Posted by bleauberry on January 23, 2019, at 8:43:56
In reply to So what's the general consensus on SSRIs?, posted by Martinchen978 on January 22, 2019, at 13:31:06
I think your post is spot on. Well said.
My opinion of SSRIs is that if they are to be used at all, they should be in much smaller doses. For example, 1mg of Lexapro instead of 20mg.
That's because if it truly were a situation of low serotonin - which it isn't - then we want to restore what is missing but not more than that, right? Current SSRI dosing is way more than that. Way more than merely restoring normal levels. They freakiing flood the brain in ways it was designed for.
I had a Lyme doc who had patients in remission on 1mg of Lexapro, after starting them at just one drop, which is 1/10th of 1mg. He was very proud of himself that he had figured out the right way to use these meds without creating the numbing effect. When we think that high doses are needed, where does that come from? Pharmaceutical companies. When everyone comes to believe the same myth, then everyone considers it a fact, right? Like for example it is a fact if you take Paxil and want to get better you need at least 10mg but probably 20mg, right? That's all hocus pocus nonsense in my world. Every human body is quite different.
I like SSRIs but only if they are in cocktails that offer some NE and DA balance, and only at relatively low doses.
I think if anyone is prescribed an SSRI, that it should also automatically come with a prescription for either Ritalin, Adderall, or Modafinil. That way there Is greater likelihood of real mood improvement - and rapid - as well as avoidance of the numbing.
> So what's the general consensus on SSRIs? What is your SSRI-experience? Your opinion...
>
> A funny doctor I know is famous in my mind for his quote that SSRIs makes people "lazy, uncaring, and anorgasmic". He says it tongue-in-cheek because it's ostensibly true. This is, in his reasoning, why he does not use that particular antidepressant unless his patients specifically ask for it, or it becomes necessary or if most other options have been exhausted.
>
> Zoloft was intolerable because it made me feel like a zombie. It has stolen 1,5 years of my life. It turns out that SSRI medications can, in fact, cause an apathy/indifference syndrome. So I don't like them ^^
>
> Most prescribers are not aware of this side effect of these drugs. This probably because apathy/indifference sounds a lot like lack of interest in formerly pleasurable activities or lack of energy or lack of motivation. All of these quoted symptoms are also part of major depression. So, it can be hard to know the difference between medication-induced apathy versus inadequately-treated depression. Also, the prescribing information for SSRI medications (which includes the official, FDA-reviewed statement of side effects) does not list apathy or indifference. On the other hand, the prescribing information does include fatigue and decreased libido. These could possibly be manifestations of apathy. Despite the general lack of awareness of this side effect, the medical literature nonetheless contains several case reports and reviews of SSRI-induced apathy. Notably, these reports often mention that the apathy worsens with increased dose of the drug. The presence of such a dose-response relationship supports the notion that the drug actually causes the apathy.
poster:bleauberry
thread:1102905
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20181024/msgs/1102918.html