The Dangers Of Ssri Anti-Depressants

[Denise]

Email  I received from a colleague.  I knew of the many problems associated with SSRI's but felt this danger should be emphasized because psychiatrists  (even general practitioners) continue to prescribe these dangerous drugs without fully informing the patient/family of the many dangers of SSRI's.

THE PUBLIC IS NOT FULLY AWARE OF HOW DANGEROUS SSRI's CAN BE AND THE MANY VIOLENT INCIDENTS OR OTHER PROBLEMS THESE MEDS HAVE CAUSED SINCE THEIR USAGE BEGAN.

ARTICLE I WAS SENT:

    ANTIDEPRESSANTS & SCHOOL SHOOTINGS: DOCTORS WRITE PRESCRIPTIONS FOR MURDER

• Posted by RJ on June 29, 2013 at 10:32am
  

By Rob Pell
March 29, 2013
NewsWithViews.com
Incomplete Science Can Be Bad For Our Health. Further study of antidepressants is needed now
Many modern scientific accomplishments are truly amazing and have changed our lives dramatically. From NASA landing men on the moon, to wireless radios and home computers combining to become the world-wide internet, the power of the human brain to create is a virtual miracle.
 
Marie Curie's discovery of radiation in the early 1900s had effects so far-reaching we're still just scratching the surface. She was brilliant and is the only person to win Nobel prizes in two different sciences, chemistry and physics. Sadly, Curie died from cancer caused by the radioactive materials she worked with. She saw no danger and carried test tubes full of radioactive materials in her pocket and stored them in her desk drawer marveling at how they glowed in the dark. As smart as Curie was, it's now obvious further study was needed.
 
Another instance where initial scientific study was dangerously incomplete was with a drug patented in 1954. Thalidomide was to be used as a sleeping pill but was soon discovered to help pregnant women with morning sickness. Though never approved for sale in the US, millions of Thalidomide pills were given free to doctors for testing, who then distributed them to pregnant women. It was later discovered that Thalidomide created heartbreaking birth defects.
 
In 1988 another patented drug was introduced to big fanfare, the anti-depressant Prozac. It's in a class of drugs called SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). Other drugs in that classification are: Paxil, Celexa, Zoloft, Luvox and Effexor. Today, they're often prescribed by general practitioners based only on information provided by drug company representatives. According to Dr. Alice Domar of the Harvard Medical School, all you have to do to be prescribed an SSRI drug is to walk into a doctor’s office and say you are not feeling well or are feeling lethargic.
 
Dr David Healy is founder of an independent website for researching and reporting on prescription drugs. He is a world-renowned expert on antidepressants, has used SSRI drugs with patients and still prescribes them selectively. He thinks general practitioners are prescribing them in good faith. But according to him: “We are not just using them with people who need to be treated. We’ve gone way beyond that and are actually making people ill.â€
 
Healy questions what kind of society we have become “when increasingly it seems pharmaceutical companies can get drugs on the market which haven’t been shown to work or which have been claimed to be safe and effective when they aren’t.â€
According to Healy: “Some 90% of school shootings over a more than a decade have been linked to this widely prescribed type of antidepressant.†Harvard psychologist Dr. Joseph Glenmullen discussing SSRIs said: “We don't know what these drugs are doing to real life human beings. When you look at all the documents, you see a pattern of misleading doctors who then unwittingly mislead patients. This is a betrayal of the public trust in physicians behind the scenes by the drug industry and it must stop.â€
 
Senator Henry Waxman says its all about money, not science. “The pharmaceutical industry has systematically misled physicians and patients.â€
 
Discontinuance of SSRIs is also huge a problem, withdrawal symptoms are horrendous. Many patients trying to stop their medication experience sensations of electric shock or jolts that create intense pain, along with fatigue so intense they can hardly walk or talk. Other withdrawal symptoms include fainting, dizzy spells, insomnia, chest pains, stomach spasms, headaches, racing thoughts, crying spells, nervousness, anxiety, anger and violence. One young man going through it described it as the sensation of all the panic attacks he didn’t have while on the drugs being bottled up inside of him and now coming out at an uncontrollable rate.
 
In Springfield Oregon, 15 year old Kip Kinkel was withdrawing from Prozac when he shot 22 classmates, killing two, after murdering his mother and step father at their home.
 
