How Have SSRIs Harmed You?

[DeadButDreaming]

I have read comments on here along the lines of "SSRIs have ruined my life." And I thought "Couldn't you just stop taking them?" Please help me understand.

I myself am on anti-depressants although not SSRIs (effexor).

 

[miguel6565]

Not ruined my life but made my SI stronger

 

[Squiddy]

Lexapro at the time made me extremely suicidal so I had to stop it

 

[BPD Barbie]

Sertraline killed my sex drive. Like I feel absolutely nothing.

 

[Lost in a Dream]

I wonder if the reason some people say SSRIs have ruined their lives is because taking them resulted in some severe side effects that continued to have an impact even after they were no longer taking them. Maybe I am wrong about that, but I do know that some of them have nasty side effects. For me, I wouldn't necessarily say that they have harmed me in any way, but the ones I have tried did nothing to help, so I don't take them anymore.

 

[Deleted member 1465]

Usually, no, you can't stop taking them. The very fact that they have an effect at all means that they change your brain's biochemistry. Your brain has to get used to this. Once it has, then you are dependent on the drug to maintain a status quo. The longer you are on the drug, usually, the less effective it becomes as your tolerance increases. Your body will become inured to the drug and the effects of the drug.
Your endocrine system will always try to regain what it sees as normal, even if that's bad. Also, if the drug making seretonin hang around longer at the synapses, over time your body will produce less seretonin as a response. This is why SSRIs can sometimes makes depression worse in the long run.

https://sanctioned-suicide.net/thre...psycho-active-prescription-medications.40224/

However, I've stopped SSRIs cold before and had no ill effects, but that's probably because they had little effect on me in the first place.

 

[Viro_Major]

However, I've stopped SSRIs cold before and had no ill effects, but that's probably because they had little effect on me in the first place.

Same here, I have even switched between several ones cold turkey without a problem, but I'm also not uber responsive in the first place. It's recommended to transition by weening off them gradually though, preferably.
For the rest, my lookback period is too short but for sure they're not innocent substances. Hence, my plan remains to follow doses under the recommendation levels. Maybe it will become useless, leading me to quit, but I'm too chickened out about the documented post-syndromes.

 

[Matthias_k]

I've been taking SSRIs for twenty years. Even after all this time I wouldn't go so far as to say "SSRIs have ruined my life", but it definitely takes a toll on the whole body. In my case for example, tremor and muscle spasms have drastically increased over time, but it's manageable.
So yeah there is a price, but for me it was still worth it. Meds allowed me to lead an "almost" normal life for several years. I couldn't have done it otherwise.

 

[AllReturnsToNothing]

Lexapro at the time made me extremely suicidal so I had to stop it

I hope you wouldn't mind describing it a bit if you can? I mean, I only ask because I've been on a generic brand of lexapro for a couple of years now and I'm on 150mg. I just want to know so I know if it's negatively affecting me too.

 

[Nymph]

When I was on Zoloft I felt more depressed. So I stopped taking it.

 

[Squiddy]

I hope you wouldn't mind describing it a bit if you can? I mean, I only ask because I've been on a generic brand of lexapro for a couple of years now and I'm on 150mg. I just want to know so I know if it's negatively affecting me too.

I was put on 20mg of it in 2018 when I was already depressed and it made things 100x worse. I felt like hanging myself because of it

 

[AllReturnsToNothing]

I was put on 20mg of it in 2018 when I was already depressed and it made things 100x worse. I felt like hanging myself because of it

Oh, okay I gotcha, thank you. That doesn't match up the the experience I had but I guess it's just a person-by-person thing. Just wanted to make sure

 

[Life_and_Death]

Lexapro at the time made me extremely suicidal so I had to stop it

thats where im at right now with rispredone. im actually stopping it today. my last dose was yesterday. im expecting a phone call from my dr tomorrow so im going to tell him then. i called last week thought to let him know it was getting worse but he wasnt in.

oh and before anyones worried about me just stopping ive done it before with this medication so its fine.

