remedy for ssri induced brain damage?

[randomSoma]

Hi all,

I am suffering from SSRI induced brain damage after a short 3 month course of using it. I lack motivation, emotion, sex drive, libido, erection capabilities and even the ability to trip on E. (no euphoria at all)

It's been 3 years since I stopped and I am still having these side effects. I have constantly no energy and my dreams have been dashed.

Please, if anyone knows of a cure, or a remedy to the zombie that SSRIs have made me, please tell me! email [email protected]

Sincerely

 

[ksi]

Hey there. Well obviously medication will fuck with something so it will get you better. Well that's what the doctors are saying anyway.

Im not really sure what's up with you. You should recover a bit after 3 years, sounds pretty strange. But it can be that the depression you had before you took the ssri, is still alive.

I dont think there are any miracle clues or remedies to get you back on track. I think the important ones are eating healthy, live healthy, sport get hobbies etc.

(ps. I dont think you get much response in this forum, but I guess someone will move it)

 

[fishman]

I didn't know that SSRIs caused brain damage? What medications are you currently taking on a regular basis? What other drugs are you currently taking, occasionally or otherwise, if any at all? It sounds like you are still depressed. Are you currently seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist? best of luck, f

 

[X3DFX]

Maybe try a strong psychedelic

 

[Ardyes]

try modafanil

 

[BilZ0r]

It doesn't sound to me like neurotoxicity, it just sounds like you are still suffering from depression. Go see a new doctor, but get the idea out of your head that this was caused by the SSRI, or the doctor will think you are psychotic, not depressed.

 

[lord samius]

I don't know all that much about SSRI's, but I think that it's extremely unlikely that you're suffering from any sort of neuron damage. It's many times more likely that something like alcohol or even a bad diet or dehydration would do more damage to your brain than 3 months of SSRI's (that's assuming you were on a standard therapeutic dose of a fairly mainstream SSRI). You also mentioned you were doing E and it was having no effect. How often do you do E? and how often have you over the last few years?

From what I've heard, a likely cause for E not effecting you is lack of seratonin or damaged seratonin receptors. I'm aware that E depletes seratonin fairly rapidly, and should therefore not be used in intervals of less than 2 weeks. Seratonin has some connections to sex drive and some major connections to feelings of well-being and motivation.

 

[VelocideX]

3 months isn't really long enough to get the SSRI effects. They generally start around 2-4 weeks, and build over a period of months. 6 months is generally regarded as the minimum effective length for SSRI treatment; many doctors recommend 9 months to a year.

I'd agree with bilz0r. You still sound depressed.

 

[Dr. Beat]

Hi all,

I am suffering from SSRI induced brain damage after a short 3 month course of using it. I lack motivation, emotion, sex drive, libido, erection capabilities and even the ability to trip on E. (no euphoria at all)

It's been 3 years since I stopped and I am still having these side effects. I have constantly no energy and my dreams have been dashed.

Please, if anyone knows of a cure, or a remedy to the zombie that SSRIs have made me, please tell me! email [email protected]

Sincerely

i know what you are talking about :

6 years ago I took 40mg of prozac once a month for 3 years (post loading after MDMA) and a similar thing has happened to me, and its taken a lot of effort to change my brain back to what it was the last few years.

I feel that the SSRI has rewired my brain to be flat all the time now. I miss the super highs i used to get before SSRI's. But to be fair, i dont miss the negative moods i used to get.

the best drug i have found to reverse the effects of SSRI's - Stablon. It works very well - it does the exact opposite of SSRI's

I also take modafinil (if i can afford it), and adrafinil, which make my mind more 'awake' every second day. (do not feel them if i take them every day)

and i also take a very small dose of amisulpride (25mg every second day) because it puts my dopamine up, so i feel more alive. get that from my GP.

and i now take 'nicarette' (nicotine tablets) as it makes me more energetic, and lowers my seratonin, just like cigarettes do.

 

[randomSoma]

the best drug i have found to reverse the effects of SSRI's - Stablon. It works very well - it does the exact opposite of SSRI's

Thanks for your advice on Stablon and the rest, I've been thinking of trying stablon too since it works the direct opposite way.

Does Stablon reverse the sexual side effects as well? That is the main thing I am upset about. Sometimes, I can't even get an erection and I don't feel visually stimulated / aroused.

What dose of Stablon were you on and how long were you on it? How long did it take for you to feel positive reversal effects? Thanks very much for replying, I will most definitely try Stablon now, and modafanil, if I can afford it.