SSRIs have been widely blamed for many of the school shootings. The most detailed source I've found is http://www.ssristories.com/
 The website indexes 4,800 violent events linked to SSRIs along with links to media reports of the incidents. Over 50 are school incidents. This site states that school incidents started occurring in 1988, when Prozac was introduced.
Just like with radioactivity and the Thalidomide disaster, further, well publicized study of SSRIs is desperately needed NOW.
Holistic, non-toxic approaches to mood enhancement will be the subject of a future column.
FOR MORE READ AT:   http://www.newswithviews.com/Pell/rob101.htm

I FOLLOWED UP AT THE SITE BELOW AND WAS AMAZED AT THE HOME, SCHOOL, WORKPLACE VIOLENCE STORIES THE SITE HAS COMPILED.

PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT IF YOU'RE ON SSRI ANTI-DEPRESSANTS OR IF THE DOCTOR IS WANTING TO PRESCRIBE ANY SSRI'S FOR YOU - ASK QUESTIONS, RESEARCH THESE MEDS,  MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION. REPORT

IMMEDIATELY IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE NOTICES THE SIDE EFFECTS AND DESCRIPTIONS AT THE SITE LINK BELOW.  PLEASE SHARE THIS INFO WITH OTHERS.

 http://www.ssristories.com/

 

[Jelag]

I too was prescribed anti depresant ssri, it made me extremely hostile and angry. Almost got in a fight everywhere I went .. I also was siting in traffic and this guy was giving me the finger for some reason and, I always keep cool, but then I went out of the car and was ready to fight but he didnt dear to come out because I probably looked insane because I was so furioius. Alltough I only got in one full confrontation but If I had a knife on or something I would have used it.. All because of anti depressant. It made me incredible brave .. I am normally alitle angry and on the edge but I always keep my cool. Fuck these ssri there are better drugs..

 

[Denise]

That SSRI stories site tells about big number of road rage incidents with people on SSRI's!

I'm telling you I hated them, I did not feel like myself at all, I lost my temper easily when that's not usual for me at all.

I went off mine against medical advice - it was terrible withdrawing from them.  This is many years ago before they even knew about dangers of serotonin withdrawal syndrome - I could've died.

Funny part was after off SSRI's about 3 months, my doctor was saying how great I was doing - then I admitted I had gone off them.  He wasn't all that happy about me doing that ( though I had asked him beforehand several times & he wouldn't take me off them).  He was my doc for 20 yrs so he knew how I was when I set my mind to something.   I told him it made me want to kill myself or someone else.  So he left me alone about it after that.

Now days where it says allergy on medical forms I list - ALL SSRI's.  And I tell them it makes me a suicidal/homocidal maniac - I'm not taking them.  Have tried 3 different ones - they ALL do it..  My brain is NOT meant for that type of med.

But many times, people are afraid to question doctors, like they're omniscient superhuman - let me tell THEY AREN'T.   I used to encourage my patients to question,  challenge doctors, get more opinions.  If you'd seen some of stuff I have.......don't just accept what a doctor says.  Research it yourself, too.

Good pharmacists can be invaluable and often tell you things doctors don't.  On all meds.

I've seen psychiatrists start using all types of drugs that aren't even listed in PDR as an indication for the medicine - because the side effects of the med might accomplish something in their patient.  Like anti-seizure meds.  Now there isn't research for a lot of this.

AND pediatric psychiatrists prescribing meds that say NOT indicated for ANYONE UNDER 18 years of age - they did it anyway.

Playing with people's minds and lives.  Because of their "God Complexes".

.

 

[Jelag]

That SSRI stories site tells about big number of road rage incidents with people on SSRI's!

I'm telling you I hated them, I did not feel like myself at all, I lost my temper easily when that's not usual for me at all.

I went off mine against medical advice - it was terrible withdrawing from them.  This is many years ago before they even knew about dangers of serotonin withdrawal syndrome - I could've died.

Funny part was after off SSRI's about 3 months, my doctor was saying how great I was doing - then I admitted I had gone off them.  He wasn't all that happy about me doing that ( though I had asked him beforehand several times & he wouldn't take me off them).  He was my doc for 20 yrs so he knew how I was when I set my mind to something.   I told him it made me want to kill myself or someone else.  So he left me alone about it after that.

Now days where it says allergy on medical forms I list - ALL SSRI's.  And I tell them it makes me a suicidal/homocidal maniac - I'm not taking them.  Have tried 3 different ones - they ALL do it..  My brain is NOT meant for that type of med.

But many times, people are afraid to question doctors, like they're omniscient superhuman - let me tell THEY AREN'T.   I used to encourage my patients to question,  challenge doctors, get more opinions.  If you'd seen some of stuff I have.......don't just accept what a doctor says.  Research it yourself, too.

