part of the battle is you get depressed which makes you want to do less which makes you more depressed. Then you depress the people around you and they can start avoiding you. (They might be ‘giving you your space’ or they’re avoiding you for their own self preservation!)

      There. Ten things that are simple. They won’t hurt, but they might make you feel better. They may not alleviate all of your symptoms – maybe some. In any case, if you do all that you WILL be stronger and feel better and that will also change how you are able to deal with (and tolerate) any remaining symptoms.

      Sometimes if we can’t “fix” what the main culprit is, we have to strengthen ourselves in other areas. We need to treat “the entire human” better and not just try and find “medicine for a sickness”.

      That’s my current view – taking a more wholistic approach to life and health.

  15. Finding this blog post has been so helpful for me – and the comments as well – thank you. I have been on Luvox for about a month and have severe stomach pain, muscle rigidity, insomnia, headaches, and nausea. Most side affects i can live with, but i feel awful and the pain in my stomach and esophagus is so bad that I can hardly get through the day and the nights are worse. I think physicians and psychiatrists prescribe ssri’s too quickly, without enough evidence. I need to get off of these and get my life back. Wait- my life was covered by a dark veil of depression….crap. Can we say “rock and a hard place”? I don’t know what to do anymore and feel like I’m losing my sanity. 🙁

    • Doctors and psychiatrists definitely prescribe SSRIs (among other psycho-active drugs) too quickly, but then most of them are paid to do so. And most of them really have no clue what it’s like to live under the influence of these drugs.
      I hope your doctor will at least help you taper off Luvox as slowly as necessary. These drugs take hold even when you’ve only been taking them for a few weeks, though many doctors seem surprised by that.
      It sounds as though your life would be better without Luvox or any drug that supposedly deals with a “chemical imbalance”–but that actually causes one, instead.
      I wish I could say withdrawal will be easy and that you’ll feel better afterward, but I honestly don’t know what you’re dealing with on top of what the drug has been doing to your body. I’ve never been suicidal, but the psychiatrist I was talking to told me, after a few vague questionnaires, that my depression and anxiety were “off the charts” and needed to be dealt with.
      But they really had no clue what was going on in my head or in my heart, and the drugs only made it harder to get to the bottom of what was bothering me. It made it harder to care about what was the real reason for my anxiety and social withdrawal. It made it hard to care about anything–other than my growing fears about being a danger to my kids when I was alone with them.
      I hope you can be free of Luvox before anything worse happens and before it lands you in the hospital with damage to your stomach and esophagus. May God bless and help you and your family. You are in my prayers.

    • Hi Pam. Just wanted to say I completely empathise with your “rock and a hard place”. It’s just unbearable. I hope you find the strength and support that you need and deserve.

      JH

  16. Chris, et al.,
    I thought this was interesting in light of the subject of this article. Did you know that in 2010 the FAA changed their long-held policy of banning commercial airline pilots who take antidepressants from flying? Pilots suffering from depression are allowed to fly commercial jets if they take one of only four antidepressants; Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, Prozac (the most activating/stimulating of this drug class as opposed to the more tranquilizing). This is an accident in the making in my opinion. See article below
    http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/04/02/pilots.depression/
    CSC

  17. Hi,

    I identify with so much of what has been said.

    I wondered if anyone could offer any hope, or advice for me. I went on Strattera for a mere year but the effects since coming off it have been devastating. I stopped taking it 5 months ago, suddenly on the psychiatrist’s advice after I suffered memory impairment akin to Alzheimer’s (very severe- couldn’t remember best friends name or would see a film and an hour later not have a clue what I’d seen). It has been 5 months since then. Some problems have ameliorated to an extent while others painfully persist.

    What I want to know, is if other people have experienced this and got better. People often post on sites like this when things are terrible and don’t return with good news when things heal. Has anyone been on these terrible medicines, had terrible cognitive problems which the brain has amazingly managed to heal?

    Where I am-

    -Word Recall: initially expressing myself was almost impossible but I’d say, though I often forget words, I’m about 80% normal now.

    -Names and short term memory- terrible. About 40% what it was. Possibly seen a 5% improvement in 5 months.

    – Logic and general cognitive function- extremely bad. I make many mistakes at work because I’m so illogical and chaotic in my thinking. I also forget crucial elements of a task or events that have happened. I’ll be holding something and have no idea of how I got it for example. I’m functioning generally at half the level I used to.
    Decision making- terrible because I’m only ever furnished with half the facts by my brain. I struggle to cognitively prioritise information in an ordinary way.

