The VA freaked out when I told them I would no longer take this garbage (several types) around 17 years ago--I would rather be depressed. Since then I have used vitamin D, sunshine and forced myself to reengage with the world. The final cure was walking the Camino de Santiago in 2024 (500 miles). There is something about living life at a walking pace for well over a month that reset me. I walked it again last year and have gotten even better and so I will walk again this year. The key I think is being to damn stubborn to give up.
So thankful to hear that! My husband and I are both veterans and I’ve gotten real used to saying “No,” to them for years. They never admit side effects. And especially now with these Asian doctors being hired, who push drugs and don’t listen, it gets real old. Especially trying to force statins on us. They really hate it when you tell them our bodies need cholesterol, especially the brain and our nerves. I love watching their reaction 😉.
And the one thing the article doesn’t want to say much about is the spiritual aspect.
walking is great not just for physical health, but also mental and emotional. Something I've gotten into recently is trail "running" which for me is about 80 percent fast walking and 20 percent slow running. I like to have a goal so I sign up for trail running events. The goal gets me out of the house for "training" and the events are fun. In the two I've participated in so far, I've been the oldest but not the slowest! ;-) Maybe someday I think about doing the Camino. But I do like backpacking in the high mountains, so my trips away from home are usually to do that.
worse than corrupt, they are violent sociopaths and mass murderers. And they laugh about it! After Vioxx killed thousands and Merck paid the largest fine ever paid by a drug company, the joke at the office was the acronym for new HPV vaccine they were developing (that also killed thousands) really meant Help Pay for Vioxx.
Fines - for killing people. No-one goes to jail. No company gets shut down. This is insane, yet nothing is done. How is it that nothing is done ? Because we have become accustomed to living on a planet run immorally, via the tools of fear. If we realized the insanity of allowing this to continue, we'd be shutting down those companies ourselves. There'd be protests. Those companies wouldn't have a chance. But, what do we do when our loved ones are killed by them ? Tell it to some congressional committee where nothing really happens. Insanity.
This goes back to the evil of corporations and corporate law. US Founders saw how evil a corporation could with the East India company, so they severely limited corporations in the new republic. When US was founded, one corporation could not own another corporation and there was no "corporate shield" (no Limited Liability corporations). They had the right idea but they should have banned corporations altogether and written that ban into the Constitution because over time the rich bought off the law makers and had them change corporate law to what we have today.
I think it is more appropriate to describe the Pharmaceutical industry as Satanic.
Etymology
“Pharmakeia” (φαρμακεία) is a Greek term appearing in several New Testament passages conveying the idea of sorcery, witchcraft, or the use of magical potions. It is related to the words φάρμακον (pharmakon), meaning “drug” or “poison,” and φαρμακεύς (pharmakeus), meaning “one who prepares or uses magical potions.” From these roots, English derives “pharmacy,” although in biblical contexts the emphasis is consistently on harmful, misleading, or occult practices rather than morally neutral medical use."
Kudos to you, Midwestern Doctor, for being the only credentialed MD I’ve ever known to actually report on SSRIs and their ill effects. It seems your colleagues are to enslaved by the profit motive to speak out on them.
I fully believe SSRIs are behind most of America’s health and societal ailments. I’ve had short run-ins with Paxil, personally. And my wife was prescribed Zoloft and Xanax for anxiety and inability to sleep. And yes, those zombie-induced feelings and lack of sex drive were common between us.
CRIMINALITY is the only descriptive word we need to use for BIGPHARMA and its “doctors” who make and prescribe their poisons.
I find that when I serve my purpose in life, depression disappears. When I turn off my phone and stop comparing my life to others on social media, depression disappears. When I take my dog for a walk or go hiking in the woods or jam out with friends making music, the depression disappears.
In other words, depression is largely bullshit. A state of mind that requires a change in habit. Not synthetic drugs pushed on us for a bunch of scumbags’ profits.
Thanks for all you do. You are an American Treasure (assuming you’re “American” lol).