Good pharmacists can be invaluable and often tell you things doctors don't.  On all meds.

I've seen psychiatrists start using all types of drugs that aren't even listed in PDR as an indication for the medicine - because the side effects of the med might accomplish something in their patient.  Like anti-seizure meds.  Now there isn't research for a lot of this.

AND pediatric psychiatrists prescribing meds that say NOT indicated for ANYONE UNDER 18 years of age - they did it anyway.

Playing with people's minds and lives.  Because of their "God Complexes".

.

Doctors seems to like to push this shit on people and I dont really think they know what the f'ck theyr doing. Everytime I sayd I stoped taking them they actually get mad and say bla bla bla all drugs have side effects.. and doctors are just people with a long education with (usual) zero social skills..

Take care

 

[High Tide]

The only time one worked for me was the first time, when Prozac was about the only choice. It made me happy, talkative, everything that one could imagine a "mood elevator" should do. Except it interfered with sex. Not that it affected my libido, I was in my mid twenties and newly married, so I still wanted sex 2-3 times a day. It just prevented happy endings, which just made me more depressed than ever so I quit taking them after about 3 months. 

I don't recall ever having any rage from them, at least none that ever got shown to others. I found it odd that they never seemed to work again, no matter which of them I took.

 

[Jewbacca]

Only had one experience with SSRI's, which was in the midst of the worst years of my former marriage, and the only time in my life where I believe I was truly clinically depressed.

Anyway, I tried Prozac as I recall, but it essentially did nothing all. Neither positive nor negative. Then tried Celexa for about a year, and it actually did a very good job with the depression. Only problem was, it made me emotionally numb, almost as if I couldn't feel anything emotionally at all. Well, not "almost", that's exactly what it did.

Fortunately, I found that after a year, I didn't need it any longer and just stopped taking it after I found a natural remedy that was far more effective. An intensive dose of divorce. Worked like a fuc*ing charm! LOL

 

[Denise]

People have come to unconsciously believe that there is a pill for every problem, an easy fix.  My mother does - she has huge box to carry her meds around for every little thing, which has caused her to be on stomach meds etc as she is destroying herself.   She has become a frickin' zombie who occasionally wakes up enough to throw a fit at me or my dad (who waits on her hand and foot, poor guy).  Worse all the time by her own choices.  And I don't see ANY real desire to get better, just lip service.  She bemoans her fate but really likes being focus of attention - and controlling my dad with her illnesses.

Nurses are taught that pain is our body warning us something is wrong, whether physical or emotional.  Find problem and fix it, not hide it.

Emotions are not something to cover up or repress until it makes us ill or we explode. It's not healthy or productive.

And I've told doctors that since they say I have depression. Well, Boo Hoo - I've had some bad things happen to me when young and now my soul mate is dead.  I get really low sometimes but I pull myself back up - without SSRI's where I'm either numb or enraged.

I will deal with feelings even though it hurts.  I won't run or hide from them. 

You cannot escape them - they will manifest in some other manner if we don't deal with them -  called "acting out" -  or you will get physically ill from holding  them in.

Over several years I noticed a large percentage of cancer patients repress anger, avoid conflict, and don't tell people pushing them around to "Stop".  Are quite often not very assertive people.  This is anecdotal over many many situations,but most common denominator I could find, other than exposure to cancer-causing agents..

CHANGE what is causing the negative emotions. I've changed jobs before because I wasn't happy and felt much better.

If you need counseling to learn coping skills, assertiveness,  or just to talk about what's going on & get suggestions - that is what I've seen works best, especially with depression. AND  Increase physical activity, if possible, because it's harder to be depressed if you're jogging or doing something to get your "feel good" endorphins running through your body.  Did you know eating 'hot peppers' can cause release of endorphins?  Or if you have a hobby where you can see a finished product - that brings on "good feelings" of achievement.

Writing to get things out of your head and on paper can help.  Music therapy helps, too. Often we want to avoid people when depressed, but really we are better off it we reach out to a trusted someone, who can offer perspective or make you laugh or just be there to listen.

One thing I do when depression attacking me - I tell myself 10 things everyday I'm thankful for......it's gotten so bad I've even said "I'm glad I didn't have a car wreck today" or "I'm glad I'm not a hunchback"  LOL   It can get funny - thinking of what could be worse, to come up with things you're thankful for..... It helps over time though.  It really does.  Look for the good around you. 

