Discussion What has your experience with SSRIs been like?

[jar-baby]

I've read a lot of SSRI horror stories on here and I know many similar threads exist but I don't think a poll has been posted before.

Please share your experiences below, or any sources of pharmacological information you think are worth a read.

I'm particularly curious about Escitalopram (Lexapro)—it's recently been prescribed to a friend of mine with PTSD. He's not suicidal, and he's pretty high-functioning. What I've read about here—the apparent liberalness with which mental health professionals prescribe SSRIs, as well as the aforementioned horror stories—makes me concerned as to whether taking it would be a good idea.

 

[EvisceratedJester]

Never been on SSRIs before and I'm thankful that my mom made sure to keep me from ever trying them.

 

[sserafim]

Never been on SSRIs before and I'm thankful that my mom made sure to keep me from ever trying them.

My psychiatrist wanted to put me on SSRIs but I said no

 

[Dark Moon]

I only took a couple of tablets of sertraline and I felt the negative effects immediately and stopped taking it. If I kept taking it I would have ended up with PSSD I think it's called and I thank god I was able to find out before it was too late.

It also didn't really do anything for my depression.

 

[ForgottenAgain]

I have been on 200mg Sertraline for 5 years when I was a late teen/young adult. Also been on it some months ago for 5 months.

I don't have horror stories, just some side effects that I didn't enjoy like it killing my libido, making me sometimes emotionless and not being able to cry. The libido is a big one, it was impossible for me to have sex, dry as a desert, no interest in it, just depressing. I stopped taking Sertraline because of that, it was damaging my relationship.

 

[derpyderpins]

I've read a lot of SSRI horror stories on here and I know many similar threads exist but I don't think a poll has been posted before.

Please share your experiences below, or any sources of pharmacological information you think are worth a read.

I'm particularly curious about Escitalopram (Lexapro)—it's recently been prescribed to a friend of mine with PTSD. He's not suicidal, and he's pretty high-functioning. What I've read about here—the apparent liberalness with which mental health professionals prescribe SSRIs, as well as the aforementioned horror stories—makes me concerned as to whether taking it would be a good idea.

I resisted for a long time. I mean, I've had suicidal thoughts since I was 12. In my 30s now, been on them about a year and a half. I have to admit, against all my preconceived bias. . . I'm doing better on them.

 

[LaVieEnRose]

I have been on lots of SSRis including Lexapro among other classes of antidepressants. They've all been a thoroughly neutral experience. It's the antipsychotics that have done a lot of damage.

You'll find positive and negative anecdotes anywhere you ask. It's unfortunately impossible to know how you'll react to it until you try it out for yourself.

But PSSD (sexual problems stemming from SSRI usage that don't pass even after discontinuation) for example is a real problem that affects a lot of people that is only now getting real attention from the psychiatric profession (not enough though). Of course, it doesn't matter how rare something like a side effect is if you're the one afflicted by it.

You already deal with anhedonia and trouble accessing positive emotions as it is so it is natural to be concerned about SSRIs because they can have that effect on people.

 

[wiinterfrost]

was on escitalopram for like a year?. or it could've been around9months. it just made my dreams different and made me wanna kill myself MUCH more. and more jittery but without the actual spoons or capacities to act on it - like become more active.
so yeah negative experience.

 

[Eudaimonic]

I took lexapro for a few months(?) and I honestly think it was a contributor to my life becoming as fucked as it is now.
It flattened my emotional curve and made me numb, and hence caused me to stop caring.

 

[ham and potatoes]

Have been on paxil for over a decade. It worked great up until about 6 months ago, then it just abruptly quit and my anxiety/ depression came back worse than it ever was before.

 

[Illegal Preclear]

Most of the scientific evidence that SSRIs work in the long term is completely fudged by Big Pharma c*cksuckers. You know what scientific fact is solid, though? The fact that brain swelling causes permanent brain damage - several SSRIs cause this, Cymbalta being one of them. Cymbalta was one of many drugs that left me permanently brain damaged and it's a pretty notorious one. I think it caused so many brain damage cases they finally HAD to stop prescribing it to people.

If you're gonna take drugs, you're literally better off becoming a functional alcoholic, pothead, or even street drug user. I certainly wouldn't advise it if you're lucky enough to have a brain that hasn't been touched by drugs, but the effects of street drugs and alcohol are actually far more reversible than Psych Drugs. I've seen many a drug user go to rehab and literally become a new person once the effects of drugs have been reversed. People who have been damaged by Psych Drugs? NOPE! We're f*cked!

