Why is every single new symptom that develops after antidepressants blamed on "depression"? I told my therapist about my cognitive dysfunction and memory loss. He said this could be a symptom of depression. I told him I never ever had memory loss until I took the drug.
As an NHS employee and iatrogenically harmed person, I'm very upset that my 8.5 months sick leave was put down as "depression". It was the "treatment" that made me bedbound and unable to function as a human. Still can't function almost a year off the medication. Scandalous.
When I was prescribed antidepressants, my GP asked if I wanted any time off work so I could "adjust to the medication" and offered to write a sick note.
I refused because my job always gave me a sense of purpose and I loved going to work. However, less than a month later, I was
After 18 months of hell thanks to Mirtazapine, this is probably the best I've felt in nearly two years. I've still got the
#PSSD
symptoms but it's a more bearable state. No idea what's going on but I'm grateful. It is possible to see improvements.
For some reason I've been blocked by Dr. Annie Hickox and I haven't had a single interaction with her. Is this because I'm an iatrogenically harmed person?
I will forever remember the time I went to the hospital and visited my GP immediately after my severe adverse reaction to
#Mirtazapine
, describing my symptoms in detail.
GP: "This isn't possible, you haven't been taking them long enough to have an effect"
Hospital: "I've seen
The term "antidepressant" is so dangerous and misleading. I've always suffered from anxiety and low mood but I never felt the unbearable suffocation that is severe depression until I sought medical attention. I was suicidal every waking moment because of the drug effects.
In recent weeks I've had two appointments with a mental health nurse (as my family are so concerned about me). Both times I described the severe adverse reaction to Mirtazapine in great detail and my hellish
#PSSD
symptoms. Both times the nurse proposed more antidepressants.
"I never realized antidepressants had the potential to be so utterly devastating and despite having no informed consent, every day I can’t help but blame myself for taking those tablets and damaging myself"
It's exactly 500 days since I made the worst decision of my life to take antidepressants. Nothing could have prepared me for the utter hell I was about to experience.
I took a prescribed drug for only three weeks in 2022 and my menstrual cycle is completely destroyed alongside
#PSSD
and protracted withdrawal.
Mirtazapine is a highly dangerous drug.
I've had no contact with this person and I'm blocked yet again, simply for having
#PSSD
. They clearly do not have sympathy for sufferers and once again we're being blamed for attempting to describe how horrific this condition is.
Some of the symptoms I developed AFTER taking antidepressants and continue to persist 13 months after discontinuation:
*Genital Numbness
*Emotional Blunting
*Anhedonia
*Visual impairment
*Memory Loss
*Chronic Fatigue
*Severe Insomnia
*Suicidal thoughts
*Self-harming
...
I've finally been able to read a chapter of a book. It doesn't sound like much but it's a huge step forward when I've had severe cognitive dysfunction for over a year now. This gives me a lot of hope.
When I made a GP appointment in 2022 to discuss my anxiety, I genuinely thought it was going to be a positive and life-changing decision.
Little did I know it would be my worst decision in 27 years, make my symptoms 1000x worse and end up life-changing for all the wrong reasons.
I took antidepressants for three weeks in 2022 and since then I've put four stone on, I've got scars all over my body from self-harm, I have strange cuts on my body, I became alcohol dependent and my health took a nosedive after visiting the GP. Worst decision of my life.
#PSSD
I'm so desperate with my insomnia. I often get only two or three hours sleep and somehow manage to drag myself to work. I've lost the ability to feel "tiredness" and I'm just completely exhausted all the time. There is something seriously wrong with my brain after Mirtazapine.
I used to really look forward to weekends after a long week at work. I'd take my dog to the beach and on lovely walks in the countryside. I'd go out on a Saturday evening with my friends and have a nice meal and a few drinks. I used to relax and spend time with my family on a
In the UK alone, there were 86 million antidepressant prescriptions in 2022-23. This was a 2% increase on the previous year. If antidepressants are so "safe and effective", why is the "mental health crisis" getting worse by the day?
