madman
Super Moderator
Many people who stop taking SSRI antidepressants experience what is often described as “protracted withdrawal syndrome.” In this webinar, David Healy presents a different understanding of the biology of this injury: people withdrawing from SSRIs are suffering a “dysregulation” of their sensory nervous system. He will tell of how drug companies knew of this hazard when they developed SSRIs, and how they sought to hide it from the public. As most of serotonin is found outside our brain, SSRIs primarily impact our “bodies”, especially our senses. The target effect of SSRIs is a sensory muting, but they may also cause a sensory irritation, giving rise to akathisia. Both muting and irritation can cause problems, especially on stopping.
As such, the drugs give rise to a “Drug Dysregulation Syndrome” affecting different systems, especially after extended exposure. These syndromes are not manifestations of psychological or physiological drug dependence. They are not linked to binding at the serotonin reuptake sites, and they are not caused by the speed of tapering. What we do know about managing these syndromes has come from people with lived experience with these problems.
