en-us copyright © 2007 NeuroSoup Tue, 27 Mar 2007 http://www.neurosoup.com Research Reports, Videos, and Community Forum about Withdrawal from SSRI drugs, Effexor, Celexa, Prozac, Cymbalta, Zoloft, Paxil, the real drug war, Schedule I illegal drugs, LSD, MDMA, DMT, Heroin, and Entheogens. http://www.neurosoup.com/hypocrisyofusdrugpolicy.htm The current United States nonviolent prisoner population is larger than the combined populations of Wyoming and Alaska. The Department of Justice reported that at year-end 2003, 55% of the federal inmates were drug offenders. Assuming recent incarceration rates in the United States remain unchanged, an estimated 1 of every 20 Americans (5%) can be expected to serve time in prison during their lifetime. Somehow I don't think that this number will contain many of the thousands of chemists that work for the pharmaceutical companies, or the doctors that receive "gifts" for prescribing these drugs off-label, or the political candidates that receive millions of dollars each year in campaign contributions. http://www.neurosoup.com/videos/ssrivideopg.htm Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a class of antidepressants for treating depression. These drugs are designed to increase the level of the neurotransmitter serotonin. A low level of serotonin is currently seen as one among several neurochemical symptoms of depression. The main indication for SSRIs is the clinical depression. Apart from this, SSRIs are frequently prescribed for anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Though not specifically indicated by the manufacturers or by FDA approval, they are often prescribed "off-label" to treat a number of other diseases. http://www.neurosoup.com/ritalintherealgatewaydrug.htm Ritalin and Cocaine are both Schedule II controlled Substances in the United States. They have similar chemical structures, stimulant effects, and addictive properties. They both work by increasing dopamine levels in the brain. Ritalin and Cocaine block the natural reuptake process of dopamine at the synapse causing the synaptic cleft in between two neurons to be overfilled with dopamine. Allegorically, this process can be simplified and compared to a bathroom sink. Imagine that there is a faucet pouring water (dopamine) in to the sink (synaptic cleft). There are naturally two ways for the water to exit the sink, either by the main drain or by flowing over the side when there is too much water for the main drain to handle. These drugs block the side overflow so that the main drain has no option but to drain out all of the water. The main drain will expand and adjust to the new rate of water (dopamine) flow. http://www.neurosoup.com/amountofpesticidesinfood.htm Graph containing the average amount of pesicides in foods and the number of pesticides in each food. http://www.neurosoup.com/free_podcasts.htm Free mp3 podcasts inspired by the entheogenic experience that can be either listened to online or downloaded.