After I saw your comment, I realized I'd always assumed there was no other part of the world with a Midwest besides America but never actually verified that assumption was true. I checked, and to the best of my knowledge, the only "midwest" is in the USA.
I replied to your reply but it got pushed down the thread a bit. Seems substack is acting a little wonky tonight. Probably a further sign that more people are flocking to truthsayers, as opposed to CNN & MSNBC.
I’m glad you found something that worked. I almost instantly recognized the inhuman feelings Paxil gave me and thankfully never gave it the chance to fully control me. But I see what it does to others and despise it.
Dr Peter Breggin has written and spoken out about the horrors of taking ssri's and I lived them for almost 30 yrs! I was browbeaten and shamed into taking them and finally said "No More". I stopped abruptly and my body would NOT stop moving for days!!! Long story without enough time or space to write about the nightmare that had taken over my body and erupted when I stopped! I started researching and taking sufficient vitamins and minerals and finally found an effective Psychologist and yoga instructor/Reiki healer and managed to heal from the debilitating depressing trauma of childhood abuse. I am so grateful every day for amazing therapies and the ability to heal. And as my amazing son told me, "you are my hero, Mama and not everyone is able to survive either of the traumas!" Praise God🙏 and may God bless all who are suffering from the horror that is big pharma🙏 Thank you all for listening🥰
you are fortunate to have had the insight to research what you needed to do and to work with healers who could help. I agree with your son: not everyone is able to survive either of the traumas! And that's why these drugs are so so evil because most people cannot stop once they start taking them.
Rather than pick on SSRIs, The title should be, "The Truth About Pharmaceuticals."
After adjusting for under- and over-reporting there is a consistent range of 150,000–250,000 U.S. deaths per year from pharmaceuticals - correctly prescribed and used as directed (excluding overdose and misuse).
Thus prescription medicine is the 3rd leading cause of death in the US. One has to ask; how many tens or hundreds of thousands of lives would be saved every year (not to mention billions of dollars) if the entire pharmaceutical industry was razed to the ground?
If you want an antidepressant that actually works, and is cheap and harmless, try Saffron.
Serotonine imbalance, just the dose that is right for you and all turns out to go smoothly. Psychiatry will never find out that you are short or too many of some neurons, it reminds me of the most underestimated book, a shot in the dark.
The fact that these drugs and other such damaging drugs are still on the market is just a clear sign that we live on a planet that is Immorally run. A morally run planet would not allow such evil products to be made or sold to anybody. ( A morally run planet just follows this requirement: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. An immorally run planet totally disregards this. )
The use of these drugs is just one side effect, just one symptom of our Planet being run immorally. In fact, all our problems stem from this one cause.
Eliminating these drugs, though helpful, doesn't solve anything, as long as our planet is being run this way. Going after symptoms and side effects doesn't address the basic cause of our problems.
But, going after these and other symptoms, along with working at changing how the planet is run would work.
The necessary steps to take are : First get one's own house in order, so to speak. First start doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. When enough people continue doing this and new ones start doing so, then there will be people elected into office who also do this - live morally. When a majority of our elected officials are moral, then we can start running things morally instead of immorally. That's when we can stop creating problems based on immoral living.
In summary, we just have to get the immoral majority in power to become the immoral minority.
In such an environment an Epstein wouldn't be able to have anything on someone in power, He'd be neutered. Just one small example of how different things would be.
Ultimately many of us have been severely injured by these meds and then some people swear by them.
I think anyone who begins on an SSRI should be in a clinic or hospital for a couple of weeks when beginning them because when they backfire it can be a disaster. And pharma should cover the cost.
I have someone in my family who has been dealing with crippling suicidal depression for 3 years and is losing the battle. He has tried everything from SSRI’s to Ketamine injections with no relief. I would like to know what you (the Midwestern doctor) would do if you had a family member in this condition. I would be so grateful for any advice. My family member is in Illinois. Thank you in advance…
How many doses of ketamine did your family member get? How close together? Did the prescriber titrate the patient carefully?
