Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

[Sentinel]

I quit my SSRI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_serotonin_reuptake_inhibitor) medication totally a couple of days ago, after a period of successively reducing the daily dose. I'd been taking it for two years or so because of panic attacks I suffered back then, and it worked fine but I felt increasingly dull and bored with everything as time passed.

A 'who gives a shit about anything' attitude I usually hate in people was sneaking upon me. So I decided to stop taking the pills -- and instantly I feel the good old burning hatred and despice towards this system and the class enemies in every heartbeat. I feel like myself again, I feel awesome!

So while SSRI medication is a good short term solution to depression and anxiety and I highly recommend it, remember that it can fuck with your personality and make you a numb drone if you don't watch out (might have been why my workplace doctor was so ready to order it to me without even mentioning alternative treatment forms).

So my advice would be: don't get too used to those pills. I'm really interested in hearing about experiences comrades have had with this type of medication; both how it affected you, did it help, and especially how you felt afterwards -- did the symptoms you took it against return etc.

[RevMARKSman]

Haha. It had the exact opposite effect on me (Prozac for OCD). I started becoming less organized, more open-minded, more rational, and less inhibited. The only thing I'm afraid of is the nasty withdrawal effects fluorexitine is supposed to have. But, yeah, I've got used to these pills and they're great.

[Raúl Duke]

I had a friend (who I won't mention) who use to take stuff like Prozac and Wellbrutin (or something like that) and he thinks it messed up, or numbed, with his emotions...

He stopped taking it sometime, yet he still feels that his emotions are numbed.

It makes me wonder if I got fucked up by drugs too to since I did had a brief period in my life in which I took some prozac, etc.

Maybe theres a conspiracy; psychiatric drugs turn us into emotion-less "who gives a shit about anything" wage slaves purposely! :ph34r:

[Jazzratt]

Originally posted by [email protected] 02, 2007 08:32 pm
Haha. It had the exact opposite effect on me (Prozac for OCD). I started becoming less organized, more open-minded, more rational, and less inhibited. The only thing I'm afraid of is the nasty withdrawal effects fluorexitine is supposed to have. But, yeah, I've got used to these pills and they're great.
The various withdrawal effects are only something you might have they are by no means certain to happen to you. (I stopped taking fluorexitine rather abruptly).

SSRI medication should only really, responsibly, be prescribed for up to about 6 months - after that the negative effects produced are quite often close to some kinds of depression (especially the "who gives a fuck about anything" attitude.).

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Snorting Fluoxetine = Bad Idea. Trust me on this.

[Sentinel]

Originally posted by revMARKSman+--> (revMARKSman) Haha. It had the exact opposite effect on me (Prozac for OCD). I started becoming less organized, more open-minded, more rational, and less inhibited. The only thing I'm afraid of is the nasty withdrawal effects fluorexitine is supposed to have. But, yeah, I've got used to these pills and they're great.[/b]

Initially I found the effects very positive too, and much similar to what you describe. But then the open-mindedness evolved into exactly the who gives a shit attitude I spoke of, and the rationality into a 'why take any risks, why do anything at all?' kind of passivity.. :(

I'm having my first hangover since I quit the pills btw. No anxiety symptoms! The hangover is quite brutal though.. and I didn't even drink ten cans of beer. But that's due to a long period of sobriety I assume.


NoXion
Snorting Fluoxetine = Bad Idea. Trust me on this.

Why, what happened? :lol:

[RevMARKSman]

Initially I found the effects very positive too, and much similar to what you describe. But then the open-mindedness evolved into exactly the who gives a shit attitude I spoke of, and the rationality into a 'why take any risks, why do anything at all?' kind of passivity..

How long were you taking this medication?

[Sentinel]

Originally posted by [email protected] 04, 2007 08:46 pm


Initially I found the effects very positive too, and much similar to what you describe. But then the open-mindedness evolved into exactly the who gives a shit attitude I spoke of, and the rationality into a 'why take any risks, why do anything at all?' kind of passivity..

How long were you taking this medication?
For about two years. The last half a year was like I described..

[RevMARKSman]

Originally posted by Sentinel+April 04, 2007 03:27 pm--> (Sentinel @ April 04, 2007 03:27 pm)
[email protected] 04, 2007 08:46 pm


Initially I found the effects very positive too, and much similar to what you describe. But then the open-mindedness evolved into exactly the who gives a shit attitude I spoke of, and the rationality into a 'why take any risks, why do anything at all?' kind of passivity..

How long were you taking this medication?
For about two years. The last half a year was like I described.. [/b]
Oh. I've been taking them for just over a year and a half. Good thing I'm getting off them soon...

[which doctor]

Brave New World!

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Originally posted by Sentinel+April 04, 2007 02:54 pm--> (Sentinel @ April 04, 2007 02:54 pm)
NoXion
Snorting Fluoxetine = Bad Idea. Trust me on this.

