Lessons learned the hard way-

I’m almost five years off SSRI’s. I had to find out how dangerous these pills are the hard way.

In 2017, I came very close to taking my life while on Trintellix. I had constant non-stop suicidal thoughts for days at a time. Neither doctor that prescribed me these “antidepressants” told me about the FDA black box warning. Neither of them gave me any informed consent and I blindly trusted them. The first doctor prescribed me meds on my first visit after talking to me for only two, maybe three minutes. I trusted that if the “healthcare professional” is prescribing me these pills so quickly that they are totally safe. I didn’t think I had to ask my doctor whether or not the “antidepressant” can cause suicidal thoughts, emotional blunting, total personality loss, anhedonia, total sexual dysfunction, or any of the other “side effects” I suffered from. I’m a musician and losing my ability to feel music was devastating. These meds turned me into a total shell of a human. As soon as I stopped meds I slowly started to become “myself” again and I have regained the ability to feel music with a passion I’ve never experienced before.

I told the first doctor that I was already having sexual issues before ever taking an SSRI. He was going to prescribe me Prozac but then switched it to Zoloft and told me “this one seems to help people” without informing me that all SSRI’s are notorious for causing potentially permanent sexual issues (I’m still suffering from PSSD. I haven’t experienced a single orgasm in the past ten years). Within two or three days of starting Zoloft I actually regained the ability to orgasm and it made me think that Zoloft was actually working. I only took it for a few weeks before stopping on my own because something about taking meds for the rest of my life didn’t seem right.

The second doctor talked to me for maybe five minutes before prescribing me Trintellix after I told her that Zoloft didn’t seem to have much of an effect on my depression. No informed consent whatsoever. I trusted her and she destroyed my health. Doctor’s are not the root cause of this issue though. I had no idea about Rockefeller medicine or the existence of Big Pharma companies until after I stopped taking meds in 2021. In 2021, I was on Zoloft and still depressed so I decided to try another doctor. I saw a nurse because it was quicker than waiting for a doctor. The nurse was going to immediately raise my dose of Zoloft without asking me any questions. That’s when things clicked and I realized that the system is an absolute joke. All the “professionals” know how to do is push pills and raise your dose or switch meds if it’s not working. The Hippocratic oath means nothing. A health-care system that prioritizes profits above human health is evil. Medical schools don’t teach doctor’s how to cure patients, they teach doctor’s how to push pills. “A patient cured is a customer lost”.

I have been struggling with what seems like low-grade PTSD to this day. It is hard for me to stop thinking about the harm that was done to me and to so many other people. I have read hundreds and hundreds of stories over the years of people having their lives destroyed because of these “antidepressants”. The gold-standard treatment for depression has ruined countless lives. No informed consent is extremely common. Doctor’s prescribe these meds to children before they are even 10 years old. The amount of harm I have seen is overwhelming. I understand that they work for many people but it’s like playing Russian Roulette with your health.

I am turning 33 this year. These pills drastically messed up my development as a person. But I’m determined to keep fighting for myself and to speak up for other’s now that I’ve regained my ability to speak up. I absolutely love being alive and I’m remaining hopeful that a full recovery will be possible with time. I hope everyone reading this is doing well and staying strong. Sending so much love to anyone harmed ❤️