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More than 11% of Americans take prescription medication for depression, according to survey data from the Centers for Disease Control. A growing number of people say going off antidepressants has left them with debilitating symptoms years or even decades later, as Emily Corwin reports.
One of those who’s turned to online forums to parse long-term antidepressant withdrawal symptoms is Phillipa Munari. Munari tapered off the drug Effexor with the help of a doctor over the course of a few weeks. At first she felt fine. But several months later she started experiencing strange new symptoms: Nerve pain in her neck and shoulders, debilitating anxiety, and exhaustion. She says she spent much of the next two years in bed.
For other patients, side effects they had while on the drugs can linger when they try to go off meds, including symptoms like sexual dysfunction or emotional numbness, also called anhedonia.
Tens of thousands of people dealing with this are gathering online and pushing for recognition and research. Many say their doctors didn't warn them this could happen, and didn't believe them when they said they were having a problem.
It’s well known among physicians that stopping antidepressants can cause short-term withdrawal, with patients suffering from symptoms like dizziness, anxiety, insomnia and nausea. But less is understood about symptoms that last for months or years after stopping the drugs. Although psychiatrists have been documenting cases like Munari's for decades, only small-scale studies have taken place.
Advocates are lobbying governments and the medical establishment to fund studies on antidepressant withdrawal, with some success. In response to pressure from patients, the Canadian government recently began funding research into some of the symptoms through small grants through the University of British Columbia. Other research is being funded by patients themselves. And the American Psychiatric Association has begun a review of lasting problems from antidepressants – which British psychiatrist Mark Horowitz says is a sign patient advocates are being heard.
Learn more about the patients and doctors calling attention to long-term antidepressant withdrawal.
Also: Rise and grind? Working late, volatile hours may lead to depression, illness by 50 |
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URGENT: Ask your Senators to stand for public media.
In a few days, the Senate will vote on a rescissions package that would eliminate $1.1 billion in already-approved federal funding for public media. The NPR Network is in serious jeopardy, and some local newsrooms are at risk of shuttering entirely. But you can still speak out for an essential American service.
Urge your Senators to take a stand for public media. It takes 20 seconds at the link below. |
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In an Instagram video, Dr. Cate Shanahan, the self-described “mother of the No Seed Oil Movement” tells an interviewer “Seed oils are the root cause of literally every chronic disease.” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said vegetable oils — extracted from the seeds of plants, like canola, soybean and safflower — are poisoning Americans and driving the obesity epidemic.
Many nutrition and health researchers say that while seed oils might not be as good for you as olive oil, claims that they're harmful to health have been stretched too far, as NPR’s Maria Godoy reports.
One common concern is that these oils promote inflammation in the body. The idea here is that consuming seed oils over a long period of time gives rise to chronic inflammation — which can lead to health problems like autoimmune diseases, heart disease and certain cancers.
This idea is based on the kinds of fats found in these oils. Seed oils tend to have higher levels of essential fatty acids called omega-6s – which can promote inflammation in the body – and lower levels of other essential fatty acids called omega-3s, which the body can convert into molecules that fight inflammation. But Sarah Berry, a professor of nutrition at King's College London, says randomized controlled trials have found that when people consume more seed oils they don't show signs of excess inflammation.
Tom Brenna, a nutrition researcher at the University of Texas, says emerging research suggests some people may be more susceptible to inflammation from omega-6s than others. It’s important to have a good balance between the two kinds of essential fatty acids. He suggests that instead of trying to eliminate omega-6s from your diet, make a point of eating foods high in omega-3s, like salmon, walnuts and flax seeds. You can try cooking with seed oils labeled as "high oleic” – which have lower levels of omega-6s and fatty acid profiles similar to olive oil.
Should you switch out your cooking oil? Find more on the science and nutrition of seed oils here.
Plus: Is coconut oil really a ‘health food’? |
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Alexander Spatari/Getty Images |
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Are you a glucose 'dipper'? Here's how to fix those blood sugar highs and lows
Listen: Itchy? Air pollution might be making it worse
Why a new opioid alternative is out of reach for some pain patients
18 states have passed laws protecting patients from surprise ambulance bills. Insurers are pushing back
We hope you enjoyed these stories. Find more of NPR's health journalism online.
All our best,
Andrea Muraskin and your NPR Health editors |
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