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Side effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors All SSRIs work in a similar way and generally cause similar side effects. However, each SSRI has a different chemical makeup, so one may affect you a little differently from another. Side effects of SSRIs can include:
Nausea
Dry mouth
Headache
Diarrhea
Nervousness, agitation or restlessness
Reduced sexual desire or difficulty reaching orgasm
Inability to maintain an erection (erectile dysfunction)
Rash
Increased sweating
Weight gain
Drowsiness Insomnia
You may experience less nausea with extended- and controlled-release forms of SSRIs. As with most antidepressants, sexual side effects are common with SSRIs. They occur in over half the people who take them.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
Safety concerns with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
SSRIs are relatively safe. However, there are some things you should think about before you take one of these antidepressants:
Antidepressants and pregnancy. Some antidepressants may harm your unborn child if you take them during pregnancy or while you're breast-feeding. Paxil in particular appears to increase the risk of birth defects, including heart and lung problems. If you're taking an antidepressant and you're considering getting pregnant, talk to your doctor or mental health provider about the possible dangers. Don't stop taking your medication without contacting your doctor first.
Drug interactions. When taking an antidepressant, be sure to tell your doctor about any other medications or supplements you're taking. Some antidepressants can cause dangerous reactions when combined with certain medications or herbal remedies.
Blood-thinning medications and SSRIs. Use of aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or anticoagulants, such as warfarin (Coumadin), may increase the risk of bleeding when combined with a SSRIs.
Serotonin syndrome. Rarely, an SSRI can cause dangerously high levels of serotonin. This is known as serotonin syndrome. It most often occurs when two medications that raise serotonin are combined. These include other antidepressants, medications for certain health conditions and the herbal supplement St. John's wort. Signs and symptoms of serotonin syndrome include confusion, rapid or irregular heart rate, dilated pupils, fever, and unconsciousness. Seek immediate medical attention if you have any of these signs or symptoms.
Suicide risk and antidepressants
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that all antidepressants carry a warning that some children, adolescents and young adults may be at increased risk of suicide when taking antidepressants. Anyone taking an antidepressant should be watched closely for worsening depression or unusual behavior — especially in the first few weeks after starting an antidepressant. Keep in mind, antidepressants are more likely to reduce suicide risk in the long run by improving mood.
Stopping treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
SSRIs aren't considered addictive. However, stopping treatment abruptly or missing several doses can cause withdrawal-like symptoms, including:
Nausea
Headache
Dizziness
Lethargy
Flu-like symptoms
This is sometimes called discontinuation syndrome. Talk to your doctor before stopping so that you can gradually taper off the medication.
On this 12-year anniversary of the shooting rampage at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, let us not forget the real lesson of Columbine: psychiatric drugs induce violence. Shooter Eric Harris was taking the antidepressant Luvox at the time he and Dylan Klebold opened fire at Columbine High School, killing 12 students and a teacher and wounding 26 others before killing themselves. At least one public report exists of a friend of Klebold who witnessed Klebold taking the antidepressants Paxil and Zoloft and urged him to come off them. Officially, Klebold’s medical records remain sealed. Luvox, Paxil and Zoloft are in a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Among the international regulatory agencies issuing warnings on these antidepressants, the FDA issued a Public Health Advisory in 2004 warning that “anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, impulsivity, akathisia [severe restlessness], hypomania [abnormal excitement] and mania [psychosis characterized by exalted feelings, delusions of grandeur and overproduction of ideas] have been reported in adult and pediatric patients being treated with antidepressants.”
