Anonymous asked this question on 4/14/2000:
I knew a guy that said that taking Zoloft made him feel less bad. The problem was that he felt less bad when he was angry at someone as well. And if he dwelled on negative thoughts such as revenge he did not get the guilty feelings associated with these thoughts that would normally be there, and should be there. He was able to go-off on someone that angered him and do it with little guilt. He told me of a dream he had where someone said something only slightly rude to him. He then cut the guys legs off at the knees and left him crying. He said during and after the dream he felt absolutely no remorse whatsoever, and was only slightly angry. This scared him so he weened himself off the depressant and is fine now. He only needed them to get through some rough times. His point was that the drug seemed to suppress bad feelings whether they were warrented or not, such as when they should be present when doing or thinking cruel thoughts, such as shame, or horror for one's indecent thoughts or actions. His story reminded me of that news story I heard when Prozac first came out. This woman was on Prozac and killed her mother with a steak knife. She blamed it on Prozac. I see there might be a connection. My girlfriend has been on various antidepressants for 11 years and often times doesn't seem to be able to comprehend how she hurts. This is a major problem with us now. Has this "cold-blooded" side effect ever been noticed about antidepressants?, I knew a guy that said that taking Zoloft made him feel less bad. The problem was that he felt less bad when he was angry at someone as well. And if he dwelled on negative thoughts such as revenge he did not get the guilty feelings associated with these thoughts that would normally be there, and should be there. He was able to go-off on someone that angered him and do it with little guilt. He told me of a dream he had where someone said something only slightly rude to him. He then cut the guys legs off at the knees and left him crying. He said during and after the dream he felt absolutely no remorse whatsoever, and was only slightly angry. This scared him so he weened himself off the depressant and is fine now. He only needed them to get through some rough times. His point was that the drug seemed to suppress bad feelings whether they were warrented or not, such as when they should be present when doing or thinking cruel thoughts, such as shame, or horror for one's indecent thoughts or actions. His story reminded me of that news story I heard when Prozac first came out. This woman was on Prozac and killed her mother with a steak knife. She blamed it on Prozac. I see there might be a connection. My girlfriend has been on various antidepressants for 11 years and often times doesn't seem to be able to comprehend how she hurts. This is a major problem with us now. Has this "cold-blooded" side effect ever been noticed about antidepressants?
desertphile gave this response on 4/21/2000:
The answer to your question is "No," Zoloft does not make one "cold-blooded." In fact it makes them less-so. Zoloft is effective in curbing and reducing sociopathic urges such as to go out and hurt people. There is an excellent example:
One of the killers at the Columbine High School shooting was on Zoloft because of his anti-social behavior. The drug was doing an excellent job in helping him control his anger. Unfortunately he decided he WANTED to "feel rage," so he ceased taking the drug long before the shooting rampage. If he had only stayed on his Zoloft medicine, the shoortings and deaths would not have occured. It's a shame his parents did not monitor his drug consumtion to make sure he was taking the treatment.
Fortunately, Zoloft is being used by many people to successfully treat their pathological anger. It is impossible to say how many deaths were PREVENTED because of this drug, but it must number in the hundreds due to the amount of people receiving the treatment, and the marked decrease in violence the USA is currently enjoying.
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