← The Isabel Brown Show
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- [00:01]
Podcast Host
This episode is brought to you by. Prime Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime Originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories, and the book to screen favorites you've already read twice off campus. Elle every year after the Love Hypothesis, Sterling Point and more slow burns, second chances chemistry you can feel through the screen. Your next obsession is waiting. Watch only on Prime
- [00:31]
Co-host or Guest
Girl.
- [00:31]
Podcast Host
Winter is so last season and now spring's got you looking at pictures of tank tops with hungry eyes. Your algorithm is feeding you cutoffs. You're thirsty for the sun on your shoulders that perfect hang on the patio. Sundress those sandals you can wear all day and all night. And you've had enough of shopping from your couch. Done. Hoping it looks anything like the picture when you tear open that envelope. It's time for a little in person spring treat. It's time for a trip to Ross. Work your magic. If you're one of the psychos still out there consuming the mainstream media, A get help.
- [01:06]
Bobby Kennedy Jr.
Stop it. Get some help.
- [01:08]
Podcast Host
But B you're probably under the assumption this week that our crazy rabid anti science Health and Human Services Secretary Bobby Kennedy is on a crusade to destroy important antidepressant medication keeping millions of people alive. How dare he? It's just the latest in his crazy anti vaccine, anti yummy food, anti freedom free fight against the American people. You see where I'm going with this? But actually, I have come across some of the most insane headlines about this this week with the mainstream media running interference for Big Pharma to keep our generation as medicated as humanly possible. Meanwhile, what Secretary Kennedy is actually trying to do is help our generation escape being a lifelong patient of SSRI medications and slave to Big Pharma. But we'll get to that in a second. Yahoo News RFK Jr exploring how to ban popular antidepressants, Ms. now RFK Jr's dangerous crusade against antidepressants Reuters Kennedy's health officials exploring US ban of some widely used Antidepressants or even just the hill RFK Jr wants people to stop taking antidepressants Real quick. Why is that so bad? Why is it bad for someone tasked with leading the health of our nation to not want our entire generation to be constantly over prescribed medication that we don't need that's impacting our mental, physical and spiritual health for the rest of our lives? Math ain't math. And not having a ton of intimate experience with SSRIs myself, I decided to go down a massive rabbit hole on this and cannot unlearn the horror that I have learned in the last few days. For the record, 11.4% of all adults in the United States reported last year that they were taking some sort of antidepressant medication, what we pharmaceutically often refer to as SSRIs. Almost 12% of US adults last year alone, and that's about 40 million people. When you sh out the math, if you zoom into Generation Z, almost 17% of 18 to 24 year olds were taking antidepressant drugs last year. And the overrate of prescription. I say over on purpose because we are massively overprescribing this stuff to kids increased by 2/3 according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, from 2016 to 2022 alone. This is a major modern problem and it's not isolated. Asking all of the right questions to the Bobby Kennedys of the world. But even many on the radical political left are starting to talk about this as well, because spoiler alert, it's not a partisan issue whatsoever. This is an issue of humanity and health. As I started my independent investigation into all of this, I came across one video that has broken the Internet over and over again, now has over 4 million views from just this one account that I saw it from on X of Ella Elmhoff, who you may remember that name being the stepdaughter of Kamala Harris, who presumably could have been our next President of the United States. Thank you God. Again, that that did not happen. Thank God. But ella posted a TikTok video a few days ago saying that she was prescribed SSRIs 15 years ago. She is 26 today, which means that she was first given these drugs by her doctor at 11 years old, saying she's never really stopped to think about what it would mean for her to quit. And the massive over prescription of antidepressants that has been shoved down the throats of literally of our generation. Listen to this.
- [04:35]
Listener or Caller
I'm just sitting here crocheting, waiting for a friend and I was just listening to this podcast that the Wall Street Journal put out about SSRIs and anti anxiety meds and kind of the over prescription of them in America. And it was making me think a lot because I've been on SSRIS for over a decade, almost 15 years probably. And they were calling out the lack of research on long term use of these things. They were calling out the lack of information that doctors give about coming off of these meds and kind of the psychological effects they can have. And it really got me thinking how little I've thought about that. Naively, obviously. But I've noticed that every time I've gone off of it for a week or missed it or for whatever reason, like, it has been really hard for me and I've had a really hard time. And I guess this is just something I was wondering if you guys have thought about or relate to or kind of consider when you're thinking about going on meds like that, because I don't know if this is something that I feel like is being talked about enough, because I feel like so many of us are on these meds and this is like actually happening. Like, people get off of them and they kind of break down and it could be really bad. So, yeah, I guess I just want your general thoughts.
- [06:05]
Podcast Host
Eleven years old, first prescribed antidepressants. Of course that's going to impact your physical, mental and spiritual health in some capacity. Taking any pharmaceutical does. But where you start to see the most horrifying stories about how SSRIs are destroying the health of our generation is when people decide to get off of them. And that's what Secretary Kennedy seems to be focusing on the most, clearing up all of the insane misinformation that the mainstream media has been pushing the last few days. Secretary Kennedy actually gave a public address about this just a few days ago and he said, if you are taking psychiatric medication, we're not telling you to stop, but we want to make sure that you and your clinician have the right information and the ability to make the right decisions about safely tapering off of these medications if it's something that you no longer want to take. Here's what he had to say.
- [06:52]
Bobby Kennedy Jr.
Let me be clear. If you are taking psychiatric medication, we're not telling you to stop, or making sure that you and your clinician have the information and support to make the right decisions for you. That includes a safe, evidence based path to tapering and discontinuation when clinically appropriate. At hhs, we are building that path. We are giving clinicians the tools to guide patient safety. We're giving patients the information to make informed choices because an informed choice is the only choice. Nearly 48 million Americans experience depression. Last year, more than 48 million struggled with substance use disorders. These are not abstract numbers. These are family members. These are individuals. These are people who other people love. That is the scale of the challenge. We are not going to solve it by defaulting to medication. We're going to solve it by strengthening prevention, expanding non drug treatment options, and restoring clinical standards that prioritize outcome over volume. Our goal is straightforward to reduce unnecessary dependence on medication, to improve patient outcomes and to return control of the patients.
- [08:18]
Podcast Host
I cannot imagine being upset about that. Like who in their right mind is sitting around angrily typing a crazy op ed or even a journal like an actual journalistic news piece from some high rise newsroom in Manhattan angrily, ferociously typing away on their computer about how evil RFK is for wanting to create more non pharmaceutical treatment options for the massive epidemic of depression that we have been experiencing as a country? Who could be mad about that in trying to tackle the massive mental health crisis impacting our generation and getting away from Big Pharma in order to solve that? Did you know that prayer is actually scientifically proven to reduce our stress, to improve our mental health and to lower cortisol levels? And honestly, with everything going on right now, I think we could all really use that and a fresh start. And that's exactly why I love Hallow. It is the easiest way to stay consistent with your prayer life, even when life feels really, really busy. I listen to Hallow every single morning. I am loving their new series on detachment right now, which has been a great spiritual challenge for me, but I also host a young adults devotional on the platform. I cannot get enough of their seasonal prayers that they offer through Lent and Advent, the podcasts that are on there, even Gregorian chant music. That is my personal favorite to study too. It has just been the most wonderful, consistent part of my daily routine and helped our family to pray together every day. And speaking of that detachment challenge that Hallow just launched, it couldn't come at a better time because it allows us to detach from things in the world that are weighing us down. If you've been feeling overwhelmed or pulled in a million different directions, or constantly busy, this challenge is for you. It's about learning to let go of what you can't control and to place it entirely in God's hands so that we can actually feel more present, more grounded and more at peace. You don't have to have everything figured out. I sure as heck don't have everything figured out. You can just show up for this challenge and let God meet you there. Head to hello.comisabel to download the Hallow app and join for three months free. What's actually happening in our society right now is that Big Pharma is preying upon the fact that there are millions, tens of millions of Americans every single year massively struggling with their mental health. We are living through a massive mental health epidemic in our country, mostly from young people, and they see that as an opportunity to create out of you a lifelong customer that remotely, in order to feel somewhat joyful in your life, has to take a pill that alters everything about your very identity every single day. And they assume that you'll never want to get off of them. Because there is basically no, virtually no safe clinical pathway to get our generation off of SSRIs as it exists today. And I had no idea how bad this problem was until a group of courageous, bold, brave gen zers has now begun to share their stories unapologetically, extremely transparently, and from a place of activism, desperately wanting people in regulatory positions at the fda, in HHS at large, and certainly in clinical positions all across the country to start paying attention. Yesterday I joined Secretary Kennedy and a whole host of other incredible people at HHS for the launch of moms.gov, which is an amazing new initiative of the federal government trying to connect moms in need across the country to a ton of different resources that helps us through this journey of parenting. Whether that's fertility treatments. And we can talk about that on another episode. Cause I know there's a lot of controversy there, but fertility treatments in and out of the world of ivf, connecting young women to pregnancy resource centers instead of a Planned Parenthood where they actually can get free prenatal care, breastfeeding resources, pregnancy related nutrition and postpartum nutrition so much. It's an incredible program. But while I was there, just after the event ended, I was approached by a beautiful young woman named Danielle. And Danielle is one of these gen zers courageously sharing her story of how dramatically antidepressants impacted her life from a negative perspective. She shared with me that she was prescribed antidepressants at 7 years old. 7. And never given an opportunity really to get off of them in a safe manner. Which is why SSRIs gave her permanent brain damage. She said that no clinician in her entire adolescent life ever told her that. SSRIs cause permanent chemical castration, which we often talk about with hormone related drugs for gender transition. They cause full loss of genital sensation, which totally impacts your ability to have a successful intimacy experience later on in life, irreversible emotional blunting, and so much more. And this video that Danielle has posted has now gone viral all over social media with thousands of comments of young people saying they have experienced exactly the same thing.
- [12:51]
Danielle
Antidepressants gave me brain damage. Psych meds aren't as safe as the doctors make them out to be. So I'm sharing the truth on the extreme injuries they cause and the side effects that doctors don't tell you about. I was only seven years old when I was wrongfully over prescribed medications for years. I told my doctor how awful the medicine made me feel. He dismissed me saying medication can't do that and blamed it on my OCD and anxiety and pushed more meds on me telling me I needed them. I was always met with resistance and had my lived experience invalidated. I questioned and doubted myself. I after 15 years of being brainwashed and carelessly medicated, I made the decision to come off for good. My doctor loaded my dose over four short weeks, making me debilitatingly sick. I was in constant excruciating pain in my body and mind and left bedridden and disabled. I had vision loss, burning in my entire body, intense association, delirium, uncontrollable shaking and pure mental agony. It was torment I could not escape. I felt like a raw exposed nerve, light and sound, physically hurt. I could not think and had trouble communicating. I was terrified not knowing what was happening in my body. I was in severe withdrawal from coming off my SSRIs. My doctor said withdrawal was all in my head telling me it was just my OCD and anxiety getting worse. I felt completely powerless as I had to prove my injury, all while I was in unimaginable pain and suffering. I have a host of health issues from these pills. I have cognitive deficits, neuropathy, autoimmune issues and much more.
- [14:09]
Podcast Host
With this video, Danielle tweeted something that I can't stop thinking about in the last few days. The mass chemical asexuality from SSRIs is a huge driver of plummeting birth rates. Millions of children are being prescribed SSRIS and are being chemically erased, robbed of the chance to ever know their true selves. Well yeah, if you're prescribing these medications to children, not telling them that it may cause chemical castration permanently where you will be unable to get pregnant later on in your life, and even full loss of sensation of your genitals. It's no wonder our generation is having record low numbers of sex because you don't want to, and that our fertility rate just hit another record low in our country, far below replacement rate for our current population. Almost as if maybe there's some larger plan at play here. Another young woman who I've had the privilege of meeting over the past few weeks is named Lauren, who is sharing her story about all of this and spoke on a panel with Danielle about drug safety and mental health related to SSRIs. Her story is devastating, but is so important for you to understand that this is the reality for millions of young people in our generation today. Right now, Lauren is living with something called PSSD or post SSRI sexual dysfunction. And she says that after having taken Zoloft in her life, one day she just woke up with total genital numbness, zero sense of libido, a permanent inability to experience an orgasm, and a complete emotional numbness that went along with all of this. She describes it as an emotional lobotomy, which seems about right.
- [15:44]
Co-host or Guest
So I'm living with a condition called post SSRI sexual dysfunction. Sexual dysfunction is one of the most common and reliable side effects of SSRIs. In fact, 50 to 70% of all patients taking these will have sexual side effects. What patients are not warned about is that these side effects can be permanent long after you stop the last drug dose. And PSSD is not just low libido. It is a full nervous system injury in which you lose total sexual function neurologically through essentially nervous system damage. So the hallmark symptom of PSSD is genital numbness? Yes. Like complete loss of sensation in your genitals. For me, I clearly hate to talk about this, but my clitoris is completely numb, as if it's the back of my elbow. I have no sensation internally. I'm 23 years old. Sufferers also lose the ability to orgasm permanently, like for the rest of their lives and their libido entirely, which for me and what a lot of other people experience is like a sudden onset, like chemical asexuality that just never goes away. And in my opinion, I don't think it's sensational to say that this is a form of chemical castration, that it is permanent. But beyond that, PSSD is not just a loss of sexual function, but a loss for some people of emotional function as well. That has been the case for me before this. I was a super emotional, empathetic, loving, caring, like Sylvia Plath, reading and resonating girl. And the day I woke up with this injury, I quite literally felt my soul leave my body. Like, I'm so serious. It was the most unbelievable, inorganic thing I've ever experienced. And it's a common symptom of people who have this condition to this day. It's been years for me. I'm 23 now. I can't feel love for my own mother, which is the hardest thing on earth. I can't feel connection or love for my friends or even pleasure in music, which was the Bane of my existence. I was a songwriter since I was a child. It was my outline. And it's been completely neurologically severed from these medications. And I'd just like to say there's a reason that, you know, every song on the radio, every movie on your television, every piece of art since the beginning of humanity centers on sex and love. And not just romantic love, but platonic familial love. And that is because these are the most central, intoxicating, worthwhile and fulfilling parts of the human experience. These aren't luxuries. And to remove someone's ability to participate, not just physically through sex, which is completely horrific on its own, but to remove someone's ability to emotionally connect with another human being is a crime against humanity. And I say crime against humanity because there is evidence that Eli Lilly, who created the first SSRI Prozac, knew their drugs could cause permanent sexual dysfunction and emotional numbness in children especially. And they withheld this from the public because they knew it would be a threat to the bottom line. I mean, I hope I'm not the only one who believes that there's nothing more criminal or dystopian to withhold from patients and parents of patients that your medication can permanently chemically castrate and emotionally numb its user for the rest of their life. PSSD is not on the drug label. It's not even in the fine print. I quite literally had no way of knowing that this is possible or that this could happen to me.
- [19:04]
Podcast Host
This is not okay. I, I hesitate even to say not normal because sadly, this is normal now. Like, I don't even know how to wrap my head around the fact that this is normal for 17% of our generation, not even our entire generation, 18 to 24 year olds. As a mom, oh, I get so emotional as a mom. How can we be doing that to our kids? How can we be living in a society that is telling parents that your children desperately need this medication in order to survive, when on the other end of it, most of the time it castrates them permanently and creates in them an emotional lobotomy? That's not solving for depression, that's not giving you a sense of joy, that is ripping the carpet right out from under your feet and preventing any sort of long term happiness, purpose, fulfillment or joy for the rest of your life? Ironically, operating in the same way that affirmative care does for gender dysphoria. And why I've had such a severe problem with the affirmative care model for the last several years. If someone comes to you and says, I'm experiencing gender dysphoria. And the answer from a doctor is great, let's make you more gender dysphoric. Let's have you lean further into that. It's the exact same thing as someone coming to you saying, I'm experiencing depression, prescribing these drugs that are going to permanently damage you for the rest of your life, essentially saying, great, let's make you more depressed forever. I don't know who needs to hear this today, but RFK Jr. Is a hero. Bobby Kennedy is a hero and should be celebrated as such for seeing the massive epidemic of depression impacting American young adults today and wanting to give us a better path forward than destroying our minds and our bodies and frankly, our souls for the rest of our lifetime in order to experience a spark of happiness. Danielle's story and Lauren's story are just two of countless that I have come across this week on social media and have deeply rocked me to my core. And I know this is a subject I'm going to keep looking into very, very deeply because it is shocking that the general public doesn't know that this has become so norma for young adults today. But the other part of this that we cannot forget to pay attention to is that advocacy against the damage from SSRIs can't stop at Gen Z. This has to extend to our children as well. I had no idea that 5 to 10% of pregnant women in America are currently taking SSRIs throughout their entire pregnancy, exposing our babies to antidepressant drugs as well. And a new peer reviewed study that literally just came out in the last few days about fetal exposure to SSRIs is is horrifying. There have now been 13 consecutive MRI brain studies showing that prenatal SSRI exposure for babies is associated with altered fetal brain development, meaning your brain does not develop appropriately as a baby in the womb, which is supposed to be the safest possible place for our children when they are exposed to these pharmaceutical drugs that are, I think, appropriately said from Lauren, a crime against humanity. The left and right hippocampal volumes are deeply decreased. There is a reduced cortical gyrification index. There's a curvedness and surface area in fetuses exposed to SSRIs dramatically different than babies who were not exposed to SSRIs in the womb. And the reason why is that these drugs are crossing the placenta and influencing fetal brain development by altering levels of neurotransmitters, completely changing the way that a baby's brain even works to begin with. So it's not enough that Big Pharma is poisoning young people in the prime of their life, in adolescence in their early 20s. They have to now set up an entire generation of what presumably will be pharmaceutical customers for life in babies before they are born by convincing moms that they have to be taking these drugs in order to be happy in the first place. This is a multi generational crime against humanity and I hope that we'll look back on these drugs like we look back on lobotomy procedures because it sounds pretty darn similar. But maybe you disagree with me, maybe you've had a different experience with SSRIs and think they're the greatest thing since sliced bread. Whatever your experience be with antidepressants, can you let me know in the comments? Because I want to conglomerate all of this data and bring it to all of the right people here in Washington D.C. so that we can be helping people escape the cycle of mental health crisis once and for all and free from Big Pharma.