    In some ways I would honestly say I’m mentally retarded. It’s terrifying as I was a straight A, Oxbridge student and now, in my 30s, as a result of a year on a medication, I’m almost retarded in areas of my thinking and function.

    I have had an MRI and the Neurologist suggested I had neurotoxicity (again something which the internet provides conflicting information as to the potential outcome) but had no experience of the medicine and they didn’t know if it would be permanent or not. Big Pharma are at such pains to conceal and hide all this sort of thing that unless the causal link is unavoidable, I feel alone and without access to anything but anecdotal stories found online. I want to do anything I can to get better. I’m getting plenty of sleep, meditating, have radically changed my diet and am trying to be positive. Is there anything more I can do that has helped other people? Is there any hope/or just some one’s story of their battle with this that can help. Even if some one else is in the same situation and we could ‘buddy-up’ a bit. I just feel utterly at sea and devastated by this.

    Chris, I would very much appreciate some advice but I know how busy you are.

    Thank you for reading all this.

    • Hi Jane,
      At the expense of over-posting on this website, I would like to offer my encouragement to you. I have a lot of extra time on my hands right now and this is an issue with which I am intimately familiar and it breaks my heart to hear of other people who are experiencing what I have lived through, so the following would be my response to your query (see my other posts above under Zoe/csczoe). I too work in an extremely demanding profession which requires full mental functioning/cognition/memory (architecture). My story is extreme and in my naivety I remained on SSRI’s (Paxil mostly) at very high doses for 16-17 years before realizing that when I reduced the dose, my cognition seemed to return to my pre-medicated state, which greatly improved my performance at work (and in multitude other areas of my life). I am not as familiar with Strattera (an SNRI, which targets norepinephrine rather than serotonin), but it seems that the effects on cognition may be similiar if not the same? I learned (by experience) that cold turkey withdrawal is NOT the best way to proceed when coming off of these drugs, however you are now at 5 months “clean” and seem to be at least functional in your job (?). When I started weaning I learned that it took months if not years for the brain to heal. 5 months is still early, so perhaps you should be patient but determined, but don’t exhaust yourself…only you know your limits. Also, I have heard of many people who were on these meds for far less than the amount of time I was on them and they seem to be able to recover fully. I think the extent of recovery depends on how long you ingested the drugs and at what dose (i.e very high, average, or low doses) as well as your physiological sensitivity to the drug. You were only on meds for one year so to my mind, you have an excellent chance of full recovery, however that does not diminish the fact that the initial months of weaning is absolutely horrible/painful/surreal. Perhaps you could see how you feel(along with cognition improvements) in a few more months and then make a judgement if you will go a few more months, etc., but there is no shame in going back on the med and trying the wean more slowly (using pill-cutters/liquid version/compounding pharmacy). I hope that my “two-cents” is helpful to you. I would be happy to communicate further with you, if interested. Prayers and positive energy/thoughts I send to you for a full recovery! CSC

      • Zoe,
        Thank you so so much. That is so kind of you. I am extremely grateful. I read your above posts and so know a bit of what you’ve gone through. Are you fully recovered now, it seems cognitively you are. That’s amazing. They are such bad medicines and as you say, consumers/patients aren’t given the facts so they can’t make an informed decision about taking them. I wouldn’t have touched them for my ADHD if I’d had any idea of the long term effects. Like you, I also pushed on regardless of the side effects, not trusting what my body and heart was saying, and listening to pressure from people who didn’t, in hindsight, always have my best interests at heart, or did, but didn’t know all the facts. I wish I’d listened to myself. I’d say to anyone reading this website and still on the medicines- if you’ve had enough doubts to seek out this site, listen to them and come off the drugs. There are so many better ways to deal with mental illness than drugs. I wish I’d believed that before.
        Thank you for the positive encouragement. 5 months feels like an eternity, especially as it’s been so extreme and painful, but in brain/body healing terms, it’s probably a blink of an eye. I’ll be patient. I just wanted to know that for some people who’d gone through this, it wasn’t permanent and I’m very relieved to know that that is the case. Thank you so SO much.
        Take care, Janex

