# Antidepressants = Clenched Jaws? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 1, 2002, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antidepressants-clenched-jaws/111841 "2002-06-01T03:23:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antidepressants-clenched-jaws/111841/1 "2002-06-01T03:23:00Z")
["http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newscenter5/1490472/detail.html](http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newscenter5/1490472/detail.html) Has anyone every heard of this before? If so, what is it about SSRI’s that would cause it? I’ve been a horrible teeth grinder for the past 7-8 years, which is around the same time I started on Zoloft…😕 ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antidepressants-clenched-jaws/111841/2 "2002-06-01T03:27:51Z")
Interesting . . . I take Effexor, which is an antidepressant but not, strictly speaking, an SSRI. (It inhibits reuptake of both serotonin and norepinehprine.) My wife says I grind my teeth a **lot** in my sleep, and I often have a sore jaw. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antidepressants-clenched-jaws/111841/3 "2002-06-01T06:00:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kiz \* > \*\*If so, what is it about SSRI’s that would cause it? \*\* [Pfizer](http://www.zoloft.com/index.asp?pageid=43) (the manufacturer) doesn’t even know why Zoloft works for depression and anxiety, much less why it causes unintended side effects: > [@](#): > > Everyone has a normal substance in the brain called serotonin. It is thought that not having enough serotonin may contribute to depression, panic disorder, OCD and PTSD. How ZOLOFT works for all of these conditions is not known. It should come as no surprise that any drug that messes around with the brain’s neurotransmitters should cause any number of bizarre reactions throughout the body. Why they have become accepted as the first line of treatment for any kind of depression can only be attributed to naked greed on the part of pharmaceutical and insurance companies. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antidepressants-clenched-jaws/111841/4 "2002-06-01T14:31:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fear Itself \* > \*\* Pfizer (the manufacturer) doesn’t even know why Zoloft works for depression and anxiety, much less why it causes unintended side effects… Why they have become accepted as the first line of treatment for any kind of depression can only be attributed to naked greed on the part of pharmaceutical and insurance companies. \*\* It is nice - but not necessary - to understand the bio-mechanics of a drug. The fact that it is reasonably safe and reasonably effective is enough. The reason that anti-depressants are so popular is that they are much better than the alternatives of (a) being depressed or (b) going to counseling for years and years and still being depressed. I apologize if this sends us off into GD. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antidepressants-clenched-jaws/111841/5 "2002-06-01T14:50:29Z")
Here’s the list of side-effects of Zoloft [Zoloft Side Effects (Medscape)](http://www.medscape.com/druginfo/SideEffect?id=1-6324&name=ZOLOFT+ORAL&DrugType=null&MenuID=ADE&ClassID=N&GeneralStatement=N) . It says > [@](#): > > Although a causal relationship has not been established, nocturnal bruxism (clenching and/or grinding of the teeth during sleep) has developed within 2?4 weeks following initiation of sertraline or fluoxetine therapy in several patients. The bruxism remitted upon reduction in dosage of the serotonin-reuptake inhibitor and/or the addition of buspirone therapy.