Reply To: Is every other Woman on Zoloft?

aries2756, with all due respect, i hear the compassion you have for all our sisters when defending their choice to take

anti-depressants/anti-anxiety meds, but you asked a good question. (i cant italicize it)

But you wrote ” there are many reasons why a doctor will prescribe something to take the edge off and help a patient cope”…

One of the reasons they over prescribe everybody is that they are making profit from the drug companies. Zoloft and others pay out to psychiatrists for writing the prescription. Its off record, but its done.

Secondly, you mentioned all the good reasons one may choose. Such as finances, community, health, weight, self-esteem, self-confidence, LACK OF SLEEP, etc., etc, ….need I go on?

But we are being led to believe that they artificial drug induced consciousness used to cope is the answer.

I recently went through a very stressful period. Overweight (as you mentioned), financial difficulities and marrying off a child along with marital tension etc. These brought me before a well known psychiatrist in the community recently who deals with Perinatal and Post Partum depression. What was her conclusion? That I need Zoloft. I have never been one to turn to pills as an answer. But this time I succumbed. I felt lets try it. However, although even after only a short period of time on this drug I began to feel less angry, less frustrated, less critical, less negative, less like complaining, and more patient, more calm and sleeping better I asked myselflets do some research on internet on this thing`.

What I found was devastating. I was completely shocked and thrown into a whirlwind of panic with what I was reading. In short, this medication can become nothing more than a trap. Its been documented that once an individual wants to go off it they can experience discontinuation syndrome. This includes Symptoms described as “brain zaps”, “brain shocks”, “brain shivers”, “head shocks”, or “cranial zings” are a withdrawal symptom experienced during discontinuation (or reduction of dose) of antidepressant drugs. The symptoms are widely variable in description and are of unknown etiology common descriptions include dizziness, electric shock-like sensations,sweating, nausea, insomnia, tremor, confusion, nightmares, and vertigo.

Look up Discontinuation Syndrome on Wikipedia or Google. See other websites.

Another problem is sexual dysfunction, while apparently uncommon, it can last for months, years, or sometimes indefinitely after the discontinuation of SSRIs. This condition has not been well-established or proven in the field of medicine, thus patients are not warned of the potential condition by their physicians and it is not listed in consumer information leaflets.

12 years she`s been trapped on this drug.

Can you imagine just how powerful this drug is and what its really doing to the brain and nervous system?

My point is that before people accept a report from a psychiatrist or a family doctor that ok you have depression- take this med…they should first try using natural methods such as Cognitive Behavioral THerapy. I strongly recommend the book the feeling good handbook by Dr. David Burns M.D

As well Go to the gym. The psychiatrist told me that exercising 5 times a week for 45 mins IS the same as taking an anti depressant!

This book mentioned above one can pin point the source of their moods and anxiety or depression. Its actually one of the top books that psychologist and psychotherapists recommend their patients.

Please have me in your prayers and keep me in mind that I should not suffer from any of the above mentioned symptoms of discontinuation such as electrical shocks or brain zaps as I slowly decrease my dose and get off it. They really sound unpleasant.

Sure its been a nice trip and smooth ride for 3 weeks but I see that its better to get off it before i really get on it and end up messing up my brain long term. I will go to gym instead.

Oh, and when I contacted the psychiatrist and told her listen I need to get off this for the above reasons, she told me that electrical painful shocks or brain zapping is not a reason to go off the med.

I was thiking sure it is, because I may one day want to stop taking it and then I`ll suffer from this, no? OR be trapped on it.

Or maybe her line of thinking is that one should not have a reason to go off of it. By the way, she was very familiar with all rabbonim and dayanim in our community. She mentioned them by name. So…I am not the only one!