        • Jane
          I’m so glad my experience can benefit someone else- it makes it more meaningful for me to have had to go through it- to help others. I have recovered a great deal by weaning from years of very high dosages of Paxil to a very low dose of Paxil/Prozac mix. I did go below this dose for almost two years and it turned out to be weaning too fast- during that time I did see incredible cognitive improvements (that part was wonderful!) but emotionally; i.e. serotonin levels did not return to my pre-med. state. I found that my body was not able to produce serotonin naturally- definitely NOT my pre-medicated self-i.e. quick-thinking, good-natured, highly sensitive. At the current dose I have a “sustainable” brain for my work and life, but still vastly lacking in the areas of cognition/memory/emotions compared to the “original” me. I have to work extremely hard to compensate for my “handicaps”, but I have been determined not to lose my livelihood. I’ve learned that “bad things (can) happen to good people” and you should learn from them, press on to higher insights and “profit” from you losses…make the best of it ALWAYS. It seems that my story is pretty extreme in comparison to most, so you definitely should know about all the testimonies of people who HAVE fully recovered and no longer take ANY of these meds. As I said, IMO you have a great chance for full recovery and I wish you the very best! I pray for your perseverence/positive energy and thoughts and continued healing! CSC

          • Zoe,
            I was just wondering how you realized–when you dropped to a lower dose for two years–that you were tapering too quickly. I’m asking because, while it’s been five years since I stopped taking Lexapro (after finally stumbling upon a tapering schedule that was slow enough to avoid the worst withdrawal symptoms), some of the weirdness remains. I still get weird lightning sensations in my head, followed by an intense need to cry for no apparent reason. I still get weird neurological symptoms that flare up especially after a mild fever (even from a piddly head cold). Just wondering if you’ve experienced the same.
            I only took Lexapro for two and a half years, and I took Effexor XR, Zoloft and Celexa before that, but I only took those drugs for a few weeks each because of horrible side-effects or, in the case of the Effexor XR, I became pregnant and was told I should get off the drug–especially before the 3rd trimester. The nurse then told me it would be perfectly safe to just quit cold-turkey, since I’d only taken it for a little over two weeks. Turned out, she was wrong. Worst first trimester ever! My husband practically begged me to try something that would make me less of a nightmare to live with (my words, not his).
            So, I guess I’m wondering if it sounds to you like I still tapered too quickly, or if there’s just some permanent brain damage, which, at this point, I have no problem believing.
            Thanks for your time, and God bless you.

            • Hi Sarah,
              First of all congratulations on successfully tapering! The speed of the taper, from what I’ve experienced, should be based upon your tolerance for the withdrawal symptoms but has no bearing on any potential permanent phsyiological damage. Any permanent damage would come from the amount of time on the offending drug, the dose, and one’s sensitiviy/tolerance physiologically (metabolism, etc.) for the drug (which varies per person). Sounds like you were on them for a relatively short amount of time and have been off for 5 years now so it would seem to me that your brain/body would be well on it’s way to being fully recovered- in my opinion. I recently read an article which stated, and this is line with my experience, that those people who seem to have permanent injuries and do not fully recover are those who’ve been medicated for over 15 years- of course there’s no hard science yet for this number. But I would say it is unique to the individual’s physiology as to how/if they fully recover. I did experience the symptoms you mentioned during my taper(s) but now I’ve been at this low dose (about 12mgs) for 3 years and do not have the “brain zaps” anymore- things seem to have normalized mostly as far as that symptom goes. I hope this is helpful…again this is MY experience. I found that if I wanted to live drug-free (or come close to it), I would not be forever grieved about permanent damage because frankly, this will not be psychologically helpful to me in living a happy, productive life. No matter what I now go by the mantra that I WILL “profit”(not financially) from my loss and learn from this and tell others because I believe this is what is expected of me (from above) and this is for my best. To my mind it sounds like you’ve dodged a bullet and found out early enough to recover. Hope this helps and prayers for total healing go out to you. CSC

              • Thanks, Zoe, for your quick and thoughtful reply. I would agree that it’s counterproductive to grieve over what I may see as possible permanent damage from SSRIs. I’m not losing sleep over the idea, really, but I think if someone can suffer long-term or even permanent brain damage from taking these drugs even as (comparatively) briefly as I did, then more people (those thinking of starting these drugs, especially) need to know that.
                On the other hand, when I was starting Effexor XR and then Zoloft and then Celexa and even by the time I started Lexapro, I wasn’t looking for personal testimonies on the internet from people who’d taken those drugs. So, even if lurid stories about what people have suffered as a result of these drugs had been abundant on the internet when I started (and I’m sure they were by 2006), I probably would never have read any of them unless a friend or family member had e-mailed me a link with “Please read this!”
                I also agree that, for God’s reasons (which I’ll know someday), I did dodge a bullet and haven’t suffered nearly as much as many others have. I’m grateful for that, and my heart goes out to those who’ve suffered worse.
                Life is good, in spite of the weirdness that lingers–whether because of the SSRIs or because of something that was in my make-up beforehand.
                Thank you again for your response, and may God bless you and your continued efforts to help others.

