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+--- Thread: The Overprescribing of SSRIs For Male depression (/Thread-The-Overprescribing-of-SSRIs-For-Male-depression)
The Overprescribing of SSRIs For Male depression - ShadowByte - 01-23-2024
what is an SSRI and what is it used for? A ssri is a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor. You might ask what does it do? And how does this play a role in helping patients with depression? An SSRI blocks the reuptake of serotonin put simply, it's in the name. However you release serotonin in small amounts whenever you basically do anything like laugh, but your brain will release too much of it so it will Re uptake the excess serotonin back. When you take an SSRI you block the reuptake of serotonin so you have more serotonin being pushed out, and for some people that's what they need to help them treat their anxiety or depression.
Now my problem with SSRIs and male depression/anxiety. I've had friends who have been considered “clinically depressed” and before my medical knowledge I trusted in the idea, well still do, that SSRIs helped treat patients with depression and anxiety. But one thing I did notice with my male friends who would take this stuff was their mood, side effects, over-prescription, and dependence. Whenever my friends would take this stuff it would just make them mellow, with no reactions, no energy just mellow. And in a sense yes this is what you want right? To stop the depressive thoughts and or anxiety. And basically whenever a doctor prescribes you medicine they’re balancing the pros and cons, but the thing is they’re balancing the pros and cons over a 5-10 min conversation you have with them. I would see my friends around EOD so I had a better grasp of them and could monitor their moods better and get a better view of what they were going through than a normal doctor or psychiatrist would. I realized that they were prescribing medications for a mild depressive state where therapy or lifestyle changes would be better suited and more beneficial. And because they already prescribed them these medications and started taking them for months at a time, they created a dependency on them. And checkups consisted of Do you still feel sad? No, ok good have another refill. This in my eyes was just not right. So me being me, I like to test hypotheses and use my friends as Guinea pigs, but my friends who suffered from a MILD form of depression or anxiety and had been on SSRIs for an extended amount of time created a dependency on them I started to lower there dose weekly till they got used to the new dose, then lower it again. Simultaneously as they were lowering their doses I got them lifting weights and other lifestyle changes, so as we continued to lower doses we increased these positive lifestyle changes. Until I got them completely off and this was not a linear growth positive, there were some downs but they were taught how to manage with it. As well I also got my friends to get their testosterone tested, fasted, in the morning. Turns out every single one of my friends who got tested had low Testosterone. And what is one of the symptoms of having low testosterone? Depression/Anxiety. So the diagnoses and prescription of SSRIs for mild depression were incorrect. And ofc you can’t blame the doctor they don’t know all the symptoms and one thing I have learned clinically is that all patients lie, a patient out of embarrassment won’t tell you they’re having Erectile issues, or they won't tell you that their testicles are smaller than normal. It's embarrassing for patients and often not stated. Anyway though, they were prescribed testosterone by a competent endo and have not suffered since, my friends have been grateful to me ever since, and is something that when I see a male patient complain of depression or anxiety is something that I don't rule out.
Sorry for the long post, I'm just passionate