If you want info on the hard science of Psych Drugs - this website keeps tabs on each individual drug and the damage it causes, plus Psychiatric motherf*ckery in general: https://www.cchr.org/

 

[_Broken_alice]

We cycled through lots of depression meds in our teens. Easily 8-10 different ones of different classes.
Many were SSRI's. Notably, the SSRI's were the worst.
Hard to remember much of anything from that time period, (Partially due to the SSRI's) but they either numbed everything to the point we were mindless and had to literally be reminded multiple times to eat for every meal, or made things much worse being largely but not entirely responsible for our first attempt at 16yo...

What is working well for us now, is Wellbutrin XL. Even at the starting dose of 150mg, it has made it possible to feel some of the good things again. Not a miracle drug by any means, but the only thing that has ever given us any relief. And it doesn't feel like it is changing us like the other meds did...
We weren't even certain it was helping at all until one of our friends, and our wonderful PCP we sadly won't be able to see anymore (moving soon to get our life on track) mentioned we seem to be doing a lot better in the last week.

It seems very subtle, but looking at our journal we keep, our mood is consistently better than it ever has been aside from very brief moments of our past.

We still very much have really bad days, but between that med, and a better outlook on our life, we are very much on a path to recovery.
Meds alone can't usually fix things, but for once, things don't feel futile. For once, we don't feel like just giving up.

 

[ham and potatoes]

Also, I think by asking on this site what your experience with ssris has been, your going to get very biased answers.
As people who they have worked well for probably aren't on a forum about suicide

 

[Forveleth]

Also, I think by asking on this site what your experience with ssris has been, your going to get very biased answers.
As people who they have worked well for probably aren't on a forum about suicide

This was going to be my answer. You're getting a very biased sample here. I am no exception, I tried a few but none of them were sustainable for me. But there are many people who take SSRIs and have a very high quality life.

With meds like these you really have to try them for yourself as they affect everyone quite differently.

 

[damyon]

I tried Sibutramine for weight loss (not SSRI, but SNRI). The drug is marketed as an appetite suppressant but may have antidepressant properties (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3650299/)
After about two weeks on a 15mg dose, I got extremely indifferent towards anything. For example, I would physically feel hunger (growling stomach, pain, etc.), but I would be like, "ok, whatever...". Same with other stuff

I also tried Wellbutrin XL (I don't remember the exact dose). It did nothing to me for about a month, so I stopped.

Also, I think by asking on this site what your experience with ssris has been, your going to get very biased answers.
As people who they have worked well for probably aren't on a forum about suicide

True. Extremely biased answers here. However, at least people who read the thread can now understand the potential risks and what can go wrong (anecdotal, but nonetheless...)

 

[cgrtt.brns]

i put neutral/mixed bag bc it rly has been mixed, sometimes it feels like they do what theyre supposed to, sometimes it feels like they do nothing, and other times it feels like they make everything worse. i was on fluoxetine/prozac for a while as a young teenager, my memories awful so icr how long but it was at least a few years. as far as i recall it helped with depression a little bit at first but i remember asking to come off it bc eventually it just stopped working. then i was put on sertraline/zoloft and i didnt stay on that one for long bc it made me manic and incredibly suicidal. my memories kind of blank between then and the one im on now so icr if i tried any others between then but i have a feeling i did, but i cant recall. now im on escitalopram/lexapro, been on it for nearly five years now i think, it helped with my anxiety at first (i started it bc i was anxious about starting college and it helped with that) but now i just feel like its made me a zombie, ive lost my ability to be creative, i have no energy ever so i never do anything and my anxiety and depression have worsened so i rly want to come off it. idk if i want to try another medication or just stop meds all together bc i cant even remember what my base line mental state is without medication anymore, i dont know whats me and whats the meds if that makes sense. i cant remember what its like to not be on meds. which is worrying especially bc of all the shit ppl say meds do to u, its made me quite paranoid. ive started worrying that all of the shit thats wrong with me has just been the meds, bc it feels like ive just over all been spiraling and getting more and more diagnoses since being on meds. i dont know who to trust, i cant even trust myself, bc what if its just the meds? idk sorry if this didnt make any sense or wasnt helpful. i know some people do have a good experience with meds, it takes time to find the right one and right dose and right supplemental things to go with it like therapy etc, maybe i just havent found it yet. like someone said previously the people who have a good experience with meds are most likely not gonna be on a forum like this lol

 

[Saturn_]

My mom used to force me to take Zoloft and gaslight me in front of my psychiatrist to manipulate the dialogue, so that I would keep being given refills despite all my complaints. Tons more dissociation when I've already been struggling with that for the better part of a decade, destroyed my libido, constant numbness and indifference. The feelings of hopelessness and a lack of autonomy over my own body and mind were the cherry on top! Trust the science people! What could possibly go wrong?