Ketamine doesn't work for everyone. But it does work for a strong majority of patients. I suggest your family member contact TaconicPsychiatry.com They are very experienced with ketamine and might be able to titrte your family member to the point of getting a response.
Is there any evidence that residual SSRIs are being peed out into the sewage system and then entering the public drinking water, as many other pharmaceuticals are?
I've been on Prozac for 30+ years. I don't have any side-effects (so long as I'm at a relatively low dose) and a low dose is sufficient to fend off depression. However, Prozac does nothing for my CPTSD.
Ketamine treats my depression and CPTSD very effectively. And it has a higher rate of efficacy than conventional antidepressants. Unfortunately, because ketamine is a controlled substance and a psychedelic, few physicians will prescribe it.
It is very safe at doses proven effective for mental health. It can be self-administered at home. More people should look into it.
The VA freaked out when I told them I would no longer take this garbage (several types) around 17 years ago--I would rather be depressed. Since then I have used vitamin D, sunshine and forced myself to reengage with the world. The final cure was walking the Camino de Santiago in 2024 (500 miles). There is something about living life at a walking pace for well over a month that reset me. I walked it again last year and have gotten even better and so I will walk again this year. The key I think is being to damn stubborn to give up.
So thankful to hear that! My husband and I are both veterans and I’ve gotten real used to saying “No,” to them for years. They never admit side effects. And especially now with these Asian doctors being hired, who push drugs and don’t listen, it gets real old. Especially trying to force statins on us. They really hate it when you tell them our bodies need cholesterol, especially the brain and our nerves. I love watching their reaction 😉.
And the one thing the article doesn’t want to say much about is the spiritual aspect.
Love this
walking is great not just for physical health, but also mental and emotional. Something I've gotten into recently is trail "running" which for me is about 80 percent fast walking and 20 percent slow running. I like to have a goal so I sign up for trail running events. The goal gets me out of the house for "training" and the events are fun. In the two I've participated in so far, I've been the oldest but not the slowest! ;-) Maybe someday I think about doing the Camino. But I do like backpacking in the high mountains, so my trips away from home are usually to do that.
I really hope that America is finally realizing that the Pharmaceutical industry is corrupt.
You cannot imagine willing or unwillingly it’s far beyond corrupt, they’re lethal they kill.
I couldn’t agree more
worse than corrupt, they are violent sociopaths and mass murderers. And they laugh about it! After Vioxx killed thousands and Merck paid the largest fine ever paid by a drug company, the joke at the office was the acronym for new HPV vaccine they were developing (that also killed thousands) really meant Help Pay for Vioxx.
Fines - for killing people. No-one goes to jail. No company gets shut down. This is insane, yet nothing is done. How is it that nothing is done ? Because we have become accustomed to living on a planet run immorally, via the tools of fear. If we realized the insanity of allowing this to continue, we'd be shutting down those companies ourselves. There'd be protests. Those companies wouldn't have a chance. But, what do we do when our loved ones are killed by them ? Tell it to some congressional committee where nothing really happens. Insanity.
This goes back to the evil of corporations and corporate law. US Founders saw how evil a corporation could with the East India company, so they severely limited corporations in the new republic. When US was founded, one corporation could not own another corporation and there was no "corporate shield" (no Limited Liability corporations). They had the right idea but they should have banned corporations altogether and written that ban into the Constitution because over time the rich bought off the law makers and had them change corporate law to what we have today.
All just side effects of the basic problem - Our planet being run immorally.
That's what we have to deal with and the rest will melt away......
pHARMaceuticals! What a weird "coincidence" the word HARM is contained within the word pharmaceutical. Truth hiding in plain sight?
I totally agree
I think it is more appropriate to describe the Pharmaceutical industry as Satanic.
