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Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs and SNRIs) have lengthy been advertised as the mystical way to despair and nervousness, promising reduction in a handy little tablet. However in the back of the shiny pharmaceutical advertisements and physician endorsements lies a much more troubling truth. Those medication don’t simply modify your mind chemistry — they may be able to hijack your feelings, disrupt your lifestyles, and result in penalties a long way worse than the stipulations they declare to regard.
In truth, there’s a filthy secret of the SSRI antidepressants — they motive psychotic violence which most often leads to suicide and on occasion in horrific murder (e.g., mass shootings). Remarkably, this aspect impact was once found out all over their scientific trials, lined up via the drug corporations, after which lined up via the FDA after the company won a deluge of court cases1 (39,000 within the first 9 years2) as soon as the primary SSRI, Prozac, hit the marketplace.
To begin with, the media would file at the prescriptions (SSRIs) mass shooters took. Alternatively, a gag order went out, it turned into unattainable to grasp what medicines shooters had been on, and the subject turned into taboo to talk about. Thankfully, that not too long ago modified (e.g., after a piece of writing I wrote compiling the proof they motive mass shootings went viral, Tucker Carlson did a 2022 section on it and outstanding conservatives step by step started talking brazenly about SSRI mass shootings3).
In July 2022 @TuckerCarlson broke a big taboo via discussing the hyperlink between antidepressants and mass shootings—an issue that didn’t exist till SSRIs entered the marketplace.
Regardless of being written off as a “conspiracy idea” business research persistently confirmed that SSRIs motive… percent.twitter.com/aSaPBndNzQ— A Midwestern Physician (@MidwesternDoc) January 7, 2025
Be aware: I latterly discovered via a CDC legitimate that the CDC has been silently monitoring what mass shooters are on and located the SSRI hyperlink continues however has now not disclosed it because of political earthquakes this admission would motive.
The Toxicology Bell Curve
In toxicology, you are going to most often see serious and excessive reactions happen a lot much less incessantly than average reactions:

On account of this, when an excessively regarding and unmistakable antagonistic response happens (e.g., the COVID-19 vaccines inflicting surprising deaths in younger wholesome athletes), that means you’re handiest seeing the top of the iceberg and a long way much less serious accidents also are happening a lot more incessantly.
For instance, one estimate4 discovered that of the ones vaccinated for COVID, 18% had been injured, 0.93% had been disabled, and nil.05% to 0.1% died, whilst any other survey5 discovered 41% of the ones vaccinated had been injured, with 7% being seriously injured.
In relation to the SSRIs, the psychotic violence they may be able to create, unfortunately, may be simply the top of an excessively huge iceberg, and there are lots of much less serious techniques they warp your thoughts, frame, and feelings.
The Hidden Facet Results of SSRIs
Many datasets display the hurt SSRIs motive a great deal outweighs any advantages. For instance, in a survey of one,829 sufferers6 on antidepressants in New Zealand:
62% reported sexual difficulties |
60% felt emotionally numb |
52% felt now not like themselves |
39% cared much less about others |
47% had skilled agitation |
39% had skilled suicidal ideation |
In that survey, different much less not unusual reported negative effects (so as of reducing frequency) integrated: insomnia, nightmares, “fuzzy”/”zombie,” jaw grinding, sweating, blurred imaginative and prescient, constipation, disturbed/stressed sleep, nervousness, middle palpitations, problem considering, fatigue/exhaustion, peculiar/shiny goals, stiff muscle tissues/joints, “mind zaps,” mania, over the top yawning, panic assaults, reminiscence loss, diminished motivation, night time sweats, and diminished urge for food.
This record suits what I’ve observed in lots of different datasets7 (even if others like feeling agitated, shaky, or fearful, indigestion, abdomen aches, and diarrhea also are regularly reported).
Be aware: Some other primary factor with SSRIs (which is not going to be detected on a symptom-based survey) is that SSRIs incessantly motive bipolar dysfunction.
Psychotic Violence — A Suppressed Reality
When Prozac was once first dropped at marketplace within the mid-Nineteen Eighties, the pharmaceutical business had now not but satisfied the sector that everybody was once depressed and wanted an antidepressant. So, as a substitute (for the reason that SSRIs paintings in a an identical way to a stimulant like Cocaine8) Prozac was once first of all advertised as a “mood-lifter.”
Likewise, in 1985 when the FDA’s protection reviewer scrutinized Eli Lily’s Prozac utility, they learned Lily had “failed” to file psychotic episodes of other folks at the drug and that Prozac’s antagonistic results resembled that of a stimulant drug.