I know I'm negative on here because of my circumstances with
#PSSD
but I went for a walk earlier and the cold, fresh air helped. I'm trying to exercise as much as I can despite the physical impairments. This is something I couldn't do this time last year. I'm grateful I'm able to
I've worked for the NHS for five years now. I absolutely loved my job. Since taking antidepressants, I had to take nine months sick leave which was the most hellish time of my life. Since returning to work, my cognitive issues have caused havoc and I'm barely able to function.
PSSD desperately needs a new name. It's a misnomer and doesn't begin to cover the devastating life changing symptoms. Very misleading name and almost trivialises the condition. Also it's not just SSRI's which is also an issue.
It's been almost 20 months since I started taking Mirtazapine. 19 months since I stopped taking it.
Every evening I dread the night because I'm tortured every night with vivid nightmares, sleep paralysis and waking hallucinations.
I have no idea what that drug did to my brain.
I'm 28 and often feel like an old woman, both physically and mentally. I never thought I'd have to contend with debilitating cognitive dysfunction and memory loss at this age.
This definitely isn't how I expected to see out my twenties. Purely just surviving now, no longer able
I'm in bed today, absolutely destroyed. I hope everyone who is capable has a nice Christmas. Please just be grateful to have your emotions, sexuality, cognition because they can be stolen without warning.
#PSSD
Since I took antidepressants and developed
#PSSD
, so many of my family and friends pretend I don't exist because it's easier for them. Although I don't feel like the same person as I used to be, I wish people would at least attempt to treat me the same. It's a lonely place to be.
You know when you have a nightmare and you wake up and feel relief because it wasn't real? It's the opposite with
#PSSD
. You wake up to an even worse nightmare but this time it's really happening and it's an inescapable reality; you've lost nearly everything that makes you human.
I never thought the worst mistake of my life would be listening to advice, seeking medical help, trusting the system and speaking to a GP. I'll have to live with this and be tortured by the regret for the rest of my existence. Betrayal on so many levels.
#PSSD
I took
#Mirtazapine
for three weeks in 2022 and it's absolutely destroyed my sleep.
15 months later I sleep about three to five hours a night and have sleep paralysis a few times a week combined with vivid and violent nightmares, waking up every hour or so. I often hallucinate
When I was prescribed antidepressants I didn't know I was about to lose everything that defined me as a person. After a few pills, I was transformed into a shell of my former self; I lived life for 27 years and now I'm trapped in limbo. The unknown future with
#PSSD
is unbearable
My sleep is finally starting to make real improvements after 16 months off Mirtazapine. I've gone from having less than an hour a night to having seven hours. I decided to buy a FitBit so I can monitor the progress over time. This improvement means so much to me because insomnia
When I visited the GP in 2022 to seek help for anxiety, I genuinely believed this decision to seek medical help would boost my confidence, improve my quality of life and that I would no longer be tormented by intrusive thoughts and debilitating fear 24/7. In reality, the decision
Ever since I suffered iatrogenic harm in 2022, my experience as an NHS patient has been humiliating. I've been repeatedly dismissed and told it's not possible to have an adverse reaction to Mirtazapine + I wasn't warned about withdrawal or the importance of tapering at any point.
#PSSD
is such a battle to the point I'm unable to think past the next few hours. I can no longer plan ahead and it's just continuous survival mode, desperately hoping for any form of symptomatic relief. This is not living.
I don't know if it's a trauma response/defence mechanism or just a manifestation of my cognitive dysfunction, but I feel like I've forgotten the rest of the world exists and I live in a bubble. When you develop
#PSSD
, you become incompatible with life.
I'm pleased to see there was a programme on BBC1 this morning talking about the dangers of antidepressants. Great that
#PSSD
got a mention too. "Dr Xand's Con or Cure" available on the BBC iPlayer.
