My point in bringing this up is why accept SSRIs if they have more side effects and are less efficacious than heroin?
> SSRIs aren't addictive [1]
There are also a large number of side effects and risks associated with heroin; it's not just constipation as you say. [2]
[1] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in....
True, people occasionally OD on prescription medication, but it's usually as a rebound after having the prescription withdrawn and then finding more drugs.
The bottom line is, don't you think if they could sell more of this drug, they would? Opiates are a pretty terrible choice for an antidepressant for multiple reasons.
You've failed to present this. That opiates are bad is just dogma left around from the first religious-linked anti-drug pushes. I think they are inappropriate, but in the same way SSRIs are inappropriate, and have explained my position.
E.g. a UK study found that if you just give people all the heroin they want they quit after 2 years. There are no other complications than constipation.
You keep saying this, ignoring the fact that I showed (with a citation) that it is addictive, which is a complication. This is a pointless discussion, since the dogma is that you are pro-opiate past the point of reason. I seriously doubt you’ve even tried this drug.
SSRIs are not perfect but have a safer track record of being a first-attack against depression and anxiety, before having to resort to bigger guns like MAOIs.
You have to take pills more often (3x a day vs 1 a day) and only one potential benefit over SSRI which is less likelihood of sexual dysfunction.
Could you expand on this? Is this the "exploding head syndrome" where you have an incredibly "loud" hallucinatory experience just as you fall asleep?
For me, it is a loud sound but sort of within the head, accompanied by the sensation you get when you receive an electrical shock, which of course startles you awake. This unfortunately occurs just at the boundary between consciousness and sleep, which after it happens a few times in a row can put you off the idea of even trying to sleep. Occasionally I did awaken thinking there had been a literal explosion in the building.
I haven't taken SSRIs for 3 years and still get them, albeit less than when I was weaning off of them.
[1] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/brain-zaps#how-the...
The thing is the rest of the world doesn't seem to feel the burning desire to get as many people on them as possible and even have alternatives which aren't as limited. Reversible MAOI drugs like moclobemide have been around since the 90s and while they have a higher interaction profile (Can't mix it with anything serotonergic basically, so no amphetamines or cocaine or other antidepressants, which is fine), the reduced side effect profile is considered a bonus and the biggest reason for lack of adoption of this along with other treatments (It's astonishing how long we have known about the ketamine thing without using it) happens to just come down to marketing and doctors scared off by the early MAOIs where you need to strongly consider diet. The new stuff even reportedly improves sexual function. And you can't get it in the USA.