long term effects of long term antidepressant use?

[sparkations]

I was just curious as to the long term safety of antidepressants. Is there anyone here who has taken antidepressants consistently for years, and if so, did you experience any effects such as memory loss, cognitive decline, etc?

[Noca]

my memory is shot, not from drugs but from long term depression.

[Lyndia]

I can tell you one thing for sure, if you stay on a anti-depressant for anything like 2yrs. don't quit the meds "cold turkey" and without a DR because the withdrawal symptoms are horrible! Don't even go there! I thought I was going to die or go crazy!

[Noca]

quiting meds cold turkey is for just that, turkeys, certainly not those with common sense.

[|30|3]

Just thinking about this caused me to stop using my antidepressants after three months of use. There's just so many different opinions on the use of them I don't think anyone knows for sure the long term affects, and I decided I'm better off solving the problem on my own from here.

Without a doubt they did help get me out of my slump and gave me that jump start I needed out of my depression, but I didn't see there being any way that they can help me with my SA. I'm not taking a med for any longer then I need to.

It's just my opinion that meds should be used only as long as needed, and get as much done towards solving your problem as you can while on them.

[Caedmon]

I haven't noticed any memory loss or cognitive decline from my current antidepressants.

[buzzkill87]

I wasn't forced to stop taking them because of financial restrictions and it was pretty bad. I had strange zappy feelings in my head and generally felt horrible. I managed to go to work but I still don't know how. Socializing is rougher than it was before... Even though the meds never seemed to help a whole lot they took the edge off.

Then again, I'm not sure if it's worth taking the medication because I took it for less than 14 months and the withdrawal when I went off was so horrible I can't even describe it...

[buzzkill87]

I meant to say, I was forced to stop taking them..., not I wasn't forced.

[hensley258]

Originally Posted by sparkations

I was just curious as to the long term safety of antidepressants. Is there anyone here who has taken antidepressants consistently for years, and if so, did you experience any effects such as memory loss, cognitive decline, etc?

20 years for me now on all classes and types of antidepressants. I'm 40 years old now. Humm, I think maybe it has caused some mild nervious system damage. My hands always have a tremor and I suppose I'm not as sharp as I once was.

It's a difficult thing to say though, because my severe Depression and GAD has always had far worse effects than all the different meds I have been on through the years.

Regardless in the long term like this I am sure they have taken a good 7 years off my total life span, but considering that Suicide would have taken 45 years off my life span I suppose it's a fair trade.

Would I take them if I didn't absolutly have to? Hell no I wouldn't, but one does like to be fuctional for what life he has.

Just ask the human Lab Monkey.....That's me!

[meyaj]

Originally Posted by hensley258

20 years for me now on all classes and types of antidepressants. I'm 40 years old now. Humm, I think maybe it has caused some mild nervious system damage. My hands always have a tremor and I suppose I'm not as sharp as I once was.

It's a difficult thing to say though, because my severe Depression and GAD has always had far worse effects than all the different meds I have been on through the years.

Regardless in the long term like this I am sure they have taken a good 7 years off my total life span, but considering that Suicide would have taken 45 years off my life span I suppose it's a fair trade.

Would I take them if I didn't absolutly have to? Hell no I wouldn't, but one does like to be fuctional for what life he has.

Just ask the human Lab Monkey.....That's me!

Generally if anything, antidepressants are considered to protect the nervous system.

The problem with this whole question is that, particularly when you're asking for an individual's answer, if it's anecdotal/experience-based, it's pretty impossible to separate what long-term stuff has been a result of the drug, and which is a result of the long-term condition itself.

Depression has been shown to cause the hippocampus to atrophy, grey matter to reduce, and increase production of inflammatory proteins. Surely all of these things could cause cognitive decline, and worse, which people might wrongly attribute to the drugs they're on because they mistakenly believe that depression is simply a condition of the mind and not a physical disease.

Conversely, even SSRIs have been shown to stimulate neuronal growth in the hippocampus and reduce pro-inflammatory proteins. I would say these are very good and important long-term effects.

