SSRIs & SNRIs: Side Effects, Anxiety Treatment, and Withdrawal Symptoms Explained
Unpacking the Science, Side Effects, and the Need for a More Honest Conversation About Anxiety and Depression Treatment
March 03, 2025
Question: Are antidepressants (SSRIs) addictive?
Answer: NO.
Question: Does a body form a ‘dependence’ on medications taken daily?
Answer: YES.
Ah, RFK, the eternal meme of conspiracy theories. Infamous for spouting refuted science (see his position on vaccines and autism) and a troubling history with roadkill, his semantically flawed position comparing SSRIs to heroin has merit. I know, I know - his rhetoric is dangerous because it’s sloppy and of a mind that resides in sycophantic delusions. BUT, the man has a point.
For many people, tapering off of psychiatric medications (aka “deprescribing”) is life-altering and painful, with debilitating symptoms lasting for months to years, and in extreme cases, forever (not symptoms of the ‘disorder’ the medication was treating but withdrawal symptoms).
While the new administration retreats to its lair to revise talking points about SSRIs being just as addictive as heroin, let's take 60 seconds for some box breathing and look to science, evidence, and research to answer long-overdue questions about how we treat anxiety and depression in America.
…
