This week, Nora tells us about her experiences of sudden and extreme adverse reactions that occurred almost as soon as she started her antidepressant. She also tells us about the attitude of her doctors and how her life has changed since that short course of treatment.
In this episode we discuss:
- How pressures and stresses in life led Nora to consult her doctor for advice
- How Nora was prescribed an antidepressant after a 5 minute consultation with no discussion about adverse effects
- That Nora was not prepared by her doctor in any way for what happened when she started to take her medication
- That in Ireland you don’t always get a Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) that would have helped her understand what she was taking
- That Nora reacted straight away to her antidepressant medication and the adverse reactions were sudden and shocking
- How she stopped her tablets after 5 days but still suffered with protracted withdrawal
- That Nora had to use the Internet to find the information that she needed about her drug
- How Nora went back to her GP who didn’t know anything about withdrawal and became annoyed when hearing her experiences
- That, 2 years after that short period taking her antidepressant, she still struggles with physical, emotional and psychological effects
- That, for Nora, the most troubling withdrawal effects have been the electric shock sensations that she continues to experience
- How Nora felt that her doctors did know that withdrawal was a possibility but could not admit to the problems that people have
- That, if you look at the clinical trials, there is only a small chance greater than placebo that an antidepressant will have a beneficial effect but the risks of adverse effects are much greater
- That more education of doctors is needed so that patients can make a properly informed choice about drug treatments for mental health
- How the internet and Facebook are vital resources for people that do not get the information that they need from mainstream medicine
- That mainstream medicine makes incorrect and dangerous assumptions about the onset, length and severity of antidepressant withdrawal
