Ep. 48 - Antidepressant Withdrawal, The Hard Truth with Brooke Siem
My next guest is no stranger to doing hard things but getting off antidepressants after 15 years may be one of the hardest.
In this episode, we discuss her introduction to them, life on them, and then what finally made her decide to try life without them. I recently read her book, May Cause Side Effects (May 2022) and could not put it down. It was so well written and her story was riveting.
I don’t think you have to be on antidepressants (I’m not) to appreciate or empathize with her journey and I highly recommend giving her memoir a read, right after you finish listening to the podcast ;)
I’m giving away a copy of the book to a lucky listener so head over to Instagram to this episode’s post to learn how to enter.
SHOW NOTES:
Her memoir, May Cause Side Effects
Antidepressants she references:
Effexor XR - prescribed usually for depression, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder in adults
Wellbutrin is an antidepressant medicine that is thought to work in the brain and nerves on the chemical messengers norepinephrine and dopamine. Wellbutrin XL is used to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) and seasonal affective disorder, and Wellbutrin SR is only used to treat major depressive disorder (MDD).
What is PSSD? (from Pubmed)
“Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a widely used class of drug. Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) is a condition in which patients continue to have sexual side effects after discontinuation of SSRI use. The prevalence of persistent sexual side effects after discontinuing SSRIs is unknown. Common PSSD symptoms include genital anesthesia, pleasure-less or weak orgasm, decreased sex drive, erectile dysfunction, and premature ejaculation.”
What is SRNI? (from MayoClinic.org)
Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are a class of medications that are effective in treating depression. SNRIs are also sometimes used to treat other conditions, such as anxiety disorders and long-term (chronic) pain, especially nerve pain.
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