SSRIs: Wonder drugs From Hell

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

By Evelyn Pringle
Online Journal Contributing Writer

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_564.shtml

<snip>

According to Glenn, his daughter was a straight "A" student, an artist, and a talented musician who loved animals and wanted to be a veterinarian.

With the onset of puberty, Caitlin seemed to be having trouble coping, and was also having sleeping problems due to a mild seizure disorder.

"We wanted to help, of course," her father explains, "so we took her to our family physician, who prescribed her Paxil."

Right off the bat, Caitlin did not do well on Paxil, so the doctor took her off the drug. About a week later the family went to see a psychiatrist and Caitlin was put on Zoloft.

--------------------------------

Are there no medical problems left that we don't try to solve with pills?

[tecelote]

1. Where do they find so many doctors without a conscience?

This is horrible.

And, all so that drug companies and their investors can make more money.

I've read that they want to be able to give problem students drugs without parental consent. Anyone doing that with my children is risking their lives, not my kid's.

[Flubadubya]

2. It's a double-edged sword...

The stuff works wonders from some but causes suicidal reactions in others (teens). I work for a psychiatrist who appears to be very conscientious about prescribing SSRIs to teens. He always has detailed discussions with both the parents and the child about the suicide risks, and then follows the child very, very closely to make sure there is not this extreme, adverse reaction. He gives the parents & patients emergency numbers to call if there is any kind of problem. If any adverse reaction is detected he immediately discontinues the medication and may hospitalize for observation.

The risks are known, the benefits can be real. It just requires strict monitoring and awareness on the part of the child, the parents, and physicians.

[Mr_Spock]

14. Thanks for a logical & level headed analysis of this family of drugs

I am sick and tired of the exception trying to be the rule with these pills. They helped me get through an especially tough time where I did not see how I would pull myself out of a particularly dark depression. My daughter has enjoyed tremendous success using select drugs of this type (for anxiety) and she becomes extremely ill tempered & has severe meltdowns whenever we try to reduce her dose below a certain level. We did switch her off of Paxil due to the scare last year, but she is on another less addictive version that behaves similarly in the way that she needs it to. My family has been helped immeasurably by this family of drugs. My dad does not like the side effects of these drugs and so he does not take them. Should everybody in my family not take them because my dad is not pleased with the results on his particular chemistry?

[sarcasmo]

25. You are not fearful you have addicted your daughter to prescriptions drugs

for life? I could never put my teenager on any type of mood altering drug.

[proud2BlibKansan]

28. If the alternative is severe depression

and possible suicide, you bet I would put my teenager on medication. In fact, been there, done that. These stories of side effects never mention that they are still very RARE. Medication worked wonders for my kid. Thank goodness there were meds available that helped.

[Mr_Spock]

30. What is the diagnosis for my daughter?

Do you know? Of course you don't.

But you are willing to state that she would not be on this drug if she was your daughter?

What if I told you that she is on two drugs and is able to be in mainstream schools because of them?

Would you force me to remove the drugs, stigmatize her due to her inability not to stop certain behaviors, get kicked out of school, get depressed & start talking about killing herself like she did when she was only 7 years old?

What you are proposing is child abuse. I find it reprehensible that you would do that to my daughter.

Neither of the drugs she is on are addictive to her - she has issues when we cut back due to her diagnosis/issues - NOT the drug itself. It's the lack of drug that pushes her into a place where she has no control. We give her the choice and she chooses to take her medicine because she doesn't like being made fun of & punished by her teacher/school without it. She is pretty mature at 11 considering that her emotional age is approximately age 8.

And the answer is NO, I am not fearful that my daughter is addicted to prescriptions drugs for life (since she takes none on the weekends & doesn't ask for it).

And I don't personally care what you would put your teenage daughter on. I will do whatever it takes to preserve my daughters' sense of self. Holier than thou attitudes of others notwithstanding...

[sarcasmo]

37. I am just dead set against prescription drugs for teenagers. We have

complete opposite view points on this subject which is the great thing about this Country. We can agree to disagree.