In flip, the warnings at the labels for SSRIs,9 similar to nervousness, agitation, panic assaults, insomnia, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness, impulsivity, akathisia, hypomania, and mania, fit the results regularly seen with stimulant boulevard medication similar to cocaine and methamphetamine.
Be aware: A big survey of discovered 44% stopped a psych med on account of negative effects, 1 / 4 of which have been because of SSRI agitation.10
In mild of this, and SSRI violence regularly being blamed on a “pre-existing psychological sickness” I thus compiled a large number of research (together with ones business attempted to bury) appearing the medicine themselves motive violence. For instance:
• A Cochrane evaluation11 assessed 150 research the place wholesome volunteers got SSRIs and located roughly one-third of them intentionally disregarded discussing SSRI negative effects, and about part of the research had been by no means made publicly to be had (probably to cover their regarding knowledge).
In the long run, 14 of the 150 research had been eligible for meta-analysis (since sufficient knowledge existed in them for the researchers to grasp what if truth be told came about), and in those 14 research, SSRIs had been discovered to double the danger of suicide.
• In 2000, David Healy revealed a find out about12 he had performed with 20 wholesome volunteers — all and not using a historical past of despair or different psychological sickness — and to his large marvel two (10%) of them turned into suicidal once they won Zoloft. One in every of them was once on her approach out the door to kill herself in entrance of a teach or a automotive when a telephone name stored her.
Each volunteers remained disturbed a number of months later and critically puzzled the stableness in their personalities.
• Eli Lilly confirmed in 197813 that cats who were pleasant for years started to growl and hiss on Prozac and turned into distinctly unfriendly. As soon as Prozac was once stopped, the cats returned to their same old pleasant habits in per week or two.
Be aware: The FDA hypothesized that SSRIs may scale back violence in some however motive an building up in violence in others.14 Likewise a evaluation of 84 animal research confirmed that lowered aggression upon remedy with SSRI was once maximum regularly seen, however on occasion the animals as a substitute turned into extra competitive.15
Sexual Disorder
One of the vital negative effects that I think best possible illustrates the deficient risk-reward ratio of SSRIs is sexual disorder — as now not with the ability to have intercourse is relatively prone to make anyone depressed (and in some circumstances suicidal16) — therefore regularly totally invalidating the justification for taking an SSRI to “really feel glad once more.”
For instance, a Spanish find out about17,18 of 5 of one,022 sufferers at the maximum regularly prescribed SSRIs discovered:
- The medicine led to sexual disturbances in 59% of them and 40% thought to be that disorder unacceptable
- 57% skilled diminished libido
- 57% skilled not on time orgasm or ejaculation
- 46% skilled no orgasm or ejaculation
- 31% skilled erectile disorder or diminished vaginal lubrication
Be aware: Equivalent effects had been acquired in different research,19 and I’ve met many women and men who persisted to revel in sexual disorder lengthy when they stopped the SSRI (as this disorder is regularly everlasting).
What I in finding probably the most superb about SSRI sexual disorder is that whilst psychiatrists have a tendency to downplay or forget about it, they concurrently marketplace SSRIs to regard untimely ejaculation — which is but any other instance of the drug business seeking to have its cake and consume it (particularly for the reason that lots of the SSRI producers additionally promote medication for erectile disorder).
Be aware: One explanation why this aspect impact is below identified is that embarrassed sufferers regularly received’t file it until they’re in particular requested about it (e.g., within the Spanish find out about, whilst 59% of SSRI customers reported sexual disorder, handiest 20% did so with out prompting20 — one thing not going to be completed in a drug trial geared toward getting a medicine to marketplace).
Emotional Blunting — Dropping the Essence of Lifestyles
As soon as the SSRIs hit the marketplace, I in an instant spotted that SSRIs on occasion dramatically altered the character of those that took them. For instance, they regularly destroyed the pressure other folks needed to make one thing in their lifestyles — and in some circumstances, I unfortunately watched that derailment proceed for many years.
Likewise, I started to listen to tales of other folks describing how their revel in of lifestyles was once deadened, regularly in a way now not too other from how the medicine “numb” your sexuality. One of the most not unusual tales integrated:
• Now not having emotional responses to objects you’ll have responses to — For instance, I noticed a large number of circumstances of other folks being in dangerous jobs or relationships, seeing a physician for lend a hand with their despair, temporarily being placed on Prozac, after which losing a decade in their lifestyles as a result of Prozac (or any other SSRI) got rid of their pressure to go away that poisonous state of affairs. Likewise, I heard many of us state that Prozac took away the enjoyment they felt in lifestyles.
