Hi my name is Wendy and I'm from Canada.

I was put on antidepressants as a young teen for what I believe was just the hormones doing their thing. Later in life at the age of about 39 my thyroid had quit. I was very ill, and did not know why. I was also devastatingly depressed. I went to my family physician seeking help. Of course out came the antidepressants and sleeping aids and a referral to a psychiatrist who obliged everybody by making sure I stayed on the drugs, and offered up shock treatments. I had shock treatments for two summers, about 30 in total. They had me so drugged up I couldn't remember people coming to visit, and when I got home couldn't remember even doing a little bit of entertaining. I walked my dogs everyday generally and actually forgot how to get home shortly after my release from hospital. My dogs figured out I was really scared and guided me back home. They had me on Ativan, Klonipin and sertraline at the time. I stayed on the antidepressant till I was 50 and was taken off abruptly by a doctor and suffered severe chemical anxiety which lasted three days straight. My husband reluctantly took me to emergency where they saddled me with more drugs. They said there was no way it was because of being taken off the drugs too quickly. I was just having an anxiety attack. Well I know different now. I have been very sick since, and have been drug free for 18 months. I am in protracted withdrawal and I suffer horrific symptoms still to this day. I wonder some days if I am gonna make it through.