Does anybody know?
“Do SSRI’s have a safe and legitimate, therapeutic role, in half of the psychiatric cases? for which they are prescribed? In 1/10 of them? In any of them? Does anybody know? “
Several years ago I was terribly depressed; or, so it seemed. Turns out I was exhausted which led to depression. I don’t have an ounce of fat and no matter how badly I felt I worked out, as it seemed to make me feel better. I was given SSRI’s and they helped considerably. But the underlying problem wasn’t diagnosed because sleep apnea is generally found in fat people. I have a six pack. Finally, a doctor who had sleep apnea suggested a sleep study. I was spending seconds a night in RIM; the sleep you must get to feel rested. With a CPAP and sleep drugs, I no longer needed the SSRI’s.
The downside of the SSRI’s is they do lead to bizarre behavior and thoughts. Fortunately, I was mature and naturally very calm. I developed a habit of thinking through everything I was about to say or do and was able to perform at a high level in a high stress job. But I’d have done better without the SSRI’s. Incidentally, they have what is euphemistically referred to as “certain sexual side effects.” These side effects are annoying, to say the least. I’m so glad the problem turned out not to be depression. Depression was just a symptom. And, I’m guessing that depression is only a symptom of other underlying causes in the bulk of SSRI users. The problem is that it takes a lot of effort to determine what the underlying cause is so, it’s easier to treat the symptom.
“Do SSRI’s hace a safe and legitimate, therapeutic role, in half of the psychiatric cases?”
SSRI’s do save lives. They work by increasing the amount of serotonin in the synaptic cleft between communicating neurons. They buffer the resulting emotional impact upon the receiving neuron much the way shock absorbers decrease the impact of a tire hitting a bump in the road.
If I break my arm, I may need painkiller. But I don’t want to take the pain killers the rest of my life. It is the same with SSRI’s. I would never recommend quitting SSRI’s cold turkey as the emotions may become overwhelming and create a psychological dependency upon them. They should be decreased gradually under the care of an MD and a qualified therapist who teaches skills to help deal with any uncomfortable emotions arising.
I saw an article last week that said that SSRIs and atypical antipsychotic drugs can be useful, but that so far that usefulness had only been demonstrated in cases of severe depression.
Obvious conclusion: they are being vastly overprescribed.
They are often prescribed for "off-label" uses, as (to cite one example I recall from the article) for cases of Tourette's syndrome.
Anecdotal reports have suggested that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may cause suicidal or violent behavior in some patients. Because of the publicity surrounding certain events, and the numerous lawsuits that have been filed, a review of benefits and risks is needed.At most 30% of patients receive a benefit from SSRIs beyond the large placebo effect in certain mental conditions, especially depression, according to a recent meta-analysis of published trials. An equally recent meta-analysis of all SSRI trials submitted to the FDA showed a small benefit for the severely depressed patients only. Many early unpublished trials did not show any benefit. Adverse effects are common, occurring in up to 75% of subjects.
She started becoming agitated and confused after about a month or two. I took her to the Shrink He saw her in that state maybe five minutes and doubled the Zoloft. Before I could get her home she was hallucinating. I took her to the ER at that hospital named after a Saint. They were also supposed to be running a mental health care unit. The attending doctor in the ER refused any and all blood work and treatment and called the State Mobile Crisis Team. As her husband I could not sign for her treatment.
While waiting I made calls to family. When I came back in to the ER to check she was in a exam room unconscious and I could not bring her around. I yelled for the staff and doctor. I told the doctor do something she has a very serious medical history including heart issues. He just stood there. He refused to act.
We loaded her up and went to the big level one hospital across the river. The one ran by the university. They acted fast and got her conscious again but she was not coherent. I said please do blood works and a CAT SCAN or MRI this is not right. I said the other hospital refused. They then balked and said we are calling Mobile Crisis.
I talked to Mobile after this time 12 hours had passed and her Blood Pressure and Pulse were off the charts. They denied the hospitals request for a mental facility transfer.
I got to the hospital and asked to speak to the floor supervisor a RN. Showed her the article and said I'm certain this is it and it can kill her unless we act. I said please call the doctor. She said our doctors came in once a day he will be here in the morning. I said OK these are my orders as her husband and they will be honored. You are not to give her any medications but Ativan without my expressed permission.
