SSRI's and Brain Damage

[deleted862527]

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How true is this? I thought antidepressants were relatively safe. I understand side effects vary from individual to individual; however, I was not aware of a possible connection between long-term brain damage and antidepressant use (unless using medications such as benzodiazepines, etc). I hope someone on here can help clarify as well as debunk any misinformation published by mainstream media.

Thank you to those in advance who will be responding to this current thread.

 

[TexasPhysician]

Link edited out.

I can design a research protocol that can prove anything. Would need to see the original research paper to evaluate how good of a study this is.

 

[birchswing]

I don't know what the OP's link was but I have seen some studies that show sexual dysfunction even after discontinuing SSRIs.

 

[WisNeuro]

Was the link to an Amen or Mercola website or something. If so, that's your answer right there.

 

[hamstergang]

I don't know what the OP's link was but I have seen some studies that show sexual dysfunction even after discontinuing SSRIs.

Is that related to this topic?

 

[birchswing]

Is that related to this topic?

Well, I haven't read about it for a while, but I thought it had to do with the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, and if we're talking about the hypothalamus we're talking about the brain.

 

[Attending1985]

I had a patient ask me about this the other day it’s hard to know what to say. Maybe we don’t know yet but no convincing evidence now and they’ve been around awhile.

 

[masterofmonkeys]

SSRIs tend to increase BDNF which can improve neuroregeneration in post-stroke populations and may be related to the benefits shown in SADHEART. IOW, there would be a pretty high threshold to prove this.

I'm far more concerned about the effects of maternal SSRI use on developing brains (the risk-benefit issue being entirely separate, there are reasonable reasons to think that SSRIs might result in maldevelopment of fetal brain tissue).