• Dropping the intensity and richness of lifestyles — This remark as an example, does a very good task of illustrating that:

Be aware: In psychiatry, this emotional anesthesia (now not discovering issues as stress-free as one used to) is referred to as “emotional blunting.” Relying at the find out about (e.g., the ones discussed above) between 40% to 60% of those that take SSRIs revel in this aspect impact, and it’s on occasion rationalized as a important trade-off for taking away the emotional ache related to despair.
One of the vital biggest issues of our society is the realization that the media has advertised to us that we will have to by no means must really feel adverse feelings. If truth be told, they’re a important element of the human revel in and are incessantly important for our expansion and figuring out the proper route for our lives. Sadly, to marketplace despair (and SSRIs) it was once important to pathologize standard sides of lifestyles and switch them into everlasting sicknesses requiring indefinite remedy.
Start Defects — A Hidden Outcome
As soon as a drug will get licensed, pharmaceutical corporations will all the time attempt to extend their marketplace for it (e.g., that is why after adults stopped short of the preliminary COVID-19 vaccine, they pivoted to pushing it on kids — despite the fact that kids have a nearly 0% probability of demise from COVID-19).
With SSRIs, the business has likewise labored to push them on prone teams (e.g., foster kids, “suffering” scholars, prisoners or parolees, pregnant moms, and the aged), and every workforce has suffered important penalties from those practices — specifically since many don’t seem to be allowed to say no the medicine. This very good skit via Peter Gøtzsche illustrates the absurdity of pushing them on pregnant ladies:
For the reason that SSRI’s had been protected from scrutiny, they’re incessantly driven on sufferers (on occasion in opposition to their consent) when the medicine dangers a great deal outweigh their advantages. This skit as an example highlights the unconscionable SSRI recommendation pregnant ladies incessantly obtain: percent.twitter.com/X5zKC1Jzhv
— A Midwestern Physician (@MidwesternDoc) January 7, 2025
Pushing SSRIs on pregnant ladies is rationalized via the truth ladies incessantly get depressed all the way through or after their pregnancies (which is regularly because of over the top copper ranges — one thing relatively simple to regard naturally). Sadly, there are a selection of explanation why SSRIs don’t seem to be secure all the way through being pregnant. Those come with:
• SSRIs building up the danger of untimely births,21 with the best menace (a doubling) happening if an SSRI is taken all the way through the 0.33 trimester.
• SSRIs considerably building up the danger of septal defects22 (which regularly require middle surgical treatment to fix). One find out about of 500,000 babies in Denmark discovered moms taking a unmarried SSRI whilst pregnant led to the possibility of a septal defect of their kid to move from 0.5% to 0.9% and taking two or extra greater it to two.1%. Moreover, whilst on moderate taking an SSRI doubled the danger of a start defect, the greater menace ranged from 34% to 225%, relying at the SSRI.
• SSRIs considerably building up the danger of power pulmonary high blood pressure in a new child child. One find out about of one,173 young children discovered SSRIs greater the danger of it via 6.1 occasions,23 whilst any other discovered the danger greater via 4.29 occasions,24 whilst any other discovered it greater via 2.5 occasions.25
For the reason that this situation impacts 1 to two out of one,000 births and is regularly deadly, this “small” menace provides up relatively temporarily (however however this was once now not sufficient for the FDA to rethink its advocacy of those medication for pregnant ladies26).
Be aware: Different new child headaches related to SSRIs come with irritability, tremor, hypertonia, and problem drowsing or breastfeeding.
Unfortunately, after start SSRIs proceed to impact the improvement of a kid. For instance, the package deal insert for Prozac states that when handiest 19 weeks of remedy, kids misplaced 1.1 cm (0.43 inches) and 1.1 kg in weight (2.43 lbs.) in comparison to kids handled with placebo.27
The Function of Advertising and marketing in SSRI Reputation
A lot in the similar approach, the pharmaceutical business spends exorbitant quantities of cash dishonestly advertising and marketing medication, it’ll incessantly concoct elaborate techniques to make a needless (or worse) drug seem to be value promoting to all of The us (personally best possible encapsulated via the idiom “Striking Lipstick on a Pig”28).
Since “despair” is so subjective, it’s even more straightforward to recreation this analysis. Because of this, when the “a success” research of antidepressants are sparsely tested, like many different prescribed drugs (e.g., the COVID and HPV vaccines), the advantages are moderately inconsequential whilst the a long way larger dangers are hid with elaborate reclassifications.
Be aware: Antidepressants do paintings for a metabolic subset of sufferers (whose metabolic disorder may also be handled naturally). Sadly, physicians are by no means skilled to display screen for the ones sufferers, as that screening would do away with nearly all of attainable SSRI consumers.