The next morning their doctor came in madder than a wet hen and demanded to know why I had refused her his orders. I said doctor please read this. He said that's pure Rubbish. I said OK the doctor you Pharmacology Professor is a liar then? He looked again and recognized the authors name. I said you will not give her any antidepressants. That night she was back to normal. The next morning six days after onset they finally gave her an MRI which revealed two bleeders in her brain one likely caused by the antidepressants.
Serotonin Syndrome is real and the hallucinations of the patients are their reality. Even top doctor of the county health department who at the time was in private practice and was not even consulted in all that time also knows it's real she saw the aftermath and was quite shaken. MY wife still has partial amnesia from it. It is not tin foil antidepressants in some persons can be very dangerous. What is this had been a teenager?
Benzos such as Valium, Ativan, Xanax are the countering medications to stop this reaction. I knew it the doctors did not. They never heard of Serotonin Syndrome.
gee I don’t know. Lets just take everyone off their meds and see what happens, shall we?
Surely Cho Loughner Holmes and Lanza could have been managed with better parenting, better teachers, talk therapy, whole diets and more exercise. Oh and more gun control.
Families who live with the mentally ill, or those who have battled clinical depression, bipolar and schizophrenia among others- should be able to tell you about living with an unmedicated person
My wife was put on Trazadone and Zoloft for clinical depressin and PTSD. She also has severe neurological damage as she is a quadriplegic. She started becoming agitated and confused after about a month or two of taking these medications. I took her to the Shrink. He saw her in that state maybe five minutes and doubled the Zoloft. Before I could get her home she was hallucinating.
I took her to the ER at that hospital named after a Saint. They were also supposed to be running a mental health care unit. The attending doctor in the ER refused any and all blood work and treatment and called the State Mobile Crisis Team. As her husband I could not sign for her treatment. While waiting I made calls to family. When I came back in to the ER to check she was in a exam room unconscious and I could not bring her around. I yelled for the staff and doctor. I told the doctor do something she has a very serious medical history including heart issues. He just stood there. He refused to act.
We loaded her up and went to the big level one hospital across the river. The one ran by the university. They acted fast and got her conscious again but she was not coherent. I said please do blood works and a CAT SCAN or MRI this is not right. I said the other hospital refused. They then balked and said we are calling Mobile Crisis.
I talked to Mobile after this time 12 hours had passed and her Blood Pressure and Pulse were off the charts. They denied the hospitals request for a mental facility transfer.
They at first took her off of all medications. Within 48 hours she was OK. In walks a shrink whom she never heard of and says I thing your Zoloft needs doubled.
The next day at noon the nurse gave it to her. By 1:00 she was incoherent again. That night she was thrashing andad to be restrained. The next day my dad came so I could go get some rest. I stopped in the hospital chapek for a prayer and went home. When I got home for some reason I went on line and typed in Trazadone+Zoloft +Adverse reaction and got the information I needed and lots of it too from very credible sources. I printed the info, called my dad and said tell them I said stop all meds I'm on my way back in.
I got to the hospital and asked to speak to the floor supervisor a RN. I showed her the article and I said I'm certain this is it and it can kill her unless we act. I said please call the doctor. She said our doctors only come in once a day he will be here in the morning. I said OK these are my orders as her husband and they will be honored. You are not to give her any medications but Ativan without my expressed permission.
The next morning their doctor came in madder than a wet hen and demanded to know why I had refused her his orders. I said doctor please read this. He glanced at it and said that's pure Rubbish. I said OK the doctor your Pharmacology Professor is a liar then? He looked again and recognized the authors name. I said you will not give her any antidepressants. That night she was again back to normal.
The next morning six days after onset they finally gave her a MRI which revealed two bleeders in her brain an old one and one likely caused by the antidepressants.
Serotonin Syndrome is real and the hallucinations of the patients are their reality. It can be as powerful as LSD from what I was seeing. My wife afterward told me she thought she was Tess on Touched By An Angel. What if she was a teenage kid and thought she was some horror film character?
Even the current top doctor of the county health department whom at that time was in private practice and our primary care doctor was not even consulted in all that time also knows it's real. She saw the aftermath and was quite shaken. My wife still has partial amnesia from it. It is not tin foil kookery it is a very dangerous reaction. Antidepressants in some persons can be very dangerous and even deadly. The can also save peoples lives. But doctors need to dig deeper before prescribing them. As well Patients and family need to be warned of possible adverse reactions.
