Re: ssri

From all the people I've met on SSRIs, they either try to quit but can't, continue with SSRIs, or the SSRIs work less effectively and require higher dosages. Some do quit, but convert to alternatives that help control symptoms like anxiety during times of high stress. For one person, weaning off SSRIs caused heart palpitations, weakness, and difficulty breathing. Another had increased motility on the toilet, eventually diarrhea. There's just no telling how someone will react until they try it. Some have few to no side-effects, but I wish they would LIST ALL potentials so there are no surprises. For some that do quit SSRIs, many return to them - almost like a dependency.

Serotonin is also found in the Gut, 95% of it stimulates digestion and motility.

Check out some readings: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/24/health/24iht-snbrain.html?pagewanted=all

But 95 percent of the body's serotonin is housed in the gut, where it acts as a neurotransmitter and a signaling mechanism. The digestive process begins when a specialized cell, an enterochromaffin, squirts serotonin into the wall of the gut, which has at least seven types of serotonin receptors. The receptors, in turn, communicate with nerve cells to start digestive enzymes flowing or to start things moving through the intestines.

In a healthy person, after serotonin is released into the gut and initiates an intestinal reflex, it is whisked out of the bowel by a molecule known as the serotonin transporter, or SERT, found in the cells that line the gut wall.

He said up to 70 percent of the patients he treats for chronic gut disorders had experienced early childhood traumas like parents' divorces, chronic illnesses or parents' deaths. "I think that what happens in early life, along with an individual's genetic background, programs how a person will respond to stress for the rest of his or her life," he said.

I tend to believe that early childhood trauma of any type that creates stress shapes the brain and early emotional pathways. The initial growth of brain pathways dictates later life stress response mechanisms that deal with coping. If the initial brain growth is heavily influenced by stress, then it may not have the capacity to change itself later in life. If it does, it is very difficult for the person. SSRIs come in to play as an artificial way to assist some people in leading more normal lives, but they can easily become a dependency and, for some, create more problematic side-effects. I've seen some good results from as needed Klonopin if the pharma route is chosen. If you know you'll be stressed or have to be in a stressful environment, taking it 30 minutes prior will assist in controlling the anxiety. There are many factors to consider, even food allergies/sensitivities may be at play in depression/anxiety, weight gain, and/or fatigue.

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