The Medical Issue: Anti-depressants and my personal experience

Wow, I can't even imagine that. That story broke my heart. It got me very angrytoo... How can people be so ignorant!? There is so much bad press about SSRIs out there, countless stories like yours. and everybody acts like it is a necessary evil. How can this be necessary!!? I don't understand it. Is it not obvious to these medical professionals that SSRIs are only a temporary fix, until this nightmare (is that a strong enough word) happens to people.

Depressed people need counseling to get to the root of the problem, not drugs. Doctors should be required to write prescriptions for counseling to depressed patients (and certain other people), not these hideous poisons.

reply to post by brokenbullet56


Thank you for being brave enough to write about this, As someone who suffers from depression and went through similar things from the age of 17 up until last year when like you, I made the decision to stop my meds.
It's still there, but I'm coping.
I was on efexor (venlafaxine) for the last 6 years, I can identify with the feelings you went through with these tablets and if you didn't experience them I can say without doubt in my case it's true regarding the

violence, memory loss, and many other issues

I will not derail this thread and make it all about me lol But thank you again for sharing op all the best to you for the future

Someone mentioned counseling - been that route. You go in, they ask you questions and you reply, they write you perscriptions. I have been to numerous counselors, never helped me one bit, felt like I was talking to a robot about my problems, no better than thinking to myself. When a person has a breakdown and goes to the ER, they will not do anything unless you mention suicide - then they put you on a ward on suicide watch for a few days, talk to you and give you more meds to take home. The mental health system in this country is a joke! My ex husband is a psychologist at a hospital so I have seen first hand how this works. IMO psychs are just as disturbed as the rest of us. Sorry for the rant but I feel better.

reply to post by brokenbullet56


I am glad you are doing better now. We are too pill happy in our society and they have targeted children way too easily for drugs rather than loving, counseling and coaching. I think it is because everyone is working and looking for a quick fix to training up and helping their own children these days. Happy pills sound so easy rather that spending the time and energy to actually work with the child.

I have a kid who was not learning to read and the public school targeted him for drugs in the second grade. I pulled him out and taught him to read and perform basic math at home. He could not consentrate because the classroom was such a loud mess. He needed quiet to focus and learn at that age. I returned him back to the public school herd after a couple of years when his consentration skills were better and he understood his own learning style. We had a blast together and it made us much closer for life. He's in college now but often fondly remembers that intensive time and effort we spent together. His dad was in on it, too and it made them closer. His older brother was his teacher, too and that made them closer.

I wish parents realized the power and abilities they have to straighten out difficulties for their children. In the long run, it is much easier to handle problems yourself than it is to turn them over to public schools and drugs. I took a hit in my career to accomodate this intervention on behalf of my son, but it was overcome in time and my son is plenty worth that temporary economic sacrifice.

You were on 300 mg of Effexor and you are still living??? Your system must be alot stronger than mine. 5 years ago, my doctor put me on 75 mg Effexor and the side effects were unbearable. Suicidal, lethargic, foggy thinking, extreme anger and irritability, etc. I kept contacting my doctor every other day, begging him to put me on a more tolerant drug, but he continued to advise me that it just needed to get into my system and assured me that I would stabilize. After 3 weeks of this drug induced nightmare and his refusal to listen to my request, I literally told him to get f.....d! I certainly did not need a doctor who was apparently getting off on my suffering. These anti-depressants can have very dangerous side effects that can lead to a loss of life. Be careful - know your body and mind. I have found that yoga, meditation, exercise and prayer work beautifully for me.

reply to post by Erica1631


Well I could handle it at 300 but everyone is different, and after 2 years of it my system was pretty F'd, as far as the whole counselling thing, I saw 3 counsellors, 4 psychiatrists/psychologists, and 6 general physician, they all went straight to the prescription pad except for one, who I talked to alot and, she basically told me I had all the answers and didn't know what to say lol!

I've also never had a flu shot in my life, and very rarely get sick, and my immune system has always been very strong!, most of it depends on genetics from what I know, everything effects everyone differently

I was living in the psych ward of a VA hospital for about 4 months due to being longterm homeless and suicidal. I was diagnosed good, but I resented that their immediate solution was to try different pharmecuticals on me, until one worked, I was on prozac for awhile, BUT I --pretended-- to take it. I hid it in my cheek and spit it out later. Then a tragedy hit on the ward!!! I became friends with this old Vietnam Veteran named Ed. He was 'duel track'. Drugs-and-alcohol and mental illness. He became romantically attracted to me, But I was not, to him. He left the property and committed suicide. The staff nor fellow vets had NO idea. But --I-- had some idea. This whole recent news about Jared Loughner as a Death Spectre made me remember Ed. After Ed had gotten the idea that I would not be a soul mate for him, he began wearing his cold weather jacket all the time outside, with the hood down, so that he looked --just like-- a death spectre. If you see someone doing that, you should worry about them, it is a red flag. After the news of Ed's death, I bawled and bawled my eyes out. I probably would have been more numb to the traumatic impact of it, if I would have really taken my meds. Shortly after that, I recieved 'Transitional And Supportive Housing' in the city. I was required to be accountable to a staff every day. I was required to take my meds in front of the staff. But when I was alone in my SRO, I drank strong alchohol, and the prozac combination made me feel like I was speeding. For some reason, I had the werewithal to wean myself off alcohol AND meds. Today I feel perfectly fine.
While I was living in the T.A.S.H.P. one night when I was asleep in my SRO, I had a dream that Ed was standing over me. He looked just like, when you have a light on, inside your plastic Christmas Santa. Like he was full of light within light. He was beaming with happiness and told me that I should not cry anymore, because he was happy. Was that an afterlife visitation?