Benzos such as Valium, Ativan, Xanax are the countering medications to stop this reaction. I knew it the doctors did not. They never heard of Serotonin Syndrome.
Six doctors including a Shrink missied this. None of them did a basic PDR look up of her medications. Even many doctors today do not know what Serotonin Syndrome is. Many doctors are prescribing antidepressants as well. All it takes to accidently trigger this reaction is a SSRI and OTC Nyquil. Or the medications can themselves trigger it.
My wife was put on Trazadone and Zoloft for clinical depressin and PTSD. She also has severe neurological damage as she is a quadriplegic. She started becoming agitated and confused after about a month or two of taking these medications. I took her to the Shrink. He saw her in that state maybe five minutes and doubled the Zoloft. Before I could get her home she was hallucinating.
I took her to the ER at that hospital named after a Saint. They were also supposed to be running a mental health care unit. The attending doctor in the ER refused any and all blood work and treatment and called the State Mobile Crisis Team. As her husband I could not sign for her treatment. While waiting I made calls to family. When I came back in to the ER to check she was in a exam room unconscious and I could not bring her around. I yelled for the staff and doctor. I told the doctor do something she has a very serious medical history including heart issues. He just stood there. He refused to act.
We loaded her up and went to the big level one hospital across the river. The one ran by the university. They acted fast and got her conscious again but she was not coherent. I said please do blood works and a CAT SCAN or MRI this is not right. I said the other hospital refused. They then balked and said we are calling Mobile Crisis.
I talked to Mobile after this time 12 hours had passed and her Blood Pressure and Pulse were off the charts. They denied the hospitals request for a mental facility transfer.
They at first took her off of all medications. Within 48 hours she was OK. In walks a shrink whom she never heard of and says I thing your Zoloft needs doubled.
The next day at noon the nurse gave it to her. By 1:00 she was incoherent again. That night she was thrashing andad to be restrained. The next day my dad came so I could go get some rest. I stopped in the hospital chapek for a prayer and went home. When I got home for some reason I went on line and typed in Trazadone+Zoloft +Adverse reaction and got the information I needed and lots of it too from very credible sources. I printed the info, called my dad and said tell them I said stop all meds I'm on my way back in.
I got to the hospital and asked to speak to the floor supervisor a RN. I showed her the article and I said I'm certain this is it and it can kill her unless we act. I said please call the doctor. She said our doctors only come in once a day he will be here in the morning. I said OK these are my orders as her husband and they will be honored. You are not to give her any medications but Ativan without my expressed permission.
The next morning their doctor came in madder than a wet hen and demanded to know why I had refused her his orders. I said doctor please read this. He glanced at it and said that's pure Rubbish. I said OK the doctor your Pharmacology Professor is a liar then? He looked again and recognized the authors name. I said you will not give her any antidepressants. That night she was again back to normal.
The next morning six days after onset they finally gave her a MRI which revealed two bleeders in her brain an old one and one likely caused by the antidepressants.
Serotonin Syndrome is real and the hallucinations of the patients are their reality. It can be as powerful as LSD from what I was seeing. My wife afterward told me she thought she was Tess on Touched By An Angel. What if she was a teenage kid and thought she was some horror film character?
Even the current top doctor of the county health department whom at that time was in private practice and our primary care doctor was not even consulted in all that time also knows it's real. She saw the aftermath and was quite shaken. My wife still has partial amnesia from it. It is not tin foil kookery it is a very dangerous reaction. Antidepressants in some persons can be very dangerous and even deadly. The can also save peoples lives. But doctors need to dig deeper before prescribing them. As well Patients and family need to be warned of possible adverse reactions.
Benzos such as Valium, Ativan, Xanax are the countering medications to stop this reaction. I knew it the doctors did not. They never heard of Serotonin Syndrome.
Six doctors including a Shrink missied this. None of them did a basic PDR look up of her medications. Even many doctors today do not know what Serotonin Syndrome is. Many doctors are prescribing antidepressants as well. All it takes to accidently trigger this reaction is a SSRI and OTC Nyquil. Or the medications can themselves trigger it.