8 ms·
A relative of mine is on a very strong SSRI and stimulant combination; talking to them is almost impossible, they're constantly interjecting and changing the su
by snagglegaggle 7y ago
A relative of mine is on a very strong SSRI and stimulant combination; talking to them is almost impossible, they're constantly interjecting and changing the subject. They're a coked up toddler with a particularly large vocabulary.
A lot of SSRIs have the expected mechanism of action of disrupting your executive function. This is usually explained as making you more likely to act. The other is disrupting the linking and creation of long term memories, especially negative ones. You can find research evaluating SSRIs and antidepressents looking for these things. Maybe it's not bad, but long term memory and good executive function are the main components of IQ.
In the above case the stimulants were originally prescribed I think to counteract a loss of focus, they might be worse off without them.
Personally I lost a year and a half to Lexapro. It made me happy (or made me think I was) but completely removed any motivation I had to do anything. In my observations this is typical, and a concern I expressed to the doctors involved. People I've known turned into shells of themselves who never left the house.
- hestefisk 7y agoWhat do you mean disrupting the executive function? I have taken citalopram (an SSRI) for years without any impact.
- snagglegaggle 7y agoSSRIs are typically described by psychiatrists to their patients as making them more likely to act. They do this by disrupting the decision making process so you can't talk yourself out of an action due to anxiety, etc. In some cases this can lead to manic like symptoms associated with dopamine release, like obsessive gambling, extreme promiscuity, and overall poor decision making. You can check the side effects list of your medication, though some are more prone to this than others.