WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Is Prozac Endangering Crabs' Survival?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here with another classic episode from

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<v Speaker 1>our archives. We hear a brain Stuff are huge proponents

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<v Speaker 1>of managing your mental health. However it works best for you,

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<v Speaker 1>whether that's through lifestyle changes, some kind of talk, therapy,

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<v Speaker 1>or medication. But because of the many medications that humans take,

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<v Speaker 1>we also need to take care of how they may

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<v Speaker 1>affect the environment. This episode is a study in Prozac

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<v Speaker 1>and crabs. Hey there, brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbam Here. Forty

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<v Speaker 1>years have gone by. It's the debut of the popular

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<v Speaker 1>antidepressant flu oxytine, popularly known by the trade name prozac.

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<v Speaker 1>It's in a class of antidepressants called s s R

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<v Speaker 1>EYES that's selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. They give the brain

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

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<v Speaker 1>thought to affect happiness. After all this time, it's still

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<v Speaker 1>the most effective and popular antidepressant on the market, and

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<v Speaker 1>experts say it's not getting replaced anytime soon, and since

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<v Speaker 1>demand for the drug is rising each year, it looks

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<v Speaker 1>like more fluoxetine will be in our medicine cabinets and

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<v Speaker 1>as a result, that means we'll have more fluoxetine in

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<v Speaker 1>our environment, and researchers want to know what it's doing.

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<v Speaker 1>It's not news that we ingest all kinds of chemicals

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<v Speaker 1>oral contraceptives, antibiotics, mood enhancers, and even caffeine that end

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<v Speaker 1>up in our toilets since our bodies can't entirely metabolize them,

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<v Speaker 1>and after they're flushed, chemicals like fluoxetine end up in

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<v Speaker 1>rivers and streams, and after that in the oceans. What

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<v Speaker 1>effect that these chemicals have on ecosystems once they show

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<v Speaker 1>up isn't well understood, but one sixteen study found that

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

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<v Speaker 1>aggressive Siamese fighting fish uncharacteristically chill. A new study published

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<v Speaker 1>in the journal Ecology and Evolution examines the effect of

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<v Speaker 1>fluoxetine on shore crabs on the Oregon Coast and finds

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<v Speaker 1>exposure to the drug might be making them careless in

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<v Speaker 1>their foraging habits. A Portland State University research team exposed

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<v Speaker 1>shore crabs in a lab to trace amounts of fluoxetine

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<v Speaker 1>at levels that have been detected on the organ shore.

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<v Speaker 1>Over the course of sixty days, they found these crabs

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<v Speaker 1>forged more during times of the day they typically stay hidden,

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<v Speaker 1>exposing them to the threat of predation. These crabs also

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<v Speaker 1>fought more with others in their species, sometimes killing or

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<v Speaker 1>being killed in the process. A researcher, a Lease Grantic,

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<v Speaker 1>a professor in Portland State University's Department of Environmental Sciences

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<v Speaker 1>and Management, sudden to press release the changes we observed

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<v Speaker 1>in their behaviors may mean that crabs living in harbors

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<v Speaker 1>and estuaries contaminated with fluoxetine are at a greater risk

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<v Speaker 1>of predation and mortality. Further research is needed to learn

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<v Speaker 1>how this and other pharmaceutical waste will affect our oceans

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<v Speaker 1>and what we can do about it. But for now,

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<v Speaker 1>you can help a little by contacting your doctor or

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<v Speaker 1>pharmacy to dispose of any unwanted medications instead of throwing

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<v Speaker 1>them in the trash or toilet. Today's episode is based

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<v Speaker 1>on the article Prozac making its way into oceans might

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<v Speaker 1>be affecting crab behavior on how stuff works dot Com,

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<v Speaker 1>written by Jesselyn Shields. Brain Stuff is production of I

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<v Speaker 1>Heart Radio in partnership with how stuff works dot Com,

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<v Speaker 1>and it is produced by Tyler Clang four more podcasts

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<v Speaker 1>from my heart Radio. Visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.