According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, 1 in 5 Americans are taking medication to treat depression and anxiety – and the numbers are rising. SSRI drugs including Celexa, Lexapro, Cipralex, Paxil, Seroxat, Prozac, Luvox, Zoloft, and Lustral are big business as more and more Americans obtain prescriptions for these medications. Many times, the people who take SSRI’s are unaware of the potential for extreme side effects that are rarely mentioned by mainstream medicine. Today we will look at a few of the most extreme side effects that are often times overlooked by Medical Doctors. This article will aim to present information that will help you make an informed decision on whether or not to support the use of these drugs.
How SSRIs work
Selective Serotonin uptake inhibitors or SSRIs are drugs that artificially increase the amount of serotonin in the brain. The way they do this is by blocking the reabsorption process of serotonin which leads to an overabundance of it in the brain. A perfect analogy is to think about a pond that has a waterfall bringing in new water and a stream that is draining that water. The pond represents the brain, the water represents the serotonin and the exit stream represents the reabsorption process. When people have depression, they tend to have a lack of water coming into the pond. What the SSRI drugs do is build a dam blocking the exit stream that drains the water so that the waterfall can build up an excess over time.
The side effects of SSRI drugs
When you go to your doctor, the common side effects that are listed are:Drowsiness.Nausea.Dry mouth.Insomnia.Diarrhea.Nervousness, agitation or restlessness.Dizziness.Sexual problems, such as reduced sexual desire or difficulty reaching orgasm or inability to maintain an erection (erectile dysfunction)Many of these symptoms are minor in nature and can be managed. The problem is that these are NOT the only side effects of these drugs!Many of these drugs can cause a drastic change in the way a person thinks. A study by the FDA found that in the years between 2004 and 2012, over 14,000 people on SSRIs reported increased violent tendencies including aggression, mania, hostility, physical assault, psychosis, and other violent related symptoms. But, by far the worst symptoms were the increased suicidal tenancies, homicides, and homicidal ideations.Homicidal ideations are simply thoughts about committing homicide. They could be vague thoughts of getting revenge or seeking some form of justice through killing – or they can be highly detailed and thought out plans to commit mass murder. Knowing this, it’s no wonder that almost all of the mass shootings since Columbine were committed by people that were using SSRI drugs!
The Solution
SSRIs are very serious drugs, and they need to be treated with respect. Is there a time and a place for these drugs? That is for you and your healthcare provider to decide. But, when it comes to depression and anxiety, few medical doctors actually know what the main cause is.We already wrote an extensive article on the real cause of depression and anxiety and what you can do to improve it. You can check that out here.