 

[jar-baby]

Thank you all for sharing. It's awful to see how much damage has been caused by these.

Also, I think by asking on this site what your experience with ssris has been, your going to get very biased answers.
As people who they have worked well for probably aren't on a forum about suicide

Thanks. I did figure when I posted that the SS population would select for those with negative SSRI experiences. I was curious nonetheless, especially since I'm guessing there aren't much better/less biased sources of data out there (if there were, I'm guessing SSRIs would be prescribed less liberally? Idk—if anyone does have another source of data I'd appreciate it).

You'll find positive and negative anecdotes anywhere you ask. It's unfortunately impossible to know how you'll react to it until you try it out for yourself.

But PSSD (sexual problems stemming from SSRI usage that don't pass even after discontinuation) for example is a real problem that affects a lot of people that is only now getting real attention from the psychiatric profession (not enough though). Of course, it doesn't matter how rare something like a side effect is if you're the one afflicted by it.

I'm sorry to hear of your experience with antipsychotics, too. It does seem like experiences with SSRIs vary significantly. I guess the question I have is whether taking them would be worth the risk, but it seems like that's not going to have a clear-cut answer either. The possibility of PSSD seems like a particular consideration, so thank you for this.

I resisted for a long time. I mean, I've had suicidal thoughts since I was 12. In my 30s now, been on them about a year and a half. I have to admit, against all my preconceived bias. . . I'm doing better on them.

I'm glad to hear that. I'm not at all sure how relevant this is but which one(s) are you taking?

 

[derpyderpins]

Thank you all for sharing. It's awful to see how much damage has been caused by these.


Thanks. I did figure when I posted that the SS population would select for those with negative SSRI experiences. I was curious nonetheless, especially since I'm guessing there aren't much better/less biased sources of data out there (if there were, I'm guessing SSRIs would be prescribed less liberally? Idk—if anyone does have another source of data I'd appreciate it).


I'm sorry to hear of your experience with antipsychotics, too. It does seem like experiences with SSRIs vary significantly. I guess the question I have is whether taking them would be worth the risk, but it seems like that's not going to have a clear-cut answer either. The possibility of PSSD seems like a particular consideration, so thank you for this.


I'm glad to hear that. I'm not at all sure how relevant this is but which one(s) are you taking?

I'm on Prozac and Wellbutrin

 

[astr4]

Have been on paxil for over a decade. It worked great up until about 6 months ago, then it just abruptly quit and my anxiety/ depression came back worse than it ever was before.

I'm very much in the same boat but i'm scared to stop taking them because the withdrawal symptoms are so bad. Are you still taking paxil?

 

[sserafim]

Most of the scientific evidence that SSRIs work in the long term is completely fudged by Big Pharma c*cksuckers. You know what scientific fact is solid, though? The fact that brain swelling causes permanent brain damage - several SSRIs cause this, Cymbalta being one of them. Cymbalta was one of many drugs that left me permanently brain damaged and it's a pretty notorious one. I think it caused so many brain damage cases they finally HAD to stop prescribing it to people.

If you're gonna take drugs, you're literally better off becoming a functional alcoholic, pothead, or even street drug user. I certainly wouldn't advise it if you're lucky enough to have a brain that hasn't been touched by drugs, but the effects of street drugs and alcohol are actually far more reversible than Psych Drugs. I've seen many a drug user go to rehab and literally become a new person once the effects of drugs have been reversed. People who have been damaged by Psych Drugs? NOPE! We're f*cked!

If you want info on the hard science of Psych Drugs - this website keeps tabs on each individual drug and the damage it causes, plus Psychiatric motherf*ckery in general: https://www.cchr.org/

Does it say anything about Buspar (buspirone)?

 

[druggedonsurvival]

They can be helpful, but if the thing causing one's depression is situational (resulting of a specific life circumstance) then they may not be enough on their own. This is not to say that no one should ever take them. They might be the catalyst to someone's recovery, as in it might chemically induce someone to be more motivated to accomplish their goals. Ironically, that effect is also why sometimes people CTB shortly after starting on certain SSRIs - if suicide is still a goal in their mind it may inadvertently help them achieve it.

