I appreciate your candor and shared this article with a loved one who recently chose to go back on ‘Zac after a few months break. A low dose does so much good for what this person deals with (ocd) and it’s been life-changing.
And actually electroshock therapy is being used these days to treat severe depression, and it's a lot different from what they've shown in the movies. I've known people that it seemed to help.
I recommend two alternative options to SSRIs: psilocybin (magic mushroom) therapy or an MAOI antidepressant (the best one is the new low dose transdermal patch but it’s impossibly expensive unless your insurance covers it so most people take the pill form, which are available as cheap generics…and that is why Big Pharma vilifies it and discourages doctors from ever prescribing it except as a “last resort” option before ECT).
Studies on psilocybin at Johns Hopkins have concluded that it is four times more effective for treating depression than SSRIs. There are two approaches for treatment: a larger dose no more than once a month (a very intense experience) or much smaller microdoses every other day or every third day that gradually lift your mood in a similar manner to traditional antidepressants.
Thanks! If only psilocybin were legal and accessible. If only I were eligible for a research project in my stupid college town. I have longed for controlled therapeutic use of psychedelics since I was a teenager. I am glad people are finally exploring them again, and this is very good news for those with access. But I don’t have access, and don't want to take my chances with illegal substances without medical oversight or quality control.
I ruled out MAOI's long ago for some reason I don't remember. If I suffered negative side effects from fluoxetine I would consider them, but I don't. The only negative side effect I suffer is stigma and dependence, and I would suffer that with MAOI's as well. I'm more intrigued by psychedelics because I suspect that when they work they are more effective. But that's just a hunch, based on whimsy and hearsay.
My breaks from Prozac have been accidental and symptomatic (and obvious in hindsight). It's wild that we still don't know how it works. I appreciated that my psychiatrist was up front about that. "It could make you feel worse, we don't know." Maybe it's because I was down that I appreciated his helpless pessimism!
I appreciate your candor and shared this article with a loved one who recently chose to go back on ‘Zac after a few months break. A low dose does so much good for what this person deals with (ocd) and it’s been life-changing.
And actually electroshock therapy is being used these days to treat severe depression, and it's a lot different from what they've shown in the movies. I've known people that it seemed to help.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/electroconvulsive-therapy/about/pac-20393894
I'll also second the bit about psilocybin mushrooms, but I understand that a lack of legality is a complicating factor there.
I recommend two alternative options to SSRIs: psilocybin (magic mushroom) therapy or an MAOI antidepressant (the best one is the new low dose transdermal patch but it’s impossibly expensive unless your insurance covers it so most people take the pill form, which are available as cheap generics…and that is why Big Pharma vilifies it and discourages doctors from ever prescribing it except as a “last resort” option before ECT).
Studies on psilocybin at Johns Hopkins have concluded that it is four times more effective for treating depression than SSRIs. There are two approaches for treatment: a larger dose no more than once a month (a very intense experience) or much smaller microdoses every other day or every third day that gradually lift your mood in a similar manner to traditional antidepressants.
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/2022/02/psilocybin-treatment-for-major-depression-effective-for-up-to-a-year-for-most-patients-study-shows
Thanks! If only psilocybin were legal and accessible. If only I were eligible for a research project in my stupid college town. I have longed for controlled therapeutic use of psychedelics since I was a teenager. I am glad people are finally exploring them again, and this is very good news for those with access. But I don’t have access, and don't want to take my chances with illegal substances without medical oversight or quality control.
I ruled out MAOI's long ago for some reason I don't remember. If I suffered negative side effects from fluoxetine I would consider them, but I don't. The only negative side effect I suffer is stigma and dependence, and I would suffer that with MAOI's as well. I'm more intrigued by psychedelics because I suspect that when they work they are more effective. But that's just a hunch, based on whimsy and hearsay.
My breaks from Prozac have been accidental and symptomatic (and obvious in hindsight). It's wild that we still don't know how it works. I appreciated that my psychiatrist was up front about that. "It could make you feel worse, we don't know." Maybe it's because I was down that I appreciated his helpless pessimism!