Discovering the Long-term Effects of SSRI Use
Underlying Causes for
Protracted WithdrawalThursday, April 2, 2026
Issue # 259
Hello there!
It is amazing how little is known about the long-term effects of SSRI exposure. It's almost as if it's not important.
Just like the topic of medication withdrawal, despite long years in training, physicians are left with little to no understanding of safe psychiatric medication withdrawal.
Some wonder if it's even possible. Perhaps it's impossible. Isn't mental illness a chronic disorder? Why bother to come off medications if they are the best treatment available for mental illness, and if mental illnesses will never resolve?
Would you get on a horse if no one knew how to get you off?
Would you enter a room if no one knew how to get you out?
Wouldn't you look for an alternative form of transportation besides a horse? Wouldn't you want to explore another room instead?
Today's article and podcast summarize what I've learned over the past three months about the long-term effects of SSRI exposure and how to help two patients recover from protracted withdrawal.
The battles for their recovery were as intense as any war abroad. The patients' will and determination needed to be as strong as a soldier, and they were. In the long run, they healed, and we all grew and advanced from our efforts.
This podcast is special in another way. I have a wonderful, new co-host, Emily, who will be joining me on future podcasts as we explore holistic psychiatry together. Emily brings a wonderful, unique dimension to these podcasts that I hope you will appreciate.
Read on to discover the secret, underlying causes for protracted withdrawal that have important implications for understanding addiction and dependence on other pharmaceutical agents.
Have a bright and joyful spring week!
The Long-term Effects of SSRI Use
Underlying Causes for
Protracted Withdrawal
K.V. and S.T. didn't know each other, but they shared startling similarities. Both were in their 40's. Both had been born in the same region of India. Both had been prescribed an SSRI. K.V. began taking Lexapro in 2018, and was taking 15 mg per day when she began treatment with me in January, 2025. S.T. was on 60 mg of Prozac for a short period of time when he began treatment with me in February, 2025, but had been on a carousel of medications for the past 25 years, most of which he stopped on his own. Both were determined to get off their medication using a holistic approach. And both had a fairly easy medication withdrawal . . . until three months after they came off their medications.
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