Posted by djmmm on January 24, 2003, at 8:46:23
In reply to Re: can ssris cause permanent side effects? » djmmm, posted by ace on January 23, 2003, at 22:08:00
> > Sure, why not? I still experience the "electric--shock" sensation and I am consistantly on medication (Parnate now)...They started when I first discontinued Paxil (i was 15)....im 24 now...9 years seems fairly permanent. I think it's because of how young I was when I started.
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> Djmmm - how long were you on the Paxil for? It's terrible that you stll get them. Do they annoy you a great deal? Used to them? When I went of Zoloft I had the same. Didn't really abate 'til I re-started Zft. But when I swithched to Nardil there were no probs whatsover. BTW, I was on Zoloft around 3 yrs 8months. Started it when I was around 19. I'm same age as you now (24) It's interesting -- I heard of someone who switched from Paxil to another AD but still needed 5mg Paxil to keep the withdrawal symptoms at bay. This is not good. Do you think this happens especially/only with Paxil?
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> > I think it's naive to think that antidepressants don't cause some permanent side-effects, since the theory behind how these meds work, is based on downregulation and neuron growth.
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> But many 'specialists' are adamant that the receptors 'upregulate' again. Would you disagree?
>Initially I was on Paxil for about 2 months, and I quit because I thought I was "cured," when in reality, Paxil had just begun to work, and my depression/social anxiety was much better. I shouldn't have quit.
This is when the "zaps" began. I revisited Paxil later that same year, with little success, then I augmented, changed meds..I tried everything, and nothing worked as well as the first Paxil experience...I got minimal results from every other med/combo (including a Prozac/effexor combo)...all-the-while experiencing the "zaps"
I still experience them, although rarely now (Im on parnate) I don't believe that this side-effect is specific to Paxil, because a couple of times, when I ran out of Nardil, they cam back full force.
Im sure it's a "serotonin thing" a result of manipulating your serotonin system.
As far as up/downregulation, neurochemistry is tricky. Changes occur, via cellular adaptive tolerance, the same mechanism by which addicts become "tolerant" Most research shows that this adaptation/manipulation lasts far longer than the actual presence of the drug (antidepressant in this case)
I think the arguement by (at least the developers of these meds) is that these changes are permanent. My dr (a psychopharmacologist) insists that his patients be on an antidepressant at least 1 year after they have "recovered" to insure that these adaptive changes have become permanent.
Remember, this is all based on theory.
poster:djmmm
thread:137145
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030119/msgs/137305.html