Thanks to Mirtazapine, none of my friends or family got a Christmas present and I spent the day in bed battling suicidal thoughts. Is this supposed to be treatment? I'm in the worst possible state but still alive.
#PSSD
I hope I live long enough to find out exactly what happened to my brain and body after antidepressants/developing
#PSSD
. I'm desperate to know - very curious but terrified at the same time. This knowledge could lead to a better understanding/possible treatment for many diseases.
For people with
#PSSD
, has anyone got any optimistic thoughts? My only hope is that donations, awareness and research will help us and we'll find a treatment as soon as possible. My whole life is falling apart. This outcome shouldn't even be possible, totally against human
With
#PSSD
, I regularly find myself talking in the past tense. Talking about how I used to think and feel, the activities I used to enjoy, the places I used to visit and the ambitions I used to have.
It's almost like an elderly person reminiscing and reflecting on their life and
I had a counselling session this morning provided by my employer, the NHS. I was a bit apprehensive beforehand because I find it difficult now to describe my protracted withdrawal and
#PSSD
experience to medical staff after repeatedly being gaslighted.
However, the counsellor
If I had the right emotional support in 2022, I would have never made an appointment to see the GP in such a vulnerable position. In hindsight, my issues were situational and I would have likely been in a much better place a few weeks or months later with the right support.
Since seeking medical attention and receiving "treatment", my health and wellbeing has plummeted to depths I didn't believe was humanly possible. I have a staggering number of symptoms; individually they are bad enough but all together they make my existence almost unbearable.
When you develop
#PSSD
, you're almost frozen at that point in time. I've been in this state for 14 months now and every single day I'm in total disbelief at how my life turned out. One decision has led to catastrophic consequences. When you have PSSD you truly realise how fragile
I've told everyone I know personally about
#PSSD
.
Parents, partner, brother, friends, colleagues, boss, taxi drivers; I've told them to pass the word on.
It's seventeen months since I last took an antidepressant and my body is completely shot to bits. My joints are very painful; find it hard to stand up, walk around and get out of the bath. It should not be like this at 28.
Hard to believe I was regularly going to the gym and
I honestly can't believe it's 2024. Last year I experienced things I didn't believe a human could ever or should ever experience. I spent 2023 trapped in a totally alien reality surviving in the dystopian state that is
#PSSD
When I made the decision to see the GP at my most vulnerable point, I put all my trust in the healthcare system. The drugs obliterated 99% of what made me a human being. What I've lost this year I didn't think was even possible. Feels like my soul was chemically erased.
Is there a part of the body antidepressants don't interfere with? I've never had any issues with my teeth or gums and now I've got tooth pain, gum recession, bleeding gums and bruxism.
I can't get my head around the fact I unknowingly played Russian Roulette with my health and paid MONEY to be chemically castrated and lobotomised. Taken advantage of and violated at my most vulnerable point. Makes me sick.
#PSSD
The overwhelming despair that accompanies
#PSSD
is suffocating and unbearable. Several times a day I get hit by the horrific reality of the situation and know there is no escape. Feeling like a caged animal in pure desperation.
The general public would be horrified to know the NHS is prescribing medication that is more harmful than illegal drugs. Antidepressants are injuring and killing a countless number of innocent people.
How are you supposed to navigate through life without a functioning reward system? No matter what I try, I feel like my brain is frantically searching for stimulation and there is no positive reinforcement. Could quite easily stare at the wall all day and feel exactly the same.
Living with
#PSSD
, I can genuinely understand how people can end up homeless. Cognitive dysfunction, emotional blunting, sexual dysfunction > relationships destroyed, lack of understanding and support, unable to work, financial difficulties = recipe for disaster.
Suicide is on the rise for young Americans "with no clear answers".
2023 saw the largest number of US suicides in a single year despite the rising number of prescriptions for antidepressants. Surely the answer is in plain sight.
People who are iatrogenically harmed by antidepressants are quite often labelled "anti-psychiatry". I've never even met a psychiatrist but I've had an horrific experience with antidepressants. This problem is way bigger than psychiatry. Powerful drugs are handed out like sweets.
