Angelo: Amazing, isn't it?

Tim, bless you for bringing this to people's attention! I'm sure I sound like a crusader whenever I hear about a friend or relative who has been prescribed these drugs because I am VERY much against them in all but the most dire cases (and only when they are prescribed by a psychiatrist).

I was put on Prozac, then Paxil then Serzone by an MD when I complained of feeling moody after the death of my mothers. I was seeing a social worker at the time for grief counseling, and she never suggested that I was "depressed," but the MD was sure the drugs would help. He assured me they were "perfectly safe."

Prozac made me crazy. I couldn't sleep for days and couldn't concentrate or do my job.

Paxil turned me into a narcoleptic, falling asleep at the wheel, standing up on the subway, at my desk, you name it.

Serzone's side-effects were less pronounced, but I completely lost my sex drive. Every time I complained about the drugs, the doctor insisted I stay on them saying that it was more important for me to be control the moods. At one point, he even compared the pills to blood pressure medicine--something I'd have to take my whole life if I wanted to be "even-keeled."

Just one problem...I wasn't depressed, I was grieving! So when I was done, I was popping pills for no reason. I did some research and discovered how the drugs were probably making me worse (I did feel progressively more depressed by the week, not least of all because I felt dead inside with no sex drive, no appetite, no real DRIVE of any kind). I read about how to take myself off the drugs and did (gradually), and I felt INSTANTLY better!

Just one problem, I've NEVER regained my full sex drive (not to be too personal). I've seen doctors since, and they say that I may have permanently altered my brain chemistry and that there might be nothing I can do to get back to my full "self." I feel like someone cut off my arm in a way, and I'm angry, but there's nothing I can do except warn others. The side effects ARE serious. They don't know how they will affect each person. They don't understand dosages yet, or long-term effects on men vs women, and kids shouldn't take them at all!

But that hasn' stopped doctors, even schools, from prescribing these potent pills for everything from a persistant bad mood to suicidal thoughts. Never do they prescribe exercise. Never do they insist on counseling. In my case, sadly, I was seeing a social worker who deferred to the "medically trained" doctor's opinion, so even though her "gut" told her this was extreme treatement for what was essentially garden variety grief and sadness, she didn' want to question his judgment.

My feeling is, unless you're thinking of killing yourself, try exercise. Try talk therapy. Try chocolate for chrissakes! But stay away from psychoactive drugs as if you're life depends upon it, because it just might!

Just based on my own experience...heart palpitations plus depression could be magnesium deficiency - especially if you live on coffee and don't eat your leafy greens. The chelated version is more cost-effective, and you should also be sure to get calcium (~1200mg calcium to ~400mg magnesium). I've seen an estimate that 50% of women are magnesium deficient, and magnesium is involved (as a cofactor) in prostaglandin metabolism (part of PMS). It's also cheaper than primrose oil. Consider that your other minerals as well as vitamins may also be deficient, and also that an excess of certain ones may be toxic. Do your homework.

Still too pooped to exercise? try a squirt of lime juice and 1/4-1/2 tsp lite salt (for the potassium) in a tall glass (or two) of water. If you need it, it will taste OK.

I think its halarious that I just got prescribed zoloft after talking about the work related stress I mentioned to my dr. I never intended to take it even for a minute,but especially not after reading more about it. I just cant believe this stuff is still being used and prescribed. I read that all lawsuits against the pharmacy companies regarding zoloft and the spreading of lies and misinformation about it had all been dismissed. That seems very fishy and corrupt to me. Its a shame this society lets pharmacy companies get so rich and big and powerful that they can easily afford to buy off judges, politicians, and even whole federal agencies (or at least the key staff). I read that this zoloft stuff is addictive and has severe withdrawel symptoms if you stop taking it too! So why didn't my doctor disclose any of that to me? All he told me was that its "safe". So I wonder if I can sue this dr for prescribing unneeded and potentially dangerous addictive drugs like this? Anyone know? Anyone ever tried? And also, what is the puppet master doing to bribe my doctor into prescribing me this totally bogus, unnecesarry stuff? Whats in it for my dr to push this stuff and lie about it being very safe? Id really like to know, id love it if some doctors would come out anonymously and post some details about what really goes on in the world of drug prescribing kickbacks......

1. Please, any club but Ballys. Their salespeople are so dishonest. They refused to let my sister out of her contract when she moved to a place with no club nearby, as they promised (orally) that they would.

2. There are similar results for lithium and exercise in treating bipolar disorder. lithium + exercise is worse than exercise alone. Thanks for getting the word out.

3. Had some trouble with hair loss a few years back due to mold, stress, lack of sunlight lack of aerobic exercise and a poor diet. Dr. proscribed finesteride with bad side effects. I wish Drs were better with diet and lifestyle modifications for disease.

1. Please, any club but Ballys. Their salespeople are so dishonest...

Yes, excellent point. I think my view on that club has shifted since 2003, almost seven years ago (!), when I wrote this.

Dr. proscribed finesteride with bad side effects.

Oh dear. So sorry! I also am starting to look at a future involving far less hair, and looked into the alternatives. Read extensively from people's experiences with finasteride. Yikes! Small, short-term gains traded off with the exact same situation (hair-wise) long term (perhaps worse) and lots of hormonal turbulence.

No thanks!

Oh dear. So sorry!

Thanks, at least I recovered eventually. Live and learn I guess.

I also am starting to look at a future involving far less hair, and looked into the alternatives.

Sorry if any of the following is redundant to your research, but I figured I might as well put it out there.

Saw Palmetto seems similar to Finesteride, but with slightly fewer side effects. It inhibits 5Alpha reductase type 1 and 2 ( finesteride only inhibited one of them) and does
so without inhibiting the cellular capacity to secrete PSA. (I can't remember the exact benefit of the prostate secreting PSA, but presumably it has a function.)

Personally I've given up on all anti-androgens, including saw palmetto, though. I'd rather work with my body than against it.

A lower fat, lower calorie diet with aerobic exericse seems the best route (apropos the original post.) Aerobic exercise (unlike strength training) increases SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) so that your testosterone is there if you need it, but is 'bound' and so testosterone will not be converted to DHT, which is the androgen which accelerates hair loss. (Not that DHT is really bad, outside of hair loss. Ironically, DHT actually increases hair growth before it seems to age the cells somehow. It seems like male pattern baldness results from senecent cells, or cells which are 'old' at the cellular level. )

Mold has a horrid effect on hair.

Resveratrol + grape skin extract (I don't know if grape SEED extract serves the same purpose) seems to be the most interesting treatment I've found. No side effects that I'm aware of (though I could see some mild problems, theoretically, from someone who took it long term without getting a moderate amount of K1 in their diet from green vegetables, or was on a blood thinner which inhibited K1. Also, it could interfere with the breakdown of some drugs, including statins, similar to problems caused by grapefruit, via inhibition of cytochrome p450 enzymes ) Resveratrol has a fair number of benefits to health in other ways as well.

While I don't know of any longterms studies of resveratrol in the western world regarding hair loss, the plant Polygonum multiflorum (ho shou wu) has an apparent history of promoting hair health in China. I've read that it has 'resveratrol-like compounds.' P. multiflorum is a botanical relative of Polygonum cuspidatum, which is often used in resveratrol supplements in the west. As interesting as Chinese medicine is, the quality control is awful. So resveratrol + grape skin extract may be a good,safe, readily available substitute for a traditional Chinese cure. Just a thought, in case you're still doing research.

Country Life has an interesting blend. Some aspect of it (either resveratrol or pine bark extract) seemed to boost my aerobic capacity, which was interesting.