Do SSRIs cause life time problems after long-term usage?

[fuanxiety]

Hello,

I just want to know if SSRIs or anxiety drugs mess up with our serotonin system? After quitting them (10 years usage) can our brain still produce serotonin like normal people?

Thanks.

[Emphyrio]

There are horror stories out there...some people are unwell for several years after SSRI withdrawal.

The good news is that if you come off the meds extremely slowly your brain has time to adapt. Cut by no more than 10% of your previous dosage every month.

[debs71]

I am not sure there is really a way to know the answer to this question.

I have come off of Escitalopram more than once, the longest time being around 2 years. I have always had to go back on as my depression/GAD and panic has slowly crept back again. Each time I came off the drug, I did it the correct way, by weaning down very slowly.This made no difference at all, for me personally.

The reason I say that it is a hard question to answer is: how do we know whether the long term use of the SSRI has actually disturbed our own body's ability to create serotonin, or if the fact we did/do suffer from issues caused by low serotonin that we would be that anyway, regardless of how long we have used meds?

[Noivous]

I will say this. My family doctor has been on Prozac for close to 20 years with no adverse affects. The medication has controlled his depression for all those years.

[jimmyj]

I cam off for a whole year after being on for about 4 years and felt more anxious than normal ,is there any hard evidence that many people who've come off after long term usage are worse off?

[swgrl09]

I don't know. If you think about it, there are so many factors and variables that would impact the research that it would be hard to find really hard evidence. First being that everybody's symptom severity is so different. A second variable would be whether or not the person did any therapy and what type of therapy, as there are sooo many different types. A third would be are they on any other medications? Fourth could be life events that cause anxiety regardless of meds.

I mean it is hard to say. There could be research out there but I imagine it is hard to actually have a solid study about it.

[Noivous]

My doctor put me on a ppi as a maintenance drug for GERD. I was on it for at least a dozen years. Then they came out with a study about it having adverse affects in regards dementia and not to be on it for long periods of time. Oh great! Lol. Sometimes I think we are the guinea pigs for the drug companies. Don't get me started on the drug company/government/lobbyist connection. I am med free now other than 10mg of lipitor twice a week.

N.