Do SSRI's really damage the brain beyond repair ?

[UndertheOcean]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_XFfdkJXnM


Everyone and his dog has a different opinion , even some doctors are voicing concern.

Sometimes your illness is so severe it is worth it to get relief despite risking long term brain damage , I and many others are in that boat , but how realistic is the risk ?

The "poop up " effect is more scary from my point of view, the fear is that something that is currently extremely effective will loose edge and stop working within a year or two.

[Jackpine Radical]

1. There is rat literature from the 50's showing that SSRI's decreased serotonin receptors.

There are some interesting alternatives that work for some people. Check out cranial electrostimulation. Also some types of eeg biofeedback have proven useful for some people.

[Jennicut]

2. I have been on 4 different SSRI's since I was 20.

I am am 34 now. One wore out, one made me feel like a zombie, and one was too costly. I want to get off them completely. I take them for PMDD. But the side effects (emotional detachment, weight gain, sluggishness, etc.) make me feel terrible. The drugs are not helping anymore but maybe making me feel worse. And who knows what effect they really leave on your brain? Besides the fact that I am a diabetic too and on so many different meds plus the SSRI

[Juche]

3. SSRIs barely work

I'm not knocking people who use them, but studies show they barely work better than placebos. Depression treatment isn't that advanced yet IMO. My impression of depression is there are tons of causes and the mainstream treatment (SSRIs) barely work better than placebos.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1717306,00.html

http://www.healthyplace.com/depression/menu-id-68/

But 'altering the brain' might be a scare tactic. Almost every drug can alter the brain. And naltrexone might combat the tolerance effects of SSRIs.

That video seemed like it was made by people who are innately opposed to using pharmacology to deal with mental illnesses.

[UndertheOcean]

6. "ssri barely work " , if their effect is placebo , this is one monstrous Placebo effect

I doubt it very much

[Juche]

7. Believe what you will

Researchers from the U.K., U.S. and Canada analyzed results for fluoxetine (better known by the brand name Prozac), venlafaxine (Effexor), nefazodone (Serzone) and paroxetine (Paxil or Seroxat) — all members of a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The researchers' paper, published this week in the journal PLoS Medicine, claims that only patients who are diagnosed "at the upper end of the very severely depressed category" get any meaningful benefit from the widely prescribed drugs. For the others, the paper says, antidepressants are barely more effective than a placebo (although patients suffering from depression, like those suffering from chronic pain, generally do see a substantial placebo benefit).

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1717306,00.html#ixzz0ckN9hGmB




They are not 'that' effective. Which is sad because depression is a serious illness.

[DBoon]

8. "people who are innately opposed to using pharmacology to deal with mental illnesses. "

Sounds like Scientology to me

Always a possibility with this sort of publicity

[cliffordu]

4. I wore one out....I don't take them anymore.

[LakeSamish706]

5. That was a powerful video... I have been on SSRI's since 1998 and have come

off of Paxil, and Effexor with terrible effects. I'm not so concerned about what it is doing to my brain as much as I am about it's continued effectiveness. Don't know if any here have had the so called "brain sparks" that come with getting off of these drugs, but they are horrific indeed.

I am currently on Lexapro, more for anxiety and claustrophobia rather than Depression and it seems to do the job.

[BridgeTheGap]

9. Regular exercise and meditation are highly recommended for depression. If you are on a

one of these meds, it's best not to stop cold turkey. Do it under the supervision of shrink, taper off and educate yourself as to possible withdrawal.
My daughter was hospitalized last week. She cold turkey stopped taking celexa, became suicidal, couldn't sleep (both withdrawal effects). It's no picnic.