Permanent Effects Of Drugs: What Are The Causes And Solutions?

[JCastro]

Most people are able to take pharmaceuticals, even scary ones like SSRIs and benzos, and later stop them without permanent or long-term repercussions but there are a lot of people who take these drugs and end up with permanent, long-lasting and life-debilitating changes in their physiology.

I have some experience with this starting at a young age after taking Zoloft and Adderall but I am able to reinstate Adderall and do well on it, whereas reinstatement of Zoloft caused a severe hypersensitive reaction after one low dose. Peating for only 4 weeks has helped me a lot and I'm hoping to fully repair myself with energy and nutrition.

I'm wondering what the underlying causes are that make a person susceptible to this phenomenon. I'm hoping some knowledgeable members here can help speculate and illuminate on this issue. Perhaps the science is too immature and we're unable to know the truth at this point.

There are entire communities that exist to support people damaged by pharmaceuticals and going through long-term withdrawals that last years. The now defunct PaxilProgress, SurvivingAntidepressants, Benzobuddies, Propeciahelp, and FloxieHope for fluoroquinolone antibiotic victims. Additionally, you can google pretty much any drug and find stories named "X drug RUINED my life". There is a depressing lack of scientific competency and solutions for these people, and the consensus on these sites, specifically the SSRI and benzo ones, is to do nothing and simply wait it out, hoping for recovery. Many victims lose hope and commit suicide.

So, what's going on here? Are these people chronic undereaters with deficiencies and faulty metabolisms? Are the drugs depositing into tissues and staying for years? Are other toxins, viruses, parasites, and heavy metals at play? Are the drugs imprinting genes and distorting methylation? What separates these people from those that are not damaged by drug use?

 

[DaveFoster]

All these drugs are different; lumping them as "SSRI's" and "benzos" says little about their interactions. SSRI's almost universally have mixed effects anyway. Benzo's can be more benign (lorazepam [Attivan]) or deadly (clonazepam [Klonopin]).

Dose also matters.

Time under administration matters.

Lastly, to your questions, no one really knows. Some are born with horrible "gene defects"; some get cancer at 16. You just have to play with the cards you're dealt, or the one's you've foolishly picked yourself. Not to say you're foolish, but you knew what you knew and made your choices.

Since this a Ray Peat forum, why don't you e-mail Ray Peat and see what he says. He advocates progesterone use for those getting over SSRI's so there's some work going on with estrogen. Since anxiety is a universal side effect, serotonin is likely at play, which will result in higher cortisol levels. Also, why don't you research "hormonal changes among previous SSRI users" or something similar?

 

[Jsaute21]

I remember coming across a Peat quote on ADD medication, that it is extremely estrogenic. I took add meds from ages 13-18 or so. Stopped in college. I occasionally have taken a vyvanse in the last couple of years when work is over the top. My question is how bad is it truly? I know it long term isnrobbing the body of dopamine, but I feel phenomenal on it. A very interesting observation is that my joint and tendon pain in my legs (not unbearable but a bit worn) goes away completely. (Used to be a sprinter.)

I am all for health and doing things the right way but raising pulse has proven to be a real pain for me.

 

[Dante]

Are the drugs imprinting genes and distorting methylation? What separates these people from those that are not damaged by drug use?

Genetics status at the time of starting medication actually play a lot of role in scenario you are saying. Methylation is just one part,acetylation and other stuff are also there. For example propecia is more effective in those with certain gene variants.
http://www.jidsponline.org/article/S0022-202X(15)52613-4/abstract
Point is this this is an active area of study and not much clinically relevant research is out there (even if it's there it's incredibly tough to understand for the general laypublic and even some MDs)
i think after a few years drugs would given based on the genetics status (DNA polymorphisms) plus the given pathology to maximize effectiveness

 

[jyb]

Additionally, you can google pretty much any drug and find stories named "X drug RUINED my life". There is a depressing lack of scientific competency and solutions for these people, and the consensus on these sites, specifically the SSRI and benzo ones, is to do nothing and simply wait it out, hoping for recovery.

Yes, some drugs seem to cause permanent side effects, or at least effects that some users do not seem to be able to fully reverse despite many years of pro-active research and self-experimentation.