[Mr_Spock]

41. Yep

And you would destroy my child's life if she was your's.

I'm so glad she's in good hands here.

I only wish someone had given me the support I needed when I was her age and had similar issues...

[sendero]

39. Exactly..

.... the idea that any drug that messes with brain chemistry is totally benign is absurd, but many doctors prescribing such drugs think exactly that.

I'm bipolar, found out about a decade ago. I was going through a divorce and was seriously depressed. (The following anecdote occurs a couple months before I found I was bipolar) My family doctor, one I consider a very good doctor I might add, prescribed Paxil.

I reacted strongly to this drug. Two hours after taking my first dose, I became "giddy" (which I would later recognize as mania). I was flirting with cashiers at stores, feeling euphoric, totally having a great time. About 3 hours later I crashed. I felt weak, extremely anxious, shaky. I had night sweats all night.

I reported this to my doctor, who laughed and said "it doesn't work like that. Try it once more, and if it does it again, I'll prescribe something else".

Well it did it again and I decided that I didn't want any SSRIs.

Now the fact is, IT IS WELL KNOWN IN THE PSYCHIATRIC COMMUNITY that folks who have bipolar brain chemistry often have these kinds of reactions to SSRIs. But most family doctors have no idea of these subleties, and are not equipped to analyze them. Personally, I'm not sure Joe Family Doctor should be prescribing these drugs without at least some serious training.

[Sgent]

52. Some thoughts

What you describe is unfortuante -- but not uncommon. I will say that board certified family physicians are getting a lot more psych training than they were 20 years ago -- most other specialties are not. Before Prosac, with the exception of a few rural doctors, most primary care physicians would not initiate anti-depressent therapy. Training standars have changed over the last 20 years.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. It's the pharmaceutical companies. In the 70s, the companies

were blatant with their advertising in popular medical journals and periodicals. The gist would be a picture of a (male) physician listening to a (woman) patient. She looked worried and he looked "concerned" (but bored). The ad was for an antidepressant medication. The unspoken message was time management. It takes about 15-20 minutes to listen to "blather" from women patients who had nondescript but constant worries but only 2 minutes to write a prescription to get them out of the office. Not only sexist messages about women patients, but propounding the use of their products when not necessarily required.

Now, there are SOME valid cases for prescription of these agents, but I believe that they are too complicated for the necessary assessment and monitoring by any physician who is not a psychiatrist. Cardiologists and internists don't have the training -- or the time to do this follow-up treatment when they prescribe antidepressants.

[formercia]

4. Zoloft is poison

If you are sensitive to it, it will cause a massive neural storm that will put you in the emergency room.

It's similar to the reaction of a person exposed to VX nerve agent.

[joeunderdog]

50. Not entirely true, although I appreciate that some people may have

this reaction.

My nephew has made an impressive turnaround on a small amount of this. Social phobia and inability to concentrate in school made it hard for him academically and socially. Both areas are markedly better for him.

[lynch03]

5. I was on paxil

Changed the course of my life for the bad, I wish I was never perscribed that shit.

[smirkymonkey]

8. Getting off Paxil was a nightmare - I was suicidal for three months,

worse than I was before I went on the drug.

However, I am now on a low dose of generic Prozac - have tried to go off it as well, but I just sink back into chronic depression without it. My life is much better and more productive when I am on it.

[mountainvue]

23. Prozac has helped me quite a bit. n/t

[SharonAnn]

26. I was on Paxil for three years. It was a godsend and gave me back

my life.

[QC]

6. Here we go again....the weekly anti-antidepressant thread...

regular as clockwork.

If it goes according to the usual pattern, people who have never experienced depression will march in and declare that those who have fought it should just "snap themselves out of it," the tinhatters will lay out their mind-control theories once again, the militantly anti-pill crowd will be accused of being $cientologists, people will scream and yell and get their feelings hurt, etc.

Yes, antidepressants are over- and inappropriately prescribed, yes they can heighten the risk of suicide in some patients, no, they are not a cure-all. But if it were not for them, I might very well be dead right now, as would many others. The issue is not so simple as many would to imagine.

