TALKING BACK TO PROZAC

Peter R. Breggin, M.D.

Contrary to popular belief, Prozac not only acts to block serotonin re-uptake but also affects other neurotransmitters, e.g. adrenergic and dopamine. Also, serotonin works not only in the brain’s neurotransmitters but in all other brain activities e.g. frontal lobe, limbic system and in the spinal cord and bloodstream. Its total role in bodily functions has yet to be determined.

Breggin cites numerous cases of violence toward others and self while on Prozac, caused by the side effects some patients feel -increasing anxiety, insomnia, diarrhea, loss of appetite, agitation, nausea.

Approval of Prozac by the FDA:

According to Breggin's research, trial testing of Prozac was extremely short and limited in the # of participants. Only 63 people were left in the tests after two years and most tests only ran 3 months. So anyone taking Prozac longer than 3 months is, in effect, part of the trial tests. Long-term effects on the brain, mind and body are not known. The tests were conducted by Eli Lilly, the same company that makes Prozac, using their own selected psychiatrists or organizations that depend heavily on Lilly for funding.

The results of the various trials were manipulated by the drug company to obtain FDA approval. e.g. If test subjects showed the same beneficial effects on placebos as on Prozac, they were eliminated from the study (placebo washout). The "double blind" couldn't work, as Prozac's physical side effects (e.g. nausea, diarrhea, agitation, etc.) would be recognizable to the testers. There were more negative effects than positive in the trials when Prozac was compared with older antidepressants and placebos but after manipulation of figures by Lilly, this make no difference in the approval process. Many of the participants dropped out because of side effects. ( 700 people started the tests but at the end of 6 weeks, only 104 remained.)

Because of its stimulant profile, Prozac can actually worsen depression thru insomnia, anxiety, agitation and loss of appetite and general physicians prescribing most of the Prozac because of patient insistence are not well-versed in the side effects. The description of side effects in the Physicians' Desk Reference is muddied and misleading, not clearly listing the psychological problems that can arise.

Because of the agitation and insomnia, other drugs are likely to be prescribed to be taken along with Prozac, thereby increasing side effects. Even after neurological symptoms of disorder in mental and physical abilities develop, doctors keep patients on the drug or even increase the dosage in order to counteract the problem and no one is testing to see of the dysfunctions can become permanent. If the reuptake of serotonin is inhibited, tests in rat brains have shown that, over time, the receptors themselves are destroyed because they are not needed. It is not known whether this is permanent or reversible. Thus, in theory, if one takes Prozac to have more active serotonin in the brain, then stops it after destroying the receptors, a person would be worse off than before taking the drug.

Because long-term testing hasn't been carried out, physical and mental damage could take years to show up e.g. cirrhosis in alcoholism, lung cancer in smoking. Besides the paranoia, anxiety, insomnia, etc. that can lead to violence against others and suicide, the fact that Prozac has no effect on some people or a worsening effect (after being told it is a miracle drug) can lead one to feel that he is beyond help or hope, making him especially prone to suicide.

Less sensitivity to others (and self) - a "don't care" attitude - occurs quite frequently. There's no such thing as being too sensitive - it's not possible to be too aware, too responsive, too in touch. It is possible to be too injured, too humiliated but then people need to understand and overcome their vulnerability, to learn to defend themselves without sacrificing their emotional awareness and to surround themselves with intimates who respect their feelings.

Understanding and Overcoming Depression

Depression is real and painful. It is often felt as dark, cold, utterly bleak - nothing is enjoyable or worthwhile anymore.

A "low-grade" depression can continue throughout life - nothing extreme is noticed but life is gray, monotonous, boring and apathetic - and people become convinced that this is the way everyone responds to life.

Because a large percentage of people lift themselves out of depression with a placebo, it follows that hope and the desire to change have much to do with getting well - unlike the biochemical theory that something physical is wrong with the brain. Depression is neither a disease nor moral failing. It is a psychological signal that one has become stymied and overwhelmed and needs to find a new approach to life.

Often depression is lifted by falling in love, learning a new skill, making a new friend, volunteering, throwing oneself into work, or simply the passing of time. Time by itself - and probably the personal resources and new experiences that surface as time passes - seem to cure the vast majority of depressions.

People are giving up the struggle to embrace life for the ease of swallowing a pill. The cost of this is huge. Not only the effects on brain, mind and body, but the moral or psychological one of giving up on oneself as a being with the capacity to triumph in life. Also there is the cost of blunting or impairing one's mental abilities at the very time they are most needed.

Depression is a useful signal to us that something needs fixing and is meant to spur us on. Things that are to mean a lot in our lives cannot usually be achieved without some pain and suffering. How else can we strengthen our will, understand ourselves and others if there is no struggle involved to make these things worthwhile?

Depression and love for life are incompatible, and love for life will always triumph when the individual finds the strength and courage inside himself and with the help of others, to embrace love as the guiding principle of life.

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