Etymology
“Pharmakeia” (φαρμακεία) is a Greek term appearing in several New Testament passages conveying the idea of sorcery, witchcraft, or the use of magical potions. It is related to the words φάρμακον (pharmakon), meaning “drug” or “poison,” and φαρμακεύς (pharmakeus), meaning “one who prepares or uses magical potions.” From these roots, English derives “pharmacy,” although in biblical contexts the emphasis is consistently on harmful, misleading, or occult practices rather than morally neutral medical use."
Kudos to you, Midwestern Doctor, for being the only credentialed MD I’ve ever known to actually report on SSRIs and their ill effects. It seems your colleagues are to enslaved by the profit motive to speak out on them.
I fully believe SSRIs are behind most of America’s health and societal ailments. I’ve had short run-ins with Paxil, personally. And my wife was prescribed Zoloft and Xanax for anxiety and inability to sleep. And yes, those zombie-induced feelings and lack of sex drive were common between us.
CRIMINALITY is the only descriptive word we need to use for BIGPHARMA and its “doctors” who make and prescribe their poisons.
I find that when I serve my purpose in life, depression disappears. When I turn off my phone and stop comparing my life to others on social media, depression disappears. When I take my dog for a walk or go hiking in the woods or jam out with friends making music, the depression disappears.
In other words, depression is largely bullshit. A state of mind that requires a change in habit. Not synthetic drugs pushed on us for a bunch of scumbags’ profits.
Thanks for all you do. You are an American Treasure (assuming you’re “American” lol).
After I saw your comment, I realized I'd always assumed there was no other part of the world with a Midwest besides America but never actually verified that assumption was true. I checked, and to the best of my knowledge, the only "midwest" is in the USA.
I replied to your reply but it got pushed down the thread a bit. Seems substack is acting a little wonky tonight. Probably a further sign that more people are flocking to truthsayers, as opposed to CNN & MSNBC.
Vitamin D3 and Omega/3 got me off the mind meds.
I’m glad you found something that worked. I almost instantly recognized the inhuman feelings Paxil gave me and thankfully never gave it the chance to fully control me. But I see what it does to others and despise it.
Dr Peter Breggin has written and spoken out about the horrors of taking ssri's and I lived them for almost 30 yrs! I was browbeaten and shamed into taking them and finally said "No More". I stopped abruptly and my body would NOT stop moving for days!!! Long story without enough time or space to write about the nightmare that had taken over my body and erupted when I stopped! I started researching and taking sufficient vitamins and minerals and finally found an effective Psychologist and yoga instructor/Reiki healer and managed to heal from the debilitating depressing trauma of childhood abuse. I am so grateful every day for amazing therapies and the ability to heal. And as my amazing son told me, "you are my hero, Mama and not everyone is able to survive either of the traumas!" Praise God🙏 and may God bless all who are suffering from the horror that is big pharma🙏 Thank you all for listening🥰
Thank-you for this post! Very relatable!
you are fortunate to have had the insight to research what you needed to do and to work with healers who could help. I agree with your son: not everyone is able to survive either of the traumas! And that's why these drugs are so so evil because most people cannot stop once they start taking them.
Rather than pick on SSRIs, The title should be, "The Truth About Pharmaceuticals."
After adjusting for under- and over-reporting there is a consistent range of 150,000–250,000 U.S. deaths per year from pharmaceuticals - correctly prescribed and used as directed (excluding overdose and misuse).
Thus prescription medicine is the 3rd leading cause of death in the US. One has to ask; how many tens or hundreds of thousands of lives would be saved every year (not to mention billions of dollars) if the entire pharmaceutical industry was razed to the ground?
If you want an antidepressant that actually works, and is cheap and harmless, try Saffron.
Razed to the ground is a good start. Now that would be showing some sanity.
Great article. I wish people could understand how powerful these drugs are.
I also believed that I could handle any side effect, not realizing it can be like having your brain stirred with a stick.
This needs to be mainstream news so at least people who have horrific side effects don’t have to run around begging others to validate them.
It’s beyond criminal to not acknowledging the potential problems…..
Well said
Tom Cruise warned us, but the mainstream media laughed and laughed.