Withdrawal CAN suck, but people are mistakenly calling it a long-term effect when it's not, though it IS obviously caused by long-term use. Withdrawal is very short-term. It also depends on the antidepressant, as some, like Effexor and Paxil, are considered to be much worse than others (eg Prozac), which many people don't notice any withdrawals for. There are some drugs (GABA agonists like benzos and alcohol are particularly notorious) that can lead to PAWS (post-acute withdrawal syndrome) which is like a very long-term withdrawal with milder symptoms, though the sheer duration and hopeless-feeling of it is often reported by drug addicts to make it harder to stay off a drug then the more immediate and intense withdrawals. As far as I know, it's never been reported with anti-depressant use, though depression is a major symptom so I guess it could easily get confused with relapse, though if you're getting treated for depression in the first place it shouldn't make a difference. However, long-term opiate users report experiencing PAWS for months afterwards, and very long-term GABA-agonist (benzos, alcohol, barbiturates) users sometimes experience it for YEARS.

Basically, there's been enough research in adults to rule out any safety issues with long-term use of most antidepressants. There are some exceptions, but they generally have nothing to do with their function as an antidepressant. Cymbalta, for instance, has been reported to cause liver failure in a few cases and some degree of liver damage in many more. Nardil also has a certain degree of liver toxicity. Though since the liver plays the key role in processing the majority of xenobiotics (drugs and other foreign chemicals), it is not unusual that this organ in particular seems to be a target for damage. Certain antidepressants that have been taken off the market (and some that are still available as OTC supplements... OTC does not imply safety) have been known to cause heart-valve damage through a very well-documented mechanism.

In general though, long-term health, cognitive function, and life-span can be expected to IMPROVE with the use of antidepressants, particularly in adults who need it. Some of it comes from documented physical effects of antidepressants that I've mentioned above (neuroprotection, hippocampal growth, decreased pro-inflammatories), some of it comes from the fact that people with properly treated depression can usually be expected to be more active and treat themselves, their health, and their hygiene better than depressed individuals do, and a very small amount of statistical benefit could be expected to come from a reduction in suicide. Overall, anybody with depression considered to be worse than simply mild should really do whatever they can to try and treat themselves (in an intelligent, rather than reckless manner of course), as at this point, potential benefits generally far outweigh the costs.

[mud]

been on them about 5 years and I would say the only side effect woth mentioning is a severe lack of depression

I can live with that, but wouldn't want to without it

[Kon]

I've been taking clonazepam, narcotics and SSRIs for over 8 years. I haven't noticed anything when I go off them. Clonazepam seriously messed up my memory (school) when I was on them. But I still got through.

[terra]

I've been on and off antidepressants for 6 years. I haven't noticed any negative effects. I hope they're safe long term; it's likely I'll be taking them for the rest of my life. In my case, the pros outweigh the cons.

[bruno2006]

I found this post while doing my own research in an attempt to try and explain my cognitive issues I am experiencing. Mainly, I have trouble thinking clearly, focusing, remembering, recalling recent and past evens, reasoning, etc etc etc. I can go on and on.

I have been on these toxic drugs for about 7 years. First effexor, then paxil, then zoloft, now celexa. I can honestly say that my cognitive decline is related to these drugs. Why? Because for one, I am only 27!! I should not be experiencing symptoms of am 80 year old! Likewise, these drugs make me sleep for hours and hours and am still fatigued the majority of the day. The drugs have totally changed my personality and I have become reckless, wild, and in some cases violent.

Even though the drugs have helped to SOME extent, the benefits DO NOT outweigh the risks in my case. The longer you are on them, the more serious the side effects come and the harder the drugs are to stop. They change your brain chemistry and in some cases it is almost impossible to get off them. I have tried to get off several times but failed miserably. Lord help me!

Anyone who wants to share their experience about cognitive decline, please make certain you have been on the drugs for at least a few years as this is when things started to go down hill for me. Also, research "neuron pruning" from antidepressants. You guys, these drugs are dangerous!

[MavenMI6Agent009]

nope

[bruno2006]

Originally Posted by meyaj

Generally if anything, antidepressants are considered to protect the nervous system.

