How can Prozac / SSRIs permanently alter the brain?

'I think you have to accept that there's a structural change in your brain when you take drugs like Prozac'. Psychotherapists love to argue. We argue about treatment theories, about our clients and their families, about the office coffeepot. read more

There are a fair variety of both dysfunctional and potentially toxic brain alterations that can be caused by antidepressants. Brain dysfunction, whether it is physical, functional, mitochondrial, neuronal, or something else, is not always guaranteed to be permanent, especially due to the aforementioned plasticity involved, but permanent changes have definitely been observed after SSRI use. read more

The so-called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRIs, include Prozac, Lexapro, Celexa, Paxil and Zoloft. Advertisement FOR THE RECORD: A previous version of this post and a photograph identified Effexor as an SSRI category antidepressant. read more

The plan to examine brain connectivity in patients successfully recovering from depression after using SSRIs and compare that data to patients who haven't responded to weeks of SSRI treatment, could help practitioners predict whether a patient should take an SSRI or pursue another therapy, a statement on the study indicates. read more