Posted by leslieg on November 16, 2002, at 19:41:44
In reply to The truth to this study, posted by linkadge on November 16, 2002, at 10:05:48
I feel much the way reb does; very worried about trading the future for the present. I didn't worry like this 10 years ago when I first took Zoloft, but after a bad half-year on Effexor and the withdrawal from it, I can't help but wonder if the Effexor did any permanent damage (I think it did). I am at a point that I *must* take ADs, whether I want to or not. My present is more important than my future because I've got an 18-month old child.
Maybe the "problem" is that in order to not notice any damage, one must stay on ADs. (Does that mean I'll never enjoy sex the way I used to? That isn't something I want to give up for the rest of my life!)
I'm sure my stress hormones were doing damage; but I tend to believe the body has ways of repairing damage done by itself -- the human race has lived with high-stress situations for a long time ... But I'm not so sure my body can fix problems introduced by ADs.
This leads to a major concern of mine (and why I had to get off the Effexor in the first place). What does the presence of these drugs do to an embryo? How can it be that the developing brain doesn't develop differently when constantly subjected to a chemical enviornment different from normal? How many children born to moms who were on ADs have gone through the brain changes of puberty? How can we *know* there isn't damage that shows up as the brain matures? It amazes me that I could have been arrested for taking ritalin when pregnant, yet plenty of pdocs (including mine) don't see a problem with keeping a moderatly depressed woman on ADs during pregnancy.
I think there are too many people who see SSRIs as harmless; this type of study took saccharine off the market for years and made people think twice about artificial sweeteners. More people do need to think twice about taking SSRIs.
> If I remember correctly this study was
> done with Fluxotine at doses 100 x the
> standard human dose. When Lilly was questioned
> they responded that this study concluded
> nothing as the doses were far above the
> average dose.
>
> Lets put things into perspective. Some people
> are depressed and refuse to take antidepressants
> because they believe they are evil or mind
> controlling or something. The truth is
> that untreated depression does FAR more dammage
> to the brain than any of the current antidepressants do. Elevated cortisol from
> stress destroys neural connections in the
> seritogenic and dopamanergic areas of the brain,
> not to mention the reduced hippocampal volume.
>
> Studies have shown many things such as. How
> antidepresants improve the quality of people's
> lives, how they reduce physical illness from
> elevated stress, and how they can even extend
> ones life. This study is far from conclusive
> about anything
>
> Linkadge
>
>
poster:leslieg
thread:127552
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021116/msgs/127968.html