History and Background
The so-called "serotonin revolution" of the late 20th century refers to the explosion of mood and behavior altering drugs known as SSRIs. This new generation of antidepressants, of which Prozac is the most famous, have generally been considered safe and non-habit forming.
Read more on the various types of antidepressants
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With its introduction in 1986, Prozac was promoted as a breakthrough "wonder" drug by the media. Prozac quickly became an icon of pop culture as its popularity soared. It is now so widely used that some have called it Vitamin P. |
While Prozac may be the most well-known of the SSRIs, Zoloft and Paxil are close behind in popularity and use. These SSRIs, known as the big three, and others such as Luvox and Celexa, share many similarities with mood and behavior-altering drugs of years past.
Breakthrough Drugs and The 10-20-30 Pattern
The serotonin revolution of today has important historical antecedents. Much like modern SSRIs, earlier mood and behavior-altering drugs soared in popularity as they first arrived on the commercial market. These powerful breakthrough drugs eventually fell out of favor as dangers such as serious negative side effects were discovered. Subsequently, these drugs were replaced with new pharmaceuticals, hailed as the latest "wonder drugs." The antidepressant boom of today follows a similar trend, one that seems to characterize the emergence of promising mood and behavior-altering pharmaceuticals. Dr. Joseph Glenmullen, author of Prozac Backlash describes this cycle as the "10-20-30 Pattern".
Historical examples of the 10-20-30 pattern include:
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Recently, new findings have sparked a reevaluation of the efficacy and safety of SSRIs and a backlash against the irresponsible overuse of these drugs. Prozac and other popular SSRIs have increasingly been associated with negative side effects and serious adverse reactions and have been criticized as ineffective, or less effective than promised.
Read more about Prozac or the social and ethical implications of the increasing usage of SSRIs.
