Vol. 388, November 17, 2016 – If Your Doctor Knew the Truth, He Would Stop Prescribing Antidepressants, says Psychiatrist Kelly Brogan
After watching Donna N. go through the hell she did after missing by a mere 8 hours, one dose of prozac, a medication she safely took, BEFORE we cleared her depression with hypnosis, I can back up Dr. Brogan’s distaste for employing antidepressants. I can assure you of the fact that these most mind altering, body harming substances are the cause of many of the murders and suicides that we see occurring. Dr. Brogan recounted one of her patient’s, a normal person, prescribe a ‘safe” drug, Paxil, to help him with some work related stress. The only problem was that it lead to him to take his own 11 year old child’s life, by shooting, during a medication induced psychosis.
Let’s be clear about one thing: “big pharma could care less about the “efficacy or safety” of their poisons, sold as “medication” to “help you feel better.” When the problem being resolved with a particular medication is less of an issue then the problems that occur as a result of taking a medication, one has to ask the question, why is it even being prescribed?
Back to Christmas Eve 2011, Donna N. missed one dose of prozac, by a mere 8 hours. This lead her to have headaches, stomach aches, electrical shock feelings in her brain, tingles on her tongue, with her whole body shaking. She was having true withdrawal symptoms, her body having become addicted to this “non-addictive” drug. What is hard to understand here is what the word “addictive” means: One needn’t be emotionally addicted to a substance to have the body become addicted to it. That is why they called Donna’s problem “antidepressant discontinuation syndrome,” because she didn’t feel a compulsion to take the drug and yet, without the drug she was experiencing all the physiological withdrawal symptoms of an addict without their drug.
When we told her general practitioner about the problem, she laughed and stated that she knew that could happen. The only people not laughing were me and Donna. Donna was never informed that this could be a consequence of her trying to get rid of her obsessive compulsive behavior, checking the lock and her stove repeatedly making her life unmanageable as she was trying to get out the door of her apartment.
So, what are some of the other horrific side effects of these chemicals our bodies don’t need or want? Great question, but before I get there, let me make it absolutely clear that with over 35 years of study by Dr. Irving Kirsch of Harvard University, and with follow-up research by Dr. Walter Brown of Brown University, antidepressants have been found to be useful 30% of the time. Folks, this is the same as a “placebo effect,” meaning that one could do better without taking the medication, because they work so little of the time – 70% failure rate. With this understanding I want you to make an informed decision whether you really want to take this medication – NOTE: If you are on one of these medications YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR PRESCRIBING DOCTOR DECREASE YOUR DOSE SLOWLY SO YOU DON”T EXPERIENCE WHAT DONNA DID OR SOME OTHER DAMAGING EFFECT.
Let’s return to the psychotic events that antidepressants can cause, including fatal shootings, as was described above. Carvalho et al looked at the safety of SSRIs (serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and SNRIs (serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors) prescribed for “life events” such as going through a divorce or dealing with a death. In this review they documented gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, diarrhea, gastric bleeding, dyspepsia), toxicity to the liver, weight gain, matabolic abnormalities, cardiovascular disturbances, urinary retention, incontinence, sexual dysfunction, osteoporosis, central nervous system disturbances, sleep disturbances, disturbance in moods, glaucoma, cataracts leading to what is known as “iatrogenic” comorbidity. Other wise known as medical interventions causing more problems.
I personally came to hypnosis after witnessing the over prescribing of psychotropic medications to my clients, and witnessing them being blamed for being sedated to the point where it was hard for some of them to keep their eyes open at the programs. I knew there had to be a better way to work with a person then by harming their bodies and depleting their ability to think, with so much medication being forced into them by the so-called mental health system.
Well, Dr. Brogan came to the same conclusion after learning these 3 facts about psychiatric medications:
- They result in worse long term outcomes
- They are debilitatingly habit forming
- They cause unpredictable violence.
I have rewritten Dr. Brogan’s insights from her study in language that you can more easily understand.
Yes, people complain of many gastrointestinal problems while on these drugs as noted above.
Liver toxicity occurs most likely because of a metabolic component and/or an immune-allergic pathway. A fever and rash may be seen as a result of the liver toxicity.
Weight gain is indeed seen in most patients that are on antidepressants.
Heart problems because SSRIs and SNRIs may promote a decrease in heart rate variability (HRV). Though this is not yet established, data indicate that lower HRV is a significant predictor of cardiovascular (heart) events.
Urinary problems as a result of urinary retention by inhibiting the ability to void (urinate).
Sexual dysfunction with a decrease in libido and arousal dysfunction, meaning males are unable to get an erection and females are unable to produce lubrication.
