Why don't people become immune to SSRIs like Effexor, and Wellbutrin?

Question

I was just wondering why the human body and mind doesn't become immune to SSRI medications like Effexor and Wellbutrin, and why the human body would become immune to painkillers. Thanks!

Answer 1

SSRI medications are generally mild, and affect systems that the brain doesn't consider 'mission critical'. People -do- experience something called "SSRI p**p-out" where one drug arbitrarily for no reason stops working for depression. Perception of pain on the other hand is a VERY important system, and one the brain keeps under very tight control. When you muck with it for long periods of time, the brain tries to 'adjust' things back to normal.

Answer 2

They do.

It's called 'p**p out', and once you've reached it, the dose has to be upped to maintain effect. Eventually there comes a point where the dose can be upped no more, and the patient must be switched around various medications in an attempt to find something which still works. This has become known as the antidepressant merry-go-round.

Answer 3

Because they work in two completely different ways. The SSRI blocks the reuptake of seretonin. When the neuron asorbs too much seretonin, depression can result. Those drugs place little blockers in the "docking" area where seretonin is taken back in, so more seretonin is passed out to other neurons.