 

[randomSoma]

I didn't know that SSRIs caused brain damage? What medications are you currently taking on a regular basis? What other drugs are you currently taking, occasionally or otherwise, if any at all? It sounds like you are still depressed. Are you currently seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist? best of luck, f

I'm taking selegiline 5mg x 2 a day to boost dopamine levels and vitamins, thats about it. I was on a clomid course for 2 weeks to boost my testosterone levels. Somehow SSRIs screw with the pituary/endocrine/hormonal system.

I've also tried moclobemide and amineptine in an attempt to reverse the sexual side effects. Not much luck.

I'm not seeing a psychologist/psychiatrist right now, I tried seeing a few and telling them my symptoms of persistent side effects (mainly sexual) ... and they dismissed it as being 'all in the mind' and said that theoretically the side effects should go away after discontinuation. Well, it has'nt and they have'nt been very helpful or informative. I think I've seen more response in this forum than all my visits to shrinks, perhaps I just did'nt encounter a really good shrink.

 

[randomSoma]

I don't know all that much about SSRI's, but I think that it's extremely unlikely that you're suffering from any sort of neuron damage. It's many times more likely that something like alcohol or even a bad diet or dehydration would do more damage to your brain than 3 months of SSRI's (that's assuming you were on a standard therapeutic dose of a fairly mainstream SSRI). You also mentioned you were doing E and it was having no effect. How often do you do E? and how often have you over the last few years?

From what I've heard, a likely cause for E not effecting you is lack of seratonin or damaged seratonin receptors. I'm aware that E depletes seratonin fairly rapidly, and should therefore not be used in intervals of less than 2 weeks. Seratonin has some connections to sex drive and some major connections to feelings of well-being and motivation.

I started seeing the sexual side effects (total absence of sex drive) about 1 week into my SSRI course. I was at a pretty high dosage. 40mg.

 

[Dr. Beat]

Thanks for your advice on Stablon and the rest, I've been thinking of trying stablon too since it works the direct opposite way.

Does Stablon reverse the sexual side effects as well? That is the main thing I am upset about. Sometimes, I can't even get an erection and I don't feel visually stimulated / aroused.

What dose of Stablon were you on and how long were you on it? How long did it take for you to feel positive reversal effects? Thanks very much for replying, I will most definitely try Stablon now, and modafanil, if I can afford it.

i think it increases sex drive a bit, but i mostly use it to not feel drowsy after eating a meal. Since taking SSRI's i get super sedated after eating a meal, which is quite annoying. On Stablon, i can eat and get going 1/2 hour later.

You take it on empty stomach, i ususally take it 45 minutes before a meal.

I gets me a bit high (dopamine up), but only a little bit.

take it about 2 times a day, but i always have breaks to keep the tolerance down.

sex drive - the higher your seratonin, the lower your sex drive. The higher your dopamine and noradrenaline, the higher your sex drive. Yohimbine is a good drug for sex. Or even Calias (long acting Viagra)

modafinil is too expensive for me, so i take adrafinil, which is the same (adrafinil is broken down by your liver into modafinil) which is much cheaper, but a bit more work for your liver --- dont worry, your liver is evil and needs to be punished !

 

[Dr. Beat]

I'm taking selegiline 5mg x 2 a day to boost dopamine levels and vitamins, thats about it. I was on a clomid course for 2 weeks to boost my testosterone levels. Somehow SSRIs screw with the pituary/endocrine/hormonal system.

I've also tried moclobemide and amineptine in an attempt to reverse the sexual side effects. Not much luck.

I'm not seeing a psychologist/psychiatrist right now, I tried seeing a few and telling them my symptoms of persistent side effects (mainly sexual) ... and they dismissed it as being 'all in the mind' and said that theoretically the side effects should go away after discontinuation. Well, it has'nt and they have'nt been very helpful or informative. I think I've seen more response in this forum than all my visits to shrinks, perhaps I just did'nt encounter a really good shrink.

i found the first time i took selegeline, it put my dopamine up, but taking it over a few weeks, my dopamine was going down and down and down. I think it is not a good drug to take as a mood booster.

where did you get the amineptine from ? PM me please !

 

[Kris Kristofferson]

i know what you are talking about :

6 years ago I took 40mg of prozac once a month for 3 years (post loading after MDMA) and a similar thing has happened to me, and its taken a lot of effort to change my brain back to what it was the last few years.
.

wow. um... wow
you are an idiot
you took MDMA once a month for three years, and you are saying prozac harmed you?
if you want to give advice to people, READ about the topic at hand. Obviously experience has taught you nothing.

