Posted by SLS on October 3, 2015, at 7:18:51
In reply to Anti-depressants and divorce, posted by threeBmom on October 2, 2015, at 21:34:24
Question: What field of medicine does her doctor practice?
People can have negative reactions to almost any antidepressant. It depends on the wiring and chemistry of the brain. Each person has a unique combination. Negative effects can be psychological in nature. It can cause more anxiety and depression than what was there originally. It can cause anger and hostility. It can cause apathy and emotional numbness. Thoughts can turn negative, and a small number of people can become suicidal. All of that being said, it is my observation that more people benefit from antidepressant treatment than are harmed by it. One sometimes needs to try several different antidepressants; sometimes from different chemical classes.
Since we are starting at the end-point, not knowing why this person is being treated in the first place, we have little to go on but associations in time.
1. If this behavior began soon after the introduction of Zoloft, we must look at the Zoloft as the most likely culprit.
2. Of course, it is possible that your daughter-in-law was never happy with the idea of marriage in the first place, despite what everyone saw on her exterior. The Zoloft might have been prescribed for the anxiety and depression that can come with feeling trapped in a relationship or marriage.
I am guessing #1.
Linkadge describes one possibility. Zoloft has more of a propensity to produce akathisia than the other SSRIs - probably due to its ability to block sigma receptors. Akathisia is a strange type of anxiety-like state where someone becomes intensely physically and psychologically restless. They can't sit still and often rock back and forth when sitting. When standing, they shift their weight from one foot to the other constantly and often pace. In my opinion, the word "akathisia" is over-used and too often used to explain the anxiety that can be produce by any SSRI during the first few weeks of treatment.
If bipolar disorder is present, using antidepressants can produce unpredictable results. Indeed, people can become angry and frustrated. The more severe the manic reaction to the drug, the more people's thoughts can become erratic, and even psychotic. A bipolar manic reaction can easily explain a change in thoughts and behavior. People who become bipolar often believe that their previous life was a sham and that their true self requires them to live a completely different life.
Although apathy and emotional numbing can occur in some people who take SSRIs, it is not universal. I have experienced this myself on several drugs. I tend to be less apt to make major decisions in life while in this state. There is a lack of motivation to take action, and emotions are muted in such a way as to not have strong enough feelings to want to make changes. They are unhappy, but more content to leave things alone.
So, we come back to associations. Since we cannot establish psychosocial or biological cause-and-effect, associations in time may be our only clue. And yes, Zoloft can certainly be the cause of the effect you observe. However, this does not exclude the successful use of other antidepressants if depression or anxiety are problematic.
- Scott
Some see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.- George Bernard Shaw
poster:SLS
thread:1083149
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20150929/msgs/1083164.html