Salt imbalance seems to occur because of a dysfunction of antidiuretic hormone which causes fluid retention.
Osteoporosis/Bone weakening is caused by the SSRIs being associated with the reduction of bond mineral density (BMD) resulting in a higher risk of fractures.
Bleeding most likely brought on by the reduction in serotonin reuptake platelets, although there may be other reasons indicated.
Nervous system dysfunction where akathisia (restlessness), parkinsonian movements and tardive dyskinesia – an involuntary rolling of the tongue or twitching of the face, trunk, or limbs.
Sweating – most studies have found that about 10% of those on SSRIs develop excessive sweating.
Sleep disturbances based on a decrease in time spent in REM (rapid eye movement which is needed for the body to regenerate) sleep.
Mood changes with many patients complaining about their moods being blunted, some reporting not caring about issues that they once cared about, and worse, some may experience anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, insomnia, hostility, aggressiveness, and impulsivity during the first 3 months of treatment.
Suicidality and attempted suicides are severely underreported.
Overdose toxicity as a result of attempting suicide with SSRIs and SNRIs.
Withdrawal symptoms include flu-like symptoms tremors, racing heart, shock-like sensations, tinnitus, vertigo, sexual dysfunction, sleep disturbances, vivid dreams, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, worsening anxiety, mood instability, loss of muscle coordination (ataxia), itching, muscular pain, neuralgia (sharp pain along the nerves).
Eye disease – as stated there may be an increase glaucoma cases because of an increase in intraocular pressure that could lead to angle-closure glaucoma. There is also a higher likelihood of cataracts after using newer generation antidepressants.
Hormonal imbalances in some patients because of an increase in peripheral prolactin levels, which can lead to a decrease in bone mineral density.
Pregnancy/Breast feeding risk hasn’t really been studied enough to know the long term effects.
Cancer risk because antidepressants have been found to increase the growth of fibrosarcomas and melanomas, and may also promote mammary carcinogenesis (breast cancer).
What I can tell you having worked with many people going through very challenging times including those who were considered to be “major depressives” by the conventional psychiatric providers, there are better ways to treat your depressed and anxious feelings. One needn’t take a body harming, mind altering drugs to handle these situations.
Donna did such a good job of letting go of her depression that once placed on the same exact drug, her body didn’t know what to do with it. I had a similar reaction when placed on a mood stabilizer for a hormonal issue, after a simple neuro-linguistic technique cleared me of my bipolar 2 of 14 years. Why they put me on that stuff, when estrogen and progesterone were what was needed, is anyone’s guess. However, the result was my getting dizzy. Once I refused to take any more of that drug, the dizziness went away – in less then a day.
So, there are ways to get control of your thoughts, your feelings and your life that are harmless to you, and helpful at the same time. It is why psychchiatric nurses brought their own kids in to see me to deal with their relationship breakups, pulling out eyelashes, deep sadness from loss of beloved pets and grandparents, and just feeling blue. They didn’t want to put their own kids on this stuff, so why should you or your loved one be on it?
Now you are at least fully informed so you can make up your own mind in accepting the all to often prescribed psychotropics, or finding an alternative method of healing. And, by the way, there are larger reasons why we humans have the emotions that we have. It is quite fine to feel your emotions and then figure out a new way of dealing with whatever the situation was that brought them up.
We need to teach our children emotional regulation and that includes respecting the reason we have emotions in the first place. To know that there is something going on that we need to pay further attention to, and to be able to empathize with other beings on this planet earth.
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About Suzanne
Suzanne Kellner-Zinck founded Dawning Visions Hypnosis in 2002, She has become an innovator in the use of hypnotism and neuro-linguistic programming in the areas of obsessive compulsive disorders such as: eating disorders, sexual addiction and substance abuse as well as working with those with anxiety and mood disorders.
Her clients have come to work with her from across the United States and as far away as Africa to help them to finally be freed from these emotional issues that once ruled their lives. Today she is in the process of bringing her work to many more in the form of ebooks and other downloadable formats.
She is a member of American Holistic Medical Association and the American College for Advancement in Medicine.
Prior to founding Dawning Visions Hypnosis, Kellner-Zinck worked within vendor programs for the mentally ill working to help them to live up to their fullest potential. Many of her previous clients were able to move out on their own and find fulfilling work.
Kellner-Zinck is a Certified Trainer of Hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic programing through Tad James Company, Inc. and a Master Hypnotist and Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming through Advanced Neuro Dynamics. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education and political studies from Curry College.
Dawning Visions Hypnosis is teaching people that they can indeed leave their unwanted behaviors behind as they move forward to living fulfilling and joy filled lives.