 

[MrM]

wow. um... wow
you are an idiot
you took MDMA once a month for three years, and you are saying prozac harmed you?
if you want to give advice to people, READ about the topic at hand. Obviously experience has taught you nothing.

I think that is a bit harsh and also quite possibly wrong.

I've taken MDMA once fortnight for about a year and i know of people who have taken MDMA more regularly than once a month for more than 3 years without any noticeable permanent damage.

Not that circumstantial evidence like this is worth much - thats kind of my point really. You are jumping to a conclusion about the MDMA causing damage that is not justified and doing it in an insulting way.

 

[Kris Kristofferson]

It may have sounded a bit harsh, and i apologize for that. i just think its a fairly obvious point that regularly taking a neurotoxic chemical is far, far more likely to cause change than a monthly 40mg dose of prozac. I know i'll nget all kinds of superfluous conspiracy theroists saying "prozac is worse than E" or something alonbg those lines. to those people i will gladly point out that MDMA has been proven to cause long term changes in brain structure and neurotransmitted emissions. Now they will say "yes, but not in everybody".
ultimately there is no way of convincing people not to do something they enjoy. further it is impossible to argue rationally with someone who has convinced themselves they are learning, growing and advancing from these experiences.
no, i dont believe one can do mdma once a month for three years can come out unharmed. no, no, no, no

 

[Dr. Beat]

It may have sounded a bit harsh, and i apologize for that. i just think its a fairly obvious point that regularly taking a neurotoxic chemical is far, far more likely to cause change than a monthly 40mg dose of prozac. I know i'll nget all kinds of superfluous conspiracy theroists saying "prozac is worse than E" or something alonbg those lines. to those people i will gladly point out that MDMA has been proven to cause long term changes in brain structure and neurotransmitted emissions. Now they will say "yes, but not in everybody".
ultimately there is no way of convincing people not to do something they enjoy. further it is impossible to argue rationally with someone who has convinced themselves they are learning, growing and advancing from these experiences.
no, i dont believe one can do mdma once a month for three years can come out unharmed. no, no, no, no

ummm.. you sounds like a real tool !
you did not even understand my message:

i will spell it out for you because i can see you are simple minded.

every study done (and their have been MANY) clearly point out that if you take a SSRI with 6 hours of taking MDMA you protect your brain serotonin axons from MDMA neurotoxity 100 %

that is what i did.

I did not know that SSRI's, especially prozac (due to its very long half life) rewires your brain to have too much seratonin, especially in the LIMBIC areas (if you know what that means, you will know that is not good because it lowers dopamine, which is needed for sex drive, motavation, ect). It does this by increaseing neural growth factors by activation sigma1 receptors, and probably other receptors.

If you want more info, ask nanobrain, who has mentioned this before.

Good luck tool !

 

[BilZ0r]

every study done (and their have been MANY) clearly point out that if you take a SSRI with 6 hours of taking MDMA you protect your brain serotonin axons from MDMA neurotoxity 100 %

Um dude. No. Not even close. If you take SSRIs 6 hours after MDMA you get a protection that is just able to be detected statistically, i.e. it is tiny. And their haven't been many (not that I doubt the results). You have to take the MDMA and the SSRI at the same time (or even the SSRI just a bit before) to get full protection, at 6 hours you get about 50% neurotoxicity...

...and still, this is all rat data, using IP dosing, rat-neurotoxicity doses, and likewise, huge fluoxetine doses.

Kris Kristofferson is completely correct, and I agree with him, though if I see either of you flaming in the Advanced Drug discussion I'm going to CLAWs you.

 

[VelocideX]

i found the first time i took selegeline, it put my dopamine up, but taking it over a few weeks, my dopamine was going down and down and down. I think it is not a good drug to take as a mood booster.

where did you get the amineptine from ? PM me please !

How on earth do you know what your "dopamine level" is? Sure, selegiline will raise your dopamine levels in the short term, but after that how do you have any idea what it is? Homeostasis is going to operate to some degree.

Since when was selegiline supposed to be a mood booster? It's not. It's used as an adjunct to levodopa for parkinson's patients. Either you're talking about the nootropic effect, which probably isn't related to dopamine levels and is related to propargylamine-like antiapoptic effects, or you're mistakenly trying to use it as a sustainable mood booster. There's certainly some mood boosting effect for the first week or two, but after that it declines.