[Katherine Brengle]

10. Good post --

I have never taken any of these medications, but my best friend was on depression/anxiety meds for awhile, and they helped her. Two other close friends are currently on the same type of medications, and have had no adverse reactions.

I don't think they are right for everyone, and I agree with the general consensus that the advertising is shameless and doesn't educate the public enough about the potential dangers of such medications, but in the end, it is a personal choice that can save lives.

[Deja Q]

12. Trouble is, a good doctor his hard to find.

I'm working with mine, but it's been a struggle to find what does work.

[DeepModem Mom]

13. Thanks, QC, for saying it all. nt

[Mr_Spock]

15. Thank you for putting this post's typical outcome into perspective!!

I'm so tired of having to state that I may not be alive today if it weren't for these (miracle for me) drugs.

You are so correct as I have been involved in many of the previous flame-fests involving this class of drugs and EVERY tin foil hat theory will (and many already have been) be expressed in this post to the dismay of us who's lives have been forever altered for the better by these drugs.

[SmokingJacket]

16. The problem with them is that they're treated like aspirin...

but they're actually *heavy duty* drugs that have profound effects on people's state of mind.

They're invaluable for treating serious, life-threatening depression.

But, IMHO, they should never be prescribed casually, the way the marketers would like.

[Scout1071]

21. I'm on one to stop smoking and I have had a positive experience.

I took it once upon a time when it first came on the market and had very adverse reactions. Back then it was only available in one dose fits all - which was clearly too much for me. Extreme depression, rage, suicidal - all sudden and for the first time in my life. Obviously, I had to get off of it immediately.

However, my Doc talked me into trying again - this time on a now available lower dosage - and it's working like a charm. Not only have I stopped smoking completely over the last 5 weeks, but I feel good and have been organizing and clearing up some things I've put off for some time. All in all, this had been a positive for me.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

31. Are you suggesting that this...

...piece shouldn't have been posted and/or that antidepressant medications should not be discussed? Or that it belongs in some kind of "Health Care" forum of its own? Or that these issues have been settled and we need to move on to other matters? I'm not challenging your comments, just asking---I think I may have missed your point.

[QC]

40. No, just that the topic is discussed frequently and usually ends up

as I described. It's a complex and emotional subject, not well suited to a forum in which many people prefer to shout, pontificate, and make blanket pronouncements on things they apparently don't know much about. See posts 24, 25, and 37 for an excellent example of what I'm talking about.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

47. I agree that the use of...

...antidepressants is a complex and emotional subject. Further, for someone to rely solely on information in a thread like this to make critical medical decisions would be a serious mistake. That said, it seems to me individuals sharing their experience, knowledge, and insights on this topic in a thread like this has potential to do good. This, at least, was my hope when I began this thread. Sifting through the occasional misinformed or non-helpful post is a given on most any thread in any message board format I've ever participated in---just goes with the territory.

[A-Possum]

55. Thank you

Well said, and you saved me from spending an hour trying to compose a reply to this futile thread.

[NoodleyAppendage]

58. Hear! Hear! Enough with the pro-Scientology / Dark Ages crap.

I view the anti-psychiatry crowd no differently than the anti-evolution crowd. They are both backwards assed and anti-science.

JB

[Pavulon]

7. Guys

Drugs are only effective when used correctly. The guidelines for these drugs state they are not for children. Any psychiatric treatment in adults or children should be watched closely.

First if you or a family member suffer from symptoms as serious as seizures DO NOT go to a gp.
They are not equipped to diagnose neurological disorders. If you have the flu they are the place to go.

The article links to lawyers and settlements, so its position is pretty clear.

Adolescent teens can and do suffer from Major Depression. Depression alone can cause someone to react erratically, including killing themselves. Doctors have to have options. A doctor can make a judgment that a teen is in a position where the risk of the SSRI is offset by the immediate risk of the action of the disease.

Major Depression is a disease, there is a genetic link, same as Parkinson's.