Dekalb, Illinois – February 14, 2008: 27-year-old Steven Kazmierczak shot and killed five people and wounded 16 others before killing himself in a Northern Illinois University auditorium. According to his girlfriend, he had recently been taking Prozac, Xanax and Ambien. Toxicology results showed that he still had trace amount of Xanax in his system. Omaha, Nebraska – December 5, 2007: 19-year-old Robert Hawkins killed eight people and wounded five before committing suicide in an Omaha mall. Hawkins’ friend told CNN that the gunman was on antidepressants, and autopsy results confirmed he was under the influence of the “anti-anxiety” drug Valium. Jokela, Finland – November 7, 2007: 18-year-old Finnish gunman Pekka-Eric Auvinen had been taking antidepressants before he killed eight people and wounded a dozen more at Jokela High School in southern Finland, then committed suicide. Cleveland, Ohio – October 10, 2007: 14-year-old Asa Coon stormed through his school with a gun in each hand, shooting and wounding four before taking his own life. Court records show Coon had been placed on the antidepressant Trazodone. Blacksburg, Virginia – April 16, 2007: 23-year-old Seung Hui Cho shot to death 32 students and faculty of Virginia Tech, wounding 17 more, and then killing himself. He had received prior mental health treatment, however his mental health records remained sealed. Red Lake, Minnesota – March 2005: 16-year-old Jeff Weise, on Prozac, shot and killed his grandparents, then went to his school on the Red Lake Indian Reservation where he shot dead 7 students and a teacher, and wounded 7 before killing himself. Greenbush, New York – February 2004: 16-year-old Jon Romano strolled into his high school in east Greenbush and opened fire with a shotgun. Special education teacher Michael Bennett was hit in the leg. Romano had been taking “medication for depression”. El Cajon, California – March 22, 2001: 18-year-old Jason Hoffman, on the antidepressants Celexa and Effexor, opened fire on his classmates, wounding three students and two teachers at Granite Hills High School. Williamsport, Pennsylvania – March 7, 2001: 14-year-old Elizabeth Bush was taking the antidepressant Prozac when she shot at fellow students, wounding one. Conyers, Georgia – May 20, 1999: 15-year-old T.J. Solomon was being treated with antidepressants when he opened fire on and wounded six of his classmates. Columbine, Colorado – April 20, 1999: 18-year-old Eric Harris and his accomplice, Dylan Klebold, killed 12 students and a teacher and wounded 26 others before killing themselves. Harris was on the antidepressant Luvox. Klebold’s medical records remain sealed. Notus, Idaho – April 16, 1999: 15-year-old Shawn Cooper fired two shotgun rounds in his school, narrowly missing students. He was taking a prescribed SSRI antidepressant and Ritalin. Springfield, Oregon – May 21, 1998: 15-year-old Kip Kinkel murdered his parents and then proceeded to school where he opened fire on students in the cafeteria, killing two and wounding 22. Kinkel had been taking the antidepressant Prozac.
Originally posted by Froggy55
These so called happy pills have black box labels that list homicidal and suicidal thoughts as side effects... and if you can get the press to do their F'ing jobs... you'd know by now that the drugs were present in the bloodstream of EVERY SINGLE CASE OF MASS MURDER that has happened in the last few decades.
The most commonly prescribed antidepressants in the US retail market in 2007 [37] were:
1. Zoloft (sertraline) - 29.7 million 2. Lexapro (escitalopram) - 27 million 3. Prozac (fluoxetine) - 22.3 million 4. Wellbutrin (bupropion) - 20.2 million 5. Paxil (paroxetine) - 18.1 million 6. Effexor (venlafaxine) - 17.2 million 7. Celexa (citalopram) - 16.2 million 8. Desyrel (trazodone) - 15.5 million 9. Elavil (amitryptaline) - 13.5 million 10. Cymbalta (duloxetine) - 12.5 million
Others above 1 million: Remeron (mirtazepine), Pamelor (nortriptyline), Tofranil (imipramine)
Originally posted by HomerinNC
This is a load of BS, its NOT antidepressants, I've been on various meds for depression since 1994, and never ONCE did i snap and want to go shooting people!!!
The Army put me on Paxil then Zoloft when I was in, and I never once thought of taking my weapon and shooting other people, even when on the range!!
Since then I've been on prozac, lithium, depakote, welbutrin, and NEVER EVER snapped and went off on a shooting spree, never THOUGHT OF IT!!!
As a matter of fact, the Army and the VA has tried most those drugs listed on the above post
So the people saying its because of drugs are full of CRAP!!!
This stuff makes me annoyed as hell when they try to say that
I've been on the stuff for 19 years, still the same person, not as depressed loledit on 1/16/2013 by HomerinNC because: (no reason given)
Originally posted by HomerinNC
This is a load of BS, its NOT antidepressants, I've been on various meds for depression since 1994, and never ONCE did i snap and want to go shooting people!!!
The Army put me on Paxil then Zoloft when I was in, and I never once thought of taking my weapon and shooting other people, even when on the range!!
Since then I've been on prozac, lithium, depakote, welbutrin, and NEVER EVER snapped and went off on a shooting spree, never THOUGHT OF IT!!!
As a matter of fact, the Army and the VA has tried most those drugs listed on the above post
So the people saying its because of drugs are full of CRAP!!!
This stuff makes me annoyed as hell when they try to say that
I've been on the stuff for 19 years, still the same person, not as depressed loledit on 1/16/2013 by HomerinNC because: (no reason given)