As we come to the end of a second decade where SSRI antidepressant drugs have been the ‘first line’ of treatment in depression, anxiety and a host of other ailments, more and more patient horror stories are coming to light from long-term antidepressant use.  I have outlined in previous articles how ssri and similar variants mimic the pharmacological actions of drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana and alcohol.

All of them effect serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, the primary “mood” neurotransmitters, in similar ways.  But ironically, the ‘slower onset’, but longer half life man made antidepressants present more dangers in some ways than the ‘street’ variants that typically have stronger onset and shorter halflifes.  By staying in your system ‘round the clock’, the chemical ‘denial’ and hallucinogenic and awareness suppressing properties of SSRI medications prevent the user from ever becoming ‘lucid’ as occurs when a street drug wears off.  In layman’s terms we think of ‘coming down’ from street drugs or alcohol as a ‘hangover’ or a ‘crash’.  But what that really means is that the drug is exiting the system and your natural neurotransmitter balance is reasserting yourself so that you see reality clearly.

The reason so many sometimes bizarre, strange and sometimes tragic horror stories are happening with long term antidepressant use is because the patient never has a chance to become lucid.  Patients are put on these medications sometimes for years and once you are on them, you lose the ability to use proper judgment if you start to do or act in ways you would not otherwise approve of if you were off the drugs and in your ‘right mind’.  Just some of the reported experiences that people on antidepressants have gone through include the following:

A woman who had always been a conservative, faithful mother and wife found herself shortly after being put on antidepressants to become involved in numerous sexual dalliances with neighbors and co-workers.  Over a series of months she became a greater and greater ‘risk taker’ and finally was caught and threatened with divorce by her husband.  Even with the destruction of her marriage and her family she continued to display lapses in judgment and ‘didn’t care’ that she was ruining everything she had built over many years with her husband and children.  Then, after over a year on antidepressants she was taken off by her doctor and proceeded to have an emotional meltdown when she became ‘lucid’ and her guilt and normal emotions returned to her after being slowly removed from the antidepressants.

She went back to her ‘before’ antidepressants conservatism and now was racked with guilt and confusion as to how she could ever have acted and done the things she did while on them.  This experience mirrors what many have found when put on antidepressants, some of which have ended in absolute tragedy.  There have been numerous reports that many of the ‘child killers’ such as the columbine duo and others had their ‘inhibitions’ drugged away and their ‘guilt’ chemically removed by being on antidepressants.

Without these human emotions, the natural anger or hostility that might usually have caused them to be reflective and think about the causes of the bad feelings were instead unleashed in violent ways, killing their classmates.  Few know that the killers in Columbine were on multiple antidepressant SSRI medications WHILE they went on their rampage.  One has to wonder if they had not been on them and had had their natural emotional intact if such a tragedy would have occurred.  There are many more horror stories of what the long term effects of antidepressants can do.  Be sure to check out to read more about the dangers of SSRI’s and learn how to deal with depression and anxiety without drugs.