Brain damage from antidepresants

Can antidepresants cause brain damage?

[ILADVOCATE]

No. But some psychiatric medications can cause short term and long term movement disorders. Don't confuse that with brain damage. All antipsychotics except for Clozaril can cause tardive dyskinesia. Many anti-depressents can cause temporary movement disorders such as akathesia and dystonia which are not of concern and can be treated with side effect pills. The only known anti-depressent that can cause tardive dyskinesia is Tradazone and that is extremely rare that that happens. For more information google "Patient Education Tardive Dyskinesia". That's a clinically accurate site and as it says itself "some of these medications may be medically neccessary".

[caregiver222]

Wrong answer. The answer is yes.

But "yes" is a qualified "yes".

The damage does not always take place and the exact mechanisam of the damage and the area damaged is not always known.

You have to come up with an "operational definition" of brain damage. If tardive dyskinesia results that is caused, in part by brain damage.

I'm, not sure what "clinically accurate" means. Another flim-flam term.

If you research these medications in trhe Physician's Desk Reference you will note that often the company that makes them admits the mechanism of action is unclear.

You have to specify the medication in order to arrive at a risk-benefit decision.

Your question is too broadly framed.

In my opinion anti-depressants are overly prescribed by individuals who have little knowledge of how they act except from the CME provided by the drug company, which may or may not reflect reality.

[ILADVOCATE]

Tardive dyskinesia which I have in advanced form is Pakinsonianism which to quote my psychopharmocologist is "synpatic brain damage". There are some study criteria for advanced tardive dyskinesia that I am being considered for but I would not post about them other than in my journal entries except to say that they are being considered by a movement disorders specialist who is a researcher. They are study criteria and the study is not complete. However, if you go to the medication website for all anti-depressents except Tradazone they don't cause tardive dyskinesia but can cause akathesia and other temporary movement disorders.

[caregiver222]

Right now, if I had Parkinson's I would see about travel to Singapore for stem-cell treatment. There is one hospital in China that treated a single patient last year with excellent results. Singapore is the world's current center of such research.

Parkinson's, as you know is a difficult disease to treat. You have my syumpathies.

As for the question about anti-depressants, I am not against taking these medications in all cases. I would not be afraid of them. I would, however be cautious, and not accept the safety assurances out-of-hand.

[Cutice]

Seems like we are trying to find out the same things. I don't think that the small amount of time you were on remeron could have caused anything. You'll be ok. There are websites to go on that speak about how dangerous psych drugs are. It's all controversial. I'm still trying to figure out if the drugs I've been on caused my cognitive problems and if it can be reversed. I found a site Medications.com that posts symptoms people have on different medications. That might be helpful to you. People were complaining that Lamictal was causing concentration and memory problems. Similar complaints as mine. I've had this before going on Lamictal so I don't know if it's been all the drugs I've been on or if it's something else. If you find anything out let me know
Shannon

[lala800]

I saw my doctor on Friday and she denied that the symptoms that I'm having are long lasting after effects of the remeron. She said it must be something else and I need to go to another doctor for some tests. I explained to her that its on the FDA web site that these symptoms occur in some people but it doesn't say how long they last after the medication is stopped. I also explained thet lots of people on-line are complaining of these symptoms. As others have suggested she probably will not admit to it because she doesn't want to be held accountable. After going through this experience I don't think I will ever be able to trust psychiatry again!