Millions of SSRI Users Seek Exit After 20 Years of Long-Term Antidepressant Use
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 7
Millions of SSRI Users Seek Exit After 20 Years of Long-Term Antidepressant Use
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 7
Summary
More than 20 years after starting Paxil at age 9, Cameron LaBar says long-term SSRI use left him emotionally blunted and trapped in a medication cycle.
His story anchors a broader search for ways off antidepressants as people who began Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro and similar drugs report regret, withdrawal concerns and little guidance on stopping.
SSRIs, introduced with Prozac in 1988, were embraced as safer than older antidepressants and were prescribed to tens of millions of Americans.
The report argues the medical system focused heavily on getting patients onto the drugs, while giving far less attention to how to help them come off.