But BasicallyThere isn't one "kind"
of serotonin,
but rather one molecule that acts on many different receptor subtypes, categorized into seven main families (5-HT1 to 5-HT7), with at least
14 distinct subtypes identified in humans, each triggering different cellular responses.
These receptors, primarily G-protein-coupled (except for 5-HT3), control diverse functions like mood, sleep, appetite, and gut motility.
AND SSRIs do NOT act the same
on everyone, and
differences in the balance and density of serotonin receptors are a major reason why.
AND While all SSRIs primarily work by blocking the reuptake of serotonin to increase its availability in the brain,
the way an individual's brain responds to that increase depends on several biological "tuning" factors.
(which is not that well understood)
But typically a lot of these things are seen as-
“one size fits all” -except maybe get the dose right
and one in a million or one in 10 million could have an
*extreme reaction* and that’s never covered in the media.
Serotonine imbalance, just the dose that is right for you and all turns out to go smoothly. Psychiatry will never find out that you are short or too many of some neurons, it reminds me of the most underestimated book, a shot in the dark.
The fact that these drugs and other such damaging drugs are still on the market is just a clear sign that we live on a planet that is Immorally run. A morally run planet would not allow such evil products to be made or sold to anybody. ( A morally run planet just follows this requirement: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. An immorally run planet totally disregards this. )
The use of these drugs is just one side effect, just one symptom of our Planet being run immorally. In fact, all our problems stem from this one cause.
Eliminating these drugs, though helpful, doesn't solve anything, as long as our planet is being run this way. Going after symptoms and side effects doesn't address the basic cause of our problems.
But, going after these and other symptoms, along with working at changing how the planet is run would work.
The necessary steps to take are : First get one's own house in order, so to speak. First start doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. When enough people continue doing this and new ones start doing so, then there will be people elected into office who also do this - live morally. When a majority of our elected officials are moral, then we can start running things morally instead of immorally. That's when we can stop creating problems based on immoral living.
In summary, we just have to get the immoral majority in power to become the immoral minority.
In such an environment an Epstein wouldn't be able to have anything on someone in power, He'd be neutered. Just one small example of how different things would be.
Ultimately many of us have been severely injured by these meds and then some people swear by them.
I think anyone who begins on an SSRI should be in a clinic or hospital for a couple of weeks when beginning them because when they backfire it can be a disaster. And pharma should cover the cost.
These should not be taken lightly, EVER!
Psychiatrists should not be able to prescribe medicine. They are not medical Doctors.
I have someone in my family who has been dealing with crippling suicidal depression for 3 years and is losing the battle. He has tried everything from SSRI’s to Ketamine injections with no relief. I would like to know what you (the Midwestern doctor) would do if you had a family member in this condition. I would be so grateful for any advice. My family member is in Illinois. Thank you in advance…
How many doses of ketamine did your family member get? How close together? Did the prescriber titrate the patient carefully?
Ketamine doesn't work for everyone. But it does work for a strong majority of patients. I suggest your family member contact TaconicPsychiatry.com They are very experienced with ketamine and might be able to titrte your family member to the point of getting a response.
thepeopleschemist did some good writing on this stuff as well.
I tried to stop my friend from using an SNRI going over my personal story with SSRIs. We no longer talk. Not my choice on that.
Is there any evidence that residual SSRIs are being peed out into the sewage system and then entering the public drinking water, as many other pharmaceuticals are?
I've been on Prozac for 30+ years. I don't have any side-effects (so long as I'm at a relatively low dose) and a low dose is sufficient to fend off depression. However, Prozac does nothing for my CPTSD.
Ketamine treats my depression and CPTSD very effectively. And it has a higher rate of efficacy than conventional antidepressants. Unfortunately, because ketamine is a controlled substance and a psychedelic, few physicians will prescribe it.
It is very safe at doses proven effective for mental health. It can be self-administered at home. More people should look into it.
Let them eat Prozac no real food,
Sounds a lot the point johan hari takes in his book titled lost connections