 

[Squiddy]

Oh, okay I gotcha, thank you. That doesn't match up the the experience I had but I guess it's just a person-by-person thing. Just wanted to make sure

That's probably the worst my depression has gotten

 

[nerve]

Some side effects persist for some people even after going off the medication. There's a lot we don't know about these drugs, especially their long-term effects on people. We only discovered SSRIs in the 50s or 60s and research for mental health-related issues is typically very slow & underfunded; the data is just not there but most doctors insist these meds are totally safe with no potential for long-term issues or side effects.

I've been on and off SSRIs since I was 12 so it's not like I can tell for sure but I think I have some form of PSSD. Reaching an orgasm is such a hassle sometimes, it turns me off from masturbating at all. Like I'm just so tired, how long do I really want to sit here doing this?

 

[Squiddy]

thats where im at right now with rispredone. im actually stopping it today. my last dose was yesterday. im expecting a phone call from my dr tomorrow so im going to tell him then. i called last week thought to let him know it was getting worse but he wasnt in.

oh and before anyones worried about me just stopping ive done it before with this medication so its fine.

I'm on risperdal right now and it seems to be helping me, but everyone is different

 

[Life_and_Death]

I'm on risperdal right now and it seems to be helping me, but everyone is different

i seem to be really sensitive to medication so im not sure if all be able to find anything to help me

 

[Squiddy]

i seem to be really sensitive to medication so im not sure if all be able to find anything to help me

Can you try the genesight test?

 

[Life_and_Death]

Can you try the genesight test?

whats that?

 

[Squiddy]

whats that?

Taken from the website:

GeneSight Psychotropic is a pharmacogenomic test that analyzes clinically important genetic variations in your DNA. The results of the test can inform your doctor about genes that may impact how you metabolize or respond to certain medications

 

[Life_and_Death]

Taken from the website:

GeneSight Psychotropic is a pharmacogenomic test that analyzes clinically important genetic variations in your DNA. The results of the test can inform your doctor about genes that may impact how you metabolize or respond to certain medications

im guessing blood test?

 

[Mm80]

Ive took them, most of the different ones on and off for just over twenty years. They have kept me alive and i wouldnt be here without them. But i think they affect quality of life, particularly progression and maturity.
For me they induced a state that everything was fine regardless of my circumstances. Made me lazy, apathetic, unmotivated and therefore i didnt strive to progress in the conventional ways people do. Ie career, home, family. I was in an artificial bubble and was fine with it. But as you get older there is a hollowness to it. Others my age have worked towards goals over the years and have a feeling of reward and satisfaction from it. Ive drifted along.
On the other hand i have experienced some good times and they have given me some life rather than the alternative, which would have been death,as early as at 18 years old.
My advice to anyone young would be to try everything else first and only use them as a last resort to keep you alive. Docs are handing them out very quickly to people who may not need them. Also if you do use them, try to keep it short term with the aim of coming off them and trying to get by med free.
Thanks

 

[Squiddy]

im guessing blood test?

I think they swab your mouth and then determine it

 

[Life_and_Death]

I think they swab your mouth and then determine it

I'll look into it then. Thank you

 

[Amumu]

SSRIs did strictly nothing to me. They were like placebos, really. And it was easy to leave them.
Tricyclic antidepressants were much more useful for me, but it was hard to leave them.

 

[mathieu]

I've taken them for 14 years but I can't say for sure if they've caused me any permanent damage. I take a lot of other meds too.

 

[Squiddy]

I'll look into it then. Thank you

No problem :)

 

[Wisdom3_1-9]

@Underscore said it so well. I've been on SSRIs and SNRIs and I've, at times, pulled myself off of them. They consequences of not being on them are sometimes worse to deal with. I really did try to wean myself off of Zoloft a few months ago. It was a really rough couple of months but then I thought I was doing fine. My husband told me that he noticed negative changes in my behavior. So now I'm on different meds. I'll have to be on them for the rest of my life. Another good reason to ctb, in my opinion.

 

[BitterlyAlive]

I think SSRIs have caused my hair to thin or fall out. Could be bad hygiene or stress too...

I think they also helped my binge eating habit start again. But my lack of control is allowing it to continue