Ssris - Is Continuing To Prescribe Them A Contravention Of "do No Harm"?

[Queen Boudica]

Oh I get where you are coming from @shimmerz. I think some of these psychiatrists have no idea and they are playing God and if you dare to question then you are made to look even more mental and they can get you sectioned. I keep away from them. One thing that makes me want to fight this is I never want to get into that system that destroyed my sister. That I have now been diagnosed with what she had (and they misdiagnosed her with schizophrenia and put her on so many drugs that eventually killed her) I will never let them get hold of me.

It makes me shudder. The power these people have and on what basis? it is totally unethical.

 

[shimmerz]

The doctor also got mad at him for refusing to take it.

Oh boy, do I know this story. I was also in the midst of a nasty divorce court case and was being actively stalked and there was no question I would be dead meat if I wasn't 'on top of my game'. My lawyer told me if I wasn't taking the SSRI's they would see that as a sure sign I did not have PTSD. My solution? Purchase; flush down toilet. And then there was the day I was put into lock down because I was suicidal because of their drugs (but none of the medical staff would acknowledge that suicide was a possible reaction to these drugs).

FFFFFFFF******************!!!!!!!!!! Ruined.

Ignorant bastards. If only I had known about the blueberry study back then.

 

[shimmerz]

https://www.artimus.se/whocaresinsweden.php

 

[Pencil]

I personally think whether it's kickbacks or stupidity is just a distraction

I had an insightful chat with a medical rep, who tells me that SHE pushes certain drugs due to commission SHE gets (not the doc). Follow the money.

 

[Anarchy]

Shimmerz,
thanks for the link. I'm hoping that there is some good stuff in them, and I'm doing my best not to be dissuaded by the massive non sequitter at the start.

I began the first one, and in the opening it said something along the lines of;

"Here's to a new Swedish psychiatry...

... Where the government takes responsibility for...":whistling:

It is exactly third party payer systems that remove the incentive for quacks to look after their customers interests.

and it is states and state sector court systems saying that it is ok for quacks and psychiatrists to use coercion, and that p[rotect the quacks, the "licensing authorities" and the crony pharma companies from facing the full consequences of their mistakes, and obfuscate the lines of responsibility.

ok, rant about the film maker's unsupported and un reasoned assertion is over

 

[shimmerz]

I am just watching it now.

 

[sun seeker]

Problem is, I didn't fit the criteria nor the symptomology for bi-polar at all but she stressed that ANYONE having an issue with SSRI's (who suffers PTSD) must have bi-polar.

I think some of these psychiatrists have no idea and they are playing God and if you dare to question then you are made to look even more mental

Yes... my experience was similar, only I backed out before it got to that point. On SSRIs and SARIs, and withdrawing from them, I had symptoms including horrible bloody nightmares, vertigo so bad it felt like an electric jolt every time I moved my head, and an allergic reaction that would have become anaphylactic shock had I taken a slightly higher dose. Ended up in the ER with that one.

Then there is what appears to be an insignificant little fact to the prescribing doctors: the medications never made me any less depressed. Not even slightly. Not one iota. And I'd tell them about side effects I wasn't willing to put myself through, they would prescribe a different medication, I'd go to the library and look up the side effects and there that particular side effect would be.

So then a locum, wanting to cover all her bases, decided to prescribe lithium, just in case. (Edited to add: or could have been some other medication for bipolar - it was a long time ago - but I recall it being lithium.) She didn't even diagnose me with bipolar first. Gah. Fact is, I'm not bipolar. She wasn't even trying to say I was bipolar.

Even after all that, when I asked for an emergency consult with a mental health worker she looked at me like I had two heads and asked why I wasn't on antidepressants. Umm...

 

[Friday]

...less cynically, doctors feel helpless in the face of complex mental health problems, limited appointment times and limited therapy resources, so reach for the one thing they CAN do.

After the 4th f*cked up thing happened that my family doc was aware of after my divorce -my son attempting suicide- (although I have a rule of never letting a GP Rx anything for psych, anyway)... He walked into the room, set down his chart, wrapped me up in a huge hug, and told me he took antidepressants for a year and a half. That they saved his ass. And if I ever needed them he had my back.

He's a good man, my GP.

Even if I'd never take psychoactive drugs from someone who isn't spending 60 hours a week keeping up on all the research, recalls, & off label use... The one thing he could offer me was what helped him. Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes that's an alcoholic buying someone hurting a drink, a priest offering a blessing, or a doctor offering a prescription...cause that's what they know .... And sometimes it's malevolence, desperation, or blindly adhering to policy. But my experience has been good people offering the best they know.

 

[Born to Run]

My experience with SSRI's or rather one, Zoloft, has been very positive. Before being diagnosed with ptsd I have spent two decades of therapy to treat my 'depression'. I mean I was depressed, but that was just a symptom of ptsd. It gave me no side effects, and I have withdrawn a few times to start again later. The withdrawal, if done slow, was very easy for me. Even cold turkey withdrawal due to hospital admittance for unexpected surgery was not really a problem. I realize I am a minority.

This is a related article on the Myth of the Chemical Imbalance Theory: http://io9.com/the-most-popular-antidepressants-are-based-on-a-theory-1686163236/all

 

[shimmerz]

http://ssristories.org/

 

[anthony]

It is quite terrifying how proactive you have to be and how knowledgeable about diagnosis and treatments when you have mental health conditions.

Absolutely. I had no idea about this when walking in to be diagnosed and treated. It wasn't until I started to take control when I realised medication was hurting me more than helping me, stopped it, and suddenly I could feel things and get on with what needed attention.

 

[darrenS]

i have tried several different SSRI's a few years back , it made me far more suicidal , and basically just off. I will not take them ...period...i think any benefits get far outweighed by the side effects and have been aware of these studies for a while , drug companies have also been caught out cherry picking trial results, leaving any serious reactions from seeing the light of day. The fact they talk about chemical imbalances and what not , but cant actually identify the brain chemicals that your supposedly deprived of is a serious cause for concern.

I actually asked my psychiatrist i have now about Zoloft (even though it was 15 years ago that i took them) as i remember taking them and not being able to perform sexually and it was actually painful and physically sickening to try. I stated that they supposedly help with depression but kill your sex life , meaning its one thing that can help - good sex. His response was ...well take Viagra ? and could not really answer my question.

He is a great doc and we regularly have these discussions , but he always has a magic pill , so my response is always , what brain chemicals do these fix ? when he cannot answer that with precision, i always take a pass. Many things can effect serotonin and dopamine , but i just dont trust these pills and refuse wholeheartedly to take psych meds. I have also had similar meds for nerve pain like Lyrica , which was not helpful after about 2 mths of use.

Im sure many people would stop them if they could , but once youve been on them for a while , the withdrawals are pretty bad, not as bad as heroin, as one person suggested but bad enough that it is difficult. I have found that good diet and exercise is the first key to dealing with depression etc and then throw in meditation , mindfulness and just being kind to oneself usually makes a good mix. I have actually had a phsyc in the past that would not prescribe them, he stated they are the biggest scam foisted on the people and instead suggested Magnesium and Fish Oil.

There are several forums dedicated to anti depressants , ssri's etc and there is always a common thread of side effects, the need to up the dose on regular intervals and what not. The whole issue has been gaining more publicity , but the actual results have been around for a while in regards to their usefulness, you see the article one day and them "kapoof" it disappears to be found buried after much searching. The other thing that's coming to light is the fact there have been no long term studies on any possible damage to our brains or bodies these could be doing.