[ryeights]

> If a side effect is extremely rare it would be impossible or at least impractical to prove in a population.

This is also true for a non-existent side effect. I’m not trying to tell GP he is wrong, just that from a reader’s perspective, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

[staticman2]

This isn't a good fit for the phrase "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

Grandparent's report is hard to verify, not extraordinary.

These drugs are approved based on statistical safety profiles in limited trial populations, not on a scientific consensus that absolutely nobody on Earth will ever experience a unique adverse reaction.

Also, I never said that you, the reader, had an obligation to change your worldview based on Grandparent's report.

[ryeights]

Millions of people take SSRIs on a daily basis without these dramatic symptoms. Millions more tried them (for much longer periods than 5 days) and then desisted from treatment without major lifelong mental alterations. So yes, I would say GP’s experience is ‘extraordinary’, i.e., outside of the ordinary expectation