Brochure Information

[What Are SSRI Drugs?]

SSRI drugs are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. They are frequently prescribed for patients with severe depression. Some of the most common medications are Prozac and Zoloft.


[Risks]

Like all other drugs, these antidepressants have their own set of risks and side effects. Most are mild and are as common as headaches and nausea. However, there are some studies that suggest that these drugs have a higher risk to their use, potential suicide. Several studies show that these drugs, in low numbers of patients, actually increased depression and with that an increased suicide risk is also effected. This also includes things like cutting and picking.
[Black Box]

In 2003, these drugs came under attack because of these very studies. The FDA placed a “black box” warning was placed on every SSRI drug telling costumers that they had a potential lethal side effect. Due to this label, the sale of SSRI drugs was cut in half.






[Counter Studies]
There have been several counter studies against the FDA’s label. These studies did, however, prove that these drugs did increase suicidal thoughts but they also stated that these problems could be easily fixed with a simple change in medicine or the dosage of the current medication. These studies prove that these drugs are in fact very effective in the fight against depression and should be used without fear of the manageable side effect.

[Best Treatments]
For most individuals, the single drug treatment with an SSRI drug is effective. For others, talk therapy is effective. But the truth is that the combination of the two is still the most effective treatment that there is. With the combination of the drugs, taken in the correct way, and the talk therapy, patients learn how to better deal with their depression. They also learn how to deal with the way that the drugs seem to alter their personality. This talk therapy also helps parents understand what their teen is going through.