According to a story on the NBC News Website, some patients who take antidepressants experience severe withdrawal symptoms when they try to go off the drugs – raising concerns that they’re essentially stuck taking them for the rest of their lives.
The report quotes a patient named Gina O’Brien as saying she feels that she’s now hooked on the drug and that its manufacturer controls her.
An inability to stop taking antidepressants could be of particular concern for women who wish to get pregnant. A number of studies have linked antidepressants classified as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, with potentially dangerous heart and lung defects in newborns. SSRI antidepressants include Prozac and Zoloft.
The report says many patients have reported extreme reactions to discontinuing the drugs in the two decades since they hit the market.
O’Brien, who began taking the medication for anxiety and panic attacks, tried to discontinue it gradually under her doctor’s orders. But she felt she had no choice but to start taking it again when she found herself overwhelmed by nausea and uncontrollable crying.
The report says patients who try to discontinue the pills report side effects including flu-like nausea, muscle aches, uncontrollable crying, dizziness and diarrhea. Others suffer “brain zaps,” or bizarre and briefly overwhelming electrical sensations that seem to come from the back of the head.
Patients should consult their doctors before making any changes in their medication. A consultation with an SSRI lawyer is also important if there are significant injuries from SSRIs.
See the story here:
