So we all know we have PSSD because we have it, but a lot of the time it is difficult to articulate to medical professionals just why we are so sure. So I was thinking that in this thread maybe we could collaboratively come up with a concise way to explain very clearly just how we know we have PSSD. What our main points are, what the best studies to cite are etc:
I'll start with a few points:
Over a period of a fortnight following discontinuation of the drugs my mind shifted from it's normal state into the state it currently it is in now. I never suffered from any of the symptoms I attribute to the drugs before I took the drugs.
All the symptoms I experienced after discontinuation were on the SSRI label as potential withdrawal symptoms. I didn't know this at the time so if it was my mind that was responsible for creating the symptoms and not the drugs that would be some coincidence.
I spent 4 months doing everything I could do to get better including good sleep pattern, diet and exercise because I was told online that it helped withdrawal, and I expected to get better within a few months as is the norm. I was in no way depressed like I am now yet I didn't improve.
Towards the end of this period I stumble across the forums, where 1000s of other people are reporting my exact same problem, my same symptoms, everything. Is this really another coincidence? Similar symptoms have been reported from even more people who have stopped taking a hair loss drug, which for some reason has a similar method of action to SSRIs[? not sure about this]
There is nothing in the medical literature that shows a causal link between poor mental health and some of the physical symptoms I have, e.g. genital anaesthesia.
The SSRI label states that persistent discontinuation syndrome is possible, they mention all the mental side effects using the very vague term 'cognitive issues'
There are now numerous studies showing a causal link between SSRIs and the symptoms we suffer from.