The problem with this whole question is that, particularly when you're asking for an individual's answer, if it's anecdotal/experience-based, it's pretty impossible to separate what long-term stuff has been a result of the drug, and which is a result of the long-term condition itself.

Depression has been shown to cause the hippocampus to atrophy, grey matter to reduce, and increase production of inflammatory proteins. Surely all of these things could cause cognitive decline, and worse, which people might wrongly attribute to the drugs they're on because they mistakenly believe that depression is simply a condition of the mind and not a physical disease.

Conversely, even SSRIs have been shown to stimulate neuronal growth in the hippocampus and reduce pro-inflammatory proteins. I would say these are very good and important long-term effects.

Withdrawal CAN suck, but people are mistakenly calling it a long-term effect when it's not, though it IS obviously caused by long-term use. Withdrawal is very short-term. It also depends on the antidepressant, as some, like Effexor and Paxil, are considered to be much worse than others (eg Prozac), which many people don't notice any withdrawals for. There are some drugs (GABA agonists like benzos and alcohol are particularly notorious) that can lead to PAWS (post-acute withdrawal syndrome) which is like a very long-term withdrawal with milder symptoms, though the sheer duration and hopeless-feeling of it is often reported by drug addicts to make it harder to stay off a drug then the more immediate and intense withdrawals. As far as I know, it's never been reported with anti-depressant use, though depression is a major symptom so I guess it could easily get confused with relapse, though if you're getting treated for depression in the first place it shouldn't make a difference. However, long-term opiate users report experiencing PAWS for months afterwards, and very long-term GABA-agonist (benzos, alcohol, barbiturates) users sometimes experience it for YEARS.

Basically, there's been enough research in adults to rule out any safety issues with long-term use of most antidepressants. There are some exceptions, but they generally have nothing to do with their function as an antidepressant. Cymbalta, for instance, has been reported to cause liver failure in a few cases and some degree of liver damage in many more. Nardil also has a certain degree of liver toxicity. Though since the liver plays the key role in processing the majority of xenobiotics (drugs and other foreign chemicals), it is not unusual that this organ in particular seems to be a target for damage. Certain antidepressants that have been taken off the market (and some that are still available as OTC supplements... OTC does not imply safety) have been known to cause heart-valve damage through a very well-documented mechanism.

In general though, long-term health, cognitive function, and life-span can be expected to IMPROVE with the use of antidepressants, particularly in adults who need it. Some of it comes from documented physical effects of antidepressants that I've mentioned above (neuroprotection, hippocampal growth, decreased pro-inflammatories), some of it comes from the fact that people with properly treated depression can usually be expected to be more active and treat themselves, their health, and their hygiene better than depressed individuals do, and a very small amount of statistical benefit could be expected to come from a reduction in suicide. Overall, anybody with depression considered to be worse than simply mild should really do whatever they can to try and treat themselves (in an intelligent, rather than reckless manner of course), as at this point, potential benefits generally far outweigh the costs.

I TOTALLY disagree with this post. There is ABSOLUTELY no evidence that shows depression drugs do ANYTHING to improve mental functioning, let alone health! On the contrary there are numerous case studies and PERSONAL EXPERIENCE such as my own which shows, without a doubt, that these drugs are EXTREMELY dangerous and TOXIC.

[crayzyMed]

SSRI's,cause,simular,damage,as,mdma,and,selective, serotonine,releasers(mdma,also,causes,more,damage, on,top,of,that)atleast,in,our,friends,the,rats.

[ntdc]

prozac is over 20yrs old, surely you would hear about it in the news if there were serious long-term effects

[Inshallah]

Originally Posted by ntdc

prozac is over 20yrs old, surely you would hear about it in the news if there were serious long-term effects

True. I don't think you have to worry about anything. Besides, if you need them, you need them, no questions asked.

[Bacon]

Totally frying and causing god knows how much damage to your Serotonin synapses.........Truth is we don't know how these SSRI's work in humans.........The SSRI train of different meds iv tried has defiantly caused damage to my brain........carefull. Memory is fried and my whole thought process is gone. Thankfully my ADHD med is making me alive for once again and i can think again. Zoloft fried my memory. But its healing slowly.........paxil is working well.