                • Hi Sarah,
                  Agreed…to all of your points. I don’t want to diminish others experiences but I also want to point out that “at the end of the day” we need to balance our activism/grief/anger with “moving on”. Sounds like you’re doing that and that you are also reaching out to others to educate. I think that is all that is expected of us…to make the best of the stupid things that happen in this life, knowing that a higher power grieves with us and wishes only for our health! Prayers/blessings to you! CSC

  18. Oops sorry. My 3sons where developed on antidepressants.their birthing doctors said it will not harm any of my children. That I KNOW that’s a crock.all I’m wanting to say is these articles are true.. and does having a higher power cure like Christianity..compassionate love??

    • Hi Teilor,
      I am so sorry to hear you are struggling. My heart goes out to you. It sounds like you should for sure be seeking counseling/therapy and do not make any sudden moves regarding medication. I went through years of therapy/study and eventually came to a faith community (Christianity) and started on a spiritual journey that has evolved/changed over the years. This was definitely helpful for me-focusing on the Love of God. To be clear, I advocate against these medications, however I was on them so long that I found that it was impossible to wean off of them totally (and I tried for a couple of years) and return to my “original” self, so I felt that I had no choice but to keep taking a very small dose after taking a very high dose for around 16 years. Every person has a different journey and is unique. It sounds like you need to stabilize your emotions and only then think about weaning off of meds if that is your goal. It takes hard work and determination and, for me, faith in a higher power. It is my belief, actually I know this now, that God is real and God has an immense love for you and wants for you to grow and learn and love in this life. And I feel compelled to tell you that God loves YOU. It sounds so simple but Love cures a multitude of ills in this life. At the end of the day, it’s all about love…for yourself, for others, for God. Please be safe and if you need to take meds for a while do not feel ashamed to do so, above all remember you are loved. Slow and steady wins the race.
      Love and Prayers for you,
      CSC

  19. Physical pain lately.my wrist,ankles,legs,back hurt as if it was on fire.I forget things about thirty 30 after inquiries.my children suffer from childhood illnesses,making me feel like I’m not a good parent.these alone are mentally harmful.and staying in therapy for the rest of my life..who really can you trust?I think about suicide everyday..how much can a human mind take..oh and we are all in therapy. Tired and hopeful…wanting peace.however,I have also been forcing myself to ignore imagined things..like my voices”borderline personality disorders”…shadows as if there is someone there.light sensitivity..lost.

    M

  20. I have suffered from severe bouts of depressions since having my twins and have been on Sertraline and although I am now only on a very low dosage I have been on them for nearly 9 years now on and off. I have extremely short-term memory loss and am 3 stone heavier than I should be. If I stop taking the tablets what can I do to help repair my memory loss not to mention will my weight gain reduce? Should I seek some other medication. I have been told that if I were to go on the pill it would be better than keep taking Sertraline?

    • I had the same issues with memory and with weight gain, and I still have problems with my memory. There are things I should remember–that my husband remembers clearly–but of which I have no memory. That’s part of the whole feeling about being erased by the drug–remade into someone or something else. I hated it. The weight gain was just an added insult. After finally tapering off Lexapro (successfully after many failed attempts; the doctor really didn’t know how to help with that, but he agreed to prescribe progressively lower doses, and my husband bought me a pill-cutter), I managed to lose weight pretty easily, and life began to improve after those years spent in a numbing fog.
      I wish I could help with the physical pain you’re going through. I’ll keep you in my prayers–that you can safely be rid of Sertraline and begin to heal. I tried Zoloft (sertraline) but was switched because it made my heart race/pound (worse than it usually does; I inherited a heart that is easily agitated). Then I was switched to Celexa, which caused unremitting nausea. Then to Lexapro, which I took for two and a half years, though that last six months were for my successful tapering period.
      I know a lot of people (including myself) had to taper very slowly with these drugs. When I tried tapering off just a bit too quickly, the worst withdrawal symptoms would hit with the same force they hit me when I first quit cold-turkey.
      Most doctors truly have no clue. All they’re told about are the “flu-like” symptoms that “might” hit some people during withdrawal.
      There’s hope, though. And there’s a reason you’ve gone through all that you’ve suffered. If anyone can turn it all to good, somehow, God can. Trust Him, and take it one day at a time.

    • Oops. I’m getting comments mixed up. I meant to respond to another commenter about the physical symptoms she’s been suffering. Sorry for any confusion.