Prozac Backlash

Joseph Glenmullen, M.D., is a clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, is on the staff of the Harvard University Health Services, and is in private practice in Harvard Square. A nationally recognized authority on antidepressant side effects, Dr. Glenmullen testified at the FDA hearing that resulted in the FDA's spring 2004 warning about the dangers of antidepressant use, especially suicidal tendencies. Dr. Glenmullen won the 2001 Annual Achievement Award from the American Academy for the Advancement of Medicine for his efforts in warning physicians about the potential dangers of antidepressants in his widely acclaimed book Prozac Backlash. Dr. Glenmullen lives with his wife and three children in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and can be found on the web at drglenmullen.com.

Roughly 28 million Americans -- one in every ten -- have taken Prozac, Zoloft, or Paxil or a similar antidepressant, yet very few patients are aware of the dangers of these drugs, nor are they aware that better, safer alternatives exist. Now Harvard Medical School's Dr. Joseph Glenmullen documents the ominous long-term side effects associated with these and other serotonin-boosting medications. These side effects include neurological disorders, such as disfiguring facial and whole-body tics that can indicate brain damage; sexual dysfunction in up to 60 percent of users; debilitating withdrawal symptoms, including visual hallucinations, electric shock-like sensations in the brain, dizziness, nausea, and anxiety; and a decrease of antidepressant effectiveness in about 35 percent of long-term users. In addition, Dr. Glenmullen's research and riveting case studies shed shocking new light on the direct link between these drugs and suicide and violence.Written by a doctor with impeccable credentials, Prozac Backlash is filled with compelling, sometimes heartrending stories and is thoroughly documented with extensive scientific sources. It is both provocative and hopeful, a sound, reliable guide to the safe treatment of depression and other psychiatric problems.

CONTENTSIntroduction: The Prozac PhenomenonPART I. The Dangers of Prozac-Type Antidepressants1. The Awakened Giant's Wrath: Risking Brain Damage2. Held Hostage: Withdrawal, Dependence, and Wearing Off3. Not Tonight, Dear -- I'm on Prozac: Sexual Dysfunction4. Bones Rattling Like Tuning Forks: Startling New Information on Suicide and ViolencePART II. Balancing Medications with Alternative Approaches5. Behind-the-Scenes Forces: Understanding the Prozac Phenomenon6. Unraveling Depression: Stifled Anger and Sadness7. Surmounting Anxiety: Training for Elevators, a Patient's Story8. Conquering Addictions: Substance Abuse, Sexual Addictions, and Eating DisordersEpilogue: Effecting Personal ChangeNotesIndex