WEBVTT - Is Prozac Endangering Crabs' Survival?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. Hey, they're

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<v Speaker 1>brain stuff, Lauren vocal bomb Here. Forty years have gone by.

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<v Speaker 1>It's the debut of the popular antidepressant fluoxetine, popularly known

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<v Speaker 1>by the trade name Prozac. It's in a class of

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<v Speaker 1>antidepressants called S s R eyes that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

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<v Speaker 1>They give the brain a little boost in serotonin, the

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<v Speaker 1>chemical in the brain thought to affect happiness. After all

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<v Speaker 1>this time, it's still the most effective and popular antidepressant

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<v Speaker 1>on the market, and experts say it's not getting replaced

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<v Speaker 1>anytime soon. And since demand for the drug is rising

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<v Speaker 1>each year, it looks like more fluoxetine will be in

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<v Speaker 1>our medicine cabinets, and as a result, that means we'll

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<v Speaker 1>have more fluoxetine in our environment, and researchers want to

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<v Speaker 1>know what it's doing. It's not news that we ingest

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<v Speaker 1>all kinds of chemicals oral contraceptives, antibiotics, mood enhancers, and

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<v Speaker 1>even caffeine that end up in our toilets since our

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<v Speaker 1>bodies can't entirely metabolize them, and after they're flushed, chemicals

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<v Speaker 1>like fluoxetine and up in rivers and streams, and after

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<v Speaker 1>that in the oceans. What effect these chemicals have on

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<v Speaker 1>ecosystems once they show up isn't well understood, but study

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<v Speaker 1>found that even small doses of the drug can render

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<v Speaker 1>the notoriously aggressive Siamese fighting fish uncharacteristically chill. A new

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<v Speaker 1>study published in the journal Ecology and Evolution examines the

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<v Speaker 1>effect of flu oxytine on shore crabs on the Oregon

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<v Speaker 1>Coast and finds exposure to the drug might be making

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<v Speaker 1>them careless in their foraging habits. A Portland State University

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<v Speaker 1>research team exposed shore crabs in a lab to trace

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<v Speaker 1>amounts of fluoxetine at levels that have been detected on

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<v Speaker 1>the organ shore. Over the course of sixty days. They

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<v Speaker 1>found these crabs forged more during times of the day

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<v Speaker 1>they typically stay hidden, exposing them to the threat of predation.

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<v Speaker 1>These crabs also fought more with others in their species,

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes killing or being killed in the process. A researcher,

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<v Speaker 1>a Lease Grantic, a professor in Portland State University's Department

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<v Speaker 1>of Environmental Sciences and Management, sudden to press release the

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<v Speaker 1>changes we observed in their behaviors may mean that crabs

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<v Speaker 1>living in harbors and estuaries contaminated with fluoxyitine are at

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<v Speaker 1>a greater risk of predation and mortality. Further research is

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<v Speaker 1>needed to learn how this and other pharmaceutical waste will

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<v Speaker 1>affect our oceans and what we can do about it.

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<v Speaker 1>But for now, you can help a little by contacting

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<v Speaker 1>your doctor or pharmacy to dispose of any unwanted medications

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<v Speaker 1>instead of throwing them in the trash or toilet. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>episode is written by Jesselyn Shields and produced by Tyler Klang.

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<v Speaker 1>For more on this and lots of other fishy topics,

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<v Speaker 1>visit our home planet, how stuff works dot com.