The insane story of how antidepressants stole one woman's childhood



Brooke Siem was 15 years old when her dad died. In the wake of this tragedy, her newly-widowed mother was worried about Brooke’s stoicism. So, she took her daughter to the doctor. That doctor referred her to another doctor, who diagnosed her with an anxiety and depressive disorder and put her on a cocktail of antidepressants.

That’s how Brooke lost 15 years of her life.

She stayed on the meds until she was 30 because that’s what the doctor said she needed to do.

“If the doctor tells you you need insulin because you have diabetes, you don't question it. The doctor told me I was depressed; so, he told me to take an antidepressant. I didn’t question that. Why would I, right?” she tells Allie Beth Stuckey.

But at 30 years old, Brooke found herself more depressed than she’d ever been, struggling with suicidal ideation and lack of emotion — despite the drugs. She realized this meant they were not working.

So, she decided to quit cold turkey at the instruction of her doctor, which she does not recommend. It’s important to properly wean off these drugs at the guidance of an experienced medical professional.

Brooke’s doctor told her she might feel like she had the flu for a few days, but it was no big deal. Instead, Brooke was launched headfirst into a “full-on psychological assault.”

Brooke detailed the severity of her withdrawal on last week’s episode of Relatable, “How Antidepressants Stole Her Childhood.”

Along with violent intrusive thoughts and mood swings, Brooke experienced a variety of physical symptoms:

“All my senses changed; so, I literally started seeing color more vibrantly, and things went from a little softer on the edges to super sharp. I developed really severe noise sensitivity. My skin got something called nodular vasculitis, which is basically an autoimmune response in the blood vessels, and it is because of extreme physical stress on the body.”

However, amidst all this darkness, she also described how she began to experience little moments of joy — a feeling completely foreign to her for the past 15 years.

“I was also having these moments of, like I said, color; it was like I could finally see color for the first time, and I could laugh at something and feel true joy.”

Brooke is now on a mission to share what happened to her, shed light on the reality of antidepressant withdrawal, and advocate for safe de-prescribing from psychiatric drugs. She detailed her story in her memoir, “May Cause Side Effects.”

To hear Brooke's story, watch the episode below.


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Elon Musk rails against popular antidepressant, reveals drug he uses when his brain chemistry 'goes super negative'



Elon Musk criticized a popular type of antidepressant, while at the same time revealing what drug he uses when his brain chemistry "goes super negative."

On Friday night, British rapper Zuby wrote on Twitter: "I just saw a TV ad for anti-depression medication and the listed side effects included SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, stroke, heart attacks, and death."

Musk replied to Zuby: "I have serious concerns about SSRIs, as they tend to zombify people."

Musk admitted that he occasionally uses the drug ketamine.

"Occasional use of ketamine is a much better option, in my opinion," Musk tweeted. "I have a prescription for when my brain chemistry sometimes goes super negative."

— (@)

A Wall Street Journal speculated that Musk used ketamine in an article published in June. The article claimed that Silicon Valley entrepreneurs – such as Musk and Google cofounder Sergey Brin – use psychedelics and similar substances such as ketamine, LSD, and psilocybin.

The WSJ reported, "The account of Musk’s drug use comes from people who witnessed him use ketamine and others with direct knowledge of his use."

Ketamine is a "dissociative injected anesthetic (blocks sensory perception) that has been available by prescription in the U.S. since the 1970s for human and veterinary uses," according to Drugs.com.

The site adds, "Prescription ketamine is available in a clear liquid or off-white powder form for intravenous injection or as a nasal spray."

"Ketamine is generally considered safe, including for those who are experiencing suicidal ideation (thoughts or plans for suicide)," wrote Dr. Peter Grinspoon in Harvard Health Publishing – the consumer health education division of Harvard Medical School. "The main side effects are dissociation, intoxication, sedation, high blood pressure, dizziness, headache, blurred vision, anxiety, nausea, and vomiting."

Grinspoon warned against ketamine use by people with a history of schizophrenia, substance use disorder, pregnant women, older adults with symptoms of dementia, and teenagers.

Speaking of people suffering from serious depression, Grinspoon said, "Ketamine can provide help and hope to patients who have not found relief with any other treatments. Given its efficacy in people considering suicide, it is plausible that ketamine may be lifesaving."

A Yale Medicine article on how ketamine could help with depression:

Interestingly, studies from Yale research labs showed that the drug ketamine, which was widely used as anesthesia during surgeries, triggers glutamate production, which, in a complex, cascading series of events, prompts the brain to form new neural connections. This makes the brain more adaptable and able to create new pathways, and gives patients the opportunity to develop more positive thoughts and behaviors. This was an effect that had not been seen before, even with traditional antidepressants.

