What Are Longterm Outcomes of Antidepressant Use?

NEGATIVE SIDE-EFFECTS OF LONG-TERM ANTIDEPRESSANT USE: 

(Potential risks of long-term use of antidepressants)

• ·      Deviation of neurotransmitter function
• ·      Alteration of neural function
• ·      Decrease of serotonin release in presynaptic neurons
• ·      Downregulation of serotonin receptors in postsynaptic neurons
• ·      Chronicity of depression and anxiety
• ·      High-Relapse rates
• ·      Emotional blunting, apathy
• ·      Mania
• ·      Conversion to bipolar disorder or other serious mental illnesses
• ·      Memory impairment (shrinkage of areas of the brain that utilize memory)
• ·      Gastrointestinal & heart troubles (bowel problems, stomach aches, heart impairment)
• ·      Muscular tics, fatigue, tardive dyskinesia
• ·      Sexual dysfunction
• ·      Impacted fetal development
• ·      Suppressed REM sleep
• ·      Learning deficiencies
• ·      Escalating mental illness
• ·      Loss of creativity
• * Possible generational effects (see first link below) 
•    This list continues to grow.....
• There are excellent resources to help an individual learn how to heal from depression and anxiety-related conditions and more.  Please check out Dr. Neil Nedley's Depression and Anxiety Recovery program and/or Dr. Mark Hyman's Broken Brain docuseries and get yourself feeling better than you've ever felt before you consider tapering off medication.  Please check out information on Micronutrients on my other blog for an important possible option and other helpful information: https://depressionhealinginsights.blogspot.com/
• WARNING: IF YOU ARE ON ANTIDEPRESSANTS AND OTHER RELATED MEDICATIONS DO NOT GO OFF YOUR MEDICATION(S) WITHOUT HELP OF A MEDICAL PROVIDER.

If you have had multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), please understand that you need to be gentle with yourself and work through as much of the trauma as possible with loving help before you start tapering off medication.  If you need to stay on medication PLEASE see the medication as a blessing for now and just do the best you can--and keep searching for answers.  It has been my own experience and the experience of others that through the many other avenues it is possible to heal.

Negative Side-effects of Antidepressants: Sources 

Mad in America.com 

https://www.madinamerica.com/2019/04/effects-antidepressant-exposure-across-generations-interview-dr-vance-trudeau/

Robert Whitaker bio: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/experts/robert-whitaker

Now Antidepressant-Induced Chronic Depression Has a Name: Tardive Dysphoria

New research on why antidepressants may worsen long-term outcomes

By Robert Whitaker

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mad-in-america/201106/now-antidepressant-induced-chronic-depression-has-name-tardive-dysphoria

Antidepressant drugs may not be the best treatment:  

By Robert Whitaker

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/antidepressant-drugs-may-not-be-best-treatment-robert-whitaker-1.2667410

SSRIs in Society:  What Are Their Long-term Effects?

By Robert Whittaker  

https://www.i-p-p-m.de/WHITAKER_-_SSRIs-in-Society.pdf

Long-term Evidence We Can’t Overlook Anymore: Anti-Depressant Outcomes

By Jacob Z Hess (drawing much from the research of Robert Whittaker)

http://unthinkable.cc/long-term-evidence-we-cant-ignore-anymore-anti-depressant-outcomes

Here are some excellent videos that Robert Whittaker has done: 

Long-term Effects of Medication: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY-5npruTGc

Are Anti-depressants Depressogenic Over the Long Term?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEpjyKCPTEE

Negative antidepressant side-effects: More Sources

Buchman, N. S. (2002). Side effects of long-term treatment with fluoxetine. Clinical

Neuropharmacology , 55-57.

Chen, Y. G. (2008). Risk of cerebrovascular events associated with antidepressant use in patients

 with depression: a population-based, nested case-control study. The Annals of

Pharmacotherapy , 177-184.

Cohen, H. G. (2000). Excess risk of myocardial infarction in patients treated with antidepressant

medications: association with use of tricyclic agents. American Journal of Medicine , 2-8.

Hamer, M. B. (2010, August 19). European Heart Journal. Retrieved May 23, 2011, from

Oxford Journals:

http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2010/11/28/eurheartj.ehq438.abstract

Los Angelos Times. (2002, February 20). Los Angelos Times. Retrieved June 11, 2011, from Los

 Angelos Times: http://articles.latimes.com/2002/feb/20/news/mn-28924

Medical News Today. (2011, April 3). Depression News. Retrieved May 23, 2011, from Medical

News Today: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/221088.php

Nedley, N. A. (2014). Depression, the Way Out. Ardmore: Nedley Publishing.

Wu, C. W. (2011). Association of cerebrovascular events with antidepressant use: a case-

crossover study. The American Journal of Psychiatry , 511-521.

Zito, J. E. (2008, September 25). A three-country comparison of psychotropic medication

prevalence in youth. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health. Retrieved

May 22, 2011, from PubMed Central:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2569908/

This information is not to be taken as medical advice. Seek help from a medical professional in your medical decisions.