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Do you or someone you love take SSRI drugs? If so, then perhaps you have been informed of the possible side effects. Most people have heard that SSRI drugs may affect their sex drive or cause weight gain but what they may not have heard is that these drugs can do far more damage to the body than the effects of the initial depression alone. The truth is SSRI drugs are not as safe as the pharmaceutical company would like you to think.

Since the 1980's SSRIs drug production has been in full force. The drugs which are selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors were initially created to treat depression. However, SSRIs are now also being used to treat the following symptoms: sleep disorders, hair pulling, school phobias, anorexia, bulimia, and certain forms of addiction, such as alcohol or gambling, to even a simple case of nail biting (Groenendijk, 2006). The sole purpose of SSRI drugs is to prevent serotonin from being reabsorbed back into the pre-synaptic terminal; therefore, leaving the chemicals available to continue working within the brain (Weiten, 2008).

Serotonin, also known as the happy drug, is thought to be contrived of chemicals that our
body creates to keep our spirits up. Unfortunately, the production of serotonin is not always steady, which may result in depression. This often times results in a visit to a psychiatrist who then prescribes an SSRI drug. The problem is that many doctors do not know the potential risk factors associated with the drugs. After all, the pharmaceutical company portrays SSRI drugs as safe and effective, which is not the case.

Groenendijk (2006) states that the general public, including doctors think SSRI drugs have gone through tedious testing under the care of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); however, the testing of new drugs is not done by the Food and Drug Administration. It is actually the pharmaceutical company that supports, funds, and carries out the drugs testing. The FDA relies on the pharmaceutical company's validity of research, which then results in an approval by the FDA (Waichman & Parker, 2000). However, the results presented to the FDA are often times far from accurate, or in some cases even withheld. Pringle (2007) reports that the lists of adverse side effects from SSRIs continue to lengthen; unfortunately, these effects are not uncovered until the pharmaceutical company faces litigation.

The typical standard of drug testing proposed by the FDA is that pharmaceutical companies perform at least 6 to

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