Visualize yourself being happy - see images in your mind, doing things you enjoy (or used to enjoy)  Believe things will get better - you can make them better.

Call me weird, I don't mind.  A shaman told me to set glass of water in window facing east and let it absord sun's rays, then end of day drink it and replace water for next day.  Trying to find a scientific reason for why this would be good, I thought of the effects sunlight would have on the water molecules - energizing them, speeding them up?  Thus perhaps having a positive effect on your body - the fatigue you feel when depressed. It works for me & others.

I have seen things work that people call supernatural - I think they are just natural laws we don't know yet. 

Like when we thought the world was flat or time was linear.

 

[bigtimeoxyhunter]

[SIZE=11pt]Is there a psychological factor to Anxiety, Panic Attacks and Depression? Absolutely not. They are all completely physical disorders. Ok, I'm just f-king around, but I would argue that SSRIs can do some good, especially in overcoming the physical sides of these disorders.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]I disagree that one can simply just change their behavior, "get over it," "pull themselves out of it," or smile their way out of depression. In my opinion, as a non-medical professional, there are different shades of depression and not all of them are woes me type scenarios, Being depressed may not simply mean that you are sad because of situations in your life.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Paxil single handedly kept me sane at a time when I was going crazy. My life was great at the time. I had no issues to work out, no woes me type circumstances, yet I still had serious problems. How could I have fixed these for real, rather than just hiding them? [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]I've tried at least four different categories of A.D. drugs (Tricyclics, SNRI, MAOI & SSRI), and found SSRIs to work the best and have the least side effects. Prozac is better than Paxil and until lately I had no side effects other than sleeping problems, oh yeah, and as High Tide said, pretty much no happy endings, ever, at least not any involving other living human beings. In addition to all known side effects A.D meds may cause unhappy and/or cheating girlfriends. Ok, I lied. There are side effects. But the positives still out weight the negatives. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]If a person has a chemical imbalance boosting the serotonin levels, i.e. using a SSRI, seems like and appropriate treatment, no? It's not just hiding a problem, it is fixing it. Over time people do go off A.D. meds and are "cured." People suffering from extreme panic attacks may not respond to talk therapy alone, at least not in any timely manner. A.D. meds can work much faster. If a person's problem is chemical [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]and [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]psychological, why not fix the chemical problem with meds ASAP and work out all other issues over time? It would likely take years of talk therapy to physically change your brain chemistry sans meds.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]I agree that these drugs are some causing problems but it's not all the drugs’ fault. It seems like some inadequate psychiatrist’s prescribe the wrong meds to the wrong people, or prescribe the wrong dosages. General practitioners sometimes don't even know to wean patients off and on the meds. This can worsen conditions and causes suicides.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]The taboos surrounding metal illness are far more damaging than SSRIs. People w/o mental problems often think that depressed people should just cheer up, or that people with chronic anxiety disorder should just calm down. Hardly constructive advice to fixing the problem. When Schizophrenics and PTSD'd Vets end up homeless b/c of their illnesses, this seems to me to be a much bigger problem than A.D. meds.[/SIZE]

 

[Denise]

I'm glad that medication helped you when nothing else did. 

Anxiety/panic attacks are physical medical conditions that cannot be totally controlled without meds.  Cognitive therapy doesn't work - you can't self-talk yourself down from an attack.  This is all true.  Some problems do need meds.

But some psychological problems can be resolved without permanent use of psychiatric drugs.  And as for schizophrenics, bi-polar disorder, and a few others - there is definitely a chemical imbalance in the brain that needs something to balance it out.

I just wanted to point out first, pills aren't always the best answer (just the easy one) sometimes when there are other solutions that take more effort/time.

Secondly, I wanted to empasize these are NOT drugs you play around with because they can make you do things you wouldn't normally do.

Also,  I wanted people to look at the SSRIStories web site and see there have been about 60+ school shootings since SSRI's used in teens,

as well as quite a number of other violent incidents that may shock you.

Finally, I hope people on SSRI's know to NEVER ABRUPTLY STOP TAKING YOUR MED - and if you decide to stop the med - do it with medical assistance to ensure physical safety.  Watch combos also - ask a pharmacist.

BTW, I have degrees in Nursing and Psychology, am a certified Reality Therapy Counselor, and specially trained to work in the Mental Health field - with many years of experience in psychiatric hospital units.  (I'm also just shy of being an Animal Behavioral Specialist - I was going to breed and train therapy/companion dogs for the impaired "in my old age". Oh, well. That was just a dream not meant to be.)  I was a Registered Nurse almost 25 years, now disabled from a work-place injury.  And, yes, I miss my career very much. 

