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New MRI Studies Show SSRIs Bring Rapid Changes to Brain Function
A story at the Los Angeles Times reports that researchers at the Max Planck Institute have found that Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, various of which are widely used in anti-depressant medications, cause changes in healthy subjects' brain architecture just hours after ingestion. As the article mentions, one reason that this rapid change is surprising is that patients taking SSRIs to treat depression typically take considerably longer (weeks) to perceive a change in mood. A slice from the story:
When more serotonin was available, this resting state functional connectivity decreased on a broad scale, the study found. This finding was not particularly surprising -- other studies have shown a similar effect in brain regions strongly associated with mood regulation. But there was a two-fold shock: Some areas of the brain appeared to buck the trend and become more interdependent. And all the changes were evident only three hours after the single dosage. ... The rapid connectivity shifts noted by the study might therefore be precursors to longer-term changes, perhaps starting with remodeling of synapses, the microscopic gaps where chemical neurotransmitters such as serotonin flood across to an adjacent brain cell, the study suggests. But this type of brain scanning can’t pick up changes at such a scale, so the hypothesis will have to be tested other ways[.] ... Study subjects did not have diagnoses of depression, so researchers will need to generate similar maps among those diagnosed with depression, and re-map them during and after depressive episodes, as well as after treatment, Sacher said. Comparisons might then show whether a certain initial architecture predicts treatment success.
...was mostly helpful in allowing me some clarity...
Depression isn't just about feeling sad. It's a whole range of negative emotions including guilt, hopelessness, lack of motivation, lack of confidence, etc. The opposite of depression is being manic - where a person feels happy, supremely confident and motivated, that everything is possible, etc.
Now, you seem to be hinting that the SSRI made you smarter (i.e. gave you clarity). But that's unlikely for a variety of reasons. Instead, it most likely made you feel smarter, more confident, etc. And maybe that's what you meant - that you had a unrealistically pessimistic view of the world and the SSRI caused you to have a less pessimistic view of the world.
For many people, being able to biochemically feel more motivated and less concerned about the consequences of their actions is exactly what they need. Maybe someone lost their job in a particularly unpleasant way and they're having trouble getting back on the horse, so to speak, and looking for a new job - and then the fact that months are going by and they're still unemployed is making them even even less motivated, etc.
But consider someone who is so desperately unhappy that the thing they want more than anything is to not exist - but they're held back by lack of motivation and concern for the consequences on their family. If you biochemically alter such a person's brain to feel more motivated and less concerned about the consequences of their actions then you made an already dangerous situation much more dangerous. Now, SSRIs are often prescribed together with valium derivatives which could potentially take the edge off and make a person less unhappy - dulling the desire to cease to exist - and perhaps also dulling the motivation a bit. And then there's also depression caused by an external situation. If someone is depressed because they're in an abusive relationship then obviously SSRIs are the wrong solution (i.e. the right solution is to get out of the relationship).
Which is all consistent with this latest study. Depression isn't some simple biochemical imbalance that's cured as soon as the SSRI diffuses across the blood-brain barrier (i.e. a time scale of hours). And, to the extent that SSRIs do have a biochemical effect on mood (i.e. subtracting the massive placebo effect) it's important to be very careful that this biochemical effect is actually beneficial to the patient because if you get that wrong you end up with a dead patient.
SSRIs can increase suicidal tendencies when initially starting treatment. This is because SSRIs improve motivation before mood, and it is the reason you start a dose under close observation. Additionally, SSRIs can have a whiplash effect when stopped cold turkey, potentially increasing anxiety and depression. SSRIs MUST be tapered in order to safely withdraw from them. This are all well-known, studied effects of this class of drugs. Though these effects don't occur in all patients, it's frequent enough to warrant caution.
http://www.mentalhealth.umn.edu/medication/pdfs/antidep_bro.pdf
http://www.mhra.gov.uk/PrintPreview/DefaultSP/CON146583
Not much is known about how they work, but plenty is known about their effects. Millions of people take them safely and effectively. I'd avoid newer drugs for a time... I like the buffer of a few hundred thousand people ahead of me in line... That said, I've taken them in the past. Make no mistake, they change who you are. Sometimes that's required though, so you should think logically about the situation.
Posting as AC -- the effect is to interfere with the ability to "finish." For those with premature "issues," this can be a benefit. For those of us with "normal" "stamina," it may cause an inability to "finish," essential providing infinite, though very frustrating stamina.