4 ms·

So the solution is prescribing something that has a lot of unpleasant side-effects for a lot of people? Medication that if you don't take will have SEVERE withd

So the solution is prescribing something that has a lot of unpleasant side-effects for a lot of people? Medication that if you don't take will have SEVERE withdrawal symptoms?

wins32767 4y ago
I suddenly became allergic to SSRIs and had to go off of them cold turkey. I didn't have any withdrawal problems at all so it's not a universal issue.
- niemal_dev 4y ago
  Wow, just wow. Quitting them cold turkey 0 problems, incredible.
  - wins32767 4y ago
    I'm not trying to minimize the problems other people have had with withdrawal at all, just saying that it's possible to have a variety of different outcomes being on and off of them.
slibhb 4y ago
SSRIs have mild side effects after the first few weeks. Withdrawal varies but is generally manageable if you taper slowly. I'm open to alternatives but I'm convinced that antidepressants help people.
zasdffaa 4y ago
I wonder why you say 'SEVERE' so severely. It doesn't sound like you have any direct experience of this. I had to come off them and it wasn't a problem. My biggest fear, and it was huge, was that the depression would return. It didn't.
- guerrilla 4y ago
  Because it's pretty damned severe with SNRIs. You probably only tried some SSRIs. Turns out not all medications are identical.
  - zasdffaa 4y ago
    Yep, never taken SNRIs - for me it was straight prozac. Side effects while on it weren't pretty though.
- MattRix 4y ago
  I had horrible withdrawal effects coming off lexapro/escitalopram, it was literally the worst experience of my life. I spent a month with maxed-out anxiety, feeling like I was going to die any moment, waking up at night with electric shocks running through my body, etc. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.
  - zasdffaa 4y ago
    OK, that's an SSRI which is what I had to come off (prozac), with no major issues. I'm not at all claiming it's a fun ride for everyone, just giving my one data point that it's not inevitably awful for absolutely everyone. Sorry you had to deal with it!
- hammyhavoc 4y ago
  Anecdotal. n+1.
  - zasdffaa 4y ago
    I'm not sure what you're saying?
    - jack_pp 4y ago
      > It doesn't sound like you have any direct experience of this It doesn't matter if I have personal experience with this although I do. A very bad personal experience with the mental health service that was provided as well as the side effects I was talking about. > I had to come off them and it wasn't a problem. This just comes off as ignorant, there is established literature on the withdrawal effects. I was not speculating or spreading FUD. They are real, documented and more common than your anecdotal lucky experience
      - zasdffaa 4y ago
        So your bad experience is data, my ok experience is anecdote and is worth less than yours. Gotcha. 'I had no problem' means that bad problems aren't inevitable, which opposed the totally unqualified 'SEVERE' claim - they aren't always 'SEVERE'. That doesn't discount anyone's experiences when things do go bad as I acknowledged here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32169654 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32169654 - I'm not dissing anyone's experiences.
        jack_pp 4y ago
        You keep missing the point, there's a reason every doctor who prescribes these drugs will also make sure to taper you off because if you suddenly come off them there will be consequences. Now I'm not gonna troll the literature to figure out what the exact numbers are. It's not about you dissing anyone's experience, it is about you ignoring the reality of this issue just because you were lucky.

So the solution is prescribing something that has a lot of unpleasant side-effects for a lot of people? Medication that if you don't take will have SEVERE withdrawal symptoms?

wins32767 4y ago

I suddenly became allergic to SSRIs and had to go off of them cold turkey. I didn't have any withdrawal problems at all so it's not a universal issue.

niemal_dev 4y ago
Wow, just wow. Quitting them cold turkey 0 problems, incredible.
- wins32767 4y ago
  I'm not trying to minimize the problems other people have had with withdrawal at all, just saying that it's possible to have a variety of different outcomes being on and off of them.

slibhb 4y ago

SSRIs have mild side effects after the first few weeks. Withdrawal varies but is generally manageable if you taper slowly. I'm open to alternatives but I'm convinced that antidepressants help people.

zasdffaa 4y ago

I wonder why you say 'SEVERE' so severely. It doesn't sound like you have any direct experience of this. I had to come off them and it wasn't a problem. My biggest fear, and it was huge, was that the depression would return. It didn't.

guerrilla 4y ago
Because it's pretty damned severe with SNRIs. You probably only tried some SSRIs. Turns out not all medications are identical.
- zasdffaa 4y ago
  Yep, never taken SNRIs - for me it was straight prozac. Side effects while on it weren't pretty though.
MattRix 4y ago
I had horrible withdrawal effects coming off lexapro/escitalopram, it was literally the worst experience of my life. I spent a month with maxed-out anxiety, feeling like I was going to die any moment, waking up at night with electric shocks running through my body, etc. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.
- zasdffaa 4y ago
  OK, that's an SSRI which is what I had to come off (prozac), with no major issues. I'm not at all claiming it's a fun ride for everyone, just giving my one data point that it's not inevitably awful for absolutely everyone. Sorry you had to deal with it!
hammyhavoc 4y ago
Anecdotal. n+1.
- zasdffaa 4y ago
  I'm not sure what you're saying?
  - jack_pp 4y ago
    > It doesn't sound like you have any direct experience of this It doesn't matter if I have personal experience with this although I do. A very bad personal experience with the mental health service that was provided as well as the side effects I was talking about. > I had to come off them and it wasn't a problem. This just comes off as ignorant, there is established literature on the withdrawal effects. I was not speculating or spreading FUD. They are real, documented and more common than your anecdotal lucky experience
    - zasdffaa 4y ago
      So your bad experience is data, my ok experience is anecdote and is worth less than yours. Gotcha. 'I had no problem' means that bad problems aren't inevitable, which opposed the totally unqualified 'SEVERE' claim - they aren't always 'SEVERE'. That doesn't discount anyone's experiences when things do go bad as I acknowledged here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32169654 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32169654 - I'm not dissing anyone's experiences.
      - jack_pp 4y ago
        You keep missing the point, there's a reason every doctor who prescribes these drugs will also make sure to taper you off because if you suddenly come off them there will be consequences. Now I'm not gonna troll the literature to figure out what the exact numbers are. It's not about you dissing anyone's experience, it is about you ignoring the reality of this issue just because you were lucky.