Just received this through the post after my first session of CBT. The comments about medication are a kick in the teeth when you've got
#PSSD
Mirtazapine left me with chronic fatigue, no energy and brutal insomnia.
Since taking Mirtazapine I've lost parts of my mind/body I didn't believe was humanly possible. I can barely look at photos because I feel like it's a complete stranger, there's no connection, maybe some glimmer of recognition but I feel like I'm remembering someone who's died.
Waking up with
#PSSD
, the realisation hits you within seconds and the horror of the situation flashes before your eyes. It's a living, breathing nightmare.
When she was 23, Rosemary Kennedy, the sister of JFK and RFK, had a forced lobotomy arranged by her father. The surgery left her incapacitated for the rest of her life.
I spend a ridiculous amount of time every single day wondering how my life would have turned out had I not consumed antidepressants and developed
#PSSD
.
I highly recommend the book "Antidepressed" by Beverley Thomson. I bought this book last year after my adverse reaction and it's been extremely informative.
The following is a quote from the book and it speaks volumes:
-Dr Candace Pert, the neuroscientist and pharmacologist
My sick note when I had to take nine months off from my NHS job because of a severe adverse reaction to Mirtazapine and developing
#PSSD
. I wasn't fit to work because I was iatrogenically harmed. This is not depression.
If only more psychiatrists and doctors were like Dr. Shipko. "I never prescribe a SSRI without first explaining to the patient the risk of PSSD. Most people won't take that risk."
Everyone deserves full informed consent about
#PSSD
when prescribed
#antidepressants
.
@hicksyalex
#PSSD
is horrific. People ending up with numb genitals, no sexuality, no emotions and left with cognitive dysfunction. How are people supposed to live like this? Reward system is gone and yet people are dismissed. Humans can't live like this; we're driven by emotions and reward.
I feel like I'm in a trance like state at times after being medicated last year - could easily stare at a wall all day. No longer can read a book or watch TV or do anything productive. Horrifying stuff. Zombie state.
#PSSD
strikes like a tornado, causing widespread damage and leaving a trail of devastation. Without warning, lives are turned upside down in the blink of an eye and people are left to pick up the pieces. A tornado is a natural disaster, PSSD is a manmade one and should not exist.
I had my 29th birthday last week so I've now had two birthdays with PSSD. I'm still trying to come to terms with how Mirtazapine has altered my life and it's absolutely impossible to come to come to terms with.
I often look at photographs from 2022 and it's like looking at a
Despite not having
#InformedConsent
about the true risks of Mirtazapine, I blame myself every single day for unknowingly destroying my own mind and body. My whole life working my way up, to then end up doomed by the abhorrent thing that is
#PSSD
I'm having my first CBT session this afternoon; too little, too late. I should have been offered this two years ago instead of being prescribed Mirtazapine after a five minute consultation. My entire experience with antidepressants has been a complete disaster from the start.
@NoahRyanCo
I took Mirtazapine for three weeks in December 2022 and they basically destroyed my life when I was 27. To this day I have sexual and cognitive dysfunction, severe anhedonia, visual impairment, chronic fatigue + more. It's an absolute living nightmare every single day.
One of the reasons I tried to get mental health support was my debilitating anxiety. I'm now turning into a recluse thanks to
#PSSD
. I haven't left the house for almost two weeks because I'm so anhedonic and find it so difficult to engage with people because I'm so blunted.
How many people with
#PSSD
or those who experienced an iatrogenic injury from
#antidepressants
had to stop working/give up a career? Please comment your age, job/profession.
It's a year today since I had a catastrophic reaction to Mirtazapine. 2023 has been horrific in unimaginable ways. Then last night I had one hour of sleep and then had to work today. This isn't sustainable.
"The disorder has traumatized my child, leaving them in a constant state of despair and hopelessness and by extension has also caused much worry and stress for the rest of the family... "