Thankfully, there are a couple of metrics you can’t quilt up. One of the vital well known ones is general mortality (what number of people in overall on vs. off the drug died) since you’ll’t reclassify dying. Some other is what number of sufferers voluntarily selected to prevent taking a medicine:
• A evaluation of 29 revealed and 11 unpublished scientific trials containing 3,704 sufferers who won Paxil and a couple of,687 who won a placebo, discovered an equivalent percentage of sufferers in each teams left their find out about early (suggesting Paxil’s advantages didn’t outweigh its aspect impact), and that in comparison to placebo, 77% extra stopped the drug on account of negative effects and 155% extra stopped as a result of they skilled suicidal inclinations.29
• A find out about of seven,525 sufferers, discovered that 56% of them selected to prevent taking an SSRI inside 4 months of being prescribed it.30
• A global survey of three,516 other folks from 14 affected person advocacy teams discovered that 44% had completely stopped taking a psychiatric drug because of its negative effects.31
• A survey of 500 sufferers discovered 81.5% had been not sure if their antidepressants had been important.32
Put otherwise, if maximum sufferers really feel worse on a medicine they’re taking to “really feel just right” than they do with out it, that suggests the pains proclaiming the medicines made sufferers really feel higher had been fraudulent.
In flip, 1000’s of remarkably an identical tales will also be discovered on-line.33 Sufferers revel in a variety of up to now impossible negative effects that shake the very basis in their international, suppose one thing should be mistaken with them (therefore going via a duration of disbelief), in finding no fortify or figuring out throughout the scientific box — after which in the end understand they’d been trusting their docs to have a certain quantity of information they don’t if truth be told have.
“And you recognize, that is heartbreaking. I went via this, and I felt that the sector had fallen out from beneath me. There wasn’t any scientific protection web. So the sociological phenomenon exists, and has now not but filtered into drugs. Medication has its personal techniques of accumulating knowledge, and in psychiatry, for some explanation why, they retain asking every different what in fact as a substitute of asking their sufferers. The affected person voice isn’t really well identified in psychiatry in any respect.”34
Be aware: This SSRI revel in mirrors many different pharmaceutical accidents (e.g., I’ve heard nearly an identical tales from numerous folks injured via the COVID-19 vaccines).
Most significantly, many sufferers file that their prescribers don’t warn them about lots of the SSRI negative effects. Briefly, many of us I do know have now not handiest needlessly been seriously impacted via those medication but in addition gaslighted35 via the docs they sought care from.
Conclusion
Through the years, I’ve requested numerous holistic docs what they believe to be the 5 most threatening, extensively prescription drugs on the market, and with out exception, SSRIs all the time make that record. On this article, I’ve tried for example one of the most maximum widespread harms of those medication, however unfortunately it handiest touches at the floor.
For instance, on account of how they’re dosed, SSRIs are extremely addictive, and when they’re in part diminished, plenty of serious signs can onset (e.g., dose adjustments regularly proceeds SSRI suicides and homicides,36 which is why you will have to by no means rapidly forestall taking them).
Tragically, docs don’t seem to be skilled to acknowledge those withdrawals (docs most often as a substitute interpret them as a pre-existing sickness not being counteracted via the SSRI and proceed to push the medicine), and only a few know how you can safely taper sufferers off SSRIs.
Thankfully, with the MAHA motion, that is starting to alternate. For instance, believe what RFK Jr. said37 when he shared this newsletter:

As such, for the primary time in my lifestyles, I’m sincerely hopeful this just about 40 12 months tragedy ultimately will finish.38 As such, it’s now crucial every people do all we will be able to to show the Forgotten Facets of Medication so we will be able to create public power to finish those pharmaceutical atrocities and produce again the implausible herbal treatments that had been got rid of from the marketplace to offer protection to those gruesome pharmaceutical monopolies.
Creator’s be aware: That is an abridged model of an extended article which discusses the above issues in a lot more element and discusses how you can safely withdraw from SSRIs. That article and its further references will also be learn right here. Moreover, a spouse article in regards to the despair business and efficient herbal treatments for despair will also be learn right here.
A Be aware from Dr. Mercola In regards to the Creator
A Midwestern Physician (AMD) is a board-certified doctor from the Midwest and an established reader of Mercola.com. I recognize AMD’s remarkable perception on quite a lot of subjects and am thankful to proportion it. I additionally admire AMD’s want to stay nameless since AMD remains to be at the entrance traces treating sufferers. To search out extra of AMD’s paintings, make sure that to take a look at The Forgotten Facet of Medication on Substack.
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