Why, what happened? :lol: [/b]
Imagine the worst stinging sensation you've ever had right in your nasal cavity - that's what fluoxetine up there feels like.

And then later your nose bleeds. A lot.

[STI]

Originally posted by [email protected] 04, 2007 09:43 pm
Brave New World!
That's ignorant.

[visceroid]

i took them for about 6 months last year, i did notice a positive effect, and i noticed the who gives a fuck attitude that comes with it, coming off them was bad, i was in a shitty mood for a few months, until i quit my job, my job was very stressful and i think the ssris helped me get through it. it took about a week for the immediate withdrawals to dissapear, which included sleeplessness loss of appetite and weird electric shocks from my limbs up to my neck every with increasing regularity as the week went on, it reached its peak at about 5 minutes apart.

[seraphim]

SRI's are great to take in addition to extacy on a night out

[which doctor]

Originally posted by STI+April 08, 2007 04:32 pm--> (STI @ April 08, 2007 04:32 pm)
[email protected] 04, 2007 09:43 pm
Brave New World!
That's ignorant. [/b]
What's ignorant?

[freedumb]

What's ignorant?

http://www.hedweb.com/huxley/bnw.htm

this may be of interest to some of you. Lots of other good stuff at www.hedweb.com.



Second, though some subjects may feel mildly euphoric, in other users the SSRIs serve more as mood-stabilisers and mood-flatteners in their lives. By increasing the user's emotional self-sufficiency, too, SSRIs may subtly change the "balance of power" in personal relationships - for good or ill. In some cases, SSRIs may even act as thymoanaesthetisers which diminish the intensity of felt emotion; by contrast, a mood-brightening serotonin reuptake-enhancer like tianeptine (Stablon) may intensify emotion instead. Affective flattening may be welcome to someone in the pit of unmitigated clinical depression. It is scarcely a life-enriching property for "normal" people who lack any convenient diagnostic category which acknowledges their malaise. from hedweb.com

[Sentinel]

After a month or so without the medicine, I've yet to experience any withdrawal effects worth mentioning. And it still feels great to be rid of that crap, I feel free and self sufficient. I'd definitely encourage all long time SSRI users to consider at least trying life without them. :)

[BurnTheOliveTree]

Well done man. :)

I think one of the keys to just general happiness is lack of dependency, some autonomy. Serotonin is all well and good to avoid serious depression, but the danger is relying on it, I would suppose.

If you're stable enough to be without it, it has to be worth a shot.

-Alex

[Sentinel]

I'm bumping this to tell you comrades, that after 7 months without it, I made the decision to start taking the medicine again. The last two would best be described as chaotic, with mood swings and increasing anxiety and isolation. I panicked and fled from all responsibilities -- even those I had quite enjoyed, such as moderating this forum, among other (real world) things.

I suspect it was just a matter of time before I would have had to quit my job as well. Now I wonder if I'll ever be able to quit this stuff for good.. But I'll rather be cold and emotionless, but functional, than in too much agony to function socially, so the choice was easy.

My question is: does anyone think SSRI can provide a permanent solution? And if so, in which way; can they heal you, so that you can quit them after a while, and be fine for 'the rest of your life'? Or will you be stuck with the pills forever, with the symptoms returning after a while if you stop taking them?

Experiences, advice?

[Mujer Libre]

I think they can provide a cure- or at least a reasonable stopgap- in 'reactive depression'- but I don't think the same for constitutive depression- where it just happens solely because of biochemical imbalances.

In those circumstances I'm not really sure. :/

I've been thinking about my anxiety issues lately, and I really hate the, but I've never really known what to do about it. It seems every time I talk to a doctor about it they dismiss it. I think it's because I come across as confident and calm in person, even if I'm actually constantly stressed out on the inside.

[MarxSchmarx]

My question is: does anyone think SSRI can provide a permanent solution? And if so, in which way; can they heal you, so that you can quit them after a while, and be fine for 'the rest of your life'? Or will you be stuck with the pills forever, with the symptoms returning after a while if you stop taking them?


My impression was that people generally move off those things, because usually the trigger for problem they had involved specific life-events that, with time, they learn to cope with as well. They begin by going to lower dosages, and the worst of the symptoms are apparently not as bad.



I've been thinking about my anxiety issues lately, and I really hate the, but I've never really known what to do about it. It seems every time I talk to a doctor about it they dismiss it. I think it's because I come across as confident and calm in person, even if I'm actually constantly stressed out on the inside.

How severe is your anxiety? Does it prevent you for working, do you worry about being spied on, do you lose sleep for example, or does it lead ocd like behavior? If so, you should see a specialist.

If it is just general malaise it should go away after awhile. Although again, if it is persistent, you really need to talk to someone who specializes with these things.

[RevMARKSman]

I've been off the meds for something like 5 months, and after a few stomachaches and general under-the-weather feelings in the first couple weeks I'm fine. Except it seems to be harder to get my mind around concepts than before, especially complex thematic stuff, and I have to write it down (which is really annoying).