Before you decide the pharma companies are evil think about how nice it is not to have polio.

My 2 cents.

[loyalsister]

61. Good observations

My first question was- "where was the neurologist?"
GPs are not equipped to deal with complex neurological pharmaceutical contraindications.

[DenaliDemocrat]

9. I have Paxil Flu right now

I was prescribed it after a major knee surgery (3 new ligaments) and some other stresses in my life gave me a panic attack or two. One year later I am coming off of this stuff, and it is awful, just awful, you cannot imagine.

Had they told me withdrawal would be like this, I would have never ever taken this stuff.

[Deja Q]

11. Paxil, a social anxiety reliever drug, made my anxiety worse... it ALSO

gave me an OCD. (Paxil is also used for people who have OCDs.)

I kept pulling out my hair. I didn't want to but couldn't stop.

Until I got off that mental poison.

I'm off ALL drugs right now.

And, yeah, strattera did help the concentration issue.

[SmokingJacket]

17. If you ever find anything that works for severe social anxiety...

let me know!

I've been on tons of things, therapy, etc. Nothing so much as puts a dent in it.

[ninkasi]

19. I hope you find something to help

My husband suffers from the same thing, severe social anxiety, and it really makes life hell for him. I don't know if it's the same with you, but it's hard for him to fill out and sign a check to make a purchase, because it's in a public setting, an unknown cashier, other people waiting in the checkout line, things like that. I have to go places with him so that I can conduct the transaction.

Other family members seem to think that he can just get over it with positive thinking, but from my observations of him, it's like his body is releasing an extreme amount of adrenaline into his system. He hates being that way, but so far nothing has helped. If your anxiety is the same, you have my complete sympathy, and I hope something is discovered that will help you, my husband, and others who suffer from the same thing.

[SmokingJacket]

20. Thank you...

It's frustrating because you think -- and other people think -- you should be able to talk yourself out of it, because you *know* it doesn't make sense and there's nothing to panic about, but the mind/body do not cooperate. There's definitely a genetic component, as well.

Best luck to your husband, too.

[BlackVelvet04]

42. My own experience was .......

I was on an antidepressant which caused anxiety. The anti-anxiety medicine I was prescribed caused depression so they upped the antidepressant which caused more anxiety. It got to the point where I couldn't remember anything so they put me on dexedrine which made me paranoid and they wanted to add another drug for that. That's when I decided that I would get off all that crap and see what happened. I ordered the tapes from the MidWest center for anxiety and depression and I am drug free today. It took a while, it took some work but I made it and I'm so glad I did.

I also found that caffeine exacerbated my anxiety so I don't drink much any more. I also found calcium helped the anxiety.

I encourage anyone dealing with anxiety or depression to check out the tapes I mentioned....they truly helped me get my life back.

[politicat]

18. Pills are better than surgery or ECT for psychiatric issues, IMNSHO

For most people, pills will eventually come out of the system and they don't do permanent harm, unlike the previous treatments of lobotomy and Electro-convulsive therapy. For those who need them, SSRIs and antidepressants are a literal miracle.

But the point of this article is not that the drugs are horrible - it is that the drugs were used improperly. There are very few SSRIs that are approved for pediatric use because children don't metabolize drugs the same way adults do. Blaming the drug for the reaction is like blaming the gun for the idiot who pulled the trigger.

Yes, it is horrible that these children had paradoxical reactions, and their therapists should have been watching for those - paradoxical reactions are common in teenagers since these drugs are off label for them (they have not been approved for pediatric use). Akathisia (restlessness and an inability to settle) is the best warning sign we have that a child is not metabolizing a drug. Unfortunately, because HMOs ration the amount of mental health care a patient can get (unlike the amount of health care a person can get for a knee or an elbow), therapists miss the signals and parents aren't trained.

If you've never been around people who have had their brains carved up or blasted with high voltage, count yourself lucky. Wanna talk about ruining lives? Psycho-surgery and ECT ruined lots of lives.

[mountainvue]

22. Paxil is some bad shit.

I don't know why they don't take that one off the market.