 

[Jelag]

@Denise

Great topic. Good to get it out.

Take care

 

[bigtimeoxyhunter]

Denise,

I am def. going to research this more. I'm not a health professional  but I have alot of hands on experience.  I'm curious to see if the violence and deaths were caused just by the people being on SSRIs at all, or, if it was due mal prescribing and bad directions from docs. 

When I got into trouble it was because docs gave SSRI that didn't work for me at first because the does was too high. I then switched to an SNRI, which was like taking an amphetamine. It felt nice for a second but I had no time to enjoy it. It induced hardcore panic right after it kicked in and it lasted 12 hours.

Both of these uncomfortable instances could have been avoided if the doc would have weened me on, instead of just giving me a full doze all at once.

I have a feeling that the violence and general antipathy is caused by incorrect weening and and incorrect dosages. 

My MD had my dosage so high that I was chose to see another doctor. He lowered the dose and the problem was fixed.

I guess my only point is is that I personally do not think that it is SSRI or AD med that is the problem per se. It is the incorrect directions and usages that cause the problems, or as you said, not weening off. I still have my research to do.

Sux U can't work. I was off in June b/c of pain but I have no income so I have to get back to it. I've got some epidural injections coming up soon. Problem is that I'm young so docs don't want to do surgery. 

I'd love to do the animal job. Love Dogs!!!

 

[Denise]

I love dogs, too! 

Great big dogs are my favorite. 100 lbs or more - 

Used to raise American Lab Retrievvers -

my favorite ever was 125 masterpiece, protected me, could read my mind, waiting for me everyday when I got home - so happy to see me.

DOGS ARE GREAT!

 

[bigtimeoxyhunter]

I know right. The bigger dogs seem to have a genial personalities and are just more fun. I am also partial to the 100lb plus dog but I've had some good 50-80 lb ones too. Black Lab and Golden Ret. Smaller, mehhh...

I don't have a dog ATM. Thinking about doing some ASPCA volunteer dogwalking. 

 

[GG258]

I've tried Cymbalta and it made me feel emotionaly numb and indifferent to everything around me. Also when I wanted to think something in my mind, I couldn't finish the sentence and had to start over again and then the same thing happened. Made my anxiety worse. Fuck SSRI's I read a study where they found out that they cause calcification of your pre frontal lobe which equals to a chemicaly induced lobotomy. They may be helpful for short term for some people but a pill that is an AD shouldn't have made me feel that way. I got rid of thouse quick!

Talk therapy can only do so much but it is a very valuable tool. I've done group and one on therapy and it helped somewhat. I also took medicial herbs which helped with my depression but did not nothing for the anxiety and agoraphoby I experience...

 

[eleventeen]

I actually just started taking a really low dose of Wellbutrin. First time on anti-depressant for me. It took 2 weeks to smooth out and I did not need the second pill per day. It's no miracle, but I feel way better and motivated. I had never had depression, but I have been in and out of recovery from serious addiction and my last run surely damaged my brain pretty good.

Something really interesting to me is that a few times now I have taken tramadol as a way to manage some mild chronic pain and I always immediately notice this great anti-depressant effect when I first start taking it. I have done some reading online and I am not the only one who has reported this. There is no research into it though. Then I recently saw some info on some new drugs by the company Alkermes. They have a really interesting new drug ALKS5461 that is showing great promise as a non SSRI anti-depressant. No weight gain and it works very well. It has also shown to be an excellent drug to help chronic relapsers (alcohol, coke, Opiates) stay in recovery and get through that first year of being clean/sober. It sounds like a pretty interesting new drug.

I guess they also have the monthly injectable Naltrexone (Vivitrol)  that has helped a lot of opiate addicts stay in recovery.

Just wanted to share some info. I am a big science nerd and I am also very much interested in recovery from things like addiction and new cutting edge solutions for difficult issues like mental illness, trauma and PTSD.

The ALKS5461 sounds really promising

I'm sure the SSRI's do help some people, but our doctors and drug culture is just not balanced. Too much quick fix meets pharmaceutical company meets state finances meets not wanting to face the real issues culture here...

 

[bigtimeoxyhunter]

SSRI's saved my life, not literally, but from panic attacks that would have lead to.... well somewhere bad.

