What is the Difference Between SSRI Dependency Versus SSRI Addiction?
Executive Summary
- SSRIs are addictive drugs.
- SSRI addiction is greatly minimized by pharmaceutical companies and the overall medical establishment.
Introduction
A primary method used by pharmaceutical companies, MDs, and the overall medical establishment is to minimize addiction. This article covers the gaslighting of patients and the public on the topic of SSRI addiction.
What the Medical Establishment Says About SSRI Addiction
Let us review the following quotation from the Recovery Village recovery center on Prozac addiction. Prozac was the first SSRI.
For some, the symptoms of fluoxetine withdrawal will gradually improve without the need for additional treatment.
If there is no addiction to Prozac (the official position of the medical establishment), why is there withdrawal?
Since serotonin has a calming effect, eating foods that are high in serotonin can help counter the effects of fluoxetine withdrawal. Some examples of foods that help you maintain optimum serotonin levels include spinach, lentils, and whole grains. Foods that help release serotonin include carbohydrates like oatmeal and foods with high in the amino acid L-tryptophan like turkey. Foods that are high in monounsaturated fat like avocados can help your brain receive the serotonin better.
Why weren’t depressed individuals placed on such a dies before being prescribed Prozac which created the dependency? I ask because this is never done. Patients are not asked about their diet before being prescribed antidepressants.
Try foods that are known to help fight depression. Foods such as almonds and spinach that are rich in magnesium may help fight anxiety and stress.
Avoid caffeine and alcohol. It’s a good idea to try and avoid foods and drinks that can alter your mood. While caffeine and alcohol may help to lift your mood for a short while, in the long term they can have adverse side effects of their own.
Exercise. One of the many health benefits of exercise is that it can have a positive impact on mood levels. It can also help ease Prozac withdrawal by helping to relieve stress and tension.
Again, why can’t all of this be done before being placed on Prozac to see if it improves depressive symptoms before moving to Prozac or any other antidepressant.
The following quote is from the Prozac rehab page at Recovery Village.
Unlike other prescription medications that lead to substance use disorders, fluoxetine does not have any chemical ingredients that directly cause addiction, but the danger of this medication lies in the way it makes a patient feel.
Since it relieves symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders, the brain can become so dependent on the effect of this medication that when a patient stops taking it, the patient will go through withdrawals.
That means the patient is addicted to the item. Furthermore, Recovery Village is tap dancing around how Prozac works. Prozac is an SSRI, and it manipulates serotonin levels. Anytime you manipulate a neurotransmitter, you are creating an addictive scenario. Increasing serotonin, norepinephrine or dopamine creates major changes. The danger in most addictive drugs is “in the way it makes the patient feel.”
A patient who has become dependent on Fluoxetine can experience hyperactivity, insomnia, lack of emotion, and extreme aggression. If a patient finds that they are struggling with Prozac misuse, there are plenty of treatment options available.
Again, Recover Villiage is substituting the medical establishment term “dependency” for addiction. And then states that such dependency can only come from misuse. Recovery Village states that Prozac addiction only comes from those that abuse Prozac or use it in a way not prescribed.
This is false. Prozac, like other depressants, is addictive, even when used as prescribed. This is explained in detail in the article How Antidepressants Produce Addiction Through Altering the Neurotransmition Process. (Subscription required)
SSRI Addiction
It is amusing to see false information about antidepressant addiction published online.
The following from Genesight is a good example of this.
This is listed under myths of antidepressants.
Myth: Antidepressant medication is addictive.
Bradley Gaynes, a psychiatrist at the University of North Carolina, says that he’s often asked by patients whether they can become dependent on an antidepressant drug. He says the concern is understandable: many anxiety, sleep, and pain medications can be habit forming.
But he says patients shouldn’t worry. Antidepressants are not addictive.
“It’s not the case. Antidepressants just aren’t a medication you can physiologically become dependent on,” Gaynes says. “It’s not how they work.”
That is quite interesting. And quite false — but it is also the standard type of thing said by MDs that prescribe antidepressants to patients.
The Mayo Clinic on Antidepressant Dependency
Here is more pharma controlled information on “dependency” from The Mayo Clinic.
Quitting an antidepressant suddenly may cause symptoms within a day or two, such as:
Anxiety
Insomnia or vivid dreams
Headaches
Dizziness
Tiredness
Irritability
Flu-like symptoms, including achy muscles and chills
Nausea
Electric shock sensations
Return of depression symptoms
Having antidepressant withdrawal symptoms doesn’t mean you’re addicted to an antidepressant. Addiction represents harmful, long-term chemical changes in the brain. It’s characterized by intense cravings, the inability to control your use of a substance and negative consequences from that substance use. Antidepressants don’t cause these issues.
No no…of course not.
To minimize the risk of antidepressant withdrawal, talk with your doctor before you stop taking an antidepressant. Your doctor may recommend that you gradually reduce the dose of your antidepressant for several weeks or more to allow your body to adapt to the absence of the medication.
In some cases, your doctor may prescribe another antidepressant or another type of medication on a short-term basis to help ease symptoms as your body adjusts. If you’re switching from one type of antidepressant to another, your doctor may have you start taking the new one before you completely stop taking the original medication.
So now the patient is moved to another antidepressant when they intend to get off of antidepressants. How does moving a patient to a second antidepressant help that patient get off of antidepressants? The Drug Carousel: How Antidepressants Can Become a Gateway to Many More Drugs covers this problem in detail. (Subscription required)
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