[sarcasmo]

24. This is the # one reason children should not be on psychotic drugs.

[proud2BlibKansan]

29. Yes, let's just let them stay depressed

and suicidal.

[phylny]

32. Such a blanket statement.

And unfair to concerned, intelligent, caring parents who seek help for their children and the physicians who prescribe them.

[SPKrazy]

57. Psychotic Drugs?

WTF?

You mean antidepressants?

[Nikia]

27. We need better tests for brain chemistry

And they should be done if there are any problems while a patient is on a psychiatric drug or even from the beginning especially if there may be multiple mental illnesses. From what I understand, depression can be caused by an imbalance of different chemicals and messing with someone's serotonin levels can cause more problems than it is worth if that is not the problem or if they are too sesitive to it. It is like taking a stomach acid inhibitor for nausea and vommitting if your real problem is that you don't have enough acid in your stomach to digest things as quickly as normal. I don't think that we should be guessing at something as important to a person as brain chemistry. Of course drug companies benefit from this as patients try different drugs that they might not need or even be harmful to them.

[sarcasmo]

38. Your last sentance nails this issue down.

[pitohui]

33. not supposed to be prescribed to under age 18

suicide is a well-known possible side effect of dispensing this drug to minors

seems like a malpractice case to me

[crispini]

34. Why are drugs the choice of first resort?

Yes, they very well may be appropriate for some people. But I hate the fact that they are the FIRST stop instead of the last. Is the person getting good nutrition, taking vitamins? Do they have any undiagnosed food allergies? Do they have good sleep habits? Are they getting enough exercise every day? Do they know how to relax, i.e. biofeedback or meditation techniques? It just cheeses me off that instead of working WITH you to help you understand your mind and your body, and really helping you educate yourself about all of the millions of things that you can do, doctors start right off with the medication. YES, drugs are great for those who need them, but why are they always the first resort instead of the last resort? Big Pharma, that's why. :eyes:

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

35. Great point! And this may just be...

...my cynical nature, but I suspect there just isn't enough, hand over fist, money in good old fashioned, common sense, preventive medicine.

[Baconfoot]

36. What makes you think they are the choice of FIRST resort?

As a matter of fact they often are not.

Relatedly:
What makes you think doctors don't ask about eating habits?
What makes you think they don't ask about sleeping habits?
As a matter of fact these sorts of questions are standard intake questions.

Overperscription may very well be a problem. But a problem with overperscription is very different from a problem with standard practice.

[NuttyFluffers]

60. they were the first resort in my case, but this was like 14 years ago

i was hoping that there'd be incredibly improvement in making sure it was a much later resort than it was for me (i was around the time prozac first came onto the market). but apparently there's doctors out there who are not as cautious about SSRIs than the warning labels and studies say they should be. and far too often people are too trusting in their doctor to get a 2nd or 3rd opinion.

during my case the 2nd and 3rd opinion was prozac first choice (apparently everyone was enthralled by their new toy or something). i took it, had a severe increase in depression, several bouts of mania (previously unfelt) and generally felt numb between the swings. we commented to the doctors and they said to continue for a few more weeks, it'll all work itself out. apparently it was so early in the debate of SSRIs that side effects weren't given next to any credence. after another week or so i just said to hell with it (because it was getting scary bad), pitched the pills, told the psychiatrists and psychologists that you are pretty useless for my case, and went on my merry way.

they kinda shrugged in agreement because i asked point blank "what can you do for me besides these lil' pills? your talk is pretty but doesn't solve anything or get me to my goals. i already have an idea of how to deal with it and it'll just take time and suffering." in fact, towards my last sessions i made one of the doctors cry because she realized my life was going to be hard and lonely, but she couldn't do anything else for me. another doctor i talked to, layed out the facts, asked can you get me to my goal. he replied no and looked pretty defeated. i said thank you, this was pointless, and any money paid to you would've been better off in a moment of drug induced bliss, goodbye. psychology is a beautiful discipline and helped many people. but their faith in their abilities, and in the medication of late, can often be a bit blind to the specific conditions of the case at hand. like a lot of doctors there's an arrogant god complex in some and they just don't listen to the patient and their history.

[SPKrazy]

43. As A Society We Have Insisted On Quick Fixes For Everything

It's a shame that the first thing tried for a young girl who shows some signs of feeling a little depressed is to put her on meds.

Therapy should be the first course. What do you want to bet that her insurance covered poorly on therapy and would cover the medications better. That the physician was the gatekeeper for their HMO and was trying to limit the costs of treatment.

Or maybe it was just the way that the physician practiced.


Let's not forget that SSRI's help people too.

[immoderate]

44. I'm a success story.

A few years ago, I was suffering from anxiety, severe panic attacks, insomnia. It was worst when I had to make a decision. Decisions would freak me out. I got panic attacks when faced with a restaurant menu.

I sought help from a social agency. Didn't do me much good. After an intake interview, the MSW said, "We have an anxiety group that meets tonight. Do you want to start tonight, or wait until next week?" I nearly had a breakdown right there. The group consisted mostly of people who had to deal with alcoholics in their families. Their stories were so depressing, I couldn't participate. The group terminated after a few weeks, and just as well, I couldn't afford it, (part of my problems) and it wasn't helping me.

I got lucky. A doctor friend of mine sent me some Prozac samples, and after a few weeks I felt like my old self. The only side effects were restless leg syndrome sometimes when I was sitting, being easily startled, and sometimes some flatulence, but that just made me laugh. I took it for about 18 months and after I quit it, the symptoms stayed away. It's been about five years now, and I think I'm good as new (at least mentally.) Absolutely no withdrawal or return of symptoms. I am very thankful it worked for me.

--IMM

[Neshanic]

45. What a load of crap. As usual the real issue is not addressed.

Paxil bad.

Well I just came from the ward where my nephew is being held for a second attempt at suicide. It's a modern building built in the late 80's, and is actually unintentionally designed to cause depression. But that's not the issue; if the architect should spend a month in his own hideous creation, but the method. It works like this.

First you or a relative realize that a person is depressed. Then you try to get help. Of course insurance will cover some things, but they will not cover a shrink. A community college degree in something that in a tangent covers some therapy with will do nicely, and the insurance companies love that. So off they go for their alloted times to the not a shrink that can't prescribe, and needs to solve your problems in ten sessions, or a thousand words or less.

Well this couples with an official one time session to see an actual shrink, so the meds can be prescribed, and VIOLA! Cured by Cigna.

Close that case. He's ready to go.

In my nephew's situation, as described above, coupled with the utter lack of being able to see a shrink on a long term basis, is the root of the problem. Now warehoused, in a place that would actually foster a full blown case of depression for any human, he marks his time by waiting for a visit by the "therapist", and a regime of drugs. The drugs are used to replace all time intensive and one on one long term meetings with a shrink.

The issue is the use with long term qualified counseling. This we are not willing to do, nor pay for. We want the drugs, but the patient to solve it and wrap it up quick, in the next billing cycle preferrably. So it's not Paxil, or any blanket condemnation of SSRI's. Things are solved with long term qualified counseling, with drugs, but the insurance companies do not want to hear that. Paxil is a great drug used correctly. It does not take the place of a shrink.

[nemo137]

48. Exactly

The only silver-lining about the University I attend is that it's got a large, well trained, professional (they actually contract out to counselors from the city we're in) counseling staff, and that (one on one counseling on a weekly basis) is campus healthcare's first resort. I'm afraid for what's going to happen when i'm not covered by that system anymore.

[moc]

51. Bingo. Although I take issue with your implicit assumption that only

a "shrink" (i.e., a psychiatrist) can effectively provide therapy. My husband is a clinical social worker in private practice (more than a "community college degree" - 2 year masters followed by 2 years supervision followed by a couple of years before he could apply for advanced clinical practitioner designation). He works in tandem with a psychiatrist who can evaluate his patients for medication needs and prescribe/manage meds as needed. Most psychiatrists these days do little intensive therapy. Most of that work is carried by master's levels clinicians such as my husband.

However, I agree with your position that insurance companies and how they treat behavioral health coverage is a major problem. The majority of my husband's patient load are youth with very serious behavioral health issues (most in therapeutic foster care; many with very serious dx such as psychotic depression), yet he has to constantly justify to the third party payors the need for ongoing therapy. The paperwork is unbelievably burdensome, and there's a non-significant portion of his work that he never gets paid for. As the health care finance crisis in this country escalates, behavioral health care coverage gets squeezed and squeezed. Many providers just leave practice altogether. Sometimes I wonder why my husband continues to put up with the crap, but he does love working with the kids.

[Taxloss]

46. Zoloft is life itself. It is survival.

I know that it is over-prescribed and has poor reactions on some brain chemistries. But the ill-informed and ignorant assaults on SSRIs, which are a powerful and hugely useful family of drugs, are sadly typical of the Luddite approach of some DUers. SSRIs are simply a tool. You can use a tool for good or ill. Don't blame the tool.

[Freedom_Aflaim]

49. Paxil has done wonders for me

It has solved both my depression and social anxiety problems.

However this comes at a cost. I am absolutely, 100% addicted to this drug. While I can skip a day, on day #2 I start have serious withdrawl problems.

The withdrawl symptoms are somewhat hard to describe, but is best describe as electrical sensations going through my brain.

Theres been several times where I've forgotton the medicine when Im traveling, by the 4th day Im completely miserable.

When the day comes I have to stop taking this totally, I really dread it because theres going to be hell to pay.

In the meantime, the benefits of this medicine cannot be denied and I believe has made me a better person overall. But as I said, its not without its cost.

[Jane Austin]

54. When that day comes, ask your doctor about using Welbutrin to help you

as you decrease the Paxil.

Once you are on Welbutrin alone, I think it's easier to stop that one.

But you'd have to ask your doc.

[Freedom_Aflaim]

62. thanks, I'll remember that. nt/

[Redstone]

53. They've saved a bunch of lives, including those of some people

close to me. Your blanket condemnation smacks of ignorance.

Clinical depression is a serious problem, and can kill.

Unless you've been there, you are not qualified to offer an opinion.

Redstone

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

59. I don't know whether...

...your addressing your remarks to me or the author of the article I posted a snippet from along with a link. In any case, firstly, any opinions expressed in Evelyn Pringle's piece are hers, not necessarily mine. Secondly, the only comment I made in my original post was to ask: "Are there no medical problems left that we don't try to solve with pills?" That's all. I didn't say clinical depression isn't a serious problem or offer any blanket condemnation of the use of antidepressants. Third and lastly, you claim my original post smacks of ignorance. I think yours smacks of fear. A fear that too many people making too much noise about the negative consequences of the misuse and inappropriate over perscribing of these strong antidepressants may somehow lead to their removal and/or a more limited access to them. I think this fear is what motivates you, and some others posting here, to lash out rather than simply offer a calm and thoughtful opinion based on your knowledge and experience.

[hedgehog]

56. Guess what? Not all depressive illnesses are alike.

That's why Paxil works for some people, sort of works for others, does nothing for another group and makes another set of people really sick. The same goes for Prozac, Zoloft, talk therapy, Welbutrin, or any combination there of, etc, etc. Treatment of any mental illness is a careful process of trial and error. You go with what works and hope you guess right more often than you guess wrong. The fact that the SSRIs effect different parts of the brain and effect brain cells differently was in fact an important clue that the illnesses that were all lumped together as depression are in fact a family of related malfunctions, some more subtle than others. As some people have noted above, some clinicians are more experienced at prescribing these drugs than others. It's the same with any other area of medicine. If you're going in for by-pass surgery, you go to the team that has done it a thousand times, not the team that has never worked together before.

Admittedly, I have no statistics to back me up, but I would venture to guess that more teens die each year from untreated/unrecognized depression than from exposure to any of the SSRIs.