I'm a vet to all that shit, SSRI, MAOI, etc. I was given wellbutren once in conjunction with Paxil to promote "happy endings" that were otherwise impossible. It didn't work. Pun intended. Neither worked.

If you find a certain SSRI or SNRI that works for you, it is possible to get a few solid years out of it if. That is before it stops working properly. I assume since your on solely WB it may be a short term thing. On for eight months to a year, then get off.

I'm thinking I might be ready to make the taper down to zero myself, at least in the next year.

I've had cocktails put together by shrinks to try and combat pain and mental stuff. Now I'm on Noritripyline and it seems to be helping marginally.

In my experience, the worst thing you can take w/ any anti-depressants that will mess with neurotransmitters is Tramadol. When you quite Tram after two or three weeks of maxing er out at 3-400 a day, you don't feel withdrawal, you feel psychlogical torture and suicidal thoughs. Be careful with the tram and anti-dep combo. I found ultracet was easier to come off than pure tram.  Fack has it been crappy learning about those side effects the hard way as there’s not much research out there. If you take tram with it, and you feel suicidal, don't act on it. It's a side effect I've had with tram half a dozen times. I'd quite taking it but it works so well for pain I just CAN'T STOP.

sorry for the long post

 

[eleventeen]

Great info on the tram. I keep reading the same thing about it. Sucks because it has been a great solution for my pain issues without having to use anything stronger. The goal with the WB is to get my energy back so I can begin an exercise routine that targets my back pain and gradually get off the tram. I've been on the tram for 9 months, but have not needed to take more than two 50s twice a day and many days I don't take the second dose. I have skipped a day and not really felt WD just get tired, but it's hard to tell because my depression is coming from having Hep C for about 20 years now combined with wacking my system out with a major party relapse back in 2009. I do hope I can wean off the tram soon. Hard to tell if it really does anything now and I have lost enough weight through nutrition that my low back disc problem is doing pretty well.

I'm lucky that just a single WB 150 in the morning seems to be plenty. I tried taking a second one as prescribed, but I got too spacey and a little manic. The single 150 seems to be doing the trick. Just enough well being boost and energy boost to get back to being motivated and productive like I used to be.

Note - I also do regular therapy and spiritual recovery along with it - and I imagine that is key when trying to use an AD to change how you feel.

I was thinking of ordering some of the Bup .2 strips just in case I need something to help transition off the tram. Really low dose of Bup is actually being used now to help certain people with depression. I have some recovery friends with grown children that found low dose of Bup to be the miracle AntiDep for them and stopped their drug seeking just to feel normal.

Anyway - so many topics wrapped in one. Not meaning to hijack this topic and ramble on.

Thanks for yet another reminder of the issues with tram. I will make an effort to cut back to one 50 twice a day.

I never went above taking 200 a day because it starts to have that weird electrical feeling on my brain and I already know about the possible seizure issue in higher doses,

I believe my new nutrition plan combined with regular exercise will take care of my depression, but I couldn't get started do anything until I got the WB. Believe me, I put it off for 2 years and tried to get to a place where I was motivated (I am normally crazy motivated, never depressed) - but I had to try something a I was becoming miserable and not doing anything except part time job.

 

[Nygiantsfan9202]

Umm let me just say I am on an SSRI and completely experience these issues.  I get extreme bouts of anger, frustration, and have to pull back from violence.  Never had a problem until started taking them about 3 months ago.  My mood swings are totally out of the blue and uncontrollable and sometime appear here on the forum actually if you track back my posts.  I am going to see my GP on 8/19 and going to see if I can start slowly decreasing.  I am also seeing a psychiatrist in September.  This is scary stuff, who knows the long term effects.

 

[tstar]

NYGIANTS FAN:

I am a mental health therapist and reading your post has red flagged me.  I don't know if you are aware or not, but an SSRI can cause you to have mood swings, and if they are severe, they can mean that you have BiPolar Disorder.  Don't mean to alarm you, and don't of course know your history but I wouldn't wait until next week or even Sept to see a Psychiatrist.  Perhaps a call to your prescriber might help to make sure you should be on this med???   Also, and this is just my opinion, GP's are prescribing SSRI's.  A psychiatrist should be the one to make that decision and also recommend co-occurring therapy.  Lately, it seems that GP's will just throw a drug like this at a patient and not do a full psychiatric assessment.  This is my personal beef, as I get the patients whose doc has prescribed them all sorts of anti-anxiety, anti-depressants and these people are in need of intensive mental health management.  Again, don't know your history, but if you are feeling like you are, I would check into it.  Take care, and be well!