Anti-Depressants... what they don't tell you.

I am in the process of trying to kick Celexa right now myself... and I say 'kick' because although the manufacturer insists that it's non-habit-forming... it's starting to come out now that some pretty serious withdrawal symptoms can develop. For me, it feels like the flu. There's lot of information available on the net if anyone's interested.

Then there's the weight thing. When I was on Luvox a few years ago (I was bored, and my doctor put me on pills to perk me up, basically), I gained about 40 pounds in a year. I went from 125 to 165 pounds. That is a BIG difference. I asked her if it could be related to the drugs, and she said nope. So we did thyroid tests, diets, etc. Nothing worked. Finally I did some research on the net and found hundreds of people on anti-depressants who were 30, 40, 80, 100 pounds heavier than they had been, and all being told it couldn't be the anti-depressants. So I went off them, and within 6 months was back to normal.

Last year I was dealing with my divorce and the doctor basically bullied me into taking Celexa. I say 'bullied' because I insisted that I wasn't interested, that I would rather take vitamins and exercise, etc. but he basically threatened to stop having me as a patient if I didn't do it, so I did. I'm now 12 pounds heavier, lazy, don't feel emotions like I used to... so I'm going off.

I realize that anti-depressants can help some people, and that the side-effects are preferable to suicidal thoughts, etc. But what they don't tell you is that they are NOT FOR EVERYONE, and that the side-effects and withdrawal symptoms exist.

Anyone in a similar situation? Again, I'm not knocking those who need them... I'm just really angry with the medical community right now! I just recently started seeing a doctor who hadn't even heard of the withdrawal... I think if you are prescribing a drug to people, you should read about it first. And not just the propaganda that comes from the manufacturer. Do research on the net, talk to people. I'm sick of being a guinea pig.

Hope you don't mind, Pink, but I moved your thread to Health Chat. It can still be found in chit/chat so that people there can see the thread exists, but if they post, it will actually be posted here in Health Chat.


My experience has been, as a nurse, and as a patient, that rarely do physicians I've been to or worked with actually tell the patients the side effects that need to be aware of. Fortunately, many pharmacies often provide that information. But, I always encourage everyone to ask their physician if he/she has not explained the side effects they can expect. And, I agree that researching on your own is a good idea, too.

I once had a side effect that my doctor (a) didn't tell me about in advance and (b) didn't even know existed until I read information about the medication myself. Of course, I'm at an advantage being an RN and have access to alot of medical information. But, the average consumer should always ask their physician to explain the side effects that can be expected. Never assume that he/she will automatically advise you.

Yes. My sister was prescribed Paxil to deal with an eating disorder she was in treatment for. She gained alot of weight, had a helluva time getting off the stuff, and just found out she is showing some signs of liver damage (one of the side effects they don't tell you about).

She is *not* happy.

I discovered I had Panic Disorder in my 20's-
at first Drs. attributed my attacks to high blood pressure
and gave me pills, (diuretics), to treat it.
(I later found out I do not have high blood pressure at all)

I went to a Dr. when I was around 30-
he was kind of an old hippie type guy and I really liked him.
I told him of my panic attacks and asked if there was a
"pill" I could take to rid myself of them.
He told me to stay away from drugs to treat my disorder
and gave me instructions on how to battle my attacks
without them.
I was rather disgruntled at the time he advised me
as I was looking for a "quick fix".
But I followed his instructions and they really did help.
It was all I had to fall back on at the time.

About 4 years ago I considered drugs again-
I had heard of folks getting meds for my disorder
and thought maybe it would be better than what I had
been doing for the attacks for so many years.

But I decided before going to a Dr. that I would get
on the net and gather as much info I could from people
that actually use these meds.
I visited message boards and other forums asking all the
questions I could think of before going to a Dr.
I am so glad I did!

After all the "real-life" accounts I got from people
using these drugs, I decided not to use them.
The side effects were severe and some people had
some very serious permanent problems too
because of the drugs.
I would say that over 50% of these people told me
not to do it-
they didn't think it was worth it and if they had it
to do all over again, they would not have taken drugs
for their Panic Disorder.
That was enough information for me.

I made a personal choice and the only thing
I want to add to this thread is for anyone contemplating
taking drugs for depression, panic, or similar problems-
get information from as many people as you can
that actually use these drugs!

Educating yourself first is vital!
Only then should you consider these drugs that
Drs. are so ready to dole out.
The responsibility really does fall all on us-
especially when our children are concerned
in these situations.


Thanks PinkCat!
I am sorry you are going through this-
it is an eye-opener for many people and I am
glad you alerted us to what you are going through.

I meant to say in my post yesterday that when you have a physician who basically threatens to stop treating you because you are reluctant to have treatment that he/she is prescribing, then it's time to shop for a new physician.

True that your physician is much more knowledgeable than you are about medicine. But, the decision to proceed with treatment is up to the patient. If you feel uncomfortable, or feel forced, you should seek out a second opinion.

Thanks for the responses, all.

Whiterose, you are absolutely right. I don't see that doctor anymore.

Sage, that's great that you are drug-free! I think that learning other ways of dealing with things is always better than just popping a pill!

Desert Spring -- liver damage? That's awful. I can't believe all these side-effects that no one tells us about. :mad:

A little good news: my withdrawal symptoms are definitely a lot less severe than they were a few days ago, so I'm happy about that!

I've never taken anti-depressants but I was on Adderall for few years, an experience that I have mixed-emotions about.

At my family's urging I went to be evaluated for possible ADHD and after an hour session the Dr. put me on Adderall, without mentioning the long-term side effects, even after I directly asked her.

It was incredible at first. I could do my accounting homework in my head, I had this wonderful feeling of calmness while at the same time euphoria, feeling like I could do anything. The first side effect, which I liked, was weight loss. Adderall, being a methamphetamine, literally carved the fat off, and was a bonus during my workouts.

Six months down the road it started to go downhill. My body started to adjust to the ever-increasing dosages that were prescribed, and my body and mind started to fray. At the year point I felt completely different. I still had the focus but I felt hollow inside, without emotion, completely cold.

At that point I decided I needed to get off of it, I recognized my growing dependency on it, and quit cold-turkey. It took quite awhile to lose the feelings of wanting it, missing the laser-like focus, and ability to do 10days of work in one days time. Now, I rarely think of it or desire it but the whole experience with the doctor left a bitter taste in my mouth. Throughout my time with her, she pretty much waved away any concerns I had with the attitude of "the Dr. knows best". As far as she's concerned, and I'm not speaking about all doctors, I feel that she's nothing more than a drug dealer with a medical degree..the only difference between she and the dealer on the street being she falls under the protection of the law.

I have some friends that tooks anti-depressants, specifically Paxil, and they had nothing but bad things to say about it. All I could ever advise someone is to exhaust all natural solutions first, THEN research on your own (before seeing a doctor) drugs and speak to a reputable doctor.

Originally posted by Aloysius
I have some friends that tooks anti-depressants, specifically Paxil, and they had nothing but bad things to say about it. All I could ever advise someone is to exhaust all natural solutions first, THEN research on your own (before seeing a doctor) drugs and speak to a reputable doctor.



My Father came down with alzhiemer's at the age of 78-
he passed on at 82.
(Although I think he came down with it sooner-
but it was at age 78 he was diagnosed).
My mother took on sole responsibility of his care
and he was always quite ambulatory, so
his looking after didn't require a lot of exhausting physical
care, but his mind was not lucid and he could be
quite incorrigible and nasty.

Upon one of his visits to the DR, my mother complained
about how hard it was to deal with my Dad's cantankerous and
disagreeable nature and he, (the Dr.), offered to
prescribe my mother Paxil to take-
to help her relax and not suffer from so much stress
in dealing with my Father's nastiness.
My Mother looked at the Dr. in surprise and said:
"I don't need drugs- HE, (she pointed to my Father),
needs the drugs!!"

So, the Dr. did just that, my Dad went on Paxil
and the difference in his personality was extreme-
he was much calmer and "nicer" to be around.
The agitation from his disease was reduced greatly
from using the Paxil.

My Mother was quite appalled that the Drs. first thought
was to medicate her.

Originally posted by Sage
My Father came down with alzhiemer's at the age of 78-
he passed on at 82.
(Although I think he came down with it sooner-
but it was at age 78 he was diagnosed).
My mother took on sole responsibility of his care
and he was always quite ambulatory, so
his looking after didn't require a lot of exhausting physical
care, but his mind was not lucid and he could be
quite incorrigible and nasty.

Upon one of his visits to the DR, my mother complained
about how hard it was to deal with my Dad's cantankerous and
disagreeable nature and he, (the Dr.), offered to
prescribe my mother Paxil to take-
to help her relax and not suffer from so much stress
in dealing with my Father's nastiness.
My Mother looked at the Dr. in surprise and said:
"I don't need drugs- HE, (she pointed to my Father),
needs the drugs!!"

So, the Dr. did just that, my Dad went on Paxil
and the difference in his personality was extreme-
he was much calmer and "nicer" to be around.
The agitation from his disease was reduced greatly
from using the Paxil.

My Mother was quite appalled that the Drs. first thought
was to medicate her.
I wouldn't blame her. :P Some people get very agitated when its suggested they take something. Did you father suffer any of the reported side effects of Paxil? I'm glad to hear that it worked for him and made things easier. Modern medicine does help..my friend that recently passed away from throat cancer didn't suffer nearly as much with the medications and painkillers they provided.

Originally posted by Aloysius
As far as she's concerned, and I'm not speaking about all doctors, I feel that she's nothing more than a drug dealer with a medical degree..the only difference between she and the dealer on the street being she falls under the protection of the law.

I have some friends that tooks anti-depressants, specifically Paxil, and they had nothing but bad things to say about it. All I could ever advise someone is to exhaust all natural solutions first, THEN research on your own (before seeing a doctor) drugs and speak to a reputable doctor.

Oh, I completely agree! Particularly with the comparison between some doctors and drug dealers.