Musk has previously railed against SSRIs – which stands for Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors.

"SSRI antidepressants are a type of antidepressant that have been shown to increase levels of serotonin within the brain," according to Drugs.com.

Musk said in June, "Depression is overdiagnosed in the US, but for some people it really is a brain chemistry issue. But zombifying people with SSRIs for sure happens way too much. From what I’ve seen with friends, ketamine taken occasionally is a better option."

In 2018, Musk faced scrutiny for smoking marijuana during an appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast.

Musk has a net worth of more than $232 billion – making him the richest person in the world, according to Forbes' real-time billionaires list.

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How Schools Encourage Kids to Get Medicated | Guest: Dr. Roger McFillin | Ep 822

How Schools Encourage Kids to Get Medicated | Guest: Dr. Roger McFillin | Ep 822

How Gardening Helped Me Quit My Antidepressant

I started a garden to increase my food security. I didn’t know it would help heal my anxiety and depression.

Tom Cruise interview from nearly 20 years ago sparks new debate about antidepressants and Scientology



An interview with Tom Cruise from nearly 20 years ago has resurfaced and sparked a new debate about antidepressants and Scientology.

A 2005 interview between Cruise and Matt Lauer – the then-host of the "Today" show – has recently gone viral. In the interview, the topic of actress Brooke Shields taking antidepressants to deal with postpartum depression was broached.

Cruise declared, "I think [Shields] is a wonderful and talented woman, and I want to see her do well. And I know that psychiatry is a pseudoscience."

Lauer advocated for Shields – who said she "considered swallowing a bottle of pills or jumping out the window at the lowest point of her depression following the birth of her daughter, Rowan Francis, in 2003," according to "Today." Shields said she overcame her suicidal thoughts after being prescribed the antidepressant Paxil.

Cruise rebutted, "Here we are today, where I talk out against drugs and psychiatric abuses of electroshocking people against their will; of drugging children without them not knowing the effects of these drugs."

Cruise asked Lauer, "Do you know what Adderall is? Do you know Ritalin? Do you know now that Ritalin is a street drug?"

Lauer admitted that there are abuses of prescription drugs.

“Here's the problem, you don’t know the history of psychiatry. I do," Cruise proclaimed.

"All it does is mask the problem," Cruise said of the use of antidepressants. "That’s what it does. That’s all it does. You’re not getting to the reason why. There is no such thing as a chemical imbalance."

"I'm saying drugs aren't the answer," the action star said. "These drugs are very dangerous – they're mind-altering, antipsychotic drugs. And there are ways in doing it without that, so we don't end up in a brave new world."

Cruise calls Lauer "glib," and says the talk show host "doesn't even know was Ritalin is."

Cruise then challenges Lauer to find out more about Ritalin to educate his viewers.

The video went viral on Twitter last week, racking up more than 3.2 million views.

\u201c#BasedTomCruise\u201d
— Brett R. Smith (@Brett R. Smith) 1658429760

The Tom Cruise interview about antidepressants garnered much attention last week after a new study questioned whether antidepressants actually help people with depression.

Researchers from University College London released a study last week that concluded that there is "no clear evidence" that serotonin levels or serotonin activity is responsible for depression.

"The popularity of the 'chemical imbalance' theory of depression has coincided with a huge increase in the use of antidepressants," said professor Joanna Moncrieff, the study’s lead author. "Prescriptions for antidepressants have risen dramatically since the 1990s, with one in six adults in England and two percent of teenagers now being prescribed an antidepressant in a given year."

"Our view is that patients should not be told that depression is caused by low serotonin or by a chemical imbalance, and they should not be led to believe that antidepressants work by targeting these unproven abnormalities," Moncrieff noted.

Many online commentators praised Cruise for cautioning against antidepressants 17 years ago.

Podcast host Michael Knowles remarked, "This interview has aged like a fine wine."

Conservative commentator Matt Walsh said, "Tom Cruise has been mocked ruthlessly for this for the past 20 years and yet everything he said was 100 percent undeniably true."

Journalist Sharyl Attkisson added, "Not all that long ago, people were allowed to say these things in America without getting censored or canceled. Today? Not so much. Still, this file tape survives."

However, other online commentators argued that Cruise's position against antidepressants and psychiatry is the same stance as Scientology.

Podcast host Erick Erickson tweeted, "There’s no reason to normalize Tom Cruise’s statements on psychiatry because he is saying what you think. Cruise’s position comes from Scientology, which very much should not be given credit or normalized."

Former staff member of the Church of Scientology Aaron Smith-Levin explained, "Tom Cruise isn’t making the point you think he’s making. Behind his statement that psychiatric drugs only mask the problem lies his belief that ONLY Scientology can fix the 'real' problem. I.e., the reactive mind and Body Thetans."