Lexapro helped me for a long time, but it was not a permanent solution for me. I joined this website while taking Lexapro everyday so clearly it was "not enough" for me. I guess the biggest takeaway for me is that SSRI's are not a catch-all solution, and I wouldn't trust one to singularly lift me out of my depression.

 

[LaVieEnRose]

I'm sorry to hear of your experience with antipsychotics, too. It does seem like experiences with SSRIs vary significantly. I guess the question I have is whether taking them would be worth the risk, but it seems like that's not going to have a clear-cut answer either. The possibility of PSSD seems like a particular consideration, so thank you for this.

The way they try to sell all potentially damaging psychiatric interventions is that they're better than being severely impaired or dead by suicide. The first outcome isn't really relevant to you and the second, well, you don't really view suicide as something to desperately be avoided. If you do sincerely wish to avoid that outcome, then it's probably worth tying.

 

[Illegal Preclear]

Does it say anything about Buspar (buspirone)?

Funny you should mention that - I myself am on Buspar right now. My brain is just physiologically addicted to it after taking it for 4 years. Same with my Lamictal. Both of those drugs - I was forcibly overdosed on in a Psychiatric Hospital to cause sudden brain damage. A high enough dose of Psych drugs at once can cause brain damage in one hit. Happened to me many times. Literally the only reason I stay on the medications I'm on is because my body is so addicted to them at this point, it's not worth the withdrawal since I'm CTBing within the next year, year and a half tops anyway. But yeah - I've been being forcibly drugged since...well since I was a fetus if you count all the drugs my mother took when she was pregnant with me. Not dope, mind you - all designer high grade prescription drugs.

The way they try to sell all potentially damaging psychiatric interventions is that they're better than being severely impaired or dead by suicide. The first outcome isn't really relevant to you and the second, well, you don't really view suicide as something to desperately be avoided. If you do sincerely wish to avoid that outcome, then it's probably worth tying.

Here's the thing - you may THINK it's better to be brain damaged than dead (which is really a highly illogical SI "reptilian brain" line of thinking) - but you don't know how it feels day to day to be brain damaged until you are. Which from experience I can tell you is uh...not good. The worst part is, I can REMEMBER when I had a lot more mental faculties - I just can't access them. I sleep half the day because when I dream - it's the only time I have those mental faculties back and can feel real emotions and mental clarity. But I digress. I would say it's NOT worth trying, because you don't get to "test drive" Psych Drugs without getting the brain damage that goes with them. If you REALLY want to mess with drugs (which I don't recommend anyone do) just go with street drugs. The effects are far more reversible.

Psych Drugs do not prevent CTB - they just make your mind and soul rot while you're still alive, until you have no other option than CTB. The extra couple years you may get to squeeze out of your life aren't worth what comes at the end of that road.

 

[sserafim]

Funny you should mention that - I myself am on Buspar right now. My brain is just physiologically addicted to it after taking it for 4 years. Same with my Lamictal. Both of those drugs - I was forcibly overdosed on in a Psychiatric Hospital to cause sudden brain damage. A high enough dose of Psych drugs at once can cause brain damage in one hit. Happened to me many times. Literally the only reason I stay on the medications I'm on is because my body is so addicted to them at this point, it's not worth the withdrawal since I'm CTBing within the next year, year and a half tops anyway. But yeah - I've been being forcibly drugged since...well since I was a fetus if you count all the drugs my mother took when she was pregnant with me. Not dope, mind you - all designer high grade prescription drugs.


Here's the thing - you may THINK it's better to be brain damaged than dead (which is really a highly illogical SI "reptilian brain" line of thinking) - but you don't know how it feels day to day to be brain damaged until you are. Which from experience I can tell you is uh...not good. The worst part is, I can REMEMBER when I had a lot more mental faculties - I just can't access them. I sleep half the day because when I dream - it's the only time I have those mental faculties back and can feel real emotions and mental clarity. But I digress. I would say it's NOT worth trying, because you don't get to "test drive" Psych Drugs without getting the brain damage that goes with them. If you REALLY want to mess with drugs (which I don't recommend anyone do) just go with street drugs. The effects are far more reversible.

Psych Drugs do not prevent CTB - they just make your mind and soul rot while you're still alive, until you have no other option than CTB. The extra couple years you may get to squeeze out of your life aren't worth what comes at the end of that road.

I used to take Buspar for anxiety but switched to propranolol. I stopped taking anti-anxiety meds after high school though. Do you know if Buspar has any long-term effects?

 

[LaVieEnRose]

Psych Drugs do not prevent CTB - they just make your mind and soul rot while you're still alive, until you have no other option than CTB. The extra couple years you may get to squeeze out of your life aren't worth what comes at the end of that road.

They have saved some people's lives. You wouldn't like your experience dismissed or unacknowledged; they would have the same objection, as justified as your feelings may be.

I already acknowledged the dangers above. My point was that if it is the case that OP desperately wants to find a path that doesn't lead to suicide, and nothing else is helping, then it is probably worth trying to a class of medications that has demonstrably helped *some people* (emphasis on "some") especially if she is standing on the edge of the abyss and has already embraced jumping in, *provided that* she doesn't want that.

 

[Suicidebydeath]

They potentially gave me permanent PSSD, and neither citalopram nor sertraline helped me in the slightest. They are not worth the risk of getting PSSD imho, you will absolutely regret it, and they weren't helpful anyway so it seems like taking a risk for no reason. Some similar symptoms as to what happened to Forgotten, along with worse ones, except permanent and irreversible. I don't think that this a biased answer either, since it has nothing to do with my personal reasons for suicidal ideation. Correlation /= causation.

I take mirtazapine now, since I have PSSD anyway it doesn't matter anymore. I don't know whether it helps or not but I refuse to come off it on the offchance I'll lose what energy I have. Around the same times my abusive uncle died of cancer and I briefly fell in love again, and then after that I went NC with family, so any of those things could've affected my recovery.

 

[Illegal Preclear]

I used to take Buspar for anxiety but switched to propranolol. I stopped taking anti-anxiety meds after high school though. Do you know if Buspar has any long-term effects?

If you already stopped taking anti-anxiety meds and didn't take them long enough to develop severe side effects, you should be in the clear. Thankfully, Buspar is one of the least dangerous Psych Drugs it seems when in terms of permanent damage, but while you're on it - if your dose is too high for your bodyweight (and Psychs just love over-prescribing) you're going to find yourself in a sleepwalking stupor, perhaps without even realizing it. I just watched a police bodycam video of a guy driving while his Buspar dose was too high - zoned out behind the wheel and killed two people. Yeah - that's another thing with Psych Drugs - if you drive a car, they can impair your driving without warning. I fell asleep behind the wheel of my car on Geoddon once - thankfully I jolted awake when I went off the road into a small ditch, but - I could have very also easily killed someone behind the wheel in that instance. Of course, the Psychiatrist didn't even care that that happened when I told him. Filthy Psychroach.

They have saved some people's lives. You wouldn't like your experience dismissed or unacknowledged; they would have the same objection, as justified as your feelings may be.

Just because someone won a million dollars at a casino doesn't mean you should encourage people to gamble. And on this particular gamble, the odds are very much against them. You're very lucky if you think there are no fates worse than death. There are a lot of fates worse than death - and becoming entangled with the mental health system is a fast track to the worst ones.

You're actively advising someone to take drugs that are physiologically addictive, in the same way h*roin or m*th is. I've been through Cymbalta withdrawal - it's 9 layers of Hell. I've been through Adderall withdrawal - 7 layers of Hell. Not as bad as Cymbalta withdrawal, but still Hellish. And just think about that detail - the SSRI did more damage than the drug that's akin to m*th. Oh, and if your Psych forgets to refill your prescription (happened to me many times) you're just plain SOL. Enjoy your living nightmare withdrawal. All because a Psych forgot to press a button on his computer then went on vacation.

Also, Psych Drugs will effect your impulse control - which makes you say things you wouldn't normally say to people. Like even casually mentioning to the Psych you've thought about CTB. Now you're being held for an involuntary Psych Incarceration and have to deal with Mental Health Court. Now you're REALLY going to want to CTB, but are going to be forced to stay alive by the most sadistic people you can imagine, who will gaslight you until you don't know which way is up.

Just...for the love of God, if you want a mind altering substance, there are a thousand other things you can try before you go down the Psychiatric road. St. John's Wort, Kratom, medical MJ, Kava, Blue Lotus, microdosing mushrooms - all of which you can access without having to put your life in the hands of sadistic individuals willing and able to strip you of all your human rights and basically kill your actual soul if they want to.

And they can kill your soul - I've seen 18 year olds too young to know better get tricked into having their brains shocked - they come out screaming and banging their heads against the walls. And I've seen people injected against their will with 6-month doses of drugs that just leave them drooling with 1000-yard stares.

So yeah - TL:DR - I don't really give half a sh*t about those who claim to love their pills. That's their prerogative and their choice. I'm here to tell people about the risks - which are EXTREME. You're entering into a system that makes Cops look like cuddly kittens by comparison. There are other roads to take. Even street drugs are a safer road to go down if you're THAT desperate. Death is NOT at all the worst thing that can happen to a human being. I've personally seen much, much worse.

 

[sserafim]

If you already stopped taking anti-anxiety meds and didn't take them long enough to develop severe side effects, you should be in the clear. Thankfully, Buspar is one of the least dangerous Psych Drugs it seems when in terms of permanent damage, but while you're on it - if your dose is too high for your bodyweight (and Psychs just love over-prescribing) you're going to find yourself in a sleepwalking stupor, perhaps without even realizing it. I just watched a police bodycam video of a guy driving while his Buspar dose was too high - zoned out behind the wheel and killed two people. Yeah - that's another thing with Psych Drugs - if you drive a car, they can impair your driving without warning. I fell asleep behind the wheel of my car on Geoddon once - thankfully I jolted awake when I went off the road into a small ditch, but - I could have very also easily killed someone behind the wheel in that instance. Of course, the Psychiatrist didn't even care that that happened when I told him. Filthy Psychroach.


Just because someone won a million dollars at a casino doesn't mean you should encourage people to gamble. And on this particular gamble, the odds are very much against them. You're very lucky if you think there are no fates worse than death. There are a lot of fates worse than death - and becoming entangled with the mental health system is a fast track to the worst ones.

You're actively advising someone to take drugs that are physiologically addictive, in the same way h*roin or m*th is. I've been through Cymbalta withdrawal - it's 9 layers of Hell. I've been through Adderall withdrawal - 7 layers of Hell. Not as bad as Cymbalta withdrawal, but still Hellish. And just think about that detail - the SSRI did more damage than the drug that's akin to m*th. Oh, and if your Psych forgets to refill your prescription (happened to me many times) you're just plain SOL. Enjoy your living nightmare withdrawal. All because a Psych forgot to press a button on his computer then went on vacation.

Also, Psych Drugs will effect your impulse control - which makes you say things you wouldn't normally say to people. Like even casually mentioning to the Psych you've thought about CTB. Now you're being held for an involuntary Psych Incarceration and have to deal with Mental Health Court. Now you're REALLY going to want to CTB, but are going to be forced to stay alive by the most sadistic people you can imagine, who will gaslight you until you don't know which way is up.

Just...for the love of God, if you want a mind altering substance, there are a thousand other things you can try before you go down the Psychiatric road. St. John's Wort, Kratom, medical MJ, Kava, Blue Lotus, microdosing mushrooms - all of which you can access without having to put your life in the hands of sadistic individuals willing and able to strip you of all your human rights and basically kill your actual soul if they want to.

And they can kill your soul - I've seen 18 year olds too young to know better get tricked into having their brains shocked - they come out screaming and banging their heads against the walls. And I've seen people injected against their will with 6-month doses of drugs that just leave them drooling with 1000-yard stares.

So yeah - TL:DR - I don't really give half a sh*t about those who claim to love their pills. That's their prerogative and their choice. I'm here to tell people about the risks - which are EXTREME. You're entering into a system that makes Cops look like cuddly kittens by comparison. There are other roads to take. Even street drugs are a safer road to go down if you're THAT desperate. Death is NOT at all the worst thing that can happen to a human being. I've personally seen much, much worse.

I also used to take Ritalin for ADHD. Then I switched to Adderall. I stopped taking meds after college though

 

[jar-baby]

The way they try to sell all potentially damaging psychiatric interventions is that they're better than being severely impaired or dead by suicide. The first outcome isn't really relevant to you and the second, well, you don't really view suicide as something to desperately be avoided. If you do sincerely wish to avoid that outcome, then it's probably worth tying.

Oh, I don't have any intention of trying SSRIs (if I'm getting it right, what they often do is substitute crippling negative emotions with apathy, and the latter's already my default state). I'm asking largely out of concern for the friend I mentioned (who's more high-functioning than I, not suicidal/severely depressed, and as I see it stands more to lose). This makes sense to me, though—thank you.