May Cause Side Effects: A Memoir

An unforgettable memoir about the turmoil of antidepressant withdrawal and the work it takes to unravel the stories we tell ourselves to rationalize our suffering-all unfurled against a global backdrop.

Brooke Siem was among the first generation of teens to be prescribed antidepressants. Initially prescribed a cocktail of drugs at fifteen years old, she and her mother accepted the recommended
solution
with no understanding of how the chemicals might change her developing mind or how she might stop the drugs down the road.

A decade and a half later, still on the same set of drugs, Brooke was contemplating suicide. If the antidepressants were working, then why did she still want to take her own life? And if the drugs weren’t working, who might she be without them?

May Cause Side Effects is the gripping story of what happened when, after fifteen years and 10,000 antidepressants, Siem was forced into harrowing antidepressant withdrawal when an opportunity to travel around the world dropped into her lap.

An illuminating memoir for those who take, prescribe, or are considering drugs to blunt the pain and experiences that shape our reality, May Cause Side Effects is an honest reminder that the road to true healing and happiness is not found on a prescription pad